But I am sure that there is a reasonable explaination on these cars....
Question about runaway acceleration...
- Thread starter cchase
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I had a mitsubishi like 25 years ago, and it's throttle would stick in position as soon as winter came rolling in...total design flaw...The only time it got stuck in a 'high' position was leaving a red light and between 2nd/3rd. gear (manual).
It brought the engine to about 5000 (neutral).
What this does to your driving habits/skillsets cannot be underestimated!! You just 'know' it's going to happen again!
And in my case it did...once a week for 2-3 months. Dumped that loser in the spring.
It brought the engine to about 5000 (neutral).
What this does to your driving habits/skillsets cannot be underestimated!! You just 'know' it's going to happen again!
And in my case it did...once a week for 2-3 months. Dumped that loser in the spring.
You would think a trained CHP officer (killed with family) would have known to put the car in N. Rather, he called 9-1-1. Odd. (see vid on you tube)
That at least explains HOW he kept driving. But why not kill it or N it?
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Originally Posted By: d00df00d
I thought his passenger called 911, not him.
Indeed, it was.
I thought his passenger called 911, not him.
Indeed, it was.
Originally Posted By: Jakegday
Originally Posted By: ZGRider
Yeah, well...you aren't 75 yrs old either. Older minds tend to get rattled easier. Happened to my mom, she drove through a store window. I still think she hit the gas instead of the brake.
this is the exact reason i wholeheartedly believe senior citizens should HAVE to take a drivers test EVERY year. the actual driving test, not just the written. in my opinion, her drivers license should have been permanently revoked after that incident
the seniors might not like my idea, and if they dont, its cuz they know they're not all that "on it" any more and they might fail. if you really are a good driver you have absolutely nothing to worry about
It got revoked alright....she didn't get to replace the totaled car, so now we get to drive her to the hairdresser.
Originally Posted By: ZGRider
Yeah, well...you aren't 75 yrs old either. Older minds tend to get rattled easier. Happened to my mom, she drove through a store window. I still think she hit the gas instead of the brake.
this is the exact reason i wholeheartedly believe senior citizens should HAVE to take a drivers test EVERY year. the actual driving test, not just the written. in my opinion, her drivers license should have been permanently revoked after that incident
the seniors might not like my idea, and if they dont, its cuz they know they're not all that "on it" any more and they might fail. if you really are a good driver you have absolutely nothing to worry about
It got revoked alright....she didn't get to replace the totaled car, so now we get to drive her to the hairdresser.
and the citizens of your town thank you for that, lol. but seriously, she is safer now too
States don't require you to know what to do in case of a runnaway vehicle with a stuck WOT. States do require you to drive a safe vehicle.
I feel like there is a list of common sense things that I will need to go out of my way to make sure my young daughter learns. What to do with a stuck throttle is one of them.
I'm in NASCAR country. When they were having problems with stuck throttles (Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr.) about 10 years ago, they mandated kill switches. Any chance that's an option for the general public too?
I'm in NASCAR country. When they were having problems with stuck throttles (Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr.) about 10 years ago, they mandated kill switches. Any chance that's an option for the general public too?
Originally Posted By: chrome
Not only does the brakes have to overpower the WOT engine output, but remember a 100mph 3500 lbs vehicle has a LOT of kinetic energy which the brakes will have to also convert to heat. Put both together, it will likely overwhelm the brake pads and cause them to fade in no time.
The brakes can easily overpower the engine, the problem, is cars with automatic transmission. In a car with manual transmission, in top gear, it's much easier to slow down the car at WOT because of the direct coupling throught the clutch. The engine's RPM will start slowing down with the car, therefore reducing the power output, plus the driver has always the clutch pedal available to de-couple the engine and transmission. In an car with an auto trans, the converter will unlock, and even when you manage to start slowing the car down, the transmission will downshift, keeping the engine at peak power, and because there is no direct coupling the engine will keep spinning at top rpm. Under these conditions the brakes will overheat and glaze, and that's why all cars with auto trannies should have a system similar to VW, where accelerator will be killed when brakes and gas are applied together.
Not only does the brakes have to overpower the WOT engine output, but remember a 100mph 3500 lbs vehicle has a LOT of kinetic energy which the brakes will have to also convert to heat. Put both together, it will likely overwhelm the brake pads and cause them to fade in no time.
The brakes can easily overpower the engine, the problem, is cars with automatic transmission. In a car with manual transmission, in top gear, it's much easier to slow down the car at WOT because of the direct coupling throught the clutch. The engine's RPM will start slowing down with the car, therefore reducing the power output, plus the driver has always the clutch pedal available to de-couple the engine and transmission. In an car with an auto trans, the converter will unlock, and even when you manage to start slowing the car down, the transmission will downshift, keeping the engine at peak power, and because there is no direct coupling the engine will keep spinning at top rpm. Under these conditions the brakes will overheat and glaze, and that's why all cars with auto trannies should have a system similar to VW, where accelerator will be killed when brakes and gas are applied together.
Both!
Just wait until all these DBW cars get really old and decrepit.
I once had the throttle stick wide open on a 750 hp twin turbo Chevy in a 1971 Impala.
Just turned the key off. Stopped just fine.
Even the newer cars with pushbutton start all you do is hold the button down. It'll stop.
Despite the software/hardware issues this is simply showing the average driver is pretty stupid.
Just wait until all these DBW cars get really old and decrepit.
I once had the throttle stick wide open on a 750 hp twin turbo Chevy in a 1971 Impala.
