One thing seems more certain: In an automobile, when you put the accelerator pedal to the floor, something is going to happen.

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As of late February of this year, Toyota had recalled about 14 million vehicles since 2009, largely because of accelerator pedal problems, according to The New York Times.

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Coasting: As soon as the driver releases the accelerator pedal, the engine and electric motors are decoupled from the drivetrain and the engine is shut off, provided that the battery is sufficiently charged.

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After announcing the earlier recalls Toyota made the unprecedented move of shutting production at six plants in North America and withdrawing from sale several models while it figured out what had gone wrong with its accelerator pedal.

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Battery regeneration: Whenever the driver releases the accelerator pedal or applies the brakes, and the battery is insufficiently charged, the two electric motors act as generators and feed energy recovered from the brakes into the lithium-ion battery.

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Maybe these bigger feet overlap the accelerator and gas pedal.

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That reduced clearance may mean the driver's foot could brush the side of the brake pedal when going from the accelerator to the brake, thus increasing stopping distances and the risk of a crash.

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In the all-electric EV Now mode, the accelerator only responds to the first one-third of pedal travel.

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Instead of being triggered by the brake pedal, it only kicks in when you lift off the accelerator.

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