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Sudden Unexpected Acceleration today
- Thread starter AZM3
- Start date
Yes, Tesla has recently released EDR tools for the users to pull logs from their cars. The tools are expensive ($995) so I am not sure how many owners would want to own one.
I don't think its about keeping secrets, however I am not convinced that every instance of so-called pedal misapplication or sudden acceleration is attributable to a user error. It's easy to blame the other person until it happens to you.
What I find peculiar in most of the reported incidents is that they happened when you are about to park. It is odd to think that a driver whose familiar with an electric car's automatic slowing while regen braking would suddenly apply full pressure to the "brake pedal" to slow the car from 2-5 mph to zero.
Dr. J
Active Member
EnrgyNDpndnce
Member
Most cases of “unintended acceleration” don’t start with the driver applying “full pressure” to the pedal. The driver applies light pressure to what she believes is the brake pedal but is actually the accelerator. Instead of slowing the vehicle accelerates, which causes the driver to immediately press the pedal harder,again believing she is pressing the brake but actually pressing the accelerator. Understand that this all occurs in a second or two, there is no time to think “gee, am I really pressing the brake pedal?” It’s a mistake that occurs more often than people realize, and all of the drivers believe they were pressing the brake. People make mistakes, it is what it is. Just be glad no one was injured, fix the car, and move on.
siucity
Button Pusher
I don't find it odd at all. When someone pushes what they think is the brake pedal but the car moves forward, they'll probably push the same pedal harder thinking it would stop the car, not realizing he/she is pushing the accelerator that whole time.
People STOMP on the pedal because they expect the car to slow down when they press down on the “brake”, and when the car accelerates instead, they panic and press down harder to try to stop the car, never realizing they’re on the accelerator the whole time. The fact that this happens when people are parking or trying to slow down to stop at a red light should be a red flag. That’s when they’re pressing down on the “brake” and freaking out when the car does something different than what they’re expecting so they stomp down because they think they’re already on the brake when they’re actually on the accelerator. Happened to my roommate once in the scariest moment of my life, and even though I could clearly see he was on the gas pedal of his (thankfully slow ass) ‘88 Camry and the car didn’t stop spinning it’s wheels against the wall we hit until I convinced him to stop stomping down, for years afterwards he swears the car did it on its own.
Dr. J
Active Member
Consider what is likely happening: the driver slowly applies the "brake pedal" and unexpectedly experiences the car going faster which causes panic which causes full pressure to the "brake pedal" which causes bedlam.....
When you consider the massive number of cases across the brands for the last 110 years, of all different kinds of designs, and what we have today compared to yesterday, you can be fairly confident in today's systems. Perhaps hundreds of UAs occur each day, usually with little damage.
I remember the day I was taking my written driver's test in Westminster, California. Somebody taking the driving part of the test drove right through the wall of the written testing area with the Driving Instructor in the car.
Things are no different today, except the accelerator control is more reliable than back then, yet people still drive through walls with at least the same frequency.
In a ‘normal’ car your foot is riding the brake pedal as you park and then you increase pressure to come to a complete stop.
In a Tesla with ‘creep off’ the ONLY way you can make the car move is with the accelerator. I believe people aren’t used to riding the accelerator when parking instead of the brake. They then inadvertently attempt to stop by increasing pressure however their foot is not on the brake but the accelerator.
In a Tesla with ‘creep off’ the ONLY way you can make the car move is with the accelerator. I believe people aren’t used to riding the accelerator when parking instead of the brake. They then inadvertently attempt to stop by increasing pressure however their foot is not on the brake but the accelerator.
TheFunStarts
Member
There was an episode on the excellent podcast "Revisionist History" that looked into the famous Toyota throttle issues. Further investigation revealed that it was unintentional user error by stomping on the wrong pedal.
pilotSteve
Active Member
ww73
Member
AEB won’t override a driver who is mashing on the accelerator, nor should it.
This is exactly why I leave creep on. In a panic situation (especially at creep speeds typical of a parking lot or stop and go traffic) when the primitive portions of the brain are reacting, I’d rather that my foot be riding the brake pedal rather than the accelerator pedal.
mal_tsla
Member
Tesla regen drops off under 5-8mph, parking speed.
Even with creep off, I'm gliding into parking spots with my foot over the brake, much like a stick shift. Maybe other people approach parking spots a bit faster...
But OP says creep was on, so no need for "creep off" blaming in this thread
Even with creep off, I'm gliding into parking spots with my foot over the brake, much like a stick shift. Maybe other people approach parking spots a bit faster...
But OP says creep was on, so no need for "creep off" blaming in this thread
Man, maybe it is the right way to just have one pedal instead of two. Which apparently was pioneered in Tesla Roadster
