Are you extra tall by any chance and have the seat all the way down?
I'm able to have mine higher so it helps - & yes it's a bit different the way it's shaped to older vehicles.

When I first got mine I was unnerved a bit as GM for RHD (possibly the for LHD as well) increased the gap between the accelerator and the brake pedal due to clowns pressing the wrong pedal ending up in law suits.
So until I re-learned to move my foot over a bit further it was interesting to say the least.

Try different seating positions height distance first and hand reach steering wheel nearly outstretched (see plenty of people have the drivers seat too far forward as well.)

 

The pedals have no adjustment. Both seat and steering have enough to find a comfortable driving position. I am 6' with #10 feet.

 

I have the same problem. It is sometimes scary, going to press the brake for a fast stop and hitting the bar instead of the pedal.

Of all the cars I've owned or driven, This is the only car I have had this issue with.

I posted a thread with a pic.

So far the suggestions from the forum are 'make yourself uncomfortable, even cause yourself some joint pain - deal with it-'

Contacted the volt advisor, no other options for replacement pedal or mount.

 

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?87482-Brake-pedal-issue

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?11738-Brake-pedal-arm

 

This was a big miss by Ergo during the design. I am 6'5" with size 15 shoes. My legs are always bent while driving due to my height. This is with the seat all the way back, elevated, and reclined. My legs just clear the bottom of the steering wheel in their bent position. If I try to straighten my leg somewhat, my heel moves forward and my toe rotates upward and hits the brake arm and not the pedal. If I bend my knee more, my heel moves aft and my toe rotates downward to meet the pedal surface at an angle. Thus, when I brake, my foot is at a downward skewed angle and is never perpendicular to the pedal direction of travel. If my toe hits the brake arm instead of the pedal, the braking force required to stop the car is significantly higher and disconcerting.

Normally when I prepare to brake, I have to bend my knee more and pull my toes back unnaturally towards my knee to avoid hitting the brake arm. However, this is an uncomfortable position to keep your leg and foot in for long periods of time (try it) so my leg and foot drifts back to a more natural extended position while driving. In a more urgent braking situation, I do not have time to carefully set up my foot angle to the brake pedal as I instinctually slam on the brakes. It is the quick response situations where my foot often hits the brake arm. Since the brake arm is much closer to the fulcrum point, a lot more force is needed to slow the car down.

The root cause of the issue is that the brake pedal arm is not sufficiently recessed from the pedal surface to accommodate a 95+ percentile male.

 

I understand what you're saying, but it's not necessarily a miss by the design team. They have to work around many many variables and then end up with a design that they know will not suit every body type. It's true on every car from Camary's to Bugatti's.

 

There are brake pedal add-ons available, and for special needs, you can have a metal shop weld a larger pedal.

Those who drove sports cars like the brake pedal close to the accelerator pedal (remember, there is no "gas" pedal in an EV) because they drive using "heel and toe" between both pedal, especially in curves, where applying the brake moves the center of gravity forward, and makes steering more precise when accelerating. For the laypersons, and to avoid lawsuits over accidental acceleration, the brake pedal was moved away.

 

I live in hill country, with many blind curves, often with decreasing radius. Many years ago I owned a series of sports cars and used the heel and toe procedure to handle curves. These days in my Volt I drive in L. Lift off the accelerator entering the curve, press down exiting the curve. My trip times are as good or better than when I drove some fairly exotic sports cars, but with much less effort. Would it be possible to go faster? Sure. But at the cost of wiping out bicyclists, deer, farm machines and other obstacles that so often pop up around those blind curves.

Once, when I was driving a Porsche a Lotus passed me at a high rate of speed and quickly disappeared in the distance. A couple of miles later I came across the remains of the Lotus. It had hit a deer and literally disintegrated. Fortunately, the driver wasn't badly injured.

 

Time for the Car Salesman to weigh in!

Great to see that the Balllerina Community has taken up driving Plug-In Electric Cars! Lol!

1) The Concern- December 5th, 2013

a )

My boot is hitting the bar above the pad of the brake pedal, not the pad. When this happens, I'm not getting enough pressure on the brakes and not stopping as fast as I should. I almost bumped a car while parking yesterday.

You can see in the pic where my boot has been hitting the bar, both above and below where it is in the pic.

View attachment 41074

Volt Advisor says there are no other brake pedals assemblies available.
Any ideas?

-Drive barefoot? Kinda a bummer in the winter.

