Sudden acceleration - Remember Audi?

March 30, 2010
Toyota's recent troubles with sudden acceleration recalls similar difficulties Audi had in the late 1980s. A lot of people seem to recall that Audi was exonerated of any design defects associated with the problem. However, that is not exactly true. There ...

Toyota's recent troubles with sudden acceleration recalls similar difficulties Audi had in the late 1980s. A lot of people seem to recall that Audi was exonerated of any design defects associated with the problem. However, that is not exactly true. There was a long tangled tale associated with the whole mess. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration eventually produced a report that identified poor pedal design and placement as one thing that could lead to accidental misapplication of the throttle.

You can find a pretty good summary of what went on back then here:

http://www.autosafety.org/audi-sudden-acceleration

About the Author

Lee Teschler | Editor

Leland was Editor-in-Chief of Machine Design. He has 34 years of Service and holds a B.S. Engineering from the University of Michigan, a B.S. Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan;, and a MBA from Cleveland State University. Prior to joining Penton, Lee worked as a Communications design engineer for the U.S. Government.

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