John Adams Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 I enjoy my wife's Prius. My biggest problem is that she drives it like a BMW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 It's completely unlike your sidewall issue. Sidewall tires don't have five different computer-controlled systems. Either do Toyota's pedals. (Your comment) No it is not... From what I have read technically, you may be flat out wrong when it comes to what is tied into the pedal. Seems Toyota's gas pedals don't have that redundancy. Maybe the rest of the car does. Why no "brake priority." I posted a very good technical thread earlier about what types of set-ups they use. Seems other companies like VW get it right. I suggest you read it. Feel free to comment on that technicians report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 I enjoy my wife's Prius. My biggest problem is that she drives it like a BMW. Just as long as she doesn't mash the pedal down and floor it. Seems that is where the problem is happening. Call the passing gear and that is where the roulette game may arise. That is the good thing... At least the problem doesn't seem to be on the other range of the pedal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 By the way...did anyone hear today that there's 78 different class action lawsuits against Toyota from people that haven't had a problem with their cars? The argument being: the cars that have had problems have reduced the resale value of the cars that don't, and Toyota should make up the difference. Wow! That is crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 Interesting article from the Detroit Free Press (of all sources... ): Toyota Short-Circuits Its Image of Quality This is exactly what I have been talking about with regard to "brake priority." It took a professor of automotive technology, David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University's auto technology department, to figure out that a simple short circuit in Toyota's electronic accelerator system could cause the vehicle to rocket forward without any means to stop it, and without leaving any error codes in the diagnostic system ("Flaw may be hard to pin down," Feb. 24). Toyota's designers and engineers, with their vast resources and years spent in product development, couldn't foresee the possibility of a short circuit? Don't they do real-world testing of their systems? One of the basic principles in designing a product as complex as an automobile must be that if there is a failure in a component, that failure does not put the user in danger. It should be fail-safe. How can you even think of designing a system in which pressing the brake pedal does not stop the vehicle from accelerating? It's unconscionable Where was Toyota's much advertised relentless pursuit of perfection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albany,n.y. Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I've done that engine braking thing in my wife's Prius. On the way to engaging engine braking, you put the car in neutral. He couldn't get the car in neutral. He couldn't brake. He couldn't emergency brake. He couldn't engine brake. He couldn't turn the car off. He couldn't make the accelerator pop back up. So everything...electrical and mechanical...went wrong all at the same time? No doubt more to come. I watched an interview with the driver last night. He was asked if he tried to get the car in neutral and he said he didn't, because he wanted to keep both hands on the wheel. Sorry-wrong answer! He was able to call 911, and then use the emergency brake, but couldn't free his hand to put the car in neutral-something's not right here. The 1st thing every 911 operator should say is "put the car in neutral". The 1st thing any driver with a stuck gas pedal should do is put the car in neutral, this should be stated over & over again on any news report of a car with a stuck gas pedal so anyone watching who doesn't already know it, should. This driver never tried to put the car in neutral & admitted it in an interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I watched an interview with the driver last night. He was asked if he tried to get the car in neutral and he said he didn't, because he wanted to keep both hands on the wheel. Sorry-wrong answer! He was able to call 911, and then use the emergency brake, but couldn't free his hand to put the car in neutral-something's not right here. The 1st thing every 911 operator should say is "put the car in neutral". The 1st thing any driver with a stuck gas pedal should do is put the car in neutral, this should be stated over & over again on any news report of a car with a stuck gas pedal so anyone watching who doesn't already know it, should. This driver never tried to put the car in neutral & admitted it in an interview. For 20 minutes, he didn't put the car in neutral? BTW, he took his hand off the wheel to turn the car off. Like I said before, this story is fishy. No idea if the pedal stuck or what but this guy was an idiot. I wouldn't have gone to neutral in the first 10 seconds or so but after about 15 seconds of the car not slowing, neutral would be the next step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 I watched an interview with the driver last night. He was asked if he tried to get the car in neutral and he said he didn't, because he wanted to keep both hands on the wheel. Sorry-wrong answer! He was able to call 911, and then use the emergency brake, but couldn't free his hand to put the car in neutral-something's not right here. The 1st thing every 911 operator should say is "put the car in neutral". The 1st thing any driver with a stuck gas pedal should do is put the car in neutral, this should be stated over & over again on any news report of a car with a stuck gas pedal so anyone watching who doesn't already know it, should. This driver never tried to put the car in neutral & admitted it in an interview. I agree. Like I said in some earlier posts... That takes some serious balls and a chip on one's shoulder. I may be naive, I just can't fathom anybody doing that in such an event. A co-worker told me he heard the guy say he was afraid it would go into reverse. I say: "So?" Anyway, it won't go into reverse, there is a stop. You can bump up to N without having to depress the button/lock. I still think the argument should not be on what the person does though... And about why the pedals are sticking... Even Toyota is saying it is mechanical and there is a problem. People are stupid, no need to have a sticking pedal compound it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 For 20 minutes, he didn't put the car in neutral? BTW, he took his hand off the wheel to turn the car off. Like I said before, this story is fishy. No idea if the pedal stuck or what but this guy was an idiot. I wouldn't have gone to neutral in the first 10 seconds or so but after about 15 seconds of the car not slowing, neutral would be the next step. I said earlier... Maybe he wanted the cops to come an verify the pedal was stuck... Dumb, really dumb... But, people