1 00:00:15,356 --> 00:00:20,796 Speaker 1: Bushkin. On the morning of August twenty eighth, two thousand 2 00:00:20,836 --> 00:00:24,676 Speaker 1: and nine, Mark Sailor set out from his home in Julivista, California, 3 00:00:25,076 --> 00:00:28,436 Speaker 1: just south of San Diego. Sailor was forty five years old, 4 00:00:28,796 --> 00:00:32,596 Speaker 1: a California Higway Patrol officer. Ordinarily, he drove a two 5 00:00:32,636 --> 00:00:35,676 Speaker 1: thousand and six Lexus ISS, but his car had a 6 00:00:35,676 --> 00:00:38,796 Speaker 1: problem with his CD player, so that morning he took 7 00:00:38,836 --> 00:00:41,356 Speaker 1: it to the dealership and got a loaner a brand 8 00:00:41,356 --> 00:00:45,036 Speaker 1: new Lexus ES. Sailor finished his shift at the highway 9 00:00:45,036 --> 00:00:48,876 Speaker 1: patrol and went back home, picked up his wife, daughter, 10 00:00:48,956 --> 00:00:51,796 Speaker 1: and brother in law, Chris Lostrella, and they all set 11 00:00:51,796 --> 00:00:54,836 Speaker 1: out for the daughter's soccer practice. They were heading up 12 00:00:54,916 --> 00:00:57,676 Speaker 1: Highway one twenty five and just as they approached a 13 00:00:57,716 --> 00:01:01,556 Speaker 1: town called Santi Lostrella, who's sitting in the backseat, calls 14 00:01:01,636 --> 00:01:05,396 Speaker 1: nine one one. What you're about to hear? A mourning 15 00:01:05,436 --> 00:01:06,996 Speaker 1: you is harrowing. 16 00:01:08,396 --> 00:01:10,996 Speaker 2: Nine Montier and see what are you're reporting? Yeah, we're 17 00:01:11,036 --> 00:01:14,116 Speaker 2: the lection start. I'm sorry your cell phone cutting out. 18 00:01:14,356 --> 00:01:15,956 Speaker 1: We're going north one twenty five. 19 00:01:16,996 --> 00:01:19,756 Speaker 2: Hit our suck, I'm sorry for. 20 00:01:20,036 --> 00:01:23,996 Speaker 3: Our accelerator stuck well one twenty five blake. 21 00:01:24,396 --> 00:01:26,556 Speaker 2: Okay, north found one twenty five. Where are you passing? 22 00:01:27,036 --> 00:01:28,036 Speaker 4: We are passing out? 23 00:01:28,116 --> 00:01:30,916 Speaker 3: Where are we passing? We're we're we're going one hundred 24 00:01:30,996 --> 00:01:31,676 Speaker 3: twenty mission. 25 00:01:31,716 --> 00:01:33,916 Speaker 2: Gorge, We're we're in trouble. 26 00:01:34,036 --> 00:01:34,916 Speaker 5: We can't We're there's no. 27 00:01:34,916 --> 00:01:38,996 Speaker 2: Break, okay, Gorge and three or a half mile okay, 28 00:01:39,036 --> 00:01:40,876 Speaker 2: And you don't have the ability to like turn the 29 00:01:40,956 --> 00:01:41,996 Speaker 2: vehicle off or anything. 30 00:01:42,156 --> 00:01:43,276 Speaker 6: Approaching an intersection. 31 00:01:43,916 --> 00:01:50,236 Speaker 2: We're approaching the intersection. Okay, we're approaching intersection. Hold on, pray, pray, 32 00:01:50,556 --> 00:01:55,236 Speaker 2: shot Oh oh hello. 33 00:01:59,716 --> 00:02:04,516 Speaker 1: The ooo you hear is Listrella's horrified response to the 34 00:02:04,596 --> 00:02:08,476 Speaker 1: Lexus spinning out of control, hitting another vehicle, and plunging 35 00:02:08,476 --> 00:02:23,036 Speaker 1: down a ravine. Everyone inside the car was killed. The 36 00:02:23,076 --> 00:02:27,156 Speaker 1: Sailor crash is a heartbreaking story. I hesitated before playing it, 37 00:02:27,996 --> 00:02:30,276 Speaker 1: but in the end I concluded that you have to 38 00:02:30,316 --> 00:02:33,116 Speaker 1: hear it to make sense of what happened Next. The 39 00:02:33,156 --> 00:02:36,796 Speaker 1: tape went viral, was played on the nightly news, written 40 00:02:36,876 --> 00:02:39,636 Speaker 1: up in horrified news articles, to the point where a 41 00:02:39,676 --> 00:02:41,356 Speaker 1: wave of fear swept the country. 42 00:02:42,316 --> 00:02:45,076 Speaker 7: Toyota is slamming the brakes on its sales. 43 00:02:44,796 --> 00:02:48,076 Speaker 8: Due to a sticky accelerator that could put drivers lives 44 00:02:48,076 --> 00:02:48,476 Speaker 8: in days. 45 00:02:48,796 --> 00:02:52,036 Speaker 9: Runaway Toyota's cars taking off on their own up to 46 00:02:52,076 --> 00:02:53,196 Speaker 9: one hundred miles an hour. 47 00:02:53,436 --> 00:02:56,796 Speaker 10: A woman died she crashed her camera into a tree 48 00:02:56,836 --> 00:02:57,436 Speaker 10: and a pole. 49 00:02:57,796 --> 00:02:59,836 Speaker 11: A car had sped up to more than one hundred 50 00:02:59,876 --> 00:03:00,636 Speaker 11: miles per hour. 51 00:03:01,516 --> 00:03:04,076 Speaker 1: Hundreds of people came forward with horror stories about their 52 00:03:04,116 --> 00:03:08,276 Speaker 1: Lexus accelerators getting stuck and Toyota's too. Since Lexus is 53 00:03:08,276 --> 00:03:14,116 Speaker 1: a brand of Toyota, there were congressional hearings Expose's whistleblowers. 54 00:03:14,716 --> 00:03:18,996 Speaker 1: NASA got involved. Toyota would conduct seven recalls between September 55 00:03:19,036 --> 00:03:22,876 Speaker 1: two thousand and nine and March twenty ten, totaling millions 56 00:03:22,916 --> 00:03:26,036 Speaker 1: of vehicles. As many as ninety people were estimated to 57 00:03:26,116 --> 00:03:33,876 Speaker 1: have died in Toyota's that mysteriously accelerated. Toyota ended up 58 00:03:33,876 --> 00:03:36,516 Speaker 1: paying a one point two billion dollar fine to the 59 00:03:36,636 --> 00:03:40,356 Speaker 1: US government. They spent another one point one billion to 60 00:03:40,356 --> 00:03:43,876 Speaker 1: settle a class action lawsuit, and since then they've settled 61 00:03:43,916 --> 00:03:49,276 Speaker 1: something like four hundred separate lawsuits. The world's largest automobile 62 00:03:49,316 --> 00:03:52,956 Speaker 1: company was accused of a cover up, of putting profits 63 00:03:52,956 --> 00:03:55,756 Speaker 1: ahead of people, of having a culture of denial. 64 00:03:56,436 --> 00:03:58,836 Speaker 6: Toyota's conduct was shameful. 65 00:03:59,236 --> 00:04:02,956 Speaker 9: He showed a blatant disregard for systems and laws designed 66 00:04:02,956 --> 00:04:05,316 Speaker 9: to look after the safety of consumers. 67 00:04:05,516 --> 00:04:09,036 Speaker 1: That's Eric Holder in March twenty fourteen. He was the 68 00:04:09,156 --> 00:04:11,876 Speaker 1: Attorney General of the United States at the time. It's 69 00:04:11,916 --> 00:04:14,956 Speaker 1: a pretty remarkable day when the chief law enforcement officer 70 00:04:14,996 --> 00:04:17,636 Speaker 1: of the land calls out one of the largest companies 71 00:04:17,636 --> 00:04:24,036 Speaker 1: in the world. My name is Malcolm Gladwell. You're listening 72 00:04:24,076 --> 00:04:26,716 Speaker 1: to Revisionist History, or every week we go back and 73 00:04:26,796 --> 00:04:41,116 Speaker 1: examine something forgotten or misunderstood. This episode is devoted to 74 00:04:41,116 --> 00:04:45,156 Speaker 1: the Toyota sudden acceleration scandal. Chances are you heard at 75 00:04:45,236 --> 00:04:48,436 Speaker 1: least some part of that nine to one before. Maybe 76 00:04:48,436 --> 00:04:49,956 Speaker 1: you had a Toyota at the time and had a 77 00:04:49,996 --> 00:04:53,316 Speaker 1: sudden pang of worry. What I want to do is 78 00:04:53,356 --> 00:04:56,156 Speaker 1: go back to two thousand and nine and convince you 79 00:04:56,236 --> 00:04:59,236 Speaker 1: that something went very wrong in the way the controversy 80 00:04:59,276 --> 00:05:08,836 Speaker 1: played out very well. Let's go back for a moment 81 00:05:08,876 --> 00:05:13,796 Speaker 1: to person. We started with Mark Sailor, California Highway patrol officer. 