The Concern- December 25th, 2014

b)

Hey all,
I'm enjoying our new Volt very much. One thing that's been bothering me, however, is the design of the brake pedal itself.

When I brake, I find that the top of my foot (i.e., my toes) presses down on the arm of the pedal, while only the ball of my foot touches the pedal itself.

It's a bit unnerving at times, as it doesn't seem like I can stomp on the pedal confidently in a panic maneuver.

Anyone else experience the same issue? Is there a way to adjust the pedals so that they're higher?

- Michael

2) My analysis-

a) I have 11" feet. When I sit in any car, I rest my heel on the floor and pivot my foot from right to left to accelerate or brake in any normal gas car or truck including the Chevy Volt EREV If NOT "L" Driving.

As you all know, "L" Driving minimizes the use of the brake pedal and mechanical brake pads to almost ZERO!


If I were to two foot drive then my left foot will rest on the floor and pivot forward to brake.

In either scenario, in My MY2012 Chevy Volt EREV as well as our used MY2011 and our New MY2014 Chevy Volt EREV's my whole foot covers the break pedal exactly as designed.

No part of my 11" snow boot goes beyond the brake pad. The only way that I can touch that Brake Arm is if I push my heels extremly forward and elevate 2 1/2" off the floor at the same time!


b) -The StepChild, I have studied your picture- HERE-

http://gm-volt.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=41074&d=1386252797

The only way I can reproduce this is to literally hold my heel off the floor 2 1/2 inches! Then stretch slide my foot further off the floor, hovering, and up the brake pad arm at a 45 degree angle.

Another way to reproduce your photo is to push my heels forward all the way to the lowest part of the accelerator pedal, with my toes up in the air!

Again, this is with heavy snow boots on and I have size 11" feet.

2) My Competitive Make review now has taken place. From the over 900 Used Cars that we have in stock I have just finished sampling a large selection of these.

a) My Conclusion-

The VW Jetta, Chevy impala, Dodge Caliber, Ford Focus, Ford F-150 Pick Up ...

This list can go on and on. By hovering my heels off the floor as I drive or pushing my heels forward so that the toe of my 11" boot is almost flush with the lowest part of the accelerator pedal, most unnatural, can I touch the upper brake arm on most new and used cars and trucks on my lots. This matches the picture that you have posted.

Most seem to have more of a thin metal arm. The Chevy Volt EREV on the other hand, has a wide, fat brake arm that merly adds to the surface area of the pedal.

b) From your picture, http://gm-volt.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=41074&d=1386252797, it would seem top me that only someone that has a habit of walking on his toes would find these foot position's for driving any car, normal.


Me, my size 11" inch snow boots and My Chevy volt EREV's brake pad get along outstandingly well!
...but only when I use the brake pedal as I tend to generate a ton of free range year around by driving in "L"!

Best-

Thomas J. Thias
Sundance Chevrolet Inc.

517-622-6081
Twitter.com/AmazingChevVolt

 

Odd, I'm 6'1" with sz12 shoes, and I find the brake location perfect, but my right foot slips off the bottom of the accelerator.

I'm very used to trying to push a brake pedal into the front bumper. In order to build boost, it takes maximum pressure or the truck takes off without me.

 

Two things:

1. GM uses the same parts across multiple GM models. The brake pedal on the Volt is the same as many other GM models.
2. The Volt is a compact. Any way you slice it, compacts have limitations in providing comfort and functionality for the vertically gifted.

 

I'm 5'9", wearing a size 10 snowboot. I have recently experienced what the O.P. describes - on several occasions, my toes have hit the brake arm as the brake is being depressed. The effect is that braking become much less effective at that point, and you have to press a lot harder to come to a full stop. It was frightening. It doesn't happen every time for me, and the unpredictability makes it worse. I've never experienced this problem in other cars (all foreign makes). I am not vertically gifted.

 

That pic is with the back of the boot on the floor.

You met me at Sundance Tom. Im not a giant, I'm 5'8, size 11 boot. Seat is all the way back.

I'm not making this up.

 

If anyone from GM is listening - I would be happy to bring my volt, my boots, and myself by the factory to further address this issue.
Or, I will be at NAIAS Jan 13-14. I will be there, and I'm sure a Volt will be too.

 

It seems to depend on the shoe I am wearing. I have one pair that I experience my toe hitting the brake arm more than the pad. I don't notice this with my other shoes. By the way, size 11.