Last Friday Chrysler issued a statement saying that it is conducting a voluntary recall to install a new pedal stop in Ram's new ProMaster commercial van, a guard against stuck throttle when force is applied to the pedal at an angle. I know this not because of the statement coming out of Auburn Hills, but because I was the tester who discovered that the ProMaster's gas pedal stuck.
The sticking throttle first appeared during normal acceleration testing on the straight at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds. The procedure is to mash the pedal firmly and rapidly to the floor as soon as traction permits. During one run I noticed that the pedal stayed stuck to the floor. This wasn't exactly an emergency because the brakes had sufficient authority and power to slow the vehicle.
Studying the pedal action after the testing was completed revealed that even a modest side force—easily applied by hand—was deflecting the pedal to the side of the round plastic disc that served as a stop on the carpeted floor. So deflected, the pedal snagged the edge of the disc and remained hooked in place. Repeating the fault was no challenge.
After exiting the track, I entered one of the engineering garages and summoned a Chrysler employee to share my observation. He in turn alerted two Italian engineers working on ProMaster development. While they inspected and photographed the latched throttle pedal, I examined two other ProMasters in the garage. They exhibited the same fault.
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I was allowed to leave with my test vehicle from the press fleet but a couple of hours later during a call to our office, I was instructed to cease all driving and photography. The next day the vehicle was picked up for return to Chrysler, and a replacement showed up at our office a couple of weeks later—without any evidence of this stuck-throttle issue.
Car and Driver has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Chrysler thanks to their policy of renting us access to the proving grounds for testing. We were happy to provide our observations in this instance as thanks for our testing access, an arrangement in its fourth decade.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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