[Woolie Wool]

This is impossible. The brakes of a modern car can provide much greater stopping power than the engine can provide acceleration. If you were to hold both the brake and accelerator to the floor, you would do nothing but spin your wheels, rev your engine, and wreck your transmission (if you suddenly let go of the brakes/dump the clutch) and possibly your tires. A car cannot accelerate with the brake floored unless it is hydroplaning or otherwise experiencing catastrophic traction loss, in which case the gas won't work either. Even if the power brakes fail the brakes will still work; you will have to push hard, but they will work.

Not true. Brakes overheat; you can restrain acceleration, for a period, but you can't stop it indefinitely.

You have ample time to put the car in neutral or kill the ignition before the brakes fade. But regardless, the car not responding to the brakes immediately is impossible. Brakes will take some time to fade, more than enough time to stop the car. Modern brakes on a small car also have much less fade than larger cars or cars with drum brakes.

[Roanoke]

Problem is it's all electrically controlled. I've never tried but I'd bet it's impossible to shut down the engine in a modern "push button-start" car at speed. It's not like pulling the key out of a proper car.

n/t: I could rant about "keyless entry" and why it's 100% pointless but I can't really be bothered. I would add I managed to leave a customer's Jag XF running in the carpark when it didn't respond to my pushing engine-stop and walking about 20ft away with the key...

[IceFire]

An update on this issue that people may find interesting.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-avalon-displays-unintended-acceleration-without-floor-mat.html

The person who brought their car in was definitely doing a great service for everyone with a Toyota.  Hopefully this doesn't happen to too many more people and they can figure out what the bug is.

[Grizzly]

Hmm... I wonder why they electronisized the pedals in the first place. They worked fine mechaniccly in the past. What is the advantage over mechanical ones?

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Aaaaand Toyota acknowledged. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8487984.stm

[ssmit132]

I thought that when I heard that Toyota had suspended sales (or something to that tone, I don't remember exactly what they said, but it was when the stock market stuff was up).

[IceFire]

Sales and production is suspended and apparently recalls are in the works.  My car is on the list and I will be taking it in as soon as it makes sense to do so.

[Aardwolf]

Aaaaand Toyota acknowledged. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8487984.stm

That says pedals, and it doesn't mention Avalon. Which would mean that if the problem is indeed in the computerization, that they have failed to address the problem.

Also they say in the article they were not aware of any accidents related to it... so either it's not the same thing, or the guy who said that is kept out of the loop, or is doing some serious ass-covering.

[lostllama]

Toyota has issued some advice regarding what to do if your accelerator becomes stuck. I should say that the audio accompanying the video in this link is of a 911 call which had a lethal outcome, so some people might find it harrowing.

http://www.neatorama.com/2010/01/31/what-to-do-if-your-vehicles-accelerator-is-stuck/

More advice for dealing with unintended acceleration (also linked in the article above), together with some braking test results: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/how_to_deal_with_unintended_acceleration-tech_dept