82 00:05:14,516 --> 00:05:17,516 Speaker 1: He's driving down the highway and he can't stop his car. 83 00:05:18,036 --> 00:05:22,156 Speaker 1: The accelerator is stuck. His brother in law says after 84 00:05:22,196 --> 00:05:25,236 Speaker 1: the crash. Another person comes forward to the police and 85 00:05:25,316 --> 00:05:27,956 Speaker 1: says he had driven the same loner Lexus a few 86 00:05:27,996 --> 00:05:32,076 Speaker 1: days before and had a similar incident. He'd accelerated to 87 00:05:32,116 --> 00:05:34,676 Speaker 1: get past a truck, and when he pushed the throttle 88 00:05:34,676 --> 00:05:37,956 Speaker 1: towards the floor, that's what car guys called the accelerator pedal, 89 00:05:38,356 --> 00:05:41,956 Speaker 1: the throttle stuck. What he realized is that someone had 90 00:05:41,956 --> 00:05:44,396 Speaker 1: put one of those big, thick all weather rubber floor 91 00:05:44,436 --> 00:05:46,716 Speaker 1: mats in the car, on top of the floor mat 92 00:05:46,756 --> 00:05:50,196 Speaker 1: that was already there. That second big thick floor mat 93 00:05:50,436 --> 00:05:53,276 Speaker 1: wasn't attached to those little hooks that hold floor mats down. 94 00:05:53,476 --> 00:05:56,476 Speaker 1: It slid around, and so somehow the thick mat got 95 00:05:56,516 --> 00:06:01,436 Speaker 1: wedged under the throttle. That everyone decides is what happened 96 00:06:01,436 --> 00:06:04,676 Speaker 1: to Sailor Maybe he tried to turn the car off, 97 00:06:04,996 --> 00:06:07,556 Speaker 1: but the Lexus has one of those push button ignitions, 98 00:06:07,876 --> 00:06:09,676 Speaker 1: and what he may not have realized is that you 99 00:06:09,756 --> 00:06:12,396 Speaker 1: have to hold that button down for three seconds if 100 00:06:12,396 --> 00:06:14,396 Speaker 1: you're trying to stop the car while it's in motion. 101 00:06:15,396 --> 00:06:18,116 Speaker 1: Maybe he tried to put the car in neutral, but 102 00:06:18,196 --> 00:06:20,716 Speaker 1: it's not always obvious how to do that, particularly if 103 00:06:20,716 --> 00:06:24,396 Speaker 1: you're panicking. They crash. The nine one one call goes 104 00:06:24,516 --> 00:06:28,516 Speaker 1: viral and Toyota launches a massive recall of floormats across 105 00:06:28,556 --> 00:06:36,436 Speaker 1: its model line. Problem solved, right, Well, No, here's the problem. 106 00:06:36,876 --> 00:06:40,756 Speaker 1: Nobody who's ever studied the sudden acceleration crisis thinks that 107 00:06:40,836 --> 00:06:44,156 Speaker 1: floormats are any more than a small part of the story. 108 00:06:44,316 --> 00:06:45,436 Speaker 1: It just doesn't make sense. 109 00:06:46,356 --> 00:06:47,476 Speaker 6: So that's an all weather matt. 110 00:06:47,796 --> 00:06:50,636 Speaker 1: That's my producer, Jacob Smith talking to Sean kin. 111 00:06:50,956 --> 00:06:53,396 Speaker 6: This is the killer format. Okay, this is the format 112 00:06:53,676 --> 00:06:55,076 Speaker 6: that brought Toyota to fame. 113 00:06:55,276 --> 00:06:58,956 Speaker 1: Cain runs a consulting firm in Massachusetts called Safety Research 114 00:06:58,996 --> 00:07:04,596 Speaker 1: and Strategies. Whenever a controversy around unintended acceleration surfaces, Sean 115 00:07:04,676 --> 00:07:08,516 Speaker 1: Kain's name comes up. He's testified before Congress, he's worked 116 00:07:08,556 --> 00:07:11,316 Speaker 1: closely with many of the lawsuits against Toyota, and he's 117 00:07:11,316 --> 00:07:12,636 Speaker 1: not buying the floor mat theory. 118 00:07:12,756 --> 00:07:15,356 Speaker 6: When the pedal was depressed fully to the floor, okay, 119 00:07:15,356 --> 00:07:17,596 Speaker 6: the way this road here, the pedal extended down to 120 00:07:17,636 --> 00:07:19,596 Speaker 6: the point where the bottom edge of it would catch 121 00:07:20,076 --> 00:07:23,156 Speaker 6: here on this rubber piece, Okay. And it would catch 122 00:07:23,156 --> 00:07:24,836 Speaker 6: on the bottom edge and it wouldn't return. 123 00:07:25,196 --> 00:07:27,956 Speaker 1: But Kane doesn't believe that floor mats tell the whole story. 124 00:07:28,116 --> 00:07:30,916 Speaker 6: Floor mats don't reach up and grab pedals. So the 125 00:07:30,996 --> 00:07:33,516 Speaker 6: way this was have to happen is you'd have to 126 00:07:33,516 --> 00:07:36,596 Speaker 6: depress your accelerator pedal newly to the floor all the 127 00:07:36,596 --> 00:07:38,956 Speaker 6: wide through to wide open throttle. You'd have to mash 128 00:07:38,996 --> 00:07:41,316 Speaker 6: that accelerator to the floor and to have that. 129 00:07:41,236 --> 00:07:44,316 Speaker 1: Catch wide open throttle is another term for flooring it. 130 00:07:44,996 --> 00:07:46,916 Speaker 1: Cain is saying that for the floor mat to trap 131 00:07:46,996 --> 00:07:50,796 Speaker 1: the accelerator, the driver has to floor it. But why 132 00:07:50,876 --> 00:07:53,196 Speaker 1: on earth is a guy driving his family to soccer 133 00:07:53,236 --> 00:07:56,516 Speaker 1: practice flooring it? Not to mention all the hundreds of 134 00:07:56,556 --> 00:08:00,236 Speaker 1: other people who complained about Toyota's with stuck accelerators, some 135 00:08:00,276 --> 00:08:03,756 Speaker 1: of those complaints come from elderly ladies, your grandmother. Basically, 136 00:08:04,396 --> 00:08:07,196 Speaker 1: since when does your grandmother flora when she's driving her 137 00:08:07,196 --> 00:08:10,956 Speaker 1: camera down the streets? Mark Sailor, he was driving with 138 00:08:10,996 --> 00:08:13,516 Speaker 1: what he thought was a stock accelerator for a while. 139 00:08:14,436 --> 00:08:16,596 Speaker 1: Why didn't he just reach down and yank the format 140 00:08:16,636 --> 00:08:17,916 Speaker 1: away from the pedal? Right? 141 00:08:18,436 --> 00:08:20,516 Speaker 6: I still have a hard time believing, giving a long 142 00:08:20,556 --> 00:08:23,756 Speaker 6: distance in the Travelers car, that the format was the culprit. 143 00:08:23,876 --> 00:08:26,316 Speaker 1: Caine thinks that something else must have happened in that 144 00:08:26,396 --> 00:08:30,356 Speaker 1: car and by the way, the Toyota sudden acceleration crisis 145 00:08:30,516 --> 00:08:33,516 Speaker 1: ended up involving hundreds of cases, and in the overwhelming 146 00:08:33,596 --> 00:08:36,636 Speaker 1: number of those cases, the car didn't even have an oversized, 147 00:08:36,636 --> 00:08:41,316 Speaker 1: thick plastic floormat. The cars had normal floormats. Something else 148 00:08:41,436 --> 00:08:43,956 Speaker 1: must have been happening, and a number of people believe 149 00:08:44,036 --> 00:08:47,756 Speaker 1: that something has to do with software. That there is 150 00:08:47,916 --> 00:08:51,156 Speaker 1: and was something wrong with the software that governs the 151 00:08:51,196 --> 00:08:52,836 Speaker 1: throttle in Toyotas. 152 00:08:52,596 --> 00:08:55,316 Speaker 6: In today's cars. Now we're looking at code, code that 153 00:08:55,436 --> 00:08:58,116 Speaker 6: can can be up to one hundred million lines of code. 154 00:08:58,276 --> 00:09:01,756 Speaker 6: The F thirty five Joint Strike Fighter is running about 155 00:09:01,756 --> 00:09:04,396 Speaker 6: seven million lines of code. A luxury car today can 156 00:09:04,476 --> 00:09:06,836 Speaker 6: run one hundred million lines of code. You got a 157 00:09:06,916 --> 00:09:08,836 Speaker 6: what a half a billion dollar aircraft, you got a 158 00:09:08,836 --> 00:09:11,756 Speaker 6: fifty one thousand dollars car. In the complexity level of 159 00:09:11,796 --> 00:09:14,716 Speaker 6: the fifty thousand dollars car is exponentially greater. Do you 160 00:09:14,756 --> 00:09:16,636 Speaker 6: think that that car is now going to be defect 161 00:09:16,676 --> 00:09:19,636 Speaker 6: free and software clear not likely. 