Opinion ID: 6317316
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Background on Unintended Acceleration Cases

Text: A meaningful portion of automobile products-liability caselaw is devoted to unintended acceleration cases.2 Experts theorize variously on the cause of these unintended accelerations. Driver error, via accidental application of the accelerator pedal (also referred to as “pedal misapplication”), or pedal entrapment by a floormat, are recognized causes of unintended acceleration events. On the other hand, a considerable school of thought maintains that unintended acceleration can occur without driver error or pedal entrapment. (See Richard M. Goodman, et al., Toyota Unintended Acceleration, Auto. Design Liability 3 (2016) (“With the advent of electronic ignition systems and cruise control systems in the late 1970[]s and early 1980[]s unintended acceleration complaints without clear mechanical failures began to appear.”)). Any number of malfunctions in a vehicle’s electronics could cause sudden and unintended acceleration. Throughout this litigation, Plaintiffs have posited many theories about what might have caused the 2015 crash. These theories include: (1) a worn clock spring; (2) a brake-lamp stop switch issue; (3) a voltage drop; (4) malfunctions in the cruise control; (5) brake issues; (6) unforeseen issues with the engine control unit (“ECU”); and (7) electromagnetic interference (“EMI”) or cross-talk. It is first helpful to define some of this vocabulary. The engine control module (“ECM”), electronic engine controller (“EEC”), electronic control unit (“ECU”), and Powertrain Control Unit (“PCU”) are various terms used to refer to the 2008 Kia Optima’s central computer. The ECM controls the throttle. Engine power requires air, and the throttle regulates how much air flows to the engine. When a driver presses the accelerator 2 A Minnesota Supreme Court case from 1961 is illustrative: “‘[A]ll of a sudden’ the Oldsmobile ‘took off and jerked us back.’ He claims that he put on the brakes, as well as the emergency brake, and turned off the ignition; that by that time he was going about 90 miles per hour; that he pulled over into the left lane to avoid hitting traffic ahead of him and went between cars that were facing him; but that his automobile just kept on going.” Grant v. Malkerson Sales, Inc., 259 Minn. 419, 420–21 (1961). Nos. 20-5690/5693 Hill, et al. v. Kia Motors Am., Inc., et al. Page 5 pedal, a wire signals the ECM to open the throttle, and thus, accelerate. If a driver is “flooring it,” then the throttle is “wide open.” Releasing the accelerator reverses the process; the car slows, and the throttle closes when the vehicle comes to a complete stop. Post-crash vehicle inspections here showed that the throttle plate was in a nearly wide-open orientation, indicating that Parks’ car was delivering almost full engine power at the time of the crash. Some defect experts theorize that electronic throttle control systems can be susceptible to unintended, wide-open throttle acceleration due to electromagnetic interference or EMI.3 The malfunction central to the EMI theory is a so-called “cross-talk.” A “cross-talk” is a form of EMI where the wires in close proximity “talk” to each other, causing a malfunction. The theory is that EMI can cause the cruise control to send a sustained wide-open command to the electronic throttle control system without driver input. The cruise control, a system at least conceptually familiar to any driver of a modern automobile, is a sub-component of the electronic throttle control system, or “ETC.” In the 2008 Kia Optima, there are four cruise control functions: (1) On/Off; (2) Set/Coast; (3) Cancel; and (4) Resume/Accel. A driver activates any of these functions by pressing the corresponding button on the steering wheel. The buttons on the steering wheel, in turn, are connected to wires in a “clock spring.” The clock spring is a circular ribbon cable located inside the steering column, behind the driver’s airbag storage module; its function is to provide electrical continuity between the steering wheel and the rest of the car. The clock spring is routed to the control buttons through a multifunction switch. The multi-function switch is connected to the main computer through a single 3 At the district court, two of Plaintiffs’ four experts, Samuel Sero and Byron Bloch, suggested that EMI within the Parks’ 2008 Kia Optima caused an unintended acceleration that Parks could not stop by depressing the brake pedal. The district court excluded Sero’s and Bloch’s EMI testimony as unreliable. Nos. 20-5690/5693 Hill, et al. v. Kia Motors Am., Inc., et al. Page 6 signal wire. The cruise control, via the resume/accel button, is the only feature, other than the accelerator pedal, that directly communicates to open the throttle. The clock spring also incorporates the airbag, steering wheel radio buttons, and horn functions. Each cruise-control function operates in a specified voltage range. The ECU software is designed to turn off the cruise control if the voltage exceeds the specified range.