Although Mazda hasn’t yet experienced any of the unintended acceleration complaints recently experienced at Toyota, the manufacturer has today announced that it will install a brake override system on all future models as a precautionary step.
Toyota recently announced it will install the system on all its models from 2011 onward following two recent safety recalls involving nearly 9 million vehicles around the globe.
The Mazda system will cut power to the engine in the event the vehicle senses both application of the brake and throttle pedals at the same time. Mazda have not yet offered a date for the system’s introduction.
Some rival manufacturers already feature a form of the brake override system on certain models including Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler and Volkswagen. It is reported that Honda, Suzuki and Mitsubishi are also considering adopting a version of the system.
The news comes as the US government considers plans to make the technology mandatory on all vehicles sold there within the next two to three years. So far, there has been no talk of similar legislation being introduced in Australia.
So does this mean you cant load up the power against the torque convertor to get a nice quick start anymore?!
Didn’t Fiat introduce this technology some time ago?
“The Mazda system will cut power to the engine in the event the vehicle senses both application of the brake and throttle pedals at the same time. ”
Ummm, so everytime you heel-and-toe, the engine will stall. Great.
I think they mean when you fully apply the brake and throttle, and generally for Auto’s.
E-stop button anyone?
AB your technique is only required for slow off the mark cars eg Toyota
my 05 golf has this, and as far as i know the VW group has had it at least ever since they moved over to drive-by-wire.
but you can load it up against the transmition if you’re not moving. touch the brake while you’re moving though and it’ll cut the power…
As others have said – in a VW it only cuts the input from the accelerator after a 3 seconds or so of continuous input from both pedals. Heel toeing in manuals and use of both brake and gas to get rolling up an incline in a DSG model are still possible.
I think it would be much easier and convienient if you could just switch the engine off while the car is moving.
This is telling the car computer to idle the engine when the brake and accelerator pedals are pressed at the same time. If the car computer malfunctions, this safety feature wouldn’t work.