162 00:09:20,076 --> 00:09:22,196 Speaker 1: This is the argument that Kane has made in lawsuits 163 00:09:22,196 --> 00:09:25,836 Speaker 1: against Toyota. The cars contain a bug in the lines 164 00:09:25,836 --> 00:09:28,956 Speaker 1: of computer code that control how the car starts and stops, 165 00:09:29,276 --> 00:09:33,116 Speaker 1: speeds up and slows down. The La Times also pursued 166 00:09:33,156 --> 00:09:36,516 Speaker 1: this question, resulting in one of the most prestigious investigative 167 00:09:36,556 --> 00:09:39,316 Speaker 1: reporting awards in the country, the Lobe, for its work. 168 00:09:40,076 --> 00:09:42,996 Speaker 1: If the La Times and Sean Kin are right, then 169 00:09:43,076 --> 00:09:46,596 Speaker 1: that's terrifying, because what it means is that what happened 170 00:09:46,596 --> 00:09:56,716 Speaker 1: to Mark Sailor could happen to you. I wanted to 171 00:09:56,716 --> 00:09:59,956 Speaker 1: put this fear to a test, that what happened to 172 00:10:00,036 --> 00:10:04,036 Speaker 1: Mark Sailor could easily happen to you or me. It's 173 00:10:04,076 --> 00:10:06,956 Speaker 1: a terrible story, after all, but how much should we 174 00:10:07,036 --> 00:10:10,316 Speaker 1: be afraid that our cars might do the same thing. 175 00:10:11,956 --> 00:10:15,156 Speaker 1: To test this out, my producer Jacob and I got 176 00:10:15,156 --> 00:10:18,356 Speaker 1: ourselves a two thousand and three camera two hundred and 177 00:10:18,356 --> 00:10:21,436 Speaker 1: twenty five thousand miles on it, the best selling Toyota, 178 00:10:21,756 --> 00:10:24,636 Speaker 1: in fact, the best selling car in America for eleven 179 00:10:24,676 --> 00:10:27,156 Speaker 1: of the last twelve years. A lot of the unintended 180 00:10:27,196 --> 00:10:31,716 Speaker 1: acceleration cases happened in cameras. After getting the car, we 181 00:10:31,876 --> 00:10:35,036 Speaker 1: called up Car and Driver, the premier automotive magazine in 182 00:10:35,076 --> 00:10:38,676 Speaker 1: the United States. We wanted them to help us figure 183 00:10:38,716 --> 00:10:43,156 Speaker 1: out what was behind this epidemic of unintended acceleration to 184 00:10:43,236 --> 00:10:51,636 Speaker 1: try and replicate one of those runaway car situations. So 185 00:10:51,756 --> 00:10:54,356 Speaker 1: one Chili winter morning, Jacob and I met up with 186 00:10:54,436 --> 00:10:57,716 Speaker 1: three guys from Car and Driver at Chrysler's proving grounds 187 00:10:58,076 --> 00:11:01,716 Speaker 1: just west of Detroit. It's a vast racetrack that Chrysler 188 00:11:01,796 --> 00:11:04,236 Speaker 1: uses to do all of its testing. I'm guessing a 189 00:11:04,316 --> 00:11:08,036 Speaker 1: thousand acres big guardhouse at the front. The whole time 190 00:11:08,036 --> 00:11:10,556 Speaker 1: we were there, I had someone in a jeep Cherokee 191 00:11:10,676 --> 00:11:13,076 Speaker 1: keeping an eye on us, making sure we didn't take 192 00:11:13,076 --> 00:11:15,036 Speaker 1: photos of any of the new cars they were testing. 193 00:11:15,316 --> 00:11:19,396 Speaker 1: Oh look, there's the Q seven. Those are the Car 194 00:11:19,516 --> 00:11:23,876 Speaker 1: Driver guys right there. Our guys are Don Sherman, he's 195 00:11:23,916 --> 00:11:27,116 Speaker 1: the technical director of Car and Driver, and Casey Colwell, 196 00:11:27,276 --> 00:11:30,916 Speaker 1: young guy works with Don. Eddie Altman also came. He's 197 00:11:30,956 --> 00:11:33,516 Speaker 1: the editor of Car and Driver. Oh that's that Camra 198 00:11:35,676 --> 00:11:39,836 Speaker 1: side Don, Casey Eddie. They're all car guys, which matters 199 00:11:40,076 --> 00:11:43,436 Speaker 1: because one of the notable facts about sudden acceleration is 200 00:11:43,436 --> 00:11:46,116 Speaker 1: how the car guys see things differently from the non 201 00:11:46,196 --> 00:11:50,116 Speaker 1: car guys. Incidentally, Jacob and I would also describe ourselves 202 00:11:50,116 --> 00:11:52,636 Speaker 1: as car guys, although not quite at the level of 203 00:11:52,676 --> 00:11:54,516 Speaker 1: the car and driver. Folks lift up on that. 204 00:11:54,516 --> 00:11:55,556 Speaker 3: We were all had come on last. 205 00:11:55,716 --> 00:11:59,276 Speaker 1: It was over a second true story. When I was thirteen, 206 00:11:59,596 --> 00:12:03,196 Speaker 1: I wrote away for promotional brochures on every car sold 207 00:12:03,236 --> 00:12:06,356 Speaker 1: in the world, except for the Soviet Zeal which was 208 00:12:06,396 --> 00:12:08,916 Speaker 1: really hard to get. I still have every one of 209 00:12:08,916 --> 00:12:12,476 Speaker 1: those brochures. Anyway, back to the racetrack in. 210 00:12:12,436 --> 00:12:17,196 Speaker 11: Detroit, Silver Camera Entering VDF, staying out of your way 211 00:12:17,436 --> 00:12:19,276 Speaker 11: like we were before, happy. 212 00:12:20,756 --> 00:12:22,876 Speaker 1: The plan is to take the camera up to some 213 00:12:23,076 --> 00:12:27,236 Speaker 1: serious speeds, keep the throttle wide open, as if the 214 00:12:27,276 --> 00:12:30,276 Speaker 1: accelerator pedal is somehow stuck, and then see if we 215 00:12:30,316 --> 00:12:33,356 Speaker 1: can stop the car. What happens if you have your 216 00:12:33,396 --> 00:12:36,716 Speaker 1: foot full on the accelerator pedal and then you also 217 00:12:36,836 --> 00:12:40,636 Speaker 1: slam on the brakes at the same time, because intuitively 218 00:12:40,676 --> 00:12:44,876 Speaker 1: you'd think that's what must happen in sudden acceleration. Your 219 00:12:44,876 --> 00:12:48,996 Speaker 1: car surges uncontrollably, you slam on the brakes. We want 220 00:12:48,996 --> 00:12:50,276 Speaker 1: to figure out what that looks like. 221 00:12:50,756 --> 00:12:52,996 Speaker 3: You're going to make a go wide open throttle, then 222 00:12:53,076 --> 00:12:56,556 Speaker 3: quickly you apply the brakes, not really a panic, but 223 00:12:56,676 --> 00:12:58,076 Speaker 3: just stop at the best you can. 224 00:12:58,996 --> 00:13:02,076 Speaker 1: So Jacob goes out first, with Casey behind the wheel, 225 00:13:02,636 --> 00:13:04,276 Speaker 1: he accelerates. 226 00:13:03,876 --> 00:13:07,636 Speaker 12: So bringing it back up sixty one, sixty two, sixty three, 227 00:13:08,116 --> 00:13:14,476 Speaker 12: sixty five, sixty seven, sixty eight, sixty nine, seventy and 228 00:13:14,716 --> 00:13:17,076 Speaker 12: about to do it all right, We're gonna put the 229 00:13:17,076 --> 00:13:17,836 Speaker 12: throttle down. 230 00:13:17,796 --> 00:13:21,756 Speaker 1: So the gas pedal is floored, and now Casey hits 231 00:13:21,796 --> 00:13:24,156 Speaker 1: the brake with the gas pedal still. 232 00:13:23,916 --> 00:13:27,836 Speaker 7: Down, and we locked up a little bit. But but 233 00:13:27,956 --> 00:13:31,356 Speaker 7: I mean that's the car stops. Oh yeah, car stops. 234 00:13:31,916 --> 00:13:35,316 Speaker 1: But no loud noises, no smoke billowing out the back. 235 00:13:35,876 --> 00:13:38,876 Speaker 1: Jacob asks Casey about the brakes. What kind of shape 236 00:13:38,876 --> 00:13:39,236 Speaker 1: are they in? 237 00:13:39,796 --> 00:13:41,916 Speaker 7: Is it a little cooked or no, it's it's not. 238 00:13:42,156 --> 00:13:43,236 Speaker 2: I don't think the brakes are cooked. 