These runaway Toyotas - Page 7 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

PaulC · #91 03-10-2010, 09:38 PM

The happy owner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWg7fAk6P9E

layback40 · #92 03-10-2010, 09:40 PM

On some trains they have "dead man brakes" If you loose concentration & let go of the controls, the brakes come on automatically ~ fall asleep & it stops.
Hmmmm maybe not such a good idea, we dont want all the freeways littered with stopped cars!

cmac2012 · #93 03-10-2010, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Well thats how Mercedes builds them, but not every manufacture seems to value things like that.

Still these people all panic and become useless, if they thought for 2 seconds they would take it out of gear.

I did a web search to read the story again about the CHP officer who experienced a gas pedal "stuck on the floormat" to see if I had it right. A 45 year old CHP officer had his family in the car and didn't think to put it in neutral or shut it off? Correct me if I'm wrong but the Lexus is not yet a Prius.

Something weird about this story. I'm wondering if it's some sort of drive by wire problem where the car gets possessed.

Hatterasguy · #94 03-10-2010, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

I did a web search to read the story again about the CHP officer who experienced a gas pedal "stuck on the floormat" to see if I had it right. A 45 year old CHP officer had his family in the car and didn't think to put it in neutral or shut it off? Correct me if I'm wrong but the Lexus is not yet a Prius.

Something weird about this story. I'm wondering if it's some sort of drive by wire problem where the car gets possessed.

I'm wondering if it was a suicide, the story doesn't make sense.

Those cars have regular shifters, you can take it out or gear at any time. That ES330 or whatever its called now is an old peoples car, its pretty basic. Not a Prius by any means.

OTOH I'm driving to FL next week in a Toyota. If we get pulled over I'll just tell the officer the pedal got stuck.

retmil46 · #95 03-10-2010, 10:43 PM

For that matter, with the size gas engine they have in the Prius, I'm impressed one of the bloody things could even GET UP TO 90 plus mph, much less with the brakes applied.

The way they drive them here in SA, you'd think the blasted things couldn't even crack 45.

jcyuhn · #96 03-11-2010, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retmil46

For that matter, with the size gas engine they have in the Prius, I'm impressed one of the bloody things could even GET UP TO 90 plus mph, much less with the brakes applied.

The way they drive them here in SA, you'd think the blasted things couldn't even crack 45.

Just come on up to Dallas sometime if you want to see a high speed Prius

There was an updated story on this latest incident in the 3/11/2010 WSJ. The CHP officer stated he is convinced it is not a hoax. He observed the driver pushing so hard on the brake pedal that the seat was leaning backwards. Large amounts of brake dust were coming out of the wheels, and once the car was stopped the wheels were caked black with brake dust.

I think Toyota is simply trying to challenge Mercedes' leadership in the brake dust generation arena.

In an earlier article, the driver indicated he reached down and pulled up on the accelerator pedal, but that had no effect. He also could not shut down the engine (perhaps doesn't know how?), and could not shift to neutral.

Does a Prius even have neutral?

PaulC · #97 03-11-2010, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcyuhn

Just come on up to Dallas sometime if you want to see a high speed Prius

There was an updated story on this latest incident in the 3/11/2010 WSJ. The CHP officer stated he is convinced it is not a hoax. He observed the driver pushing so hard on the brake pedal that the seat was leaning backwards. Large amounts of brake dust were coming out of the wheels, and once the car was stopped the wheels were caked black with brake dust.

I think Toyota is simply trying to challenge Mercedes' leadership in the brake dust generation arena.

In an earlier article, the driver indicated he reached down and pulled up on the accelerator pedal, but that had no effect. He also could not shut down the engine (perhaps doesn't know how?), and could not shift to neutral.

Does a Prius even have neutral?

Yes, selecting Neutral while driving a Prius will allow you to slow down to about 65 or so.

kerry · #98 03-11-2010, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulC

Yes, selecting Neutral while driving a Prius will allow you to slow down to about 65 or so.

In an interview I heard the Prius driver say he was too scared to shift into neutral. But apparently not too scared to pull up on the accelerator pedal?

Txjake · #99 03-11-2010, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

In an interview I heard the Prius driver say he was too scared to shift into neutral. But apparently not too scared to pull up on the accelerator pedal?

what a dumb-a^&...doesn't sound like he needs a license to drive...

aklim · #**100** 03-11-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

In an interview I heard the Prius driver say he was too scared to shift into neutral. But apparently not too scared to pull up on the accelerator pedal?

Scared or stupid?

kknudson · #**101** 03-11-2010, 12:35 PM

Hee hee

WVOtoGO · #**102** 03-11-2010, 05:48 PM

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it odd that all these runaway Toyotas are now starting to come out of the woodwork within a month or two in time, regardless of their manufacture date?
i.e. I hear/see all these stories (3 just this morning, with a span of 02 to 08 year models) of runaway Toyotas all happening over the past month or two, and yet they have manufacture dates as far apart as seven or eight years.

It’s like they were all built bad over the years, but required the planets to line up just right for them to start failing.

That... or it’s like people are thinking: “Hey, now’s our chance to get a new car! Go run the thing into a wall and claim the throttle stuck.”

I’m not saying that Toyota doesn’t have an actual issue to deal with here. Just that it’s weird that all of the sudden all of these Toyotas are all at once seeming to start failing, regardless of how old/new they are.

layback40 · #**103** 03-11-2010, 07:19 PM

You cant trust anything to do with climate change!! Thats why they built the thing!!

MS Fowler · #**104** 03-11-2010, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WVOtoGO

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it odd that all these runaway Toyotas are now starting to come out of the woodwork within a month or two in time, regardless of their manufacture date?
i.e. I hear/see all these stories (3 just this morning, with a span of 02 to 08 year models) of runaway Toyotas all happening over the past month or two, and yet they have manufacture dates as far apart as seven or eight years.

It’s like they were all built bad over the years, but required the planets to line up just right for them to start failing.

That... or it’s like people are thinking: “Hey, now’s our chance to get a new car! Go run the thing into a wall and claim the throttle stuck.”

I’m not saying that Toyota doesn’t have an actual issue to deal with here. Just that it’s weird that all of the sudden all of these Toyotas are all at once seeming to start failing, regardless of how old/new they are.

The same has occurred to me. A shrewd investigator should be able to determine in the brakes were depressed at the time of the crash--were the filaments on the brake lights hot? ( The bend/break differently.
Of course, if they held the brakes on lightly as they mashed the gas, how would anyone know? Too bad the computer doesn't have a "flight recorder" loop for the last minute before a crash..... or do they?

aklim · #**105** 03-11-2010, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

The same has occurred to me. A shrewd investigator should be able to determine in the brakes were depressed at the time of the crash--were the filaments on the brake lights hot? ( The bend/break differently.

Of course, if they held the brakes on lightly as they mashed the gas, how would anyone know? Too bad the computer doesn't have a "flight recorder" loop for the last minute before a crash..... or do they?

Wouldn't it have cooled down by the time someone got to the scene

I think they do.