Can anyone provide context for how common this is in a newly released production car?
They probably should have know better, but this seems like a fairly innocent mistake to me... I thought it could be an issue with the car's computers which in my eyes would be more concerning than a relatively simple mechanical issue. Interestingly the cover of my car's pedal fell of this weekend, although I can't see how this would cause the pedal to stick in my car (it's a Fiat).
My mother had a ‘92 Camry whose accelerator pedal would stick and while it was not an insurmountable obstacle to overcome it was seemingly random and unexpected when it occurred often leading to panic. One of the instinctive things was to tap the pedal to “unstick” it, but if you’re decelerating that can cause issues, especially if it doesn’t work.
I have a Kia now with the opposite problem. In the afternoon the sun will trigger the collision avoidance system and abruptly break. This has happened probably half a dozen times on a particular turn on a nearby freeway that is angled in a way the sensor must be vulnerable to. When going 65-70 on a freeway with no car immediately in front, but possibly cars on either side) and having the car violently break is frightening and requires fast reflexes to ensure the car stays in its lane.
Similarly we have a Toyota hybrid where the feel of the break changes completely when the regenerative breaking is released. I’ll be slowing to a stop light and it’s almost as if the breaks give out and I need to apply more pressure to achieve the same deceleration.
While I don’t doubt that there is human error involved in the vast majority of crashes, when you encounter a flaw like this it is obvious how it could result in an accident.
I also have a Toyota hybrid. Regenerative braking falls off as speed decreases. Whatever algorithm they use to determine how hard to apply the brake pads either doesn't compensate for this or is tuned conservatively.
I don't think this is too much of a problem. But there's another failure mode that will startle you unless you're monitoring the battery charge on long downhill slopes. If the battery gets too full, the regenerative braking cuts out abruptly.
If you're dealing with this kind of terrain regularly, you might want to get familiar with the engine braking mode. (B or S on the shifter)
One of the instinctive things was to tap the pedal to “unstick” it, but if you’re decelerating that can cause issues, especially if it doesn’t work.
That's not unintended acceleration, that's a sticky throttle cable that needed to be replaced. Or possibly a weak return spring on the throttle mechanism. I'm curious why you didn't take it to a mechanic and get it fixed (any mechanic could have fixed this, not just Toyota techs).
They probably should have know better, but this seems like a fairly innocent mistake to me... I thought it could be an issue with the car's computers which in my eyes would be more concerning than a relatively simple mechanical issue. Interestingly the cover of my car's pedal fell of this weekend, although I can't see how this would cause the pedal to stick in my car (it's a Fiat).