239 00:13:43,276 --> 00:13:45,596 Speaker 9: Why do they smell leg We'll know in a second. 240 00:13:47,356 --> 00:13:48,476 Speaker 7: Don't even smell about. 241 00:13:48,436 --> 00:13:52,556 Speaker 12: Okay, if you have functioning brakes, breaks win breaks first engine, 242 00:13:52,636 --> 00:13:53,156 Speaker 12: the breaks win. 243 00:13:53,916 --> 00:13:56,756 Speaker 1: Then it's my turn. I get into camera with Eddie Altraman. 244 00:13:56,876 --> 00:13:59,516 Speaker 1: He's driving. We take the car down straight. 245 00:13:59,276 --> 00:14:02,236 Speaker 7: Away, Can we go a little faster? Let me get 246 00:14:02,276 --> 00:14:04,436 Speaker 7: the pass of the favorite. 247 00:14:04,556 --> 00:14:12,156 Speaker 1: Seventy Ultimate hits the break firmly, smoothly, easily. We come 248 00:14:12,196 --> 00:14:12,716 Speaker 1: to a halt. 249 00:14:13,116 --> 00:14:16,956 Speaker 7: Throttles open. We've got. 250 00:14:18,516 --> 00:14:23,876 Speaker 1: A really old not a terribly good shaped car filled 251 00:14:23,876 --> 00:14:27,476 Speaker 1: with three people and a bunch of equipment, and. 252 00:14:27,436 --> 00:14:30,676 Speaker 7: It's still stopping. So what's that? 253 00:14:32,396 --> 00:14:36,156 Speaker 1: What is the difference between breaking with your foot completely 254 00:14:36,156 --> 00:14:39,476 Speaker 1: off the accelerator and breaking like this? What I mean 255 00:14:39,556 --> 00:14:41,956 Speaker 1: is how much longer does it take to stop a 256 00:14:42,036 --> 00:14:44,076 Speaker 1: car with a throttle wide open? 257 00:14:44,676 --> 00:14:47,956 Speaker 7: About ten feet if you want to quantify it. 258 00:14:47,956 --> 00:14:50,876 Speaker 4: It can be a little bit more, but not so 259 00:14:50,956 --> 00:14:53,596 Speaker 4: much that you notice. 260 00:14:53,676 --> 00:14:56,236 Speaker 1: Back in two thousand and nine, Ultimate Head Car and 261 00:14:56,316 --> 00:14:59,436 Speaker 1: Driver do a version of this very same test. 262 00:14:59,636 --> 00:15:02,636 Speaker 5: We basically did this with a variety of cars, and 263 00:15:02,676 --> 00:15:06,876 Speaker 5: we found actually that with the throttle stuck open, or 264 00:15:07,076 --> 00:15:11,476 Speaker 5: going at seventy miles an hour, the camera stopped pretty 265 00:15:11,476 --> 00:15:15,476 Speaker 5: close to the same distance as a Ford Taurus that 266 00:15:15,596 --> 00:15:16,716 Speaker 5: had his throng closed. 267 00:15:17,676 --> 00:15:21,516 Speaker 1: A camera with the accelerator stuck wide open stops basically 268 00:15:21,556 --> 00:15:24,116 Speaker 1: as quickly as a Taurus breaking normally. 269 00:15:24,636 --> 00:15:28,636 Speaker 13: It's not a big deal. Yeah, But of course we're 270 00:15:28,636 --> 00:15:33,676 Speaker 13: not panicking. Yeah, we're not under the impression that the 271 00:15:33,716 --> 00:15:38,396 Speaker 13: cars goss as my demons and we're in a closed 272 00:15:38,756 --> 00:15:43,116 Speaker 13: kind of situation. But you can see, I'll get it 273 00:15:43,156 --> 00:15:45,676 Speaker 13: up to seventy. 274 00:15:47,116 --> 00:15:54,956 Speaker 1: Okay, not a big deal, Yeah, Yeah, it's the most undramatic. 275 00:15:55,156 --> 00:15:55,716 Speaker 7: You want to try it? 276 00:15:55,756 --> 00:15:56,676 Speaker 1: I would love to truck it. 277 00:15:56,836 --> 00:15:59,996 Speaker 2: Yeah. 278 00:16:00,036 --> 00:16:02,076 Speaker 1: We were out on the testing ground for two hours. 279 00:16:02,556 --> 00:16:05,316 Speaker 1: We tried every trick in the book. The car stopped. 280 00:16:05,836 --> 00:16:08,076 Speaker 1: We loaded up the camera with three adults and a 281 00:16:08,116 --> 00:16:11,156 Speaker 1: ton of equipment. It stopped. We turned off the engine 282 00:16:11,196 --> 00:16:13,796 Speaker 1: while the car was in motion. It stopped once. We 283 00:16:13,836 --> 00:16:15,796 Speaker 1: took the camera up to one hundred miles an hour? 284 00:16:17,716 --> 00:16:21,796 Speaker 1: What are we at ninety to getting there? It took forever, 285 00:16:22,156 --> 00:16:28,116 Speaker 1: but it stopped. Afterwards, Don Sherman and I talked about 286 00:16:28,116 --> 00:16:31,196 Speaker 1: the strangely normal experience of bringing a camera to a 287 00:16:31,236 --> 00:16:33,636 Speaker 1: full stop with the accelerator to the floor. 288 00:16:33,956 --> 00:16:35,036 Speaker 7: The brakes are powerful. 289 00:16:35,116 --> 00:16:38,196 Speaker 3: You've got four wheels working, and it's fairly easy for them. 290 00:16:38,316 --> 00:16:41,516 Speaker 3: Think of the poor engine that has to convert gasoline 291 00:16:41,516 --> 00:16:46,676 Speaker 3: to power and move all that braking is relatively easy 292 00:16:46,716 --> 00:16:48,916 Speaker 3: to do, it much more powerful. 293 00:16:50,636 --> 00:16:51,556 Speaker 7: That's what people. 294 00:16:51,316 --> 00:16:55,956 Speaker 3: Don't acknowledge, that all the capability built into their car. 295 00:17:02,116 --> 00:17:04,476 Speaker 1: When Car and Driver did their version of this experiment 296 00:17:04,876 --> 00:17:07,436 Speaker 1: right after the Sailor crash, they went so far as 297 00:17:07,476 --> 00:17:10,156 Speaker 1: to do a full throttle breaking town on a Rushe 298 00:17:10,276 --> 00:17:14,236 Speaker 1: Stage three Mustang. If you aren't a car guy, I 299 00:17:14,276 --> 00:17:18,636 Speaker 1: should explain. Rush is an independent company that takes sports 300 00:17:18,676 --> 00:17:22,716 Speaker 1: cars and basically puts them on steroids. The engine of 301 00:17:22,756 --> 00:17:26,356 Speaker 1: the Stage three Rouche has five hundred and forty horse power. 302 00:17:26,676 --> 00:17:30,476 Speaker 1: That's two to three times more powerful than the typical 303 00:17:30,516 --> 00:17:34,316 Speaker 1: car on the road. A monster. A roush would take 304 00:17:34,356 --> 00:17:38,916 Speaker 1: a camera and chop it into little, tiny pieces. So 305 00:17:39,036 --> 00:17:41,276 Speaker 1: car and driver take the Rush Mustang up to one 306 00:17:41,316 --> 00:17:44,316 Speaker 1: hundred miles an hour, keep their foot on the accelerator 307 00:17:44,916 --> 00:17:47,436 Speaker 1: at the same time they slam on the brakes, and 308 00:17:47,516 --> 00:17:50,596 Speaker 1: what happens. The car stops. Now it takes a good 309 00:17:50,716 --> 00:17:53,076 Speaker 1: nine hundred feet to come to a full stop. There's 310 00:17:53,116 --> 00:17:58,476 Speaker 1: all kinds of huffing and puffing, but it stops. Breaks 311 00:17:58,516 --> 00:18:01,516 Speaker 1: go up against one of the most powerful engines on 312 00:18:01,556 --> 00:18:07,196 Speaker 1: the road, and the breaks win. I think you can 313 00:18:07,236 --> 00:18:11,356 Speaker 1: now understand how crucial this point is. Toyota gets embroiled 314 00:18:11,596 --> 00:18:16,196 Speaker 1: in a massive controversy. They pay billions of dollars in fines, 315 00:18:16,636 --> 00:18:19,916 Speaker 1: They face allegations of a cover up, all because their 316 00:18:19,956 --> 00:18:24,836 Speaker 1: cars are supposed to be suddenly and mysteriously accelerating. But 317 00:18:24,916 --> 00:18:28,956 Speaker 1: if your car is suddenly and mysteriously accelerating, all you 318 00:18:29,076 --> 00:18:32,116 Speaker 1: have to do is step on the brakes because breaks 319 00:18:32,196 --> 00:18:36,516 Speaker 1: beat engines. So why couldn't Mark Sailors stop his lexus 320 00:18:36,556 --> 00:18:39,396 Speaker 1: that day as he sped down Highway one twenty five. 321 00:18:40,356 --> 00:18:44,316 Speaker 1: I know it sounds ridiculous and tragic, but it's the 322 00:18:44,356 --> 00:18:48,516 Speaker 1: only logical explanation because he never put his foot on 323 00:18:48,636 --> 00:18:56,036 Speaker 1: the brake. Maybe the most important person in this whole 324 00:18:56,076 --> 00:18:59,596 Speaker 1: story is a man named Dick Schmid. Sadly, Schmidt died 325 00:18:59,676 --> 00:19:02,596 Speaker 1: last fall, which is a real loss because Schmidt was 326 00:19:02,636 --> 00:19:05,676 Speaker 1: a really remarkable man. As a kid, he was a 327 00:19:05,756 --> 00:19:10,596 Speaker 1: champion gymnast, later a champion sailor, a sub three hour marathoner. 