Evo X gas pedal stem broken off, very dangerous (merge)
May 7, 2008, 02:56 PM
#271
I would like to first state that I am glad you are ok and that you or anyone else weren't in a situation where something worse could of happened.
What everyone has to realize is with car manufacturers switching from cable driven throttle to fly by wire throttle control...the pedals are going to be made of plastic. Its not "Mitsu quality" its a problem for every car manufacturer that has equipped "plastic" gas pedals in their vehicles. If you do your research..you will find out even the "luxury" brands have had cases like this. I have a close friend that works for a Mercedes dealer for their parts department and he has seen a plastic gas pedal cracking. I haved work for Toyota and GM dealers for a total of 7 years combined and this isn't the first time I have seen a plastic pedal breaking.
When I worked for Toyota and the new Sienna vans came out, they have the fly by wire throttle and the gas pedal was made of plastic. After 4 months release..a fully loaded Sienna came in for the same issue....gas pedal broke. When the new Avalons came out..withing a few months a owner of a Avalon brought their car in just in time before it broke, and came to find it was cracked.
When I worked for GM..same thing, every vehicle with a fly by wire throttle had plastic gas pedals. The first was a Pontiac G6..and the gas pedal broke while unloading it off the truck.
That wasn't the worst problem with them actually...their electric steering racks would "freeze" up and electrical steering racks are much harder to turn than a hydraulic power steering rack with no pressure.
Chevy cobalts were worse, some of the new silverados/Tahoes/Suburbans.
Hopefully yours was just a fluke part, but unfortunate it was your Evo that had the part in it, but luckily you werent in a situation that would of been worse. The Evo X have been out for a good time now and there hasn't been a another case of a broken gas pedals till now. Also The 4g Eclipses, 9th Galants, Endeavors, Outlanders, and Regular Lancers have had the fly by wire throttles longer than the Evo X and there hasn't been a known documented case of a broken gas pedals.
What everyone has to realize is with car manufacturers switching from cable driven throttle to fly by wire throttle control...the pedals are going to be made of plastic. Its not "Mitsu quality" its a problem for every car manufacturer that has equipped "plastic" gas pedals in their vehicles. If you do your research..you will find out even the "luxury" brands have had cases like this. I have a close friend that works for a Mercedes dealer for their parts department and he has seen a plastic gas pedal cracking. I haved work for Toyota and GM dealers for a total of 7 years combined and this isn't the first time I have seen a plastic pedal breaking.
When I worked for Toyota and the new Sienna vans came out, they have the fly by wire throttle and the gas pedal was made of plastic. After 4 months release..a fully loaded Sienna came in for the same issue....gas pedal broke. When the new Avalons came out..withing a few months a owner of a Avalon brought their car in just in time before it broke, and came to find it was cracked.
When I worked for GM..same thing, every vehicle with a fly by wire throttle had plastic gas pedals. The first was a Pontiac G6..and the gas pedal broke while unloading it off the truck.
That wasn't the worst problem with them actually...their electric steering racks would "freeze" up and electrical steering racks are much harder to turn than a hydraulic power steering rack with no pressure.Chevy cobalts were worse, some of the new silverados/Tahoes/Suburbans.
Hopefully yours was just a fluke part, but unfortunate it was your Evo that had the part in it, but luckily you werent in a situation that would of been worse. The Evo X have been out for a good time now and there hasn't been a another case of a broken gas pedals till now. Also The 4g Eclipses, 9th Galants, Endeavors, Outlanders, and Regular Lancers have had the fly by wire throttles longer than the Evo X and there hasn't been a known documented case of a broken gas pedals.
May 7, 2008, 03:27 PM
#272
When i was looking around the infinity and the nissan both told me no after market what so ever. Even some Nismo stuff is enough to deny my warranty. /like headers or CAI./
May 7, 2008, 03:33 PM
#273
i dont know wich is better : the broken gas pedal or a roof coming off from cars.... like the 2006 Z06"s... and for solution they glue it back/the dealer official solution/
http://www.ohiolemonlaw.com/safety-r...vette-roof.htm
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1369957
http://www.leftlanenews.com/corvette...-blow-off.html
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...ad.php?t=84241
so much for bad reputation only from Mitshubishi...
http://www.ohiolemonlaw.com/safety-r...vette-roof.htm
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1369957
http://www.leftlanenews.com/corvette...-blow-off.html
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...ad.php?t=84241
so much for bad reputation only from Mitshubishi...
