NightPHEVer said:
Jeez this is a subject-and-a-half. Check out the Wikipedia 'Sudden unintended acceleration' page. Statistics going back decades. I remember reading a story in the Times not long ago about some cars that allegedly did this - can't remember the make though. Wasn't Mitsubishi I don't think. Wouldn't have thought it possible with the brakes applied - would have to be engaged in drive and foot hard on the accelerator to have any hope of overwhelming four calipers locked on discs, you'd have thought. Unless the vehicle was already moving and the brakes failed completely to stop the vehicle - is that possible with a modern braking system?
I have regular nightmares about this. If it ever happened to me and I was convinced that I hadn't pressed the throttle instead of the brakes (and everyone else thinking I must have pressed the throttle not the brakes) I might go mad. Like something from the X-Files. Presumably you're going to have your Mitsubishi dealer take a very close look at the PHEV in question. Do let us know the outcome of this.
I never had any problem on the PHEV regarding this area.
It sound unbelievable to me that the car can mistake read the brake pedal and let the acceleration to go
I personally experience this:
- When starting the car from "OFF", when I engage the D gear .. I feel sometime a little push forward if I don't have my foot on brake well firmed on it.
- On my wife car, that is a little automatic Aixam .. the pedal are a bit offset .. and if I'm not careful, sometime I pressed both brake and accelerator on the same time ... normally I realize the mistake when I start the car in this situation that the engine will revs faster then normal .. but still the car don't move since brake overpower the acceleration ... on a manual gear car the mistake is less likely to happen since people start always with a foot on clutch and this allow to get a right reference to the pedal position.
So ... I believe is relative easy to mistake one pedal from the other.
As well ... the PHEV is designed to "accelerate" once it is in gear and no pedal is pressed .. that is one of my reported bug .. the car should not start automatically like a old ICE with automatic gearbox ... there should be no power when there is no pressure on acceleration.
Only situation that can cause an issue on the PHEV .. is if the brake pedal stop sending the signal to the ECU .. but then ... there should be an error on the car .. and as well .. if the brake is not pressed the car should not even properly switch on nor should D gear engaged
PS: Having said that ... my wife on her little aixam reported couple of time that accelerator was stuck on on her little car .. once she also crash .. making a U turn .. but ... judging the little crash cause ... I'm more for believe on a woman fault then not in a car fault ...