The Perils of Complexity

The LA Times follows-up on the "runaway-car" crash in San Diego on Aug. 28th and subsequent recall by Toyota:

One remedy being considered by Toyota implicitly acknowledges what critics have been saying for almost 10 years: that the company's highly computerized engine control system lacks a fail-safe mechanism that can quickly extinguish sudden acceleration events, whether they are caused by floor mats, driver errors or even unknown defects in the electronic control system, as alleged in some lawsuits.

Reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles has resulted in nine federal inquiries and investigations since 2000, two of which determined that there were improperly positioned floor mats. Another found a loose part in Sienna minivans, and yet another probe remains open. The rest were dismissed with no findings of equipment problems.

This appears to be a case where many factors could have contributed to the loss of control by the veteran California Highway Patrol Officer, "who was trained in emergency and high-speed driving as a 19-year CHP veteran". Per the article:

1. The Lexus ES 350 was a loaner, and a perhaps different model than the driver was used to
2. The car has a keyless ignition, requiring holding the Start button for >3 seconds to turn it off in an emergency (not easy if you're holding the steering wheel for dear life!)
   
3. That model has a rather complex gear-shift, so finding Neutral is hard
4. At full throttle, the power-assist on the brakes disappears, so up to 225# of pressure on the pedal would be required to stop the vehicle

So Toyota's dealing with poor human-factors engineering for emergency situations coupled with undesirable system behavior under certain circumstances. Not good.

It almost makes me want to find and restore a 60's vintage car designed before the advent of microprocessors in car engines!

(h/t Lucianne.com)