Last edited by Robevo RS; May 7, 2008 at 03:40 PM.
May 7, 2008, 07:21 PM
#276
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What I find awesome about this whole story, is the fact that after YOU slam the accelerator through the floor, and break something, you decide to ***** out Mitsubishi. You then come to this forum to try to gain support for yr ignorant decisions. Meanwhile, yr story is being posted all over the internet, giving the whole Evo community, and the Evo X a bad name. Because of yr ignorant driving and fluke accident of yr pedal breaking, this only fuels the flame of Evo haters. It's people like you that disgust me. Learn to drive, and take responsibilty for yr actions. I know I'm probably gonna get flamed for writing this, but it had to be said. I know that there are a lot of Evo X owners that feel the same way I do. Yes, the Evo is a car that is ment to be pushed, but come on, what do you expect to happen when you slam the pedal as hard as you can to the floor. This has not been a common problem among us X owners, or the many expert drivers who took it for test track review and beat on it. Myself like many other Evo X owners, had to deal with the wrath of satan at work the next day after this post was started. All the haters come out of the woodwork, and are just looking for bad **** to say about the Evo, and the X. Thanks for the easy opportunity for prey, based on yr neglegence. I for one am tired of defending the Evo X's and Mitsubishi's integrity based on yr decision to beat on yr car. You drive like an ***, you break ****, deal with it, stop whining. Period.
May 7, 2008, 08:04 PM
#277
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i dont know wich is better : the broken gas pedal or a roof coming off from cars.... like the 2006 Z06"s... and for solution they glue it back/the dealer official solution/
http://www.ohiolemonlaw.com/safety-r...vette-roof.htm
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1369957
http://www.leftlanenews.com/corvette...-blow-off.html
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...ad.php?t=84241
so much for bad reputation only from Mitshubishi...
http://www.ohiolemonlaw.com/safety-r...vette-roof.htm
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1369957
http://www.leftlanenews.com/corvette...-blow-off.html
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...ad.php?t=84241
so much for bad reputation only from Mitshubishi...
I had a 95 GT Mustang and was recalled for "hood seperation". I asked the dealer what was the issue. They said the hood was 2 piece and the top would seperate from the bottom, which was attatched to the hinges, so only the top section would fly off. I asked what caused it. They said inferior glue. I asked how do they fix it. They said use stronger glue.
NO BS! True story!
Last edited by meltdown; May 7, 2008 at 08:14 PM.
May 7, 2008, 08:11 PM
#278
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My gas pedal never receives any abuse, no need for it... simply push the pedal in softly and the car puts you back in your seat. At first this was a major issue for me, then I had to re-think the situation and come back to my scene's.
May 7, 2008, 08:39 PM
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This thread made me want to see what kind of brake arm my prelude had. So I checked it out earlier & it's got a steel rod. Hrmm... I wonder what would break first.... steel?..... plastic?... steel? plastic? That's a tough one... 
It just baffles me that they would make one of the most crucial pieces to operating the car out of a brittle material. That goes for Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Lexus & freagin Honda now if they do it as well. I haven't even thought to look at any car's pedal arm before but what a way to cheap out... I understand they want to cut corners to get the car's overall price down, but this should not be one.
Someone mentioned this 'fly by wire throttle control' earlier... not sure why a plastic pedal is necessary for this while a metal won't work, but I bet the fine people @
can figure it out. 
It just baffles me that they would make one of the most crucial pieces to operating the car out of a brittle material. That goes for Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Lexus & freagin Honda now if they do it as well. I haven't even thought to look at any car's pedal arm before but what a way to cheap out... I understand they want to cut corners to get the car's overall price down, but this should not be one.
Someone mentioned this 'fly by wire throttle control' earlier... not sure why a plastic pedal is necessary for this while a metal won't work, but I bet the fine people @
can figure it out.
Last edited by Monkeykungphu; May 7, 2008 at 08:43 PM.
