This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
On 11/03/05 I had an accident where I rear ended another vehicle. I did not realize exactly what happened at the time of the accident, but did tell the police something was wrong with either the brakes or the tires. I just had a very uncomfortable feeling when attempting to stop! I felt as though the vehicle was coasting. The damage to my vehicle was $1,385 and I have no idea of the damage to the other vehicle. I subsequently discovered, after duplicating the incident, my foot was on both the brake and accelerator. The brake pedal, on the Hyundai Elantra, is 2.25 inches from the accelerator. A similar incident resulted in a 424,000 vehicle recall and correction by Ford Motor Co. In their case the relationship was 1.95 inches this distance to the accelerator, on the Elantra, was not the major issue, the brake pedal is only one inch above the accelerator and when fully braking the brake is one inch below the accelerator. When you combine the two the end result may be devastating. I have a second vehicle, a Hyundai sonata, in this one the brake is 3.25 inches from the accelerator and also is 2.25 inches above the accelerator. Upon braking the brake pedal remains.50 inches above the accelerator. No problem!
When pressing on the brake pedal it was so close to the accelerator that consumer pressed both at the same time. The consumer stated that he was almost involved in an accident. The engine would exceed the braking power and the vehicle would speed up instead of slowing down. The consumer would have to step on the brakes harder with the vehicle speeding up even more. The brake pedal and gas pedal were too close together.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Albuquerque, NM, USA