Touchy gas pedal

2009 KIA RIO
73,644 MILES • 1.6L • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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PILOTBILL
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Hello, I have a question for you. The wife and I brought the car listed above LX model e about a year ago. When you push on the gas pedal even just a little bit, the car will take off like a drag racer. The gas pedal is so touchy that the wife is afraid to drive the car. She has not driven the car in over eight months now. We cannot sell the car because we still own to much. Question, can the gas pedal be adjusted where the car does not have so much power on takeoff? If it can be adjusted, can you tell me how to do it?


Thank you.
May 21, 2018 at 1:04 PM
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STRAILER
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Hello,

The problem should be the throttle pedal sensor has lost its resistance. Can I ask if the check engine light is on? If so lets read the codes.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

The location of the sensor is right above the gas pedal which may not give you a trouble code.

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken

May 22, 2018 at 1:09 PM
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PILOTBILL
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The engine service light is not on. The car runs great, but just to much power for the wife on take off. She will not drive the car because like I said early in my emails, even when you push down on the gas pedal just a little bit, the car takes off like a drag racer. I need to know how to either adjust the gas pedal cable or turn down the power on take off somehow. Do you think that the gas pedal sensor could be no good, is there someway to check it? If so, please let me know. Thank you all so much. The wife and I are seniors on a fixed income, right now we just do not have the money to take the car to a garage.
May 22, 2018 at 3:26 PM
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PILOTBILL
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This is the gas pedal setup on our car listed above.
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May 23, 2018 at 6:18 AM
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STRAILER
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Sorry my bad I never dreamed of a 2009 with a throttle cable. Can I ask if the car has always had this problem or did it just start doing it?
May 23, 2018 at 10:36 AM
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PILOTBILL
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Hello, to answer your question, the car has always had this problem since the first day we got the car. The car run great, no other problem except for the gas pedal being so touchy. The gas pedal is stiff and a little hard to push down, but once you push down just a little bit on the pedal you take off like a drag racer.
May 23, 2018 at 11:56 AM
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STRAILER
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Please remove the throttle cable from the throttle bore and move it by hand it should move with little effort. Then buy a new throttle cable and install it or try to lube the cable you have with wd40, also lube the pedal pivots this should take care of the problem.

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken
May 24, 2018 at 10:57 AM
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PILOTBILL
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Thank You Ken, we have to take the car in for service next month (June). The car has a extended warranty on it, but it is power train only, because it is a used car. I do not know if the warranty covers the throttle cable but I am going to ask, if it does I will have the car dealership change it. Thank you again for your help. I would give you a 5 STAR Rating if possible for everything you have done to help us.
May 24, 2018 at 1:41 PM
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STRAILER
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Good to hear, please use 2CarPros anytime we are here to help.

Cheers, Ken
May 25, 2018 at 9:15 AM