May 8, 2008, 05:50 AM
#281
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Well ya see, to get that there pedal to break ya gotta impact it with more than 200 lbf of force. So ya just might have did something in there to cause it to crack. It just doesn't crack waiting at a stop light. And it looks like it broke in the correct spot. That pedal has a designed in break feature close to the housing so that if it does break you can not drive the vehicle with a broken pedal. It did what is was suppose to do if it was abused. But that should be covered under warranty no matter what.
May 8, 2008, 05:59 AM
#282
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TarmacAttach, yer a moron. Don't you think the warranty was written by a lawyer. Your lawyer would not be able to do anything about it.
Monkeykungphu, well I see you are no engineer. There are just as many problems with the steel rod as there is with plastic. In some cases the plastic is much stronger than a solid steel rod. That plastic is Nylon 6/6 with 40% glass fill for strength and rated to withstand 200 lbf of force. And the pedal should bottom out on the floor. So the need for a steel rod is over engineering.
Look up Nylon 6/6 and you all will be surprised at the tensile and break strength of that material. Plus it is much cheaper in cost than steel. Which is to keep the cost of your vehicle down.
Very few vehicles have a pedal assembly with a steel rod. I think it is safe to say that 85% of all vehicle have a plastic pedal assembly.
Monkeykungphu, well I see you are no engineer. There are just as many problems with the steel rod as there is with plastic. In some cases the plastic is much stronger than a solid steel rod. That plastic is Nylon 6/6 with 40% glass fill for strength and rated to withstand 200 lbf of force. And the pedal should bottom out on the floor. So the need for a steel rod is over engineering.
Look up Nylon 6/6 and you all will be surprised at the tensile and break strength of that material. Plus it is much cheaper in cost than steel. Which is to keep the cost of your vehicle down.
Very few vehicles have a pedal assembly with a steel rod. I think it is safe to say that 85% of all vehicle have a plastic pedal assembly.
May 8, 2008, 07:33 AM
#283
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TarmacAttach, yer a moron. Don't you think the warranty was written by a lawyer. Your lawyer would not be able to do anything about it.
Monkeykungphu, well I see you are no engineer. There are just as many problems with the steel rod as there is with plastic. In some cases the plastic is much stronger than a solid steel rod. That plastic is Nylon 6/6 with 40% glass fill for strength and rated to withstand 200 lbf of force. And the pedal should bottom out on the floor. So the need for a steel rod is over engineering.
Look up Nylon 6/6 and you all will be surprised at the tensile and break strength of that material. Plus it is much cheaper in cost than steel. Which is to keep the cost of your vehicle down.
Very few vehicles have a pedal assembly with a steel rod. I think it is safe to say that 85% of all vehicle have a plastic pedal assembly.
Monkeykungphu, well I see you are no engineer. There are just as many problems with the steel rod as there is with plastic. In some cases the plastic is much stronger than a solid steel rod. That plastic is Nylon 6/6 with 40% glass fill for strength and rated to withstand 200 lbf of force. And the pedal should bottom out on the floor. So the need for a steel rod is over engineering.
Look up Nylon 6/6 and you all will be surprised at the tensile and break strength of that material. Plus it is much cheaper in cost than steel. Which is to keep the cost of your vehicle down.
Very few vehicles have a pedal assembly with a steel rod. I think it is safe to say that 85% of all vehicle have a plastic pedal assembly.
You're right, I'm not an "engineer," I'm a construction manager. My degree however does come from the college of engineering at LSU...
Just as many problems....? can you show me some examples of a steel rod gas pedal arm that's snapped like that? You say in some cases the plastic is stronger? As in a case where the plastic makes up a solid rod 4+ inches in diameter as opposed to a 5/8" steel rod? Maybe so. But as you can see in the pics, the plastic pedal arm is made up of a double truss type frame with 1/4" thick members.
Mild common steel has a tensile strength of 54k psi, while your nylon 6/6 w/ 40% fiber has a tensile strength of 27k psi. You math geniuses out there already know that this is a 50% as strong.
