Safety note (kinda rant-y)

Just read an article about a massive recall for misplaced floor mats causing unintended acceleration.

Since I, myself, caused an instance of unintended acceleration in my own 1964 Studebaker, AND LIVED THROUGH IT WITHOUT A SCRATCH, I thought I might be a good enough candidate to talk you all through a "how to it" on surviving such an episode.

Please do not be insulted, as this tech is aimed at the more, shall we say, stupid drivers, it may well save someone else. Herewith is the best advise I can offer when you find yourself in the throes of unintended acceleration:

TURN THE DAMN KEY OFF!!!!!

OK, now I feel better.

The article stated how a So Cal police officer had a massive accident when his floor mats became lodged on top of the pedal causing it to stick and accelerating the car uncontrollably. Makes you wonder HOW he ever became an officer in the first place.
I was a mere lad of 19 or so when I went across an intersection, trying to beat another driver, and the accelerator linkage hooked around the recently replaced (incorrectly, by me) brake line. I swiftly shifted the trans to neutral and turned the key "off". My passenger never even knew what happened, only wondering why we stopped.

This, my friends, is called 'being smarter than the equipment you are operating'

Thank you, and I understand if this gets deleted.

Cosmo

 

As long as your car is pre-1970s and the steering wheel doesn't lock up.

 

I had the same thing happen to me when I first got my '69 Sport Satellite running. The linkage got stuck wide open. Unfortunately I had been using a screwdriver to act as a key since the car didn't have an ignition cylinder...I was fumbling around on the passenger floor trying to get the screw driver to shut the thing down as the car is barreling ahead full throttle.

 

Then just turn it off, and turn the key back to the on position immediately. All you have to do it cut the power for a second or two.

 

I guess some people just can't think fast enough in a panic situation.

Working as a firefighter several years ago we got called out to a gas station where an elderly lady had backed up over several gas pumps, ripping them out of the ground. When I asked here what happened she said "I hit the brakes but the harder I pushed the faster it went".

In her panicked state she'd mashed the accelerator to the floor instead of the brake.

 

i did something pretty stupid one time on a snowmobile, i had left the cover off over night, the next morning i started it up, pointed it out onto the feild and went full throttle, well the throttle stuck wide open and instead of pushing the kill switch i jumped off, about 300 feet away the snowmobile climed 12 feet up the only oak tree in the middle of the field, that was back before they had a kill switch you cliped to your jacket, well i was only 11 and i did learn my lesson, snowmobiles go hella fast with no one on them..lol

 

I'm a skeptic; Whenever I hear of somebody losing control of a vehicle, I rarely believe the story they tell if it involves placing the blame somewhere else; as in "accelerator stuck", "brakes failed", "I was cut off by the other guy", etc, etc. Most of the time they just fucked up, pure and simple, and won't admit it.

Most good drivers would not totally lose control and crash with a stuck accelerator, failed brakes, etc. As you say, most of us would TURN THE DAMNED KEY OFF............

 

I heard the 911 call on the radio when this story broke. They figured out how to call 911, but not turn off the key? WTF It just seems like common sense to me.

I also had this happen in a '69 Fairlane, I just popped it in neutral and turned the key off. Then there's always the parking brake, or as a last resort, jam it in park.

 

I to was shocked that the officer didn't know what to do. While his car had no ignition key ( button start like a newer vette) just push the button & that should have killed the motor with no steering loss. If nothing else put the car in neutral at the worst ya blow a motor but you don't kill yourself.

 

click back only once...how does someone on this board not know that

 

We were discussing this very incident yesterday at the Thanksgiving gathering. Every person in the discussion said turn the key off or flip in into neutral...I had the linkage overcenter on a carb once when it was wide open, took about a half second to flip it to neutral and the engine revved high enough before I could hit the key that it corrected itself....

 

That accident happened here in San Diego. It was a Highway Patrol officer, and his family. It was a loaner car from the dealer as his was being serviced. He could not turn off the ignition without the car being in "PARK". It was all documented because someone in the car was on the phone to 911 during the episode. At 120 miles an hour, and no brakes he was lucky to not have taken out many other cars. Get your facts straight BEFORE posting...