328 00:19:11,196 --> 00:19:14,516 Speaker 1: He owned five porsches, He raced cars, a car guy. 329 00:19:15,276 --> 00:19:18,156 Speaker 1: He was also a professor at UCLA who becomes an 330 00:19:18,196 --> 00:19:23,116 Speaker 1: important figure in what's called human performance research. Human performance 331 00:19:23,156 --> 00:19:26,796 Speaker 1: research asks how do people move and act and interact 332 00:19:26,836 --> 00:19:30,436 Speaker 1: with the physical world. Schmid starts the Journal of Motor Behavior, 333 00:19:30,796 --> 00:19:33,876 Speaker 1: and along the way he becomes maybe the world's leading 334 00:19:33,916 --> 00:19:36,916 Speaker 1: expert on the way your feet behave when you drive 335 00:19:36,956 --> 00:19:39,676 Speaker 1: a car. I talked to Schmid about a year before 336 00:19:39,676 --> 00:19:42,156 Speaker 1: he died. He was in a wheelchair. By that point, 337 00:19:42,516 --> 00:19:45,356 Speaker 1: he had a neurological disease, and you'll hear a little 338 00:19:45,356 --> 00:19:48,076 Speaker 1: bit of his illness in his speech. I'm going to 339 00:19:48,116 --> 00:19:51,036 Speaker 1: have to repeat what he says because it's really important 340 00:19:51,276 --> 00:19:55,636 Speaker 1: and I want to make sure you understand it. Schmid 341 00:19:55,676 --> 00:19:58,876 Speaker 1: got involved in the sudden acceleration issue years ago when 342 00:19:58,876 --> 00:20:01,156 Speaker 1: he got a call from an attorney in Washington, d C. 343 00:20:01,836 --> 00:20:04,556 Speaker 1: It was a case involving a taxi driver who picked 344 00:20:04,636 --> 00:20:08,356 Speaker 1: up some people outside a hotel. Nathan knows he's running 345 00:20:09,836 --> 00:20:14,476 Speaker 1: of parkway. What Schmid's saying is next thing you know, 346 00:20:14,556 --> 00:20:17,716 Speaker 1: he's running full throttle down the street and he makes 347 00:20:17,756 --> 00:20:21,196 Speaker 1: a left turn and realizes, oh god, I'm coming to 348 00:20:21,236 --> 00:20:23,716 Speaker 1: a big traffic circle, and he ends up putting the 349 00:20:23,756 --> 00:20:24,676 Speaker 1: car into a wall. 350 00:20:24,916 --> 00:20:26,556 Speaker 14: He splits a car at a wall. 351 00:20:27,636 --> 00:20:31,356 Speaker 1: That was nineteen ninety four, years before the Toyota scandal, 352 00:20:31,876 --> 00:20:35,996 Speaker 1: but it's exactly the same scenario. A car takes off mysteriously, 353 00:20:36,436 --> 00:20:37,596 Speaker 1: the driver can't stop. 354 00:20:37,636 --> 00:20:38,116 Speaker 7: It. 355 00:20:38,196 --> 00:20:39,916 Speaker 14: Was there ever a moment when you suspected there might 356 00:20:39,956 --> 00:20:42,196 Speaker 14: be a mechanical cause to these incidents? 357 00:20:42,556 --> 00:20:47,356 Speaker 1: No, what I'm asking is if Schmidt ever suspected that 358 00:20:47,436 --> 00:20:51,356 Speaker 1: the problem might be with the car, a malfunction, a 359 00:20:51,396 --> 00:20:55,796 Speaker 1: faulty bit of software, an engineering failure, and Schmidt, one 360 00:20:55,836 --> 00:20:59,596 Speaker 1: of the world's leading experts in human factors, is saying 361 00:20:59,836 --> 00:21:04,916 Speaker 1: that never once crossed his mind why because everything about 362 00:21:04,996 --> 00:21:09,596 Speaker 1: sudden acceleration looked like a problem with the driver the car. 363 00:21:16,156 --> 00:21:18,956 Speaker 1: He starts to look at other cases and discovers that 364 00:21:18,996 --> 00:21:22,516 Speaker 1: there are some pretty clear patterns. But those patterns don't 365 00:21:22,556 --> 00:21:25,756 Speaker 1: involve a particular make or model of car. Nothing that 366 00:21:25,756 --> 00:21:28,156 Speaker 1: could make you say, oh, there's something wrong with that 367 00:21:28,236 --> 00:21:31,516 Speaker 1: kind of car. Every car maker gets hit with complaints 368 00:21:31,556 --> 00:21:34,796 Speaker 1: of sudden acceleration. When it's a high profile case like 369 00:21:34,836 --> 00:21:39,236 Speaker 1: the Sailor crash, people get focused on one brand, like Toyota, 370 00:21:39,276 --> 00:21:46,276 Speaker 1: but that's just the effect of publicity. It happens to everyone. 371 00:21:46,396 --> 00:21:48,796 Speaker 1: The patterns involve the kinds of people who have sudden 372 00:21:48,836 --> 00:21:52,236 Speaker 1: acceleration incidents and the kinds of circumstances that lead to 373 00:21:52,276 --> 00:21:56,956 Speaker 1: sudden acceleration incidents. The drivers tend to be older, they 374 00:21:56,956 --> 00:21:59,796 Speaker 1: tend to be shorter, They tend to be people, and 375 00:21:59,836 --> 00:22:02,756 Speaker 1: this is really important, they tend to be people who 376 00:22:02,796 --> 00:22:07,756 Speaker 1: are driving an unfamiliar car, so for instance, parking lot attendants. 377 00:22:09,116 --> 00:22:12,916 Speaker 1: This majority of these incidents happen right after someone gets 378 00:22:12,956 --> 00:22:15,756 Speaker 1: into a car for the first time, or when they're 379 00:22:15,796 --> 00:22:22,836 Speaker 1: parking or driving at very low speeds. Now you have 380 00:22:22,916 --> 00:22:26,356 Speaker 1: to make sense of these patterns. You could argue, I mean, 381 00:22:26,396 --> 00:22:28,756 Speaker 1: against all reason, but you could argue that cars just 382 00:22:28,836 --> 00:22:32,076 Speaker 1: get really upset and misbehave when they're being driven by 383 00:22:32,116 --> 00:22:36,556 Speaker 1: parking lot attendants. But that's ridiculous. The patterns Schmidt found 384 00:22:36,636 --> 00:22:40,436 Speaker 1: mean it's not the car. What Schmidt concludes is that 385 00:22:40,516 --> 00:22:43,796 Speaker 1: people are getting into strange cars, and maybe because those 386 00:22:43,836 --> 00:22:46,916 Speaker 1: people are too short and didn't adjust the seat properly, 387 00:22:47,236 --> 00:22:49,956 Speaker 1: they were a little further away from the pedal than usual. 388 00:22:50,796 --> 00:22:53,556 Speaker 1: Or maybe they're trying to park and because they're doing 389 00:22:53,596 --> 00:22:55,836 Speaker 1: the stoping and starting of getting in and out of 390 00:22:55,876 --> 00:22:58,756 Speaker 1: a parking space, they get thrown just a little out 391 00:22:58,756 --> 00:23:02,516 Speaker 1: of their comfort zone. They start making stabbing motions with 392 00:23:02,556 --> 00:23:05,636 Speaker 1: their right foot, like someone groping in the dark. The 393 00:23:05,756 --> 00:23:10,396 Speaker 1: term Dick Schmidt uses to describe this is impulse very ability. 