The Crash that Caused the Toyota Recall

[MadisonMPG]

I have played this out in my mind 100 times since I first heard about this.
I have not read this entire thread, so if any of these ideas are already stated, my bad.

I would pull up on the gas pedal (with foot) and try to free it.
I would (probably) see that the floor mat had caught it and remove it.
I would stand on the brakes and slow it down (this has to work) If you stood on it 100% from the get go, I doubt that it would overheat the brakes.
I would do something with the key (i'm not sure how it all works, but I would press and hold the button/cycle the key whatever I had to do)
I would stand on the brakes and ram into an 18 wheeler (or large vehicle) at hopefully 10mph or so closing speed and honk and let his brakes slow me down.

[robchalmers]

Hindsight is 20:20!!

Standing on the anchors with the engine at full thorttle will over heat the brakes. if the auto is locked and providing basically direct drive. For those with a race/rally background you'll know that if you use road brakes to their full capacity or even do some heavy leftfoot braking (see advanced rally technique, not to be confused with trail braking) you zone into brake fade very quickly (unless your car happens to be spec'd with ceramics!)car brakes are designed for the occasional emergency stop, they simply don't have the cooling or capacity for drawn out excersion. All the spiel about drilled/vented discs are more about removing heat after application, althpough they do have some, minor benefit during too.

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by robchalmers

Hindsight is 20:20!!

Standing on the anchors with the engine at full thorttle will over heat the brakes. if the auto is locked and providing basically direct drive. For those with a race/rally background you'll know that if you use road brakes to their full capacity or even do some heavy leftfoot braking (see advanced rally technique, not to be confused with trail braking) you zone into brake fade very quickly (unless your car happens to be spec'd with ceramics!)car brakes are designed for the occasional emergency stop, they simply don't have the cooling or capacity for drawn out excersion. All the spiel about drilled/vented discs are more about removing heat after application, althpough they do have some, minor benefit during too.

I doubt in all seriousness that you couldn't slow down to 70 and ram into the back of an 18 wheeler.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by robchalmers

I'm absolutely stunned by talk of standardised placement of controls on cars.

Huh? Maybe it's different on your side of the pond, but every car I've seen since - oh, the mid-70s? - has had all the important controls in a standardized layout: steering wheel in front of you, ignition switch on the right side of the steering column, with lock-acc-on-start positions. Headlight, dimmer (not that many people know how to use that these days :-(), and turn signals on a stalk to the left, wiper &c likewise on the right... Likewise shift lever on a console between the seats. Manual or handicap-equipped, you move it to the middle for neutral.

[Frank Lee]

You haven't gotten out much in the last 35 years?

[robchalmers]

Obv. pedals and wheel are the same but Saabs have the ign barrel on by the ebrake on the centre console, new volvos have them on the centre part of the dash by the instrument binnacle. Bentleys have them door side of the steering column. renualts have the ignition CARD slot by under the radio. as for lights/wipers thats a random one, some on the stalks vw's and a few others have them on the dash again between the column and the door. Dials? yaris/citreons and some sports cars have them central on the dash...

its all part of the character!!

[wdb]

Well, Toyota has spoken. They're going to:

• cut the gas pedals shorter
• replace some gas pedals entirely
• remove material from the throttle pedal vicinity
• introduce brake overrides on Lexus models

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/bu...toyota.html?hp

That last one was explained in the article as an application of throttle and brake at the same time will causing the brakes to 'override' the throttle, in short the brakes should win the contest. That sounds like one of those intuitive actions, and if it was on the Lexus involved in the accident it would have stopped the car from accelerating out of control.

However there are other reports of Toyotas that had unintended acceleration, in which the drivers insist that floormats and sticking pedals could not possibly have played a role. If so, we're probably looking at failure of the 'drive by wire' fully electronic throttle system.

Toyota Recall: Fails to Address Cause of Many Sudden Acceleration Cases, Expert Says - ABC News

Stay tuned.

[cfg83]

Hello -

Just found this tidbit :

Fatal crash spurs review of Toyota floor mats

The driver also could have turned off the electronically keyed car by holding down the start switch for three seconds, but that could have locked the steering wheel, turned off the headlights and cut power-assist to the brakes, Lyons said.

This implies to me that even if he had the presence of mind to press the start switch, he was far from out of the woods. But this could happen with a car with a key also.

CarloSW2

[dcb]

that is a really stupid design. I'm just waiting for someone to replace everything with a half baked button. Please press the button to complain, sorry that button is broken.

Giving the machines too much control is just stupid. Giving them so much power that you can't override them is stupid. What part of this isn't stupid? Giving people a convenient button so that they don't have to be bothered with thinking? Stupid.

[Frank Lee]

A key. A simple key. Turn it to make it do what you want.

Is that so wrong?