I have been driving my 06 (#7) for 10 days now. I have noticed a potentially a serious problem with my 06. It could be just an isolated case for my car. I have been driving 04 for almost 2 years and 05 for a couple of weeks but never had this issue. I have noticed that whenever I move my right foot from the accelerator paddle to the break paddle, top of my foot is keep getting caught on something. It all depends on how I position my foot but, it happens sometimes. This could be a problem if I need to put on break really fast in an emergency but my foot could get caught. My shoe size is 9.5 and it's the same shoes I have been wearing for about a year. It happens with other shoes as well. I don't think my right foot got bigger this year. I quickly checked the down below this morning and see what is keep touching the tip of my foot. I found a black wiring and bunch of plastic coverings. It was too dark for me see clearly. I moved the wiring but problem continues. I may spend some time this evening with my flashlight to investigate more closely. I am wondering if anyone had similar experience. I also noticed that my front center speaker is making distorted sounds. I cannot believe speaker is failing this soon.
Mmmmm, my size 9's don't seem to have that problem; but I think I'll have a look under the dash anyway.
Well, I wear a men's 11.5, and I can confirm that my toe occasionally his something under there when going from gas to break and back again. Hadn't even considered looking until I read this post. Will have to chek it out tonight.
Wow, sounds quite dangerous. I wear size 10.5 shoes and haven't had any issues. Definitely check it thoroughly before you hit the road again.
another 11.5 here... since I was born and raised around Porsches thus learning at a very early age the need for a strong left foot when driving,... I happen to be one of those scary left-foot-brakers. I've not received my 06 NL yet and will comment on this when I do get it. Hopefully soon! I will pivot my foot over to the brake in my Porsche as I need to, in some cases also clutch-shift the car. Then the added fun of accelerating, braking and shifting all at the same time is what I Won't miss with the Prius!
I wear a size 10 and it doesn't matter if I have heals on, flats, pumps or tennis shoes. The position of the peddles seems to have been made just for me. On my Acclaim I used my left foot for the break. But I have not used my left foot at all since getting my 06 Prius. One thing about driving a piece of junk for a long time. It makes driving the Prius so much more fun and enjoyable. Kathleen
Just looked under the dash of my '04. The object protruding the farthest downward is a white plastic compartmentalized heat outlet. No wires. Have never caught my foot (size 9-1/2). Maybe something's different under there on '06s.
I wear mens size 9.5. I have not had a problem in my 2006 Prius with my right foot catching anything when alternating between accelerator and brake. On one pair of shoes with soles protruding beyond the uppers, the sole would catch on the brake when moving from accelerator to brake in my 1999 Audi A6 (AUDI = Acceleration Under Demonic Influence after the bogus 60 Minutes report that nearly killed the Audi brand long ago). I have not encountered similar catching in the Prius. My left foot does not sit comfortably on the foot rest in the Prius. The foot rest is closer to the driver than the accelerator pedal due to the wheel well. It is also too short for my foot. The Audi is far more comfortable than the Prius.
I wear men's size 11. No problem with 06. I just had a look with a flashlight. I didn't see anything untidy. The black wiring seems quite stiff. If you could move it maybe it was too loose, and that might be an indicator of other issues. If you could post a picture we could tell you if there's any difference among our cars.
Here is the under the dash photo. I circled the area where my foot tends to touch. I would appreciate if any 04 or 05 owners can compare this photo to their prius and see if it looks the same. Mainly it's the white plastic vent thing just above the brake that catches my toes.
Cool shoes PriusP... Hmm... I'd chalk it up to personal driving habits. I wear size 12 and there's no way that I could have my heel up so close to the pedals, as I wouldn't be able to move it - so when I'm working the pedals, the angle of my foot is lower, towards the horizon. Perhaps you could try pulling your seat back a bit to get a lower foot angle? I'm sure that sounds uncomfortable to you - the ball of your foot being in a completely different spot on the pedal and the pivot being very strange, but could be worth a try.... No I'm a little worried, with only 11 days left till my Prius gets here... I didn't notice any trouble with the 06 I tried though. Dave
I wear a size 12,and haven't had any problems moving from gas to brake in my 2006. In the picture, your foot is positioned much higher on the gas pedal than I am used to.
Well... Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I agree that my foot position is rather high. Normally, I don't put my heel up close to the pedal. Once in a while, I reposition my foot and so on. That's when I noticed that my toes are touching the plastic parts under the dash. Actually, I am not doing anything different then when I was driving 04 or 05. I just start noticing the differences after driving 06. I guess, I just need to pay attention to how I place my foot on the pedal. Then again, for the last twenty some years I never had this problem with any other cars. <_<
I wear a size 14 shoe and I was surprised at your comment and made a mental note to check this out. When I tried it out last night, I assumed that you were probably putting your foot higher on the pedal than I do, because that is the only way that I noticed my toe hitting. Your pictures confirmed what I thought. It looks like the only viable approach would be to change your driving style. Personally... I use more of the ball of my foot... or even the toes to operate the pedals. My heal is slid backwards away from the pedals. /Jim
