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Toyota...again or still...

"monkeystash" said:
I said that before and someone brought up that they have some push button start that won't shut off the car unless you do something special. Shifting to neutral would also work.
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I have had them as rental cars before, they are goofy. They have a joy stick like a video game, not even a shifter, but there is an off or stop button IIRC. I mean you do have to turn them off somehow. If you have time to call 911 and wait for the cops to come and slam on the brakes in front of you I would think you could find a way to turn the darn thing off. Maybe Toyota need and E-Stop button like OSHA requires on equipment!
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"monkeystash" said:
Did his brake pedal also not work? It amazes me that someone can dial a cell phone in a panic state, but can't think to press the brake pedal.
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According to the CHP officer he could smell the brakes. you do wonder how they can call 911 though.
 
They interviewed the guy, said he had both feet on the brake and the e brake on. I cant imagine the Prius have enough power to overcome that but then again, the brakes probably aint the best on a car that small.
 
"RyanG85" said:
They interviewed the guy, said he had both feet on the brake and the e brake on. I cant imagine the Prius have enough power to overcome that but then again, the brakes probably aint the best on a car that small.
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Don't know much about the Prius, but unlike gas engines, an electric motor puts out essentially 100% of it's torque, even if you stall the rpm. So, it would still be trying hard to accel, even as you tried to stall it with the brakes.

I'm sure the brake compound is also some soft compound that gave up quickly from overheating.
 
I don't have the numbers in front of me but brakes are one area where manufacturers due work to keep costs down. The number of new cars with barely adequate braking systems has been an issue for a long time. According to the data I read, imports are high on this list in this category.
When you have a 3000# mass traveling at high speed with continued driving force behind it, it takes more brake than a typical car can muster to slow it down. Just not going to happen. Shifting into neutral is the only right move. Cutting the ignition presents the opportunity for steering wheel locking which would not be good!
 
All this automation that Toyota is using to "help" the driver reminds me of when Airbus tried to "help" the pilots with computers. It actually ignored the pilot's command for thrust, because it was convinced it was landing. Here's the aftermath of that:

Airbus Fly into Trees
 
Well, I can see it now, the knee jerk reaction of the government...."The feds now require an emergency shut off button on all motor vehicles in light of the Toyota fiasco, adding $10k to the cost of every automobile."

I think an E-stop button is a great idea for any car with push button ignition. There should be a simple way to just shut off the car! That is a huge safety issue all by itself!

Mel
 
I had a car that the cruise control linkage came loose once and when I stomped on the gas it caught and held the car at full throttle, my first reaction was to hit the brakes but I quickly realized that wasn't going to work so I simply reached up and shut off the key. I could still steer and brake (no power assist but it worked). If I hadn't shut it off I would have rammed another car (my wife and kids BTW), if I shifted into neutral I no doubt would have blown or hurt the engine. I pulled over, popped the hood, saw the problem. Fixed it and was on my way without killing anyone or my car.
The Prius doesn't have a key like we think of, it does have a "park" button because it doesn't have a shifter either. I have never liked them, too futuristic I guess. Before all this recall stuff started, evey time I got one as a rental I went back in and asked for something else.
I checked my company mini van, it has an electronic throttle control, I can also shut it off without locking the steering. I have checked this on all my cars just to see if it can be done. Just in case.
 
It seems the auto makers are too busy making the cars cool and "Safe" per the government standards and have forgotten to leave the human in control thus making them less safe in some instances.

The push button start is not safe, I don't like it and never will. The Dodge we rented in Canada had a computer chip kind of thing with a big square thing you put in the dash where a key should be and you turn it to turn the car on and off. You start it with the clicker button and then put the square thing in and turn it to unlock the steering wheel.

There needs to be some sort of a kill switch on cars that is accessible to the driver. If I was so unfortunate to own a Toyota, the first thing I wold do before it went any farther from my house is to have an after market kill switch installed that killed the engine without locking the steering.

Mel
 
"tarafied1" said:
I had a car that the cruise control linkage came loose once and when I stomped on the gas it caught and held the car at full throttle, my first reaction was to hit the brakes but I quickly realized that wasn't going to work so I simply reached up and shut off the key. I could still steer and brake (no power assist but it worked). If I hadn't shut it off I would have rammed another car (my wife and kids BTW), if I shifted into neutral I no doubt would have blown or hurt the engine. I pulled over, popped the hood, saw the problem. Fixed it and was on my way without killing anyone or my car.
The Prius doesn't have a key like we think of, it does have a "park" button because it doesn't have a shifter either. I have never liked them, too futuristic I guess. Before all this recall stuff started, evey time I got one as a rental I went back in and asked for something else.
I checked my company mini van, it has an electronic throttle control, I can also shut it off without locking the steering. I have checked this on all my cars just to see if it can be done. Just in case.
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I don't like the idea of turning the key off. What if the steering lock clicked on?
 
Here's a quote from the latest Prius run on:

"Neibert told Sikes after the CHP caught up with him to shift to neutral but the driver shook his head no. Sikes told reporters he didn't go into neutral because he worried the car would flip."


Somebody watches too many hollyweird movies :doh
 
"Shaun" said:
I don't like the idea of turning the key off. What if the steering lock clicked on?
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I don't know about all cars but try yours. If the car is not in PARK, the steering won't lock on mine.
 
"silverblueBP" said:
Here's a quote from the latest Prius run on:

"Neibert told Sikes after the CHP caught up with him to shift to neutral but the driver shook his head no. Sikes told reporters he didn't go into neutral because he worried the car would flip."


Somebody watches too many hollyweird movies :doh
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on the news they interviewed him and he said the officer told him to put on the e-brake also. He was lucky the brakes were fried because we all know what the e-brake is good for at speed!
 
Not every one understands a cars working side. Life is like that for some.....if it happens on TV, it can happen to them. I also wonder if all cars allow a shift to neutral while at speed.

Some cars lock the steering upon key shut off, some require it to be removed before the steering is locked. This is how my Focus is so it can be towed. I just leave a key in the switch without removing it after shutting the car off. Once removed, it must be turned to release the lock.
 
On Tuesday, a housekeeper pulled out of her driveway in Harrison, N.Y., when the 2005 Prius shot across the street and smashed into a stone wall, ruining the front end.

"It's hard for us to determine whether it was a stuck accelerator or whether or not the vehicle accelerated for some other reason," Harrison Police Capt. Anthony Marracini told CBS News Station WCBS-TV in New York.

Further north, in Yarmouth, Mass., Anne Wilkins was behind the wheel of her Toyota Rav 4 when the SUV slammed into a medical building Tuesday. The accident happened after she brought the vehicle to her dealer in February to prevent its gas pedal from sticking, reports CBS News Station WBZ-TV in Boston. Local police plan to test the vehicle this weekend to determine whether Toyota's recall issues contributed to the crash.

This week's incidents add to others that have been reported since Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda apologized for his company's lapses in safety and told a congressional panel that his managers will drive cars under investigation to experience potential problems first hand.
 
One small bit of information that has been overlooked here.

How many of these people were upside down on their loan to value and couldn't get rid of the cars? Maybe they thought the cars were still unsafe and wanted to get rid of them and couldn't, so they wreck them and blame the gas pedal.

Just a thought.

Then again maybe the cars have a defect and Toyota covered it up for years now and doesn't want to come clean with it.

Sorry if this offends anyone, but I am glad to not own any Jap trash! Oh, BTW I have been referring to all Japanese cars as that since I was about 15 or so.

Mel
 
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