According to CNN.com a little over eight million toyotas have been recalled for defective accelerator pedals. Likewise CNN.com states that Larry Webster of Popular Mechanics magazine says that "in the last decade, there have been tens of thousands of reports of sudden unintended acceleration in cars made by all the manufacturers."
Sudden and Unintended Acceleration
Sudden and unintended acceleration occurs when a car continues to move forwards sometimes at higher speeds without someone having stepped on the gas pedal. Toyota indicates that the sudden and intended acceleration in the recalled models are due to sticky metal accelerator pedals and the possibility of "floor map entrapment."
According to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration website many other manufacturers including General Motors, Honda, Ford, Chyrsler and Nissan, BMW, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Mazda, Land Rover, Suzuki and Volvo have all had complaints of sudden and unintended acceleration.