394 00:23:10,556 --> 00:23:14,796 Speaker 1: Your brain requests a very specific action, but your body 395 00:23:14,876 --> 00:23:17,236 Speaker 1: fails to deliver exactly what it's told to do. 396 00:23:17,596 --> 00:23:21,676 Speaker 14: I mean to say that even when producing a very 397 00:23:21,716 --> 00:23:26,996 Speaker 14: familiar physical movement, there is variability in how I move 398 00:23:27,036 --> 00:23:30,516 Speaker 14: my limbs and the force with which I use. So 399 00:23:30,676 --> 00:23:35,716 Speaker 14: baseball players swinging a bat at a fastball may feel 400 00:23:35,716 --> 00:23:38,116 Speaker 14: like he's reproducing his swing. 401 00:23:37,876 --> 00:23:41,236 Speaker 1: Every time, but he's not. That's why even the greatest 402 00:23:41,276 --> 00:23:43,796 Speaker 1: golfers in the world sometimes hit the ball in the rough, 403 00:23:44,396 --> 00:23:46,716 Speaker 1: or the best basketball players in the world miss a 404 00:23:46,756 --> 00:23:47,236 Speaker 1: free throw. 405 00:23:47,996 --> 00:23:50,076 Speaker 14: I don't think the is confused. 406 00:23:51,036 --> 00:23:58,156 Speaker 3: Which the brake pedal, which is accelerator pedally knows. 407 00:23:54,756 --> 00:24:00,116 Speaker 1: But Schmid says, I don't think the driver's confused. If 408 00:24:00,156 --> 00:24:02,236 Speaker 1: you ask him which is the brake pedal and which 409 00:24:02,316 --> 00:24:05,516 Speaker 1: is the accelerator pedal, he knows, But he gets in 410 00:24:05,596 --> 00:24:08,836 Speaker 1: this state where he feels like he's acting normally and 411 00:24:08,876 --> 00:24:14,596 Speaker 1: he's not. In other words, somewhere between intention and action, 412 00:24:15,116 --> 00:24:19,596 Speaker 1: there's a garble, a glitch, And what happens. The driver 413 00:24:19,756 --> 00:24:23,116 Speaker 1: puts his foot on the accelerator, thinking it's the break. 414 00:24:23,516 --> 00:24:26,516 Speaker 1: He wants to stop the car, but in fact he's 415 00:24:26,556 --> 00:24:36,036 Speaker 1: speeding it up. So back to floor mats. Why do 416 00:24:36,116 --> 00:24:41,276 Speaker 1: they sometimes get implicated in sudden acceleration because they throw 417 00:24:41,356 --> 00:24:45,156 Speaker 1: off the expected geometry of the car. A big thick 418 00:24:45,276 --> 00:24:48,996 Speaker 1: winter mat stacked on top of an existing mat raises 419 00:24:49,036 --> 00:24:52,396 Speaker 1: the floor of the footwell, makes the accelerator and break 420 00:24:52,676 --> 00:24:55,676 Speaker 1: seem much closer to your right foot, and if you're 421 00:24:55,716 --> 00:24:59,036 Speaker 1: in a strange car, that just increases the odds of 422 00:24:59,116 --> 00:25:03,556 Speaker 1: impulse variability. It's one of those little things that leads 423 00:25:03,596 --> 00:25:12,436 Speaker 1: to a garble between intention and action. Once you understand 424 00:25:12,436 --> 00:25:15,876 Speaker 1: Dick Schmidt, you realize there are all kinds of scenarios 425 00:25:15,916 --> 00:25:18,836 Speaker 1: that could explain what happened to Mark Sailor. Let me 426 00:25:18,876 --> 00:25:22,356 Speaker 1: give you one. He's driving down the highway with the 427 00:25:22,436 --> 00:25:26,236 Speaker 1: cruise control on. Both of his feet are on the floormat. 428 00:25:26,836 --> 00:25:29,356 Speaker 1: He comes up behind a car going slower than he is, 429 00:25:29,796 --> 00:25:33,516 Speaker 1: so he puts his right foot back on the accelerator hard, 430 00:25:34,516 --> 00:25:37,796 Speaker 1: but as he does that, the floor mat slides under 431 00:25:37,836 --> 00:25:41,716 Speaker 1: the throttle, locking it open. Now comes the crucial part. 432 00:25:42,516 --> 00:25:46,076 Speaker 1: He takes his foot off the accelerator to return to 433 00:25:46,116 --> 00:25:49,276 Speaker 1: his cruise control speed, but the car doesn't slow down. 434 00:25:49,636 --> 00:25:52,876 Speaker 1: It surges forward. The throttle is locked open by the 435 00:25:52,916 --> 00:25:56,036 Speaker 1: floor mat. He's alarmed. He picks his foot up to 436 00:25:56,116 --> 00:25:59,116 Speaker 1: hit the brake, but it's a car he's not familiar with. 437 00:25:59,556 --> 00:26:01,836 Speaker 1: It's a loaner, and he puts his foot on the 438 00:26:01,956 --> 00:26:05,356 Speaker 1: accelerator instead of the brake, and he presses it down 439 00:26:05,756 --> 00:26:09,876 Speaker 1: expecting the car to slow, but it doesn't. That's why 440 00:26:09,916 --> 00:26:14,196 Speaker 1: Listrella says, the breaks don't work, and Sailor freaks out, 441 00:26:14,556 --> 00:26:17,516 Speaker 1: so he presses down harder and the car goes even 442 00:26:17,596 --> 00:26:21,996 Speaker 1: faster and he freaks out even more. I think it's 443 00:26:22,036 --> 00:26:25,636 Speaker 1: important to note here that Sailor isn't negligent. He's not 444 00:26:25,716 --> 00:26:28,836 Speaker 1: a fault. He's not speeding or running a red light 445 00:26:28,996 --> 00:26:32,036 Speaker 1: or drunk. He's making a mistake that almost any of 446 00:26:32,116 --> 00:26:35,356 Speaker 1: us could make under the circumstances. What happened to him 447 00:26:35,396 --> 00:26:37,076 Speaker 1: in that moment is confusion. 448 00:26:37,476 --> 00:26:39,796 Speaker 14: So they're going into a kind of panic state where 449 00:26:40,476 --> 00:26:42,956 Speaker 14: instead of asking the question is my foot of the 450 00:26:43,076 --> 00:26:45,516 Speaker 14: right pedal? They think the problem is are not pushing 451 00:26:45,516 --> 00:26:49,516 Speaker 14: the break hard enough, so the perception that the brakes 452 00:26:49,516 --> 00:26:53,556 Speaker 14: have failed has pedal goes to the floor and. 453 00:26:53,916 --> 00:26:57,596 Speaker 1: The car stop. Schmid says, the perception is that the 454 00:26:57,636 --> 00:27:00,316 Speaker 1: brakes have failed because the pedal goes to the floor 455 00:27:00,556 --> 00:27:04,916 Speaker 1: and the car doesn't stop. Dick Schmidt isn't proposing some 456 00:27:04,996 --> 00:27:08,876 Speaker 1: kind of far fetched theory here. In February twenty eleven, 457 00:27:09,156 --> 00:27:12,916 Speaker 1: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its report on the 458 00:27:12,916 --> 00:27:16,316 Speaker 1: whole Toyota business. That's the one NASA got involved in, 459 00:27:16,876 --> 00:27:20,436 Speaker 1: and they basically agreed with Schmidt. They concluded that the 460 00:27:20,596 --> 00:27:25,156 Speaker 1: overwhelming number of sudden acceleration cases were clearly pedal error. 461 00:27:25,796 --> 00:27:28,836 Speaker 1: The agency knows this because every car has a black 462 00:27:28,876 --> 00:27:32,156 Speaker 1: box that records when the brake and when the accelerator 463 00:27:32,196 --> 00:27:36,076 Speaker 1: are used. Time and again. In these cases, the black 464 00:27:36,156 --> 00:27:45,236 Speaker 1: boxes showed that the brakes hadn't even been touched. So 465 00:27:45,316 --> 00:27:48,156 Speaker 1: here's my question, why is it so hard for people 466 00:27:48,196 --> 00:27:50,876 Speaker 1: to accept the fact that there is a really simple, 467 00:27:51,156 --> 00:27:54,996 Speaker 1: straightforward explanation for what happened in the sudden acceleration cases. 