Just turned the key off. Stopped just fine.
Even the newer cars with pushbutton start all you do is hold the button down. It'll stop.
Despite the software/hardware issues this is simply showing the average driver is pretty stupid.
Originally Posted By: Pablo
That at least explains HOW he kept driving. But why not kill it or N it?
He made the mistake of releasing the brake at some point so the brakes stopped working. He couldn't quickly put the car into neutral because the shifter was fiddly, and before he knew it he was going well over 100 MPH and panicking. The car had a push-button ignition and could only be killed by holding the button down for 3 seconds, which he apparently either didn't know to do or somehow couldn't do (presumably he had a reflex to keep both hands on the wheel at those speeds). The situation was made worse in every way (braking ability and panic factor) by the fact that he had 4 people in the car at the time.
That at least explains HOW he kept driving. But why not kill it or N it?
He made the mistake of releasing the brake at some point so the brakes stopped working. He couldn't quickly put the car into neutral because the shifter was fiddly, and before he knew it he was going well over 100 MPH and panicking. The car had a push-button ignition and could only be killed by holding the button down for 3 seconds, which he apparently either didn't know to do or somehow couldn't do (presumably he had a reflex to keep both hands on the wheel at those speeds). The situation was made worse in every way (braking ability and panic factor) by the fact that he had 4 people in the car at the time.
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Despite the software/hardware issues this is simply showing the average driver is pretty stupid.
That means that 1/2 of the drivers are even more stupid.
People react differently in difficult situations. It's not that the drivers are stupid, it's that they don't know how to handle a stressful life-threatening situation. I'm sure a lot of us feel that we can thump our chest because we out-smarted a potential disaster but not everyone keeps a cool head or can diagnose the problem on the fly.
Why not design the break light circuit to cut the gas circuit, when both are pressed. That would also eliminate the two footed drivers that always have their brakes slightly applied so that the brake lights are always on.
Despite the software/hardware issues this is simply showing the average driver is pretty stupid.
That means that 1/2 of the drivers are even more stupid.
People react differently in difficult situations. It's not that the drivers are stupid, it's that they don't know how to handle a stressful life-threatening situation. I'm sure a lot of us feel that we can thump our chest because we out-smarted a potential disaster but not everyone keeps a cool head or can diagnose the problem on the fly.
Why not design the break light circuit to cut the gas circuit, when both are pressed. That would also eliminate the two footed drivers that always have their brakes slightly applied so that the brake lights are always on.
I recall back in the permit days I was with my cousin in his 1989 VW Vanagon that wasn't in the greatest shape, the gas pedal got sucked wide open while we were on an access road approaching a T with a guardrail and a swamp on the other side. The poor old brakes on that had no chance, he just flipped it into neutral. Didn't seem like a big deal to me, just terrifying.
Disabling throttle when brake is applied would make so many fun parking lot tricks impossible, though...
Or so I've heard.
Or so I've heard.
Does this surprse you, I mean I just read an article interviewing a lady who purchased a Camry on Jan 10 and the reason the person bought a Camry was that she read in CR that it was a recommended buy. That tells me this person cant think for themselves and is probably clueless about cars. That is how Toytoa thrives, sad part is CR is not taking Toyota off the recommended list even with this fiasco.
So if this person who was interviewed encounters this Kamakazee condition, they dont have a clue what to do, probably never read their owners manual and will be the first on to get on the blower to a lawyer LOL
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Both!
Just wait until all these DBW cars get really old and decrepit.
I once had the throttle stick wide open on a 750 hp twin turbo Chevy in a 1971 Impala.
Just turned the key off. Stopped just fine.
Even the newer cars with pushbutton start all you do is hold the button down. It'll stop.
Despite the software/hardware issues this is simply showing the average driver is pretty stupid.
So if this person who was interviewed encounters this Kamakazee condition, they dont have a clue what to do, probably never read their owners manual and will be the first on to get on the blower to a lawyer LOL
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Both!
Just wait until all these DBW cars get really old and decrepit.
I once had the throttle stick wide open on a 750 hp twin turbo Chevy in a 1971 Impala.
Just turned the key off. Stopped just fine.
Even the newer cars with pushbutton start all you do is hold the button down. It'll stop.
Despite the software/hardware issues this is simply showing the average driver is pretty stupid.
Last edited:
Kestas
Staff member
I too had a sticky pedal on my 66 Corvette. The pivot point got some corrosion and was arthritic. Depressing the clutch and lifting the pedal from the backside got me through those episodes with no scare until I fixed the problem.
Originally Posted By: Kestas
I too had a sticky pedal on my 66 Corvette. The pivot point got some corrosion and was arthritic. Depressing the clutch and lifting the pedal from the backside got me through those episodes with no scare until I fixed the problem.
This is what was happening on my cousins Vanagon and the fix was the same, you had to nudge the pedal from the underside with your toe and it would pull back up.
I'll never forget the first time I used cruise control before they had drive by wire and the terrifying sensation as the pedal started sucking itself down to the floor as I started going up an incline...
I too had a sticky pedal on my 66 Corvette. The pivot point got some corrosion and was arthritic. Depressing the clutch and lifting the pedal from the backside got me through those episodes with no scare until I fixed the problem.
This is what was happening on my cousins Vanagon and the fix was the same, you had to nudge the pedal from the underside with your toe and it would pull back up.
I'll never forget the first time I used cruise control before they had drive by wire and the terrifying sensation as the pedal started sucking itself down to the floor as I started going up an incline...
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