HI, new member here

[Johnmurf]

I have recently purchased a 2012 Grand Carnival. This is the fifth Kia that I have owned. Never had a problem with any of them and this was one of the reasons i choose a Carnival. Shopped around but I could not find anything that could match it flexibility as a people mover or cargo carrier or the price.
I am very happy with it, especially the power of the 3.5ltr V6.

There is one thing that does have me and my wife a bit concerned. The brake and accelerator pedal seems to be a bit too close and we have both hit the accelerator pedal when using the brakes.

Has anyone else found this to be an issue? I will be asking the dealer about it when I take it in for its first service.
I will probably get used to it over time, but if not I might have to look at increasing the distance between the pedals somehow.

Has anyone got any suggestions?

Cheers all,
John

[PeterBlue]

Hi John, welcome.
Mine's an '04, so a very different beast & can't comment on your problem. But out of interest, were any of your previous Kias Carnivals? or other models.

[Johnmurf]

Originally Posted by PeterBlue

Hi John, welcome.
Mine's an '04, so a very different beast & can't comment on your problem. But out of interest, were any of your previous Kias Carnivals? or other models.

Hi PeterBlue,
I have had two Mentors (the first models released), a Sportage (the second model) and a Rio (first model).

It may just be me and the cars I am used too but twice I have pressed the accelerator pedal whilst pressing the brake down, and my wife has done the same.

As the brake pedal is higher than the accelerator and also very wide, when pressing it down it starts to slow the car until the foot hits the accelerator pedal. The 2012 Carnival has a 3.5ltr V6 and 6 speed sports auto and it is quite easy to spin the front wheels when taking off in first. Both my wife and I put the trans in 2nd when in heavy traffic or about to turn right at a roundabout to avoid the sudden acceleration of the car.

There is virtually no free travel in the accelerator pedal before the engine revs increase and the vehicle moves.

Last time I accidently pressed both pedals the rear wheels were locked by the brakes but the front wheels spun with the car stationary.

I might have to look at removing some of the right side of the brake pedal (20-25mm) to increase the gap and to encourage the driver to move the foot further across when applying the brakes.

I will see if the dealer has had any reports of this issue from other owners.

Cheers, John

[PeterBlue]

Might be worth having a Google to see if others are reporting that problem too. Some dealers are good, but I've had some tell me that 'nobody else has had that problem' when the demonstrably had.

Let us know how you go, certainly sounds like an incipient safety issue.

Cheers,
Peter

[Johnmurf]

I have spoken to the dealer and they have not have had any reports of people complaining about the pedals being too close. He also said there is no adjustment available on the pedals, so It looks like I might have to change my driving habits.
I have done a search on google but have not found anything relating to this issue. It probably just me not yet being used to the pedals position in the car.

Cheers,
John

[razzledog]

Could you not remove the brake pedal and have it heated up and bent over? Could you post a pic of the pedal setup? Do you drive with both feet or one? Koreans tend to have smaller feet than us..

[Johnmurf]

Bending the brake pedal is a possible option as is removing 20-25mm from the right side. The gap between the pedals is 60mm. The brake pedal is 125mm wide and 75mm high.
I only use my right foot for the accelerator and brake, and the dealer asked me the same question. I mentioned possible options like narrowing or bending the brake pedal and he said it would probably void the warranty as it was modifying the original design of the vehicle and may make the vehicle non compliant with the ADRs.

To bend the brake pedal could be difficult as the pivot point is up in the dash, I could not reach it by sticking my arm up as far as it would go. The brake pedal arm is made from 6mm flat steel 30-40mm wide, also about half way up there is a flat metal bar attached to the front of the pedal arm going up towards the steering columm. I do not know what function that bar has.

To remove the brake pedal assembly, bend it and keep everything alinged could be a difficult task.

I might have a closer look at it and see if it is possible to remove the pedal section and replace it with a smaller one that I can change back to the original when I take the car in for servicing.

I did try operating the brake pedal with different footwear and found that it does not have much effect on whether both pedals are pressed except for thongs!. This is a car that is risky to drive whilst wearing thongs as just about every time I tested the brake pedal operation the edge of the thongs did not follow the foot across and as a result it contacted the accelerator pedal as well. Bare foot driving is the best, so when I get in the car it is thongs off and placed on the floor between the seats. So far I have not accidently hit the accelerator pedal since.

Cheers,
John