NHTSA Complaint #10316348 — 2005 TOYOTA TUNDRA

LONG DELAY BETWEEN DEPRESSING "DRIVE-BY-WIRE" GAS PEDAL AND ENGINE RESPONDING. MY 2005 TOYOTA TUNDRA HAS AN ELECTRONIC GAS PEDAL. IT'S UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR MAY EXPLAIN SOME OF THE CURRENT "SURGING" PEOPLE ARE SEEING IN OTHER TOYOTAS. THIS IS A 100% SOFTWARE PROBLEM (I AM A ELECTRONIC ENGINEER). DESCRIPTION: WHEN THE ENGINE IS AT IDLE, OR EVEN WORSE, WHEN YOU ARE DECELERATING AT IDLE POWER, AND YOU INCREASE THE THROTTLE POSITION OF THE GAS PEDAL, THERE IS A NEARLY 1-SECOND DELAY BEFORE THE ENGINE RESPONDS TO THE THROTTLE INPUT. IF THE DRIVER, NOT SENSING ANY RESPONSE TO THROTTLE, APPLIES MORE AND MORE THROTTLE DURING THAT ONE SECOND DELAY, WHEN THE ENGINE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE FINALLY DOES RESPOND IT WILL IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE HIGHEST THROTTLE SETTING THE DRIVER WAS SELECTING, CAUSING A HUGE LURCHING FORWARD ACTION OF THE VEHICLE. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE DRIVER APPLIED THROTTLE IN THIS FASHION: 0SEC=5% THROTTLE; 0.25SEC=10% THROTTLE; 0.5 SEC=20% THROTTLE; 0.75SEC=35% THROTTLE; 1.0SEC=50% THROTTLE. THE ENGINE'S ELECTRONIC THROTTLE WILL RESPOND LIKE THIS: 0SEC=0% THROTTLE; 0.25SEC=0% THROTTLE; 0.5 SEC=0% THROTTLE; 0.75SEC=0% THROTTLE; 1.0SEC=50% THROTTLE. CAUSING THE HUGE LURCH AT 1.0 SECOND. THIS HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHILE CHANGING LANES DURING STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF I AM RUNNING AT PARTIAL POWER/THROTTLE, THIS BEHAVIOR DOES NOT HAPPEN, AND THE GAS PEDAL RESPONSE IS PROPER. ONLY FROM IDLE OR DECELERATING. I HAVE COMPLAINED NUMEROUS TIMES TO MY TOYOTA DEALER, TO WHICH THE SERVICE MANAGER FINALLY REPLIED TO ME "YOU THINK THE TUNDRA IS BAD... YOU SHOULD TRY DRIVING THE SIENNA! IT'S WORSE!" SO APPARENTLY THE FOLKS AT TOYOTA KNOW ABOUT THIS AND THINK IT'S FUNNY. I CAN DEMONSTRATE THIS DEFECT AT ANY TIME. I HAVE CHANGED MY DRIVING STYLE TO PROTECT ME FROM THE VEHICLE'S DEFECT. *TR