General Accelerator too high off floor

[MC123]

Hi everyone ... my girlfriend says that the accelerator pedal is too high off the floor. She has to wear heels so that her foot is not hovering in the air when on the pedal.

Jut thought I'd see if anyone else has come across this and what was done about it.

My Dad suggested some OMP Curved Pedal Extensions available from Demon Tweeks for about £20

Thanks in advance

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi,
my wife is tiny.. so we've done all sorts over the years with all our cars,

I guess shes got less than size 5 feet, and is less than 5 feet tall .. ??,

changing the actual height of the seat + seat back will make quite a difference to how your feet are angled towards the pedals,

a thing we did years ago was put a "false-floor" into the footwell,
just a sheet of wooden board with a MAT fixed to it..,

then it's a good fit in the footwell, BUT you can remove it to drive in seconds.. I think the pedal extension may be awkward for other drivers..??

My wife actually drives a mk3 panda - same basic car as the 500,
and has driven 500's and they work fine.. so what did your girlfriend drive before..??,
Charlie

 

[MC123]

Hi,
my wife is tiny.. so we've done all sorts over the years with all our cars,

I guess shes got less than size 5 feet, and is less than 5 feet tall .. ??,

changing the actual height of the seat + seat back will make quite a difference to how your feet are angled towards the pedals,

a thing we did years ago was put a "false-floor" into the footwell,
just a sheet of wooden board with a MAT fixed to it..,

then it's a good fit in the footwell, BUT you can remove it to drive in seconds.. I think the pedal extension may be awkward for other drivers..??

My wife actually drives a mk3 panda - same basic car as the 500,
and has driven 500's and they work fine.. so what did your girlfriend drive before..??,
Charlie

Hi Charlie ... thanks for your reply, she is 5'3" but she is a size 4 shoe. I'm a very occasional driver of the car so maybe the extension wouldn't be such a big deal. Previous car was a KA but that was 3 years ago, and was her first car ... she only had it for 6 months.

 

[44sunsets]

Hi everyone ... my girlfriend says that the accelerator pedal is too high off the floor. She has to wear heels so that her foot is not hovering in the air when on the pedal.

That's strange, I haven't had that problem. I do feel the brake pedal is too high off the floor though -- the brake and accelerator pedals are at different heights, it's very different to what I was used to with the old Corolla.

When I have to brake in my 500C, I basically have to lift up my foot, transfer it over to the left, then press down. Feels strange to me, but I'm getting used to it.

Whereas on the old Corolla the pedals are set at an equal height, so I would simply shift my foot from right to left and press down, no significant lifting of foot required. It feels more natural.

Odd -- not sure if this is just a feature on new cars, or an Italian car quirk.
[edit]
There's a thread which discusses the different pedal heights, apparently it's to prevent unintended acceleration:
https://www.fiatforum.com/lets-talk-fiat/231540-why-brake-pedals-higher-than-accelerator-pedals.html

As for OP's problem -- maybe the pedal needs to be serviced by a mechanic?

 

[frupi]

Hi Charlie ... thanks for your reply, she is 5'3" but she is a size 4 shoe........

Lol! My missus is six foot tall, 6' 2 with her heels on, fancy a swap? :devil:

 

[ELL4EVER]

My size 11 feet have no problems moving from pedal to pedal without me having to lift them up. However my friend also has a 500 (pink one >_<) and she sometimes has problems getting to the pedals with her tiny feet

 

[wellfan]

My wife is 5' 1", size 3/4 in shoe department and tends to wear flat soled shows. She was surprised to hear of your problems, as she comfortably works the pedals.

 

[jrkitching]

Hi everyone ... my girlfriend says that the accelerator pedal is too high off the floor.

She's not alone; posts about the pedal position on the 500 crop up from time to time.

The 500 (and the Mk3 Panda) are a little bit quirky in this regard. As well as the accelerator being a bit high, the pedals on RHD cars are also slightly off-centre (to the left).

Some folks never notice, some quickly adapt and get used to it, for a few it turns into a niggle that never quite goes away.

Personally I don't notice it now, but I do notice when I drive something completely different that the pedals aren't quite where I expect them to be anymore!

 

[frupi]

The only car I've ever driven or owned where I found an issue with the pedals, was in an old Mini. I just couldn't get on with it and dumped the car after just three weeks ownership. Then again, being 6'2" owning a Mini was probably stupid anyway, it was uncomfortable to say the least. The beauty of the 500 and the Ford KA (well the older one anyway because my Missus owned one), is there is plenty of headroom. I can honestly say, neither I nor my Wife both being six footers, have had a problem with the pedals on the 500, with either their postioning or height level.

 

[44sunsets]

Another thing I just thought of -- maybe she has her driver's seat too close to the pedals/steering wheel? She could try moving the seat back, then the pedals may not feel like they're too high up.

It took me a long time to get a decent working seat position in my 500 because I'm tall and skinny, and there is no steering wheel reach adjustment.

 

[PsFiat]

A lot of cars, especially ones with short bonnets ( or hoods) for our American friends have wheel arch intrusion into the driver and passenger foot wells. This means that pedals are often offset to the centre of the car, purely as a necessity. Larger cars with the front wheels further away from the driver have less of an issue in this area so pedals are centered.

 

[Maisie]

I found the same thing when I first got my 500. I'm 5ft 4 and found either my foot was hovering off the ground or my ankle would hurt from having the foot flexed all the way up. These days I usually wear boots with a heel or chunky-soled Skechers trainers for driving and don't notice the pedal position anymore. Maybe I've also got the seat better positioned or have just got used to the pedal position over time.

 

[MoNaita]

Hi everyone ... my girlfriend says that the accelerator pedal is too high off the floor. She has to wear heels so that her foot is not hovering in the air when on the pedal.

Jut thought I'd see if anyone else has come across this and what was done about it.

My Dad suggested some OMP Curved Pedal Extensions available from Demon Tweeks for about £20

Thanks in advance

Hi there, I know it's been a few years but I was wondering if you found a solution yet?

I am 5ft, with size 3.5 UK and I'm unable to raise my seat to where it needs to be, and still reach the floor. So far, I've used my left foot to rest my right foot on. It works but obvs, not ideal.