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Brake overrides accelerator

7K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  Quickdtoo 
#1 ·
I have noticed that the brake on my 2015 RAV4 seem to override the accelerator when starting from a stop. This is not only irritating but dangerous. On a left turn across traffic it is good practice to ride the brake a little until the rev's are up and then let go to increase acceleration. This also saves that precious 1/4 second it takes to move your foot to the brake in an emergency stop situation 'cause it's already there!

All brakes on all cars will stop a car at any RPM, even if your brakes fail you can slam it in park/reverse or turn off the key or heaven forbid use the emergency brake which is truly a cable. I have been 1/2 way thru a turn thinking the car had died realizing that some software decided it did not like my driving style and disabled the accelerator.

Don't even think about a little fun racing with this feature I guess was implemnted for people who don't know how to use the natural interlocks on the accelerator.

Anyone tells you about runaway cars doesn't know what they are talking about. I guarantee you they just did not slam on the brake.

Rant done.
 
#2 ·
I have noticed that the brake on my 2015 RAV4 seem to override the accelerator when starting from a stop. This is not only irritating but dangerous. On a left turn across traffic it is good practice to ride the brake a little until the rev's are up and then let go to increase acceleration. This also saves that precious 1/4 second it takes to move your foot to the brake in an emergency stop situation 'cause it's already there!
Toyota's SmartStop technology wasn't implemented in the RAV4 until the 2011 model year. My 2008 had the ECM re-flashed to retroactively add this feature some 6 years after I bought it. This feature was brought about due to the rash of complaints to Toyota about unintended acceleration. I have never heard of this "riding the brake" technique for making a left turn, but it sounds unsafe to me. Nevertheless, the V6 gives me plenty of acceleration any time I need it without using any tricks.
 
#3 ·
I believe he's referring to the practice of "brake torquing" the car to improve acceleration (I believe that is what it's called, I've never had a car with a torque converter. Only hybrids and manuals). It's a feature that's only really possible with these torque converter automatics (though some dual clutches can let the clutch slip to have a similar effect). While it might shave 0.1 seconds off if you went all the way to 60 mph, I don't think there is anything in this situation a quick right foot can't solve (people somehow manage to drive fast with 3 pedals and only two feet :) ).

Now, I do agree, however, that people who can't stop a car with a stuck accelerator need to go back to driving school. Too many people these days have no earthly idea what that little "N" is between "R" and "D." But these days, the ignorance of the masses can easily ruin the fun of a few. In the end, it's probably just protecting drivetrain components from unnecessary wear and tear, and keeping Toyota out of a lawsuit at the same time. It won't be too long before every car manufacturer implements this feature (most already have).
 
#11 ·
Have you tried shifting your RAV4 into park or reverse while moving forward?
Go ahead. Try it.
I did it by accident. At work in the parking lot, practicing what I would do if I had unintended acceleration. I was going forward and while shifting to N, I went into R. Nothing happened, it behaved like I was in Neutral.
 
#6 ·
Don't even think about a little fun racing with this feature

.
Lol lol lol at that comment. Did you not notice it is a RAV4.

And lol at saying it is dangerous. I feel much better knowing the guy behind me who can't drive has this feature. I've never personally accidentally stepped on the accelerator and brake at the same time but it could and does happen. It's ridiculous you feel this feature is dangerous so you can race it. Lol
 
#7 ·
The RAV4 is not for racing and driving a little hard??

Look at the rav4world.com home page - the first thing you see is a RAV4 racing - they ride that brake while accelerating constantly!

or see this post: (replace _ with .)

www_rav4world_com/forums/105-rav4-news-reviews-videos/220401-rally-rav4-launches-into-nasa-rally-sport-season-opener.html
 
#8 ·
On a left turn across traffic it is good practice to ride the brake a little until the rev's are up and then let go to increase acceleration. This also saves that precious 1/4 second it takes to move your foot to the brake in an emergency stop situation 'cause it's already there!
Where did you hear this is "good practice"? First I've heard of it and I was never taught to drive, braking with my left foot. Except for this Rav4, which is my wife's car, all I've ever driven were manuals so you couldn't easily perform this "good practice" anyway.

Doesn't having your foot on the brake cause excessive brake pad wear and heat? Too much heat and the brakes won't be there when you need them anyway.
 
#15 ·
I also just realized this, but when you have both the brake and the accelerator pressed, your brake lights are on. So when you're accelerating forward, with your brake lights on, then decide to slam on your brakes for whatever reason, someone following behind isn't going to see your brake lights flash on. In fact, they might just think running lights, and suddenly you are rapidly slowing to a stop. Almost as if you have no brake lights, creating quite a dangerous situation. Some of these people on their phones these days (who need to have their license revoked) only watch their periphery for a flash.

Just something to think about.
 
#16 ·
When I am at a traffic light on a hill I 'power brake', i.e., one foot on the brake pedal and the other foot slighty depressing the accelerator. Why? So when the light changes to green and I remove my foot from the brake pedal I do not roll backwards thus avoiding hitting anyone who may have been sniffing my tailpipe! It's more fun with a manual transmission. :)

Riding through a large standing body of water (a.k.a. a puddle) I will depress the brake pedal while maintaining my speed to wring the excess water from my brakes. Ever try stopping a vehicle with really wet brakes?
 
#17 ·
As far as preventing roll back when starting off on a hill, I use the same technique in the Rav that I learned for a manual transmission. Just hold the parking brake (release button pressed in) until you feel the car begin to pull forward then release it. You can pull away without rolling back a millimeter. My latest manual car however has an electronic 3 second brake hold if you're on an uphill, gives you plenty of time to get your foot from the brake to the gas without fiddling with the parking brake. I always forget about it and tend to beat the the 3 second delay and can feel the brake holding the car back momentarily.
 
#18 ·
My RAV4 has HAC (Hill Assist Control). By pressing a little harder on the brake pedal, an audible beep is heard as well as a flashing light. When you remove your foot from the brake pedal, the brakes stay on for about 2 seconds giving plenty of time to engage the accelerator before rolling back.
 
#22 ·
It's funny you say this. I was pulling out of a lower level parkade a while back at about a 20 degree angle and found that it did in fact hold for me to get from brake to gas with no roll. Figured this could be a function of the dc motors as they tend to resist rotation at rest. Now that is see you post this I'm wondering why we've had different experiences. I don't think hill assist is listed as a feature on a rav limited hybrid but have you actually tried it on an incline? Maybe I'd unknowingly stopped in a depression or something.
 
#23 ·
We can thank the floor mat morons (unintended acceleration) for this "feature"

Gently accelerating away from a light, you should not encounter it.
The system will kill the throttle if there is braking input AND the throttle is at or above, IIRC, 50%

I tested the function on my '08 Tacoma and I had to be on a pretty good grade to keep from going too fast.

So no, you can't power brake it, but you can apply the brakes to help with torque distribution.
 
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