Please refer to these links for some FYI data:
steel: http://www.onlinemetals.com/steelguide.cfm
&
nylon 6/6: http://www.rtpcompany.com/info/data/0200/RTP207.htm
Also, how much money do you think
is really saving from using a nylon arm in lieu of a 5/8" steel rod? Steel is sold by the ton commercially. Right now it's going for ~$2,300 a ton. Steel rod weighs 2.67 lbs/lft for a 1" diameter rod.A 5/8" diameter pedal arm weighs = .625" x 2.67 lbs/ft = 1.67 lbs/ft for a 5/8" diameter bar. 1.67 lbs/ft x 2' long pedal arm (for argument sake) = 3.34 lbs for each pedal arm x 3 pedals = 10.02 lbs of steel for really strong super happenin STEEL pedal arms for the evo.
Steel cost $2,300 a ton / 2000 lbs/ton = $1.15 a lb x 10.02 lbs for my Evo pedals = $11.53. Let's say mass fabrication cost a whopping $100 for a set of pedal arms for argument sake.... $111.53 minus the cost of your nylon 6/6 pedals is how much you save.... Is it really worth it? Not to me.
BTW, what kind of pedal arms are on your '96 mustang?
May 8, 2008, 09:30 AM
#285
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Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Sorry man. I just wanted to stoke the fires and get some one to really do some homework and present the case at hand.
The steel rod tends to bend and twist and can not be managed very well in the mold. The steel rods are all molded into plastic stub arms. With plastic pads molded onto the other end. And the steel rods are getting phased out very quickly. Everything is plastic. And the almight penny rules.
As for cost, the plastic is a fraction of that. You forget the surcharges thrown in there and shipping and frieght to get that heavy heavy metal. Again plastic is a fraction of that. And weighs less in the vehicle. When the vehicle manufacturers are screaming for weight reductions, the weight is taken out of just about everything it can.
Let's see a pedal assembly with a metal rod goes for oh $10-$14 a unit sold to the manufacturer where as the pedal assembly with a plastic arms goes for $6-$8. All based on volume of vehicles to be manufactured of that model and any other model that pedal assembly goes on, which it does which gives MMC a BIG savings across the board.
It is very worth it to the manufacturer. On all the vehicles made with that pedal I bet they save oh $700,000 or more total a year on all the vehicles with that pedal assembly versus the one with metal in it. If a supplier can save just $0.05 on one component of an assembly, they are heros.
And doesn't that suck to learn that the pedal assembly actually cost that much when yer paying $140 or more for it from the dealership.
I used to engineer brake systems for a very well known supplier. One drum brake minus the drum, but all other components sold for $14-$18 a unit, so $30 roughly a vehicle. Disc brakes, including caliper, rotor and anchor bracket sell for $30-$60 depending on front or rear and what type of park brake feature is designed in. Sucks don't it. I used to be invovled in cost saving initiatives and weight reductions and saving 6 ounces and $0.05 in cost on a component I was a hero. No kidding.
The steel rod tends to bend and twist and can not be managed very well in the mold. The steel rods are all molded into plastic stub arms. With plastic pads molded onto the other end. And the steel rods are getting phased out very quickly. Everything is plastic. And the almight penny rules.
As for cost, the plastic is a fraction of that. You forget the surcharges thrown in there and shipping and frieght to get that heavy heavy metal. Again plastic is a fraction of that. And weighs less in the vehicle. When the vehicle manufacturers are screaming for weight reductions, the weight is taken out of just about everything it can.
Let's see a pedal assembly with a metal rod goes for oh $10-$14 a unit sold to the manufacturer where as the pedal assembly with a plastic arms goes for $6-$8. All based on volume of vehicles to be manufactured of that model and any other model that pedal assembly goes on, which it does which gives MMC a BIG savings across the board.
It is very worth it to the manufacturer. On all the vehicles made with that pedal I bet they save oh $700,000 or more total a year on all the vehicles with that pedal assembly versus the one with metal in it. If a supplier can save just $0.05 on one component of an assembly, they are heros.
And doesn't that suck to learn that the pedal assembly actually cost that much when yer paying $140 or more for it from the dealership.
I used to engineer brake systems for a very well known supplier. One drum brake minus the drum, but all other components sold for $14-$18 a unit, so $30 roughly a vehicle. Disc brakes, including caliper, rotor and anchor bracket sell for $30-$60 depending on front or rear and what type of park brake feature is designed in. Sucks don't it. I used to be invovled in cost saving initiatives and weight reductions and saving 6 ounces and $0.05 in cost on a component I was a hero. No kidding.