[Dave Gantz]

Let me take this a bit further and ask, how does this become an issue?

Does something get inadvertently overlooked during the build, or a repair?

When these cars were new, pedal pushrods didn't fall out.

I believe the pushrod in some cars is captured in the master cylinder by design. Some have the type that snaps in, as Hacksaw mentioned above. In the latter case, can the driver's foot catch the bottom of the pedal and pull it out?