are strange. Think about it. One can get that car to stop in 10 seconds. Now the burden is on YOU to prove there is a problem, especially if things go back to normal and there is no error code. Still that takes a serious chip and balls to pull off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammered a Lot Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 A foreign car built here is better than one built overseas. At least they're using American labor. But overall,I want to spend my money with a company that's based here and has the bulk of their labor force,blue and white collar,in the U.S. The Hammer and The "Lucky One" (my wife) have always bought American name plate vehicles. Ford Custom 500, Dodge Polara, Chevy Citation, Chevy Barretta, Dodge Interepid, 2 Chevy Trailblazers, and a Pontiac Le Mans. Work trucks ranging from Chevy S-10, 2 Dodge Dakotas, and Old Red 1981 Ford F-350 still kickin azz. Last year the only $$ spent on Old Red was oil changes and gas. This year cluch plate and new radio. This truck still hauls 3 tons of weight easily. God Bless America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I agree. Like I said in some earlier posts... That takes some serious balls and a chip on one's shoulder. I may be naive, I just can't fathom anybody doing that in such an event. A co-worker told me he heard the guy say he was afraid it would go into reverse. I say: "So?" Anyway, it won't go into reverse, there is a stop. You can bump up to N without having to depress the button/lock. I still think the argument should not be on what the person does though... And about why the pedals are sticking... Even Toyota is saying it is mechanical and there is a problem. People are stupid, no need to have a sticking pedal compound it. All you do to put the car into neutral is slide the knob to the side. If you don't push it up, it won't go into reverse (and shouldn't because it's locked out anyway). There's also an "engine braking" option to slow the car. This driver was a dumbass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 All you do to put the car into neutral is slide the knob to the side. If you don't push it up, it won't go into reverse (and shouldn't because it's locked out anyway). There's also an "engine braking" option to slow the car. This driver was a dumbass. I know that. Why aren't we talking about the real problem. Why is the pedal sticking? Nobody should ever have to be in that situation to begin with. This is not a desktop application on a PC. Workarounds are not acceptable. Sure it will get one out of the mess... What do you do then when the car is stopped and shows no fault, code, or sign that the pedal stuck. How does the consumer prove it to Toyota? Do you get back in that car again? Does the peadl reset itself? In the computer industry this may be acceptable, not in the automotive industry. There has to be higher standards. Most of this thread is about lowering our standards. By now most people should know how to get out of this jam. Why is it happening still? Again, I may be naive... I have a hard time believing there are that many people in this world that have that much balls to play around with a situation like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Just as long as she doesn't mash the pedal down and floor it. Seems that is where the problem is happening. Call the passing gear and that is where the roulette game may arise. That is the good thing... At least the problem doesn't seem to be on the other range of the pedal! Who puts the "pedal to the metal" in a non-racing situation...? If I did that, I'd be going 100+ MPH in no time flat.... And since the highest speed limit in the Twin cities is 70, I don't see the point... If the only way to get the gas pedal to stick is to push it all the way to the floor, this is less of an issue than I initially thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Why is it allegedly happening still? Again, I may be naive... I have a hard time believing there are that many people in this world that have that much balls to play around with a situation like this. Fixed your post for you. And you say you have a hard time believing there are that many people who would play around with a situation like this... How many REAL incidents have there been? Reporting something after the fact is easy - people make up false lawsuits all the time - but how many real incidents have actually happened? And of those, how many aren't simply driver error? (ie: why is anyone flooring the gas anyway? I've never in my life had a desire to do that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I know that. Why aren't we talking about the real problem. Why is the pedal sticking? Nobody should ever have to be in that situation to begin with. This is not a desktop application on a PC. Workarounds are not acceptable. Sure it will get one out of the mess... What do you do then when the car is stopped and shows no fault, code, or sign that the pedal stuck. How does the consumer prove it to Toyota? Do you get back in that car again? Does the peadl reset itself? In the computer industry this may be acceptable, not in the automotive industry. There has to be higher standards. Most of this thread is about lowering our standards. By now most people should know how to get out of this jam. Why is it happening still? Again, I may be naive... I have a hard time believing there are that many people in this world that have that much balls to play around with a situation like this. No one is ignoring the problem. It's all over the news. This driver was as dumb as a box of rocks. He says he reached down with his hand to pull the pedal up (even though it wasn't stuck down)...but didn't put the car in neutral. And didn't turn it off until 20 minutes into his ordeal. Gee, I wonder if he thought about taking his foot off the gas to slow it down. He probably had it floored the entire time and couldn't understand why it wouldn't stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Movinon Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Another report….something aint right. The sharks are circling. See page 3. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayToyot...7602&page=3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Another report….something aint right. The sharks are circling. See page 3. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayToyot...7602&page=3 This guy is reminding me of that mylar saucer hoax of a few months ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Toyota: Then, Kamikaze planes. Now, Kamikaze cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Mitsubishi 2008-2009 Lancer and Lancer I had one of those. Those recalls were for things that wouldn't kill you, NOT for gas pedals and steering systems that don't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebug Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 It doesn't matter how stupid this guy is, Toyota if !@#$ED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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