[ChiragM]

Some new cars in the USA offer power adjustable pedals.


Image Source

With this feature, drivers can pull the pedals front, or push them back, while the steering and the seat can remain in their positions.

Why is this feature offered?

For shorter people, pulling the seats forward would result in getting too close to the airbag on the steering wheel, which is dangerous. To prevent this, shorter drivers can stay a sufficient distance from the steering wheel, and pull the pedals to find their perfect driving position. In some cars, power adjustable pedals come with a memory function allowing you to easily find the perfect driving position. This feature is especially useful in large full-size SUVs and pickup trucks.

However, not everyone thinks they are useful. More than a decade back, Lexus removed the feature from the ES350. It could be because of adjustments to the airbags, increased seat travel, and with telescopic steering adjust offering various steering wheel positions. From 2021, its only Ford, Lincoln and Ram cars that offer this feature.

I believe it may not be possible to add this feature to manual cars as well.

How does it work?

Here are a few videos showing how the system works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQCsZFwV7bc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg5Kuth1KIU

Cars that have offered it

Here's a list of cars that have offered adjustable pedals:

• Ford F150
  
• Ram 2500-3500
  
• Chevrolet Tahoe
  
• Chevrolet Suburban
  
• GMC Yukon
  
• Ford Expedition
  
• Lincoln Navigator
  
• Cadillac Escalade
  
• Nissan Titan
  
• Ford Flex
  
• Ford Explorer
  
• Lincoln MKT
  
• Nissan Armada
  
• Dodge Durango
  
• Nissan Pathfinder

Can this feature be added to existing cars?

I am not sure. This article says that it is a simple swap with regular pedals in many cars, but various discussions on other forums give an inconclusive answer.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Jeroen]

This has been offered on a number of cars for a while.

There are also numerous cars from yesteryears that had this feature, although it was very often mechanical. And if could be on manual cars too.

In particular cars that might have little room to move the chair back and forth, it might be useful to be able to adjust the pedals.

Of course, for those that can’t afford any of these fancy options there is a simpler way too:



https://www.creativemobilitygroup.co...dal-extenders/


Jeroen

[TrackDay]

This has been around for some time now I guess. I remember this being on our old Ford expedition (early 2000s) in the Middle East. This is good for short drivers in big SUVs. But with the advent of compact SUVs and crossovers this is less likely to become a common feature.

Found some pics online explaining the mechanisms for the same.

Source: google images & https://www.autocentral.com/doc/elec...-assembly-0001

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Here's a list of cars that have offered adjustable pedals:

• Ford F150
  
  ..................
  
• Nissan Pathfinder

My car (Chrysler 300) has it too.

Initially, I used to wonder what the switch did as it was mounted on the seats. It took me a detailed study of the owner's manual to find out.

As you mentioned, I do not find it particularly useful.

[CEF_Beasts]

Honestly I don’t see much utility in adjustable pedals because nowadays we see max 14-16 way power adjustable seats or max 8-10 way manual adjustable seats, with these kinds of seats one can find atleast one decent driving position that he requires and doesn’t find the pedals too far.

[AKSarkar1]

I think the power-adjusted pedals aren't just a replacement the for power-adjustable steering option. There are many hypercars that only offer fixed seats while offering adjustable pedals and steering options.

On commercial cars like most of us BHPians will use, this can be a welcome feature too. Personally, I would opt for manually adjustable medals over power-adjustable pedals if I have a choice since the long term reliability is unknown. I think this choice of going 'manual' stems from a sour previous experience with power-adjustable steering.

[CarNerd]

I don't know about others but I adjust the seat in my i20 everytime I start The seat somehow seems to be off! And with this pedal adjustment, I might have to say a prayer to find the correct position each time

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

Honestly I don’t see much utility in adjustable pedals because nowadays we see max 14-16 way power adjustable seats or max 8-10 way manual adjustable seats, with these kinds of seats one can find atleast one decent driving position that he requires and doesn’t find the pedals too far.

With seat adjustment driver's posture is adjusted for pedal reach. Short drivers either need to lower the seat compromising the frontal visibility or bring it close to the steering wheel which is bit dangerous in the event of air bag deployment.

OTOH with pedal adjustment, everything else remains on it's position and the pedal reaches the desired position without compromising the driver's posture.

This is really a boon for short drivers.

Originally Posted by CarNerd

I don't know about others but I adjust the seat in my i20 everytime I start The seat somehow seems to be off! And with this pedal adjustment, I might have to say a prayer to find the correct position each time

There is thread on this subject.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-position.html (How do you remember your driving position?)

PS: earlier I used to revert back to my desired seating position with some references,
- Steering : take reference from Speedo console
- Seat slide : Recline lever with side trim
- Seat recline : Headrest vs B-pillar

Now it doesn't take more than couple for iterations to revert back on the go (not while driving)

[GTO]

As someone who is very, very particular about the "perfect" driving position, I definitely see value in this feature. In a few cars (e.g. Fiats), I have felt the pedals to be either too close or too far. The feature could come handy. But here's some food for thought = I have seen such ergonomic mess-ups only in cars lower down the food chain which will never get this feature.

On the other hand, 99% of luxury cars I have driven have offered the perfect driving position. Expensive cars really go overboard with placing everything ideally. So a bit of a tricky situation. Cars that need it will never get it and vice versa .

Still, good to know. Thanks for sharing, Chirag!

[MCR]

This feature was present in the cars sold in the US market, as back as 2002.
In this video of Lincoln Blackwood, one can see them in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07B1PgXvG9A

Its an amazing feature for a family car. Both short and long drivers can adjust the pedal reach without fiddling much with the seats!

[kadanaJ]

As someone who has long legs, I would love this feature.

In my own Honda City, I feel like I have to choose between my legs being perfectly positioned, but my arms have to stretch for the steering, OR, my arms reach the steering comfortably with my legs being too close to the pedals.

That being said, telescopic steering solves 95% of the problem.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

My car (Chrysler 300) has it too.

That's a surprise.

Thought it was given mostly to large American SUVs/MPVs and pick-up trucks, not sedans.

IMHO, it also depends on the basic driver position design. For example, if you jump from a '09 Corolla to a '09 Landcruiser, except for the higher seating position, width of centre console and bonnet size, you will feel comfortable and both have eerily the same basic seating position.

At the same time, when jumping from an American compact sedan to a full size SUV of the same stable, there is a vast difference. From a sorry awful state in the compact to excess of space in full size models. It was about time the Americans found a new feature to have power

Then there are some hypercars and track edition sportscars which are forced to give adjustable powered pedals, as the seats and steering position are by far fixed at the optimal position and can't be changed.