468 00:27:55,716 --> 00:27:59,236 Speaker 1: Because it was hard. Right after the Sailor case, the 469 00:27:59,276 --> 00:28:03,956 Speaker 1: Secretary of Transportation Railer Hood went before Congress and said, my. 470 00:28:03,996 --> 00:28:07,876 Speaker 14: Advice is, if anybody owns one of these vehicles, stop 471 00:28:07,956 --> 00:28:10,476 Speaker 14: driving it, take it to Toyota dealer, because they believe 472 00:28:10,516 --> 00:28:11,556 Speaker 14: they have the fix for it. 473 00:28:12,116 --> 00:28:15,236 Speaker 1: Do you realize how insane that is. This is the 474 00:28:15,276 --> 00:28:18,556 Speaker 1: guy in charge of American auto safety, and he is 475 00:28:18,716 --> 00:28:22,356 Speaker 1: completely diluded about the cause of the problem. He wants 476 00:28:22,396 --> 00:28:26,676 Speaker 1: to blame the car. Some reporters do exactly the same thing. 477 00:28:27,236 --> 00:28:30,556 Speaker 6: They have said, there's absolutely no electronic problem in these 478 00:28:30,596 --> 00:28:32,036 Speaker 6: cars again and again. 479 00:28:32,036 --> 00:28:35,076 Speaker 1: What we've established with this type of In February of 480 00:28:35,116 --> 00:28:38,596 Speaker 1: twenty ten, Brian Ross at ABC News does a story 481 00:28:38,596 --> 00:28:41,436 Speaker 1: on a runaway Avalon. It's about how the software in 482 00:28:41,476 --> 00:28:47,996 Speaker 1: Toyota's causes them to accelerate uncontrollably. Wow, it's like that. Uh, 483 00:28:48,276 --> 00:28:50,316 Speaker 1: But of course all you have to do if a 484 00:28:50,396 --> 00:28:55,356 Speaker 1: Toyota accelerates uncontrollably is use the brakes. So ABC rigs 485 00:28:55,436 --> 00:28:58,876 Speaker 1: up an Avalon and essentially stages an episode of unintended 486 00:28:58,876 --> 00:29:04,796 Speaker 1: acceleration brace don't work Frank's get out Gee. The fakery 487 00:29:04,916 --> 00:29:08,476 Speaker 1: was later uncovered by the website Jeelopnik. Here's the editor 488 00:29:08,516 --> 00:29:10,236 Speaker 1: of Jeelopnik, Patrick George. 489 00:29:10,556 --> 00:29:13,356 Speaker 11: They got a university professor to cut three wires within 490 00:29:13,396 --> 00:29:16,436 Speaker 11: the electronic throttle control system, then connected two of the 491 00:29:16,436 --> 00:29:18,876 Speaker 11: wires to each other in a specific pattern and with 492 00:29:18,916 --> 00:29:21,676 Speaker 11: a specific resistor to create a link between two final 493 00:29:21,716 --> 00:29:23,636 Speaker 11: wires with a switch in between, so that he can 494 00:29:23,676 --> 00:29:26,876 Speaker 11: control it. In other words, this car was rigged. It 495 00:29:26,916 --> 00:29:28,236 Speaker 11: was rigged in a way that you would would never 496 00:29:28,236 --> 00:29:30,756 Speaker 11: produce these results in real life. 497 00:29:30,876 --> 00:29:33,516 Speaker 1: At the same time, they fake a video, or if 498 00:29:33,556 --> 00:29:36,756 Speaker 1: you ask ABC, they make an editing error that makes 499 00:29:36,796 --> 00:29:42,076 Speaker 1: it look like the car's engine is revving dramatically. In fact, 500 00:29:42,316 --> 00:29:45,116 Speaker 1: the cars in park in the video you can actually 501 00:29:45,116 --> 00:29:47,276 Speaker 1: see that the brake light is on the whole time. 502 00:29:48,116 --> 00:29:50,796 Speaker 1: They go to all of this trouble of splicing wires 503 00:29:50,796 --> 00:29:54,116 Speaker 1: and revving engines, all that because they're trying to avoid 504 00:29:54,236 --> 00:29:58,716 Speaker 1: the simplest and most plausible explanation, which is people are 505 00:29:58,796 --> 00:30:04,596 Speaker 1: hitting the wrong pedal crazy. It gets worse at the 506 00:30:04,636 --> 00:30:08,316 Speaker 1: height of the Toyota controversy, Consumer Reports releases a video 507 00:30:08,436 --> 00:30:11,436 Speaker 1: telling driver what to do in the case of unintended acceleration. 508 00:30:12,116 --> 00:30:14,756 Speaker 1: So this is one of the most trusted and irreputable 509 00:30:14,796 --> 00:30:18,396 Speaker 1: brands in the United States. Millions of people look to 510 00:30:18,436 --> 00:30:22,916 Speaker 1: Consumer Reports for objective advice. Here's what their head of 511 00:30:22,996 --> 00:30:25,676 Speaker 1: automotive testing, Jake Fisher, has to say. 512 00:30:25,916 --> 00:30:27,956 Speaker 9: A car accelerating out of control is a very serious 513 00:30:27,956 --> 00:30:31,556 Speaker 9: and scary situation for anyone. A gas pedal could get 514 00:30:31,596 --> 00:30:35,156 Speaker 9: stuck because of a malfunction, because a broken throttle return spring, 515 00:30:35,716 --> 00:30:40,156 Speaker 9: or even a jammed floormat. Fortunately, if remain calm and 516 00:30:40,196 --> 00:30:42,676 Speaker 9: follow a few steps, you can easily avoid tragedy. 517 00:30:42,796 --> 00:30:46,356 Speaker 1: Wait, stop right there. He lists a series of reasons 518 00:30:46,396 --> 00:30:49,236 Speaker 1: why a car might accelerate out of control, and he 519 00:30:49,356 --> 00:30:53,476 Speaker 1: neglects to mention the number one cause, which is that 520 00:30:53,556 --> 00:30:56,916 Speaker 1: a driver has his foot on the wrong pedal. Okay, 521 00:30:57,436 --> 00:30:58,596 Speaker 1: on to the next problem. 522 00:30:58,876 --> 00:31:00,636 Speaker 9: Here at our track, we're going to demonstrate to you 523 00:31:00,876 --> 00:31:03,156 Speaker 9: what you should do, and more importantly, what you shouldn't 524 00:31:03,196 --> 00:31:08,476 Speaker 9: do if you're ever in this unfortunate situation. If you 525 00:31:08,476 --> 00:31:10,836 Speaker 9: find that your car is explorating hard, even after you 526 00:31:10,916 --> 00:31:13,356 Speaker 9: take your foot off the gas pedal, your first instinct 527 00:31:13,396 --> 00:31:16,076 Speaker 9: is probably the right one. Step one, put your foot 528 00:31:16,116 --> 00:31:19,476 Speaker 9: on the brake firmly and don't lift off. It's extremely 529 00:31:19,516 --> 00:31:21,236 Speaker 9: important not to lift your foot off the brake. 530 00:31:21,596 --> 00:31:25,036 Speaker 1: Wait wait, wait, this is even crazier than an ABC 531 00:31:25,196 --> 00:31:29,636 Speaker 1: reporter faking a killer Toyota Avalon Fisher says it's extremely 532 00:31:29,676 --> 00:31:33,836 Speaker 1: important not to lift your foot off the brake. No, no, no. 533 00:31:34,316 --> 00:31:38,036 Speaker 1: The whole problem of unintended acceleration is caused by the 534 00:31:38,036 --> 00:31:41,316 Speaker 1: fact that people mistakenly think they have their foot firmly 535 00:31:41,356 --> 00:31:44,116 Speaker 1: on the brake when they don't. He needs to say 536 00:31:44,156 --> 00:31:48,076 Speaker 1: the exact opposite. He needs to say it is extremely 537 00:31:48,276 --> 00:31:52,316 Speaker 1: important to lift your foot off whatever pedal it is on, 538 00:31:52,676 --> 00:31:57,396 Speaker 1: because chances are you are mistakenly pressing the accelerator. Now 539 00:31:57,596 --> 00:32:01,436 Speaker 1: place it back on the brake firmly. This is an advice, 540 00:32:01,716 --> 00:32:11,436 Speaker 1: This is malpractice. In the spring of twenty ten, the 541 00:32:11,476 --> 00:32:15,116 Speaker 1: people who run the autowebsite Edmunds dot com got really 542 00:32:15,156 --> 00:32:18,676 Speaker 1: frustrated with how nutty the discussion of sudden acceleration had become, 543 00:32:19,316 --> 00:32:22,476 Speaker 1: so they announced a contest. If anyone could prove that 544 00:32:22,516 --> 00:32:25,556 Speaker 1: the car was the culprit in sudden acceleration that is 545 00:32:25,836 --> 00:32:29,236 Speaker 1: an explanation different from someone hitting the wrong pedal or 546 00:32:29,276 --> 00:32:32,756 Speaker 1: a floormat trapping a throttle, Edmonds would pay them a 547 00:32:32,836 --> 00:32:37,876 Speaker 1: million dollars. A million