The thing is I'm NOT focusing on that example. I'm saying that there is so much circuitry BETWEEN the actuator and whatever is "on the pedal" that it's conceivable THAT YOU COULD UNHOOK THE PEDAL device completely and still have an intermittent problem.
I think you're living in a dream world, here. There is a long sordid track record of big corps NOT disclosing pertinent info whether we are talking about pollution, tobacco, health, or mechanical/ electrical failure.
I know enough about electronic devices to know that "stuff happens." MAYbe Toyota DID design these with absolute "fail safe" all I'm SAYING is that it very well could be "NOT."
The one thing that bugs me about this is "it seems to me" that one case of death involved an active or retired highway patrol cop and you would have thought that HE of all people would have been able to control a car in such a situation.