While driving in town I noticed that my Mini was not slowing down when I took my foot off of the gas. In fact it was slowly accelterating. I made sure that the Cruise Control was off.

Parked it in the garage and had the same problem the next day (Sunday).

On Monday I drove it to the dealer and of course it worked prefectly en route and the dealer couldn't find anything wrong.

Anyone have a suggestion on the possible cause or heard of anyone else with this problem?

 

Before you start a rash of panick attacks, keep in mind that the MINI uses a wireless E-Accelerator pedal and this works pretty much like your TV's infrared remote control, albeit, it is a much more refined thing.

Unintended acceleration has been plaguing many cars for decades (Remember the Audi 5000 alegations in the 1980's) but in 7 years of MINI ownership I have yet to encounter anyone with this problem.

Take the car back to the dealer and have them check the E-gas pedal assembly. Remember, you are driving a computer with wheels and like regular computers these weird and sporadic problems sometimes are very hard to troubleshoot and track down.

Also make sure you are not confusing the gas pedal with the brake pedal.

Lastly, is your car automatic?

 

Sounds like your car was truly born to be a speed demon!!!

 

Yes my car has an automatic transmission. I didn't realize that there is no longer a mechanical linkage for the gas pedal. Thanks for the advice. You can configure either pedal to be the gas, right?

 

ive got the same problem...i just thought all my engine mods were messing with the ecu ....but know i know...ill have mine checked at the dealer in about 2000 miles, mine is a stick by the way

 

Sorry OT, but this is fascinating (I'm an engineer). So the gas pedal isn't mechanically linked to the fuel pump and the fuel is wirelessly controlled from the pedal? I never knew this. Do most modern cars have this as well? Do the tire pressure sensors work the same way?

Thanks for this bit of info!

 

quite a few new cars are wireless. there is no place on the MINI where you can open the hood and grab to change the throttle.

electronic steering is coming as well. that one scares me a bit, but imagine the possibilities of not actually having the steering wheel connected to the steering mechanism! (although road feel would suck, until they get force feedback working perfectly.)

OP: how fast were you going when this happened? If you were only moving slowly, it sounds like a fast idle. when your car is in park or neutral, what is the idle speed?

 

The first time I was going between 30-40. The 2nd time I just backed my
car out of the garage and went around the block without using the gas pedal once. Top speed was just under 25. The transmission shifted at least once as my speed increased. I never felt like I was in danger of losing control and the brake was able to overcome the acceleration.

I didn't note the engine speed until I was on my way to the shop, but my sense is that it was slightly higher than normal.

 

Were u totally leveled when this happened?

 

This is totally unrelated to the other responses, but it was something popped into my head...do you have any floor mats? I've misaligned those before and mistakenly had them actually on top of the accelerator pedal and pushing it down *without* my foot being on it! Just a thought. Sometimes the simplest things...

 

In what way does the Pedal work like a TV Remote's infrared system?

I can't really see any logical benefit-to-risk analysis to a "wireless" pedal. Now, a pedal position sensor WIRED to the ECU which opens the throttle body accordingly... that makes sense to me.

I think it's clear that there is not a cable from the pedal to the throttle body anymore, like there were in the "old days"... but I think "wireless" is a bit misleading. I submit that it could be considered "throttle cable-less", instead.

Now, if it really is "wireless", forgive me for my ASSumptions, and set me straight.

Also, the TPMS actually IS wireless, and can therefore be interfered with by similar other wireless signals.

 

An EXCELLENT thought.

A friend of mine once spent an hour trying to get her passenger window to go up, and eventually gave up and took it to her mechanic... who didn't charge her a dime... to turn off the Window Lock.

BTW, CtB, check out the "Official Oxygen Blue Owners Club" Thread HERE

 

I think you may be onto something! My floor mat was pushed forward. I fixed it when I washed my car in between the last occurance and when I took the car to the dealer.

Could this explain the steady (slow) acceleration versus a static speed of 1-2 mph, which is what I think would happen?

 

Both the car and myself were completely level.

 

my floor mats dont cause it,on mine,im usually in 2nd gear about 3000 rpms when it happens to me it idles around 800-900 rpms

 

I would think it could always be possible, depending on how your mat is arranged, where you place your foot, and if those two things combined did something to manipulate the pedal. Never know what goes on down by your feet! Maybe the problem is solved...

 

Even a slight throttle application from something as light as a floormat can be interpreted by the ECU as you wanting to maintain or slightly increase speed. You could try putting the floormat back over the throttle a bit and see if that recreates the situation.

To the comment earlier about electric steering, they actually use a system such as that on heavy equipment, I know the 8K all-terrain fork-lift we used in Iraq had something like that (no direct linkage between steering column and wheel) and while it didn't give much feedback unless you were at full lock (where it would give an artificial kickback) it wasn't too bad and made the operation of the different rear steering modes simpler. It's kinda like steering a car on a video-game without force feedback but with the added input of g-forces and seat-of-the-pants feel.

 

has no one read anything ive post!!!! i have the same problm !but its not the floormats

 

Just to make sure people do not misunderstand: The throttle control is wired, not wireless. Wireless would seem to indicate no physical connection. The connection is made through electrical wires (using an electric signal) not a physical single wire (using cable movement).

Is the OP's car manual or automatic?

 

Question answered above:

 

The correct term it "Fly by wire". First developed for some of the modern airplanes' control surfaces.

 

Hubby did this in our '01 Dodge Durango, it was reving at 3700rpm when it normally revs at 700rpm?? He inherited the vehicle when Molly came home and so he is not familiar with its issues as I am. Yes, we took it to the Dealer!! And they had it over the weekend and guess what they found...NADA!!!