2010 Toyota Camry Stuck-Throttle Brake Test Video

By Edmunds Video Productions | Published March 15, 2010

1:17 min

We took a 2010 Toyota Camry to a closed test track to find out how much longer the braking distance would be in various stuck-throttle situations.

By Edmunds Video Productions | Published March 15, 2010

1:17 min

There has been a lot of talk about stuck throttles in the news recently. Edmunds.com decided to find out how much capability brakes have to stop a car that has a wide-open stuck throttle. We took a 2010 Toyota Camry to a closed test track to find out how much longer the braking distance would be in such a situation. To set a standard, we stopped the Camry from 60 mph in normal conditions. (120 ft) Next, we simulated a stuck wide-open throttle and put the car in neutral. (121 ft) Next, we kept the car in drive and simulated a wide-open throttle. (149 ft) This worst-case scenario is depleted vacuum assist braking and a stuck wide-open throttle. Finally, we tested the worst-case scenario: a stuck throttle with no vacuum assist for the power brakes. (167 ft) In all cases, we found that,yes, it is possible to stop a car such as this with a wide-open stuck throttle But the effort required to do so can be high, especially if the power brakes lose vacuum. For this reason, we still recommend that drivers shift into neutral to remove the racing engine from the situation. By so doing, they can use the brake pedal as normal to stop the car with no significant increase in effort.