Thanks for providing a possible explanation. A recall is also an admission that the problem is widespread, so I think that horse has bolted, but it's possibly

Thanks for providing a possible explanation. A recall is also an admission that the problem is widespread, so I think that horse has bolted, but it's possibly the reason Toyota are behaving so oddly (at least in my world view). If it is a software problem, it's certainly possible that e.g. the brake pedal might not work. I think it's likely that one of the three would work, because the code is likely to be broken into modules, and I think it unlikely that all 3 modules would be affected by one bug. Anyway, what's the harm in telling people to try the 3 step process? Right now, people think they're doomed if their car accelerates - I'm thinking that some people are panicking because of this and making bad situations a lot worse. Take the case of the Prius driver in California the other day: he called 911, a police car was dispatched, to tell him exactly the same steps through a megaphone, and - sure enough - the car stopped. Why not tell people in advance so they don't have to make a cellphone call at 90mph?