Just got a 2015 Prius V (also have a 2007 Prius). What's the deal with the Smart Stop Technology? I drive with my left foot for braking. Occasionally my right foot isn't completely off the accelerator before I start braking. Is my car going to come to a total stop immediately now? Left foot brakers, any issues with this?
Quora has covered this discussion extensively... Here's the best Summary: "If you can manage to not ride the brake with your left foot while driving with the right foot, there is no problem. However, most people aren't that conscious of what both feet are doing and end up riding the brake with the left foot. At the least, this will flash or light up the brake lights without necessarily actually activating the brakes. By doing so, the people behind you won't know if you are braking or not and may become confused about your brake lights. If you have to brake suddenly, your brake lights having been lit for the last 3 miles, the car behind you won't have any warning that you are stopping. That is dangerous. The second kind of danger is that you will ride the brake pedal to the point that you are actually activating the brakes. This wastes gas as the engine has to work harder to overcome the braking action. This heats the brakes up, reducing their effectiveness when you need them to stop the car. The wears out your braking system faster, making it more expensive to maintain your car. The third thing is that in an emergency situation, you might mash the brake pedal with your left foot and the gas pedal with your right foot at the same time. In your panic, you might not notice. Your car will not stop as fast if your engine is fighting the brakes. This is very dangerous. So, yes, it is bad to use your left foot for braking and your right foot for the gas pedal. Yes, it can be dangerous in some circumstances to do the same. Learn how to leave your left foot over there on the left. Now that they have moved the bright/dim switch from the floor button to the left turn signal stalk, you don't need to use the left foot for anything. Let it rest. Use your right foot to go from the gas to the brake and back to the gas again. In an emergency, you can use both of your feet on the brake if you want. It's much better all around." Is it bad or dangerous to brake with the left foot on automatic cars? - Quora
In manual transmission cars, the analogous problem was 'riding the clutch', which produced premature clutch wearout. But at least it prevented 'riding the brake'. One of the cars on which I learned to drive, was a very old automatic that was very prone to stalling while idling during right foot braking, especially during cold damp weather. So I used left foot braking to keep enough gas going to prevent a stall. (Also drove several manuals during that period, so the clutch still reinforced right foot braking otherwise.) The next car was also an automatic, but didn't stall, and I did manage to quickly return to right-foot-only braking.
Yes -- riding anything with the left foot is a problem, commonly leading to premature wear-out of something, regardless of transmission type. Prius is very unlikely to be exempt. Especially the older versions with weaker or absent brake-gas lockouts.
Some early Prius owners had an issue where they (incorrectly) mashed both pedals at once, so had long stopping distances. At some point Toyota re-wrote the control logic to ignore the gas pedal if the brake pedal was depressed. Trying to save the lives of the clumsy.
Ironically their effort to save the lives of the clumsy didn't do much in terms of the "phantom acceleration" liability/settlement, most of which vanished off the radar after skyrocketing oil prices followed by recession that for a time left Toyota strongest auto maker standing... But now a dozen years later as we head into what's next, the shift to all electric... Can't see any indications yet of Toyota coming even near what Tesla did in July and who knows how much in August? Stay tuned...
My advice for those who drive with the right foot for gas and the left for brake: Put your left foot in your left pocket till you learn to quit that. Excellent explanation by @PriusCamper in post #2!
There are no issues with the Smart Stop System and left foot drivers, or in some cases, both foot drivers. Smart Stop requires the vehicle to be fully stopped before the engine shuts off. In this forum we call this.....normal driving, and it applies both for single footed drivers and those requiring two feet. This is because Toyota has to build cars for people who may have diminished use of their feet, etc. You should beware that the reason that there is so much antipathy in a CAR forum for two feet drivers is that it is exceedingly difficult not to ride the brake (illuminate the brake lights without activating the brakes) when doing so and this is BOTH dangerous and....well not a very nice thing to do. Some day they will employ smart brake technology that uses AI to activate a chime when brake riders do their thing, but until then it's just one of the many things that we have to endure while sharing the roads with millions of our closest friends!
I have had to drive with just my left foot from time to time. When my gout acts up and I’m at work. Try driving a 4 runner with a stick with just 1 foot.
Luckily the 4 runner has a parking brake handle so you won’t roll. You drive when traffic is light and try to shift as little as possible. Keep a long distance behind the car in front of you, and be prepared to yank the stick out of gear at a moments notice. Luckily for me I don’t have to deal with many stop lights or signs.
