Toyota, "Unintended Acceleration"?

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My sympathy to Toyota for its current troubles! It is sad to see a mega company suddenly disintegrating. I have pondered over the “faulty pedal” and “sticky mat” problems with Toyota vehicles and find myself with various speculations: 1). What properties have the materials used for the floor mat in Toyota vehicles that they would cause the floor mat to become that sticky and actually hold a pedal captive? 2). Toyota in about 2000 started using an Electronic Throttle Control System which uses a computerized sensor to determine acceleration depending upon applied gas pedal pressure. It is alleged that this Electronic Control System can cause a vehicle to suddenly accelerate without pressure applied to the gas pedal (I am not sure if Toyota made this assertion, but one lawsuit recently filed in Texas makes this claim). Now, I am a Techie and matters involving Electronics and/or Engineering Technology naturally get my attention: A). True, Electronic devices can get in a run-away mode causing them to have a mind of their own. Because of this tendency, I think that anyone using an electronic device for guarantee should provide a back-up safety in the event of defectiveness (though a runaway mode could result from sheer accident). B). If allegation is accurate, then did Toyota have knowledge that materials with gluing or magnetic capabilities had been used in fabricating its floor mat or pedals – materials that would otherwise be safe under normal conditions but unsafe under certain conditions? And if so, had the consumers been properly notified of this potential danger? As sad and grave as this situation is, I somehow cannot stop fantasizing intentional sabotage of the Toyota company.