Toyota Brake Failure- Opinions?

For around 30 years we have come to expect quality products when it comes to Japanese automakers, Toyota even surpassed General Motors and the other Big Three players when it comes to being the worlds largest automaker. With many North Americans turning their backs from “American” cars and eyeing foreign car makers, Toyota is a big contender for their money. But now with over 50 deaths and thousands of accidents caused by faulty brakes, Toyota was forced to put millions of it’s cars on the recall list. There are speculations about what causes these problems, they include:

after market floor-mats interfering with the gas pedal’s arc (sometimes lodging itself under the mat and causing involuntary acceleration)

computer glitch that causes the car’s speedometer to surge and later disappear when the car’s on-board computer is checked for problems.

Of course, Toyota has done its own research and conducted its own experiments to sift out what could be wrong with their car lineup. Are Toyota’s still drivable? My opinion in this matter is: Yes! There is a very small chance that this malfunction could occur when you’re behind the wheel, but if you’re prepared for this problem and react with the proper solutions you should be able to walk away from your car every time. 

No matter which problem is causing these dangerous results, there are a couple ways to counteract them and bring your car to a stop. One way is to shut off your car by turning your car off (while still in drive) by turning the key counterclockwise. This will shut off the engine and stop the car from accelerating any further, on the other hand you also lose power steering and power brakes (both will still work- but require more effort). I would only recommend this under extreme circumstances due to the lack of control you end up with. When you have turned the key back, press as hard as possible on the brakes (they will not engage as quickly or with same pressure as normal so keep pressing). 

Another solution is to shift the car into neutral (whether or not your car is automatic or manual transmission). Once you do this the engine will start to rev very loudly (since the engine is still engaged but under no load), you are still in control of the car with power steering and brakes but the high RPM’s may cause engine problems later.

These solutions are not proven to work on EVERY car but the general idea works in theory and are not to be used unless advised to do so by traffic authority or a certified car safety instructor. I am neither of these so you should follow these suggestions at your own risk.