NHTSA Complaint #10520208 — 2004 NISSAN TITAN

IMAGINE DRIVING DOWN A MOUNTAINOUS ROAD IN IDAHO STATE. YOU ARE GOING DOWN A HILL IN A PICK-UP TRUCK PULLING A CAMPER. ALL OF A SUDDEN YOUR VEHICLE GOES INTO LIMP MODE - IT WON'T REV OVER 1000 RPM. YOU LOOK TO PULL OVER BUT THERE IS ONLY A SMALL SHOULDER. VEHICLES ARE SKIDDING TRYING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AS YOUR VEHICLE IS DISABLED AND ONLY PARTIALLY OFF THE ROAD. AFTER FIXING THE PROBLEM, I REALIZED THE TRUCK SHOULD NEVER HAVE GONE INTO LIMP MODE. IT IS A CRITICAL DESIGN FLAW WITH THE VEHICLE. I WAS PUT IN HARMS WAY FOR NO REASON. ALL VEHICLES USE TO HAVE THE ENGINE SPEED CONTROLLED VIA MECHANICAL LINKAGE OR CABLES FOR THE GAS PEDAL. VERY FEW FAILURES EXISTED WITH THIS DESIGN. TODAY GAS PEDAL RUN BY A WIRE THAT SENDS AN ELECTRONIC SIGNAL TO THE VEHICLES COMPUTER. THE COMPUTER IN TURN EVALUATES THE GAS PEDAL POSITION WHICH THEN SENDS A SIGNAL TO THE FUEL INJECTORS AND THROTTLE BODY TO CONTROL THE ENGINE. THE CRITICAL DESIGN FLAW COMES INTO PLAY WHEN VEHICLE DESIGNERS COMBINE OTHER ELECTRONIC SENSORS ON THE SAME CIRCUIT AS THE GAS PEDAL. NON-CRITICAL COMPONENTS LIKE GAS EVAPORATOR SENSORS, POWER STEERING SENSORS, AIR CONDITIONER SENSORS. WHEN ANY OF THESE NON-CRITICAL ITEMS EXPERIENCE AN ELECTRICAL SHORT, THE VEHICLE GOES INTO LIMP MODE POTENTIALLY PUTTING DRIVERS IN HARM'S WAY DOES THIS RECOMMENDED SOLUTION FIX ALL PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE GAS PEDAL? NO IT DOES NOT. IT IS A LOT SAFER. I BELIEVE NHTSA SHOULD EVALUATE & ASSESS THIS CRITICAL DESIGN FLAW. I HAVE BEEN A CONTROLS ENGINEER FOR 28 YRS AND THIS DESIGN IS NOT SAFE. PLEASE REFER THEIR MODEL A60 SERIES MANUAL. NOV 2003 EDITION, REV-APRIL 2004, PUB NO. SM4E-1A60U1. SECTION B , PAGES EC-423 THRU 427. I WOULD FIND IT SATISFACTORY IF NISSAN REDESIGNED AND FIXED ALL VEHICLES BY SEPARATING CIRCUITS WITH CRITICAL ENGINE COMPONENTS FROM NON-CRITICAL COMPONENTS. *TR