Heavy winter floor mats are nothing new, of course. And even though we're located in mostly-sunny Santa Monica, our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid was delivered with a set of them. Of course the driver's mat was left in the trunk because the carpet mat was currently in use. That's the way things are supposed to roll.
Since I've become something of a stuck-throttle engineer of late and the mat was just sitting there, taunting me, there was nothing for it but to see if the same throttle pedal entrapment issue I easily confirmed in a 2004 Toyota Prius was possible in our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
In a word, no; I was unable to trap the throttle pedal in our Ford Fusion.
Let's review, shall we?
Here you see a set of heavy rubber floor mats made especially for the Prius. I bought them via eBay from some apparently worried but enterprising Prius owner in New England just after the recall was announced. As long as it's somebody else, right?
Anyway, the warning "DO NOT PLACE ON TOP OF EXISTING FLOOR MATS" is molded into the rubber on the upper surface, right where you can see it as you slide them into place. But we know for a fact that this is often ignored. Cars have been delivered to us with rubber mats stacked atop carpet ones more than once. In fact our Flex came to us that way when we first bought it. And at least some, but certainly not all, of the NHTSA complaints written by Toyota vehicle owners specifically spell out this scenario.
I've slid the mat forward about two inches, a common occurrence if the hooks are not engaged.
The throttle above is stuck in the wide-open position. It was amazingly easy to do. I can reproduce it in half a minute in any Prius with nothing but my wits and a genuine Prius winter mat. In just the right position, the bottom of the pedal clicks into or behind the drainage channel that runs around the perimeter and the pedal gets stuck.
No weight is required to keep it there, but the heavy rubber mats don't bend and the pedal can be especially hard to un-stick if your feet are on the mat as they usually are, pushing slightly forward and keeping everything scrunched together.
But this is not supposed to be a Prius post. Let's look at the Ford Fusion already.
The Ford Fusion mats carry the same molded-in warning as the Prius ones. They are stiff, they don't bend much. If anything, the perimeter drainage groove is even deeper and squarer. And the Ford Fusion has a top-hinged gas pedal, just like the Prius. Hmmm.
Duplicating the same conditions, I've ignored the warning and left the carpet mats hooked in place. The hook can only accommodate one layer, so the rubber mat is free to move. I slide it forward to see if I can make it jam the pedal, just as I did with the Prius.
I cannot do it. The Fusion's pedal doesn't want to stick to the mat. It's close, but the angle is different. The floor looks flatter and the pedal might be a little shorter, too.
I agree with Ford and Toyota that you shouldn't stack floor mats. The uppermost one can't be restrained by the hooks and the thickness buildup eats into the clearance that's intended to be there. But directions don't always get read or followed, so this kind of thing will continue to happen. Our Ford Fusion seems much more tolerant of such misuse.
What of Toyota? Well, the Fusion example shows that Toyota's proposed pedal entrapment fix (recall 1 of 2, if you're keeping score) has merit and should address a portion of the complaints. Even now they have begun shortening gas pedals and reshaping the floor itself of affected Toyota and Lexus cars so the floor mat sits flatter and lower in the area under the pedal. In short, they're making the pedal region look more like that of our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 2,910 miles
carguy622 says:
07:07 AM, 02/ 3/10
I know the battery is in there, but that is one oddly shaped and lumpy trunk in the Fusion.
throwback says:
07:29 AM, 02/ 3/10
Dan as a PSA you should perform this test in all the current test cars. Why? Because you clearly enjoy it, don't you pedal man? Just kiding, when do we get a Fusion suspension walk around?
redliner says:
08:48 AM, 02/ 3/10
Ford Fusion Hybrid with standerd Trunk Lump. My Lump in ford speak.
redliner says:
08:49 AM, 02/ 3/10
^darn, those misspellings will get you every time^
brn says:
09:22 AM, 02/ 3/10
The time(s) I had it happen to me, there was an additional variable. The car had been sitting in -30 degrees Fahrenheit. The non-factory, unsecured, floormat was stiff. It slid backward, retaining it's shape. Under that specific circumstance, the back of the pedal was able to catch on the floormat.
I think you need to reproduce those conditions on all your test vehicles. Have fun. :)
actualsize says:
11:39 AM, 02/ 3/10
Don't worry! All of this happened while I was taking photos for the Suspension Walkaround. Normal service will resume shortly. Patience, grasshopper.
subaru123 says:
12:01 PM, 02/ 3/10
Dan, is that the 2004 long term test Prius?
billt9 says:
04:10 PM, 02/ 3/10
It is pretty stupid that Toyota ever designed for the pedal to go so close to the floor.
athens says:
04:08 PM, 02/ 4/10
Well Edmunds proved out my hypothesis. That we live in a day and age were people simply don't bother to read anything in its entirety.
It's like the Aircraft Safety Information Cards inserted in all passenger seatbacks per FAA rules. Out of sight (and exceeding a 60 second attention span), out of mind.
Amazing how drivers will take the time to learn an I-Drive with its dizzying array of settings but won't bother to properly install their winter floor-mats.
If Toyota is to be blamed for anything it is that they didn't design and build a motor vehicle that could be driven by a chimpanzee.
Freud labelled it the Oral stage of development.
dg0472 says:
04:21 PM, 02/ 4/10
Look, Toyota knew it was a possible hazard or they wouldn't've put the warning on the mat. But they still didn't design around it like Ford did. That's something to clearly blame Toyota for: clearly seeing a hazard yet the main precaution they took was a warning stamped into the mat when, as Ford demonstrated, there's clearly easy additional ways to mitigate the hazard.
athens says:
05:46 PM, 02/ 4/10
My Infiniti G35's winter floor mats have the same warnings.
Issuing a written warning against misuse is hardly an admission of mistaken or faulty design.
All vehicle owner's manuals typically recommend the following:
1) That motorists shut their engines when re-fueling.
2) That motorists use hands-free sets to operate their wireless communication devices when driving.
3) That drivers not exceed the posted speed limits;
4) That drivers not overload their vehicle greater than its rated weight limits
5) That drivers and passengers fasten seatbelts
That motorists are likely not to use common sense or to follow basic instructions is that the fault of the manufacturers?