The Crash that Caused the Toyota Recall

[tasdrouille]

Originally Posted by tjts1

This is why ALL gas pedals should be hinged at the bottom, not the top.
DUH

Or just disable the TPS when the brake pedal is pressed. That's probably a lot easier to implement. Software changes do not cost much.

[dcb]

work with your fellow ecomodder here, all cars are unsafe without a momentary contact kill switch in easy reach.

[jamesqf]

I wonder why nobody seems to think about the real problem: the monumentally stupid switch! Now if it had a key ignition, like just about every other car in the world, all the driver needs to do is to turn the engine off.

Then there are (apparently) other stupidities as well, like not having a transmission that would go into neutral... The more I read about this, the more I think that Toyota is going to be paying out a big chunk of money in damage awards.

[pstrbrc]

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike

Make the switch push-off/pull-on just like the emergency disconnects in industrial equipment. Then the instinctive response to an out of control car would be to punch the red button, which would disconnect all power. It would also be the normal power switch so it would be less likely to silently fail closed.

Actually, I've put this kind of "kill switch" in series with the ignition switch on all of my cars. Old racing habit. Never liked the momentary kind, if I want the engine off I want it to stay off. I remember a story of a stock car racer who fitted his car with a "momentary" kill switch, then needed to kill the engine on a road course. Old time days, manual recirculating-ball steering, takes two hands, he kept taking his thumb off the kill switch every time he went back to steering. Provided some real comic relief to the writer of the article in, I think, Circle Track. Since I don't drive ANYTHING that is really stock, and since all modifications have a certain "uncertainty factor", a fire extinguisher and a kill switch are usually early additions.

[Bicycle Bob]

One time I was driving my '81 Celica, and the gas pedal was sticking a bit. I kicked the restriction and then it felt almost normal. The whole pedal hinge had rusted off, and I had my foot on the next bit of linkage. No Problem.
Then there was the time I was driving a Morris Minor and I had a Coke bottle roll underneath the brake pedal. It did roll back again so I could have a second try, but it was a tad alarming.

How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb?
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That's NOT funny!!

[Bicycle Bob]

Given that cars can always stop faster than they can accelerate, wouldn't just standing on the brake pedal have fixed this?
BTW, I've had cops tailgate me twice, hoping to get a speeding ticket. Then they both checked me for drinking. Sorry, guys, just saving gas.

[cfg83]

Bicycle Bob -

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

Given that cars can always stop faster than they can accelerate, wouldn't just standing on the brake pedal have fixed this?
BTW, I've had cops tailgate me twice, hoping to get a speeding ticket. Then they both checked me for drinking. Sorry, guys, just saving gas.

That's what I was thinking until I read this :

To make matters worse, NHTSA also noted issues with the braking system from an earlier ES 350 investigation. Autoblog again quoted the agency as stating, "...the Lexus ES braking system loses power-assist when the throttle is fully opened, increasing braking distance fivefold." That's a heaping helping of "not good."

The blame for this one lies with the carputer programmers.

CarloSW2

[Frank Lee]

Past rant: Woman who's car had a pebble in the throttle linkage. Panics, decides calling 911 is the answer. Gets a woman dispatcher who says "I'm not a mechanic". 10 minutes later -that's right, TEN MINUTES LATER- blows through a red at an intersection and rams a husband and wife on a motorcycle.

More recent but I hadn't ranted on it yet: Three college girls and a dog in N. Dakota out stargazing in a Jeep drive into a pond in the dark. Do they open the doors and get out? No. Open windows and get out? No. Wait until water pressure is relieved and get out? No. They whip out their cell phones and call their friends. Then die. Yup. In 10 feet of water.

Then there's this cop, who of all people, should know how to get that thing stopped. But nooooooo, whipping out the cell phone is today's solution to EVERYTHING.

Can you imagine if the pilots that landed that passenger jet in the Hudson River had little panic fits into their cell phones when those engines quit instead of taking care of business?

Sorry, but I've had floormats get into where they didn't belong before and what I found works in that situation is to reach down, grab that damned mat, and pull it out of the way. Then, when stopped, straighten it out all neat and tidy.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by tjts1

This is why ALL gas pedals should be hinged at the bottom, not the top.
DUH

The old-time stuff almost always had that. It went away and I think for the better.

Old VWs had all the pedals come up from the floor. They got really rusty/crusty down there and ultimately non-functional. Not a problem with "hanging" pedals.

My '59 Bel Air has a floor-hinged pedal. The pedal pivot is a dual ball and socket arrangement with somewhat of a snap fit. I suppose it could get popped off, and I'm sure that has happened to somebody, but even if the pedal came off completely the linkage is still right there and functional.

"Hanging" gas pedals pivot too and I think they are somewhat more comfortable.

[Bicycle Bob]

"To make matters worse, NHTSA also noted issues with the braking system from an earlier ES 350 investigation. Autoblog again quoted the agency as stating, "...the Lexus ES braking system loses power-assist when the throttle is fully opened, increasing braking distance fivefold." That's a heaping helping of "not good."
The blame for this one lies with the carputer programmers."
Gosh, my old Toyota was good for at least two full stops on the reserve vacuum when I did EOC down mountains, and I could still do a hard stop if I had to. Is this a computer issue screwing up those basics?

BTW, the guy who landed the Gimli Glider used his muscles to cross-control and sideslip a whole airliner. People get strong in emergencies. I don't think he even asked the co-pilot to help.