How To Deal With Unintended Acceleration - Tech Dept.

[Jug Pilot]

How To Deal With Unintended Acceleration - Tech Dept. - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver

Our focus here is not to question the validity of the “floor-mat” claims (some investigators have suggested that a faulty drive-by-wire system is to blame) but to present methods for coping with this heart-stopping situation and to investigate a Toyota’s relative performance during such an event. For our tests, we rounded up a disparate bunch: a V-6 Camry (a recalled vehicle), an Infiniti G37 convertible, and a hugely powerful 540-hp Roush Stage 3 Mustang.

Our tests were conducted at highway speeds, as the incident with the Lexus ES350 happened on an expressway, and in the lowest possible gear, as that's the worst-case scenario. Here is how to deal with a runaway car:

Hit the Brakes

Certainly the most natural reaction to a stuck-throttle emergency is to stomp on the brake pedal, possibly with both feet. And despite dramatic horsepower increases since C/D’s 1987 unintended-acceleration test of an Audi 5000, brakes by and large can still overpower and rein in an engine roaring under full throttle. With the Camry’s throttle pinned while going 70 mph, the brakes easily overcame all 268 horsepower straining against them and stopped the car in 190 feet—that’s a foot shorter than the performance of a Ford Taurus without any gas-pedal problems and just 16 feet longer than with the Camry’s throttle closed. From 100 mph, the stopping-distance differential was 88 feet—noticeable to be sure, but the car still slowed enthusiastically enough to impart a feeling of confidence. We also tried one go-for-broke run at 120 mph, and, even then, the car quickly decelerated to about 10 mph before the brakes got excessively hot and the car refused to decelerate any further. So even in the most extreme case, it should be possible to get a car’s speed down to a point where a resulting accident should be a low-speed and relatively minor event.

[Ensign Steve]

Yep.

[Dingfod]

One test of a supercharged Ford Mustang GT K/R special edition I read showed it took over 900 feet to stop from 100 mph with the throttle held wide open. The brakes still stopped almost 4000 pounds of car with 700 horsepower from a high speed. I doubt if the four wheel disc brakes on a Toyota Prius would have any trouble overcoming its puny horsepower.

[SharonDee]

Can't you just put it in neutral--so as not to lose the power steering/braking--and then turn it off when stop has been accomplished?

Of course, the key is to remember to do this in the middle of a panic situation.

[The Lone Ranger]

I always drive standard-shift vehicles. I feel like I have more control. I don't know about automatics, but it's quite easy to pop a standard-shift vehicle into neutral.

Some years ago, I was driving a truck (an Isuzu, if I recall correctly; it belonged to the college) when the accelerator got stuck. I simply popped it into neutral and pulled off to the side of the road. After a few seconds of fiddling with the accelerator pedal, I got it unstuck and was able to go on my way.

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by The Lone Ranger

I don't know about automatics, but it's quite easy to pop a standard-shift vehicle into neutral.

It's quite easy in an automatic, too (by design, I presume). I've even done it by accident.

[Jug Pilot]

Report: ABC News faked at least one part of runaway Toyota report — Autoblog

It appears that an editor or producer at ABC felt they could pull a fast one on the audience and used some B-roll in the report showing the tachometer needle sweeping rapidly from near idle to over 6,000 rpm. That clip was injected at the precise moment when David Gilbert triggered his simulated sudden acceleration. As you can see from the screen cap above, the shot of the tachometer clearly shows the warning lights for the parking brake on, the doors open and the transmission indicator in park. The camera operator shot this segment separately so it could be used to illustrate a point in the report, and ABC claims that getting a steady shot during the test would've been both difficult and dangerous.

How sad they would do this.

[ceptimus]

With a manual shift, the recommended technique is to use your left foot to depress the clutch pedal and your right to press the brake. This disengages the engine drive without having to take a hand of the wheel to work the gears.

Of course the engine will scream, as it will be at full throttle and driving nothing - but all reasonably modern cars have rev limiters on the engine, so it shouldn't cause the engine to blow up.

On an auto you should be able to move the transmission to neutral.

Another idea that works on both sorts of transmission is to turn off the ignition. But don't remove the key from the switch as this may cause the steering lock to activate - which would not be a good thing!

[Cunt]

When I learned to drive taking the car into neutral was taught as an emergency stopping technique. Is there a reason this doesn't work on Toyotas?

[The Lone Ranger]

Then there's the story of the California Prius driver whose car went out of control recently. Fortunately, he had the presence of mind to call for help from the California Highway Patrol. And luckily, a CHP officer was able to help him get his car stopped.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks the story sounds just a wee bit suspicious.

I heard an interview with the officer involved, who said that he saw the guy's brake lights on, and smelled the brake pads. The driver insisted that he'd been standing on the brakes the whole time.

But as has been pointed out in this thread, the brakes should have been able to stop the car easily. And does a Prius not have a "neutral"?



In any event, it's not like it would have been difficult for the driver to have held down the accelerator with one foot, while lightly depressing the brake pedal with the other.

So, barrel down the highway while calling the CHP for help. Claim that a well-publicized (but quite rarely-occurring, actually) electrical/mechanical problem with Toyotas is the culprit. "Miraculously" regain control of your vehicle, with the help of the gallant CHP officer.* And just like that, you're a celebrity. Nothin' to it!

The whole thing sounds rather suspicious, at least to me.


*Just to be clear, I don't think the police officer had anything at all to do with it. But the driver's story sounds rather fishy.

Cheers,

Michael

[Naru]

Originally Posted by The Lone Ranger

But as has been pointed out in this thread, the brakes should have been able to stop the car easily. And does a Prius not have a "neutral"?

Mine definitely does.

[Jug Pilot]

There was a bit on the local news of Toyota allowing reporters to drive the Prius at full power and allowing them to use the brake to stop the car to show the car would stop, even with the gas pedal depressed. Also they showed the burned out brake pads from the run-away Prius. And the owner has lawyered up and stopped talking to reporters.

[Dingfod]

The problem this guy had with his Prius is that even the post-incident testing by Toyota and the NHTSA could not duplicate it, as soon as the brakes were applied, the engine cut to idle speed, even with the accelerator floored. Also, there is youtube video of people popping them into neutral at full throttle, also no problem. The guy is a liar. A former business partner of the guy says he's a scammer. He and his wife have filed bankruptcy on $700,000 worth of debts, including the five months of payments he is behind on the Prius. My guess is the brakes were already worn out.

[curses]

Man, you can't kill the brakes on a Prius. Mine never had to have a brake change (and yes I had them regularly check because I didn't believe them) The way a Prius brakes is by using both the brakes and the electric engine (which shifts its momentum to reverse to slow the car down). Mine stopped on a dime 10 years after its manufacture date.

[Cunt]

Originally Posted by Dingfod

The problem this guy had with his Prius is that even the post-incident testing by Toyota and the NHTSA could not duplicate it, as soon as the brakes were applied, the engine cut to idle speed, even with the accelerator floored. Also, there is youtube video of people popping them into neutral at full throttle, also no problem. The guy is a liar. A former business partner of the guy says he's a scammer. He and his wife have filed bankruptcy on $700,000 worth of debts, including the five months of payments he is behind on the Prius. My guess is the brakes were already worn out.

My bold.


Is that what we call 'the icing on the cake'?