 

The reason they did not know how to turn off the key was that there was no key.
It was a modern Toyota with a push button start.
The "key" remains in your pocket.
To actually push the button to shut it off while the car is in motion, you actually have to press and hold the button for several seconds. During a panic situation people tend to repeatedly stab the button over and over, effectively doing nothing to shut the car down.
Also, I beleive the police officers incident happened with either a rental car or a loaner. Not a vehicle of their own. To top it off, let's face it, how many of us actually read the owner's manual?
Yes, it is a very sad story, now please don't laugh, but I actually have a Prius that is being recalled for this as well. I admit, I haven't read the manual either and wouldn't have known how to stop a runaway car without this happening to someone else.

Anyone remember the faulty motor mounts on the small block Chevy's in the 60's?
Had one of them run away on me.
Also had that happen with my uncle's Datsun 240 Z while I was driving it.
Reason I was driving it was every once in awhile the gas pedal would stick, so he wanted me to check it out.
Sure enough.............floor mat!

On the Toyota's, it is mostly the extras winter mat that is causing the problem, or if the standard mat comes off it's hooks and bunches up underneath the gas pedal.

 

I know a guy that totaled his A roadster because he didnt think when his throttle stuck open.
Had an XD Falcon daily driver, 496hp broke a return spring and is stuck WOT in a small car park. Key off and there were no problems.

 

so they pulled out the cell phone and dialed 911 and explained their situation instead of pulling the car mat out?

 

oooo you know what the dealer fix is right?



that right, zip ties

http://jalopnik.com/5376828/toyota-fixing-deadly-killer-floor-mats-with-zip-ties

 

It seems like a weekly event to have someone drive into a building around here after traveling across the sidewalk and lawn. It's just a matter of being panic stricken. They were never taught what to do.

You can also knock it up into neutral. Let the engine race. Once you come to a stop then you can turn the engine off. If it blows up...oh well at least you are still alive along with the innocent bystanders.

 

C'mon...The driver had more miles of driving experience than you and ten of your friends combined. This was a loaner car. It was NOT a Toyota, and it was a passenger in the rear seat that made the 911 call. Have some respect for the deceased.

 

Aren't the days of fly by wire wonderful? Can't pull up the pedal, can't shut off the key, can't put it in neutral, but we can call 911 to tell them where the biggest crash since the Stockholm ran down the Andrea Doria is going to happen.

 

I agree with you tommy, people panic;

But the other side of the coin; "They" have been taught(by our society)to transfer the blame. I actually believe most of the 'excuses' are lies. They drive too fast, text whilst driving, aren't skilled, and when they lose control or step on the gas instead of the brake, they lie, "accellerator stuck". "brakes failed", etc.

 

He did NOT panic! He kept the vehicle under control enough to not kill others around him. He was trained to do this, and performed admirably. This was on a busy freeway during afternoon rush hour.
It's the day after Thanksgiving... This entire family was killed by an unfortunate accident and this thread has NOTHING to do with traditional cars.

 

Im with you on this.

 

That's what makes it so hard to understand. An EXPERIENCED CHP officer! Loaner car or not, Lexus or Toyota, I may be wrong but I have never seen a car you couldn't shift into neutral with the motor running. If that in fact was the case,there were more problem's with that car then the floor mat. I don't think there's any disrespect intended and it is a credit to the officer that no one else was injured.

 

Nice to see some reason in this thread. I can't help but notice all the elitism on this board about automobiles (I'm way too smart for something bad to happen to me, etc.).

 

Can't you just shift to neutral? I had it happen in one of my 440 Mopar the transmission shop bound up the linkage. When I stomped on it it stuck wide open of course the car hit triple digets. I tried the usual ways of using my toes to pull against the throttle when that failed it was shift into neitral. I was able to get control of the car, when I shut off the car the belts came off and we had a backfire. Oh this is a 1973 model if you turn the key back slightly to off, you can avoid the lock position.
Scary yes, I've had it happpen a couple of times in several vehicles over the years the key is n ot to panic. I guess people just don't read their owners manuals any more.

 

29 Nash read my mind

 

I'm not familiar with all the latest lock outs on the new stuff. Are you saying that he could not shift into neutral?

I'm not trying to bad mouth the officer. I'm just concerned that this is an unintentional consequence of a safety feature gone wrong or the latest in gee gaws from the factory that no one anticipated?

 

EXACTLY......Mt wife has a Lexus that is affected by this and we did remove the floor mat. Read the post above again if you don't understand.

 

it would either go in neutral or first gear.........a blown motor can't keep excellerating....

 

Tommy, my newest vehicle is over 44 years old so I do NOT have first hand knowledge of newer stuff. That being said, it was reported by the local press that this particular car could NOT be shifted into neutral.