dollars they put together a panel 548 00:32:37,916 --> 00:32:42,476 Speaker 1: of experts, engineering professors, car industry veterans, and who came 549 00:32:42,516 --> 00:32:45,676 Speaker 1: forward to win? I asked Dan Edmons, who heads up 550 00:32:45,716 --> 00:32:48,996 Speaker 1: the site's vehicle testing. He says they got a grand 551 00:32:49,036 --> 00:32:53,316 Speaker 1: total of nineteen submissions, of which only five even met 552 00:32:53,356 --> 00:32:57,516 Speaker 1: the eligibility requirements of the contest, and of those five, 553 00:32:57,876 --> 00:33:01,396 Speaker 1: one talks about pedal error, one talks about floor mats again, 554 00:33:01,756 --> 00:33:04,716 Speaker 1: and the rest, he says, are just nonsense. So they 555 00:33:04,716 --> 00:33:08,036 Speaker 1: can't avoid the prize. The million dollars is still sitting 556 00:33:08,116 --> 00:33:13,956 Speaker 1: there while you had this contest. There are numerous lawsuits 557 00:33:14,596 --> 00:33:19,676 Speaker 1: filed against Toyota, alleging, among other things, flaws in the 558 00:33:19,716 --> 00:33:23,196 Speaker 1: software controlling the electronic throttle. You didn't hear from any 559 00:33:23,276 --> 00:33:25,316 Speaker 1: of those plan defloyers. 560 00:33:25,796 --> 00:33:28,596 Speaker 10: No, we didn't hear from anybody of that sort. I 561 00:33:28,636 --> 00:33:31,956 Speaker 10: think because of the nature of litigation. I mean, this 562 00:33:31,996 --> 00:33:35,436 Speaker 10: is me speculating. They probably wanted to focus on that. 563 00:33:37,396 --> 00:33:40,516 Speaker 10: Maybe a million dollars wasn't enough to attract their attention. 564 00:33:41,516 --> 00:33:45,196 Speaker 1: Remember Sean Kin, Mister sudden acceleration, the guy with the 565 00:33:45,276 --> 00:33:48,796 Speaker 1: software coding gone awry theory, Not even he wants the 566 00:33:48,876 --> 00:33:49,556 Speaker 1: million dollars. 567 00:33:49,676 --> 00:33:53,716 Speaker 6: It was nothing more than a media circus, and it 568 00:33:53,796 --> 00:33:55,396 Speaker 6: was ridiculous. 569 00:33:55,236 --> 00:33:58,716 Speaker 1: A media circus. Kin doesn't want to try and win 570 00:33:58,836 --> 00:34:02,836 Speaker 1: a million dollars because it's a media circus. I'll tell 571 00:34:02,836 --> 00:34:06,556 Speaker 1: you what a media circus was the entire Toyota sudden 572 00:34:06,596 --> 00:34:10,636 Speaker 1: acceleration scandal, because people like Sean Kain insisted that some 573 00:34:10,716 --> 00:34:14,676 Speaker 1: elaborate electronic cover up stood behind it, Because people like 574 00:34:14,716 --> 00:34:19,076 Speaker 1: Sean Kin couldn't admit that this was just overwhelmingly a 575 00:34:19,116 --> 00:34:26,756 Speaker 1: matter of human error. I've used the phrase car guys 576 00:34:26,836 --> 00:34:29,756 Speaker 1: in this episode a few times. Dick Schmidt was a 577 00:34:29,796 --> 00:34:32,516 Speaker 1: car guy. The three people from Car and Driver are 578 00:34:32,596 --> 00:34:36,036 Speaker 1: car guys. And what's interesting about the car guys is 579 00:34:36,036 --> 00:34:38,876 Speaker 1: that none of them doubted ever that this is a 580 00:34:38,876 --> 00:34:43,516 Speaker 1: problem caused by drivers, because they understand what a car is. 581 00:34:44,396 --> 00:34:48,836 Speaker 1: It's a complicated mechanical object that requires attention and skill 582 00:34:49,196 --> 00:34:53,316 Speaker 1: to be operated safely, and non car people have lost 583 00:34:53,316 --> 00:34:57,956 Speaker 1: sight of that fact. Here is Eddie Altaman of Car 584 00:34:57,996 --> 00:34:59,356 Speaker 1: and Driver one more time. 585 00:34:59,716 --> 00:35:03,236 Speaker 8: I think there is that really really depressing sense of 586 00:35:03,596 --> 00:35:08,236 Speaker 8: exasperation about how customers expect the car to take care 587 00:35:08,276 --> 00:35:12,756 Speaker 8: of them, and how the average driver just expects the 588 00:35:12,796 --> 00:35:15,916 Speaker 8: car to be completely flawless and to save their lives 589 00:35:16,396 --> 00:35:26,756 Speaker 8: under any circumstances. 590 00:35:28,716 --> 00:35:30,636 Speaker 1: What the car guys want the rest of us to 591 00:35:30,676 --> 00:35:34,636 Speaker 1: acknowledge is that driving is a complicated and dangerous act. 592 00:35:35,436 --> 00:35:38,076 Speaker 1: It is not just the negligent or the reckless who 593 00:35:38,116 --> 00:35:43,876 Speaker 1: make fatal mistakes. Ordinary people do under seemingly ordinary circumstances. 594 00:35:44,556 --> 00:35:48,236 Speaker 1: Mark Sailor did nothing wrong. Nothing what happened to him 595 00:35:48,276 --> 00:35:51,556 Speaker 1: could have happened to any of us and will happen 596 00:35:51,676 --> 00:35:56,036 Speaker 1: again unless we can finally have an honest conversation about 597 00:35:56,076 --> 00:35:58,756 Speaker 1: what a car is and what it is and what 598 00:35:58,796 --> 00:36:02,556 Speaker 1: the responsibility of a driver is when things go awry. 599 00:36:03,556 --> 00:36:07,156 Speaker 1: Cars do not have minds of their own. A car 600 00:36:07,356 --> 00:36:09,956 Speaker 1: just does what the driver tells it to do. 601 00:36:11,276 --> 00:36:11,636 Speaker 7: All right. 602 00:36:11,676 --> 00:36:14,196 Speaker 1: So here we are, we're in our what is this? 603 00:36:14,396 --> 00:36:15,956 Speaker 1: What is this? Two thousand and three camera? 604 00:36:16,436 --> 00:36:17,876 Speaker 4: This is it two thousand and three or two thousand 605 00:36:17,876 --> 00:36:21,396 Speaker 4: and four? Twenty two thousand miles? 606 00:36:21,476 --> 00:36:24,996 Speaker 7: Is okay? I'll love to fifty five miles of four? 607 00:36:25,916 --> 00:36:29,596 Speaker 7: Get ready? 608 00:36:31,396 --> 00:36:33,356 Speaker 1: That was I was completely surprised to that. That was 609 00:36:33,396 --> 00:36:37,036 Speaker 1: the most un unremarkable, that remarkable thing. 610 00:36:37,676 --> 00:36:39,476 Speaker 7: And let's try it again. Say your nail hold it 611 00:36:39,556 --> 00:36:51,196 Speaker 7: a sixty. 612 00:36:51,436 --> 00:36:54,636 Speaker 1: You've been listening to Revisionist History. If you like what 613 00:36:54,716 --> 00:36:56,796 Speaker 1: you've heard, please do us a favor and rate us 614 00:36:56,796 --> 00:37:00,436 Speaker 1: on iTunes. You can get more information about this and 615 00:37:00,556 --> 00:37:04,636 Speaker 1: other episodes at Revisionististory dot com or on your favorite 616 00:37:04,636 --> 00:37:09,076 Speaker 1: podcast app. Our show is produced by Mia LaBelle, Roxanne Sky, 617 00:37:09,316 --> 00:37:13,196 Speaker 1: and Jacob Smith. Our editor is Julia Barton. Music is 618 00:37:13,196 --> 00:37:18,116 Speaker 1: composed by Luis Gera and Taka Yasuzawa. Laonon Williams is 619 00:37:18,116 --> 00:37:22,876 Speaker 1: our engineer. Our fact checker is Michelle Saraka. Special thanks 620 00:37:22,876 --> 00:37:26,516 Speaker 1: to Eddie Altman, Don Sherman, and Casey Cowell. A car 621 00:37:26,596 --> 00:37:29,276 Speaker 1: and driver for helping us to find and buy a 622 00:37:29,316 --> 00:37:31,956 Speaker 1: two thousand and three camera and taking a day off 623 00:37:31,996 --> 00:37:35,956 Speaker 1: to hostess. Also thanks to audio producer Zach Rosen for 624 00:37:35,996 --> 00:37:40,476 Speaker 1: braving the break tests. The Penalty management team is Laura Mayor, 625 00:37:40,556 --> 00:37:43,676 Speaker 1: Andy Bauers, and Jacob Weisberg. I'm Malcolm Gladwell.