SUV rollover deaths continue unabated but Toyota's pedals get all the bad press.

[squatch81]

Originally Posted by cfg83

For SUVs, do you think there should be a special class of license? Should drivers be required to have more training?

Yes! They require extra training to be licensed to drive a semi tractor or a motorcycle. SUV's have a higher center of gravity and handle quite differently than a typical automobile under anything other than the most ideal situations, and drivers ed does not begin to cover these situations.

Originally Posted by cfg83

What was the logic behind slamming the accelerator? Was the idea to loosen a stuck throttle cable by giving it slack? On one hand, a drive-by-wire car wouldn't have a "throttle cable" to unstick. On the other hand, different driver input could trigger different logic in the ECU/PCM, so the end-result could be the same.

Back in the day when the connections were all mechanical, the idea was the jarring could free the stuck linkage. Under a stressful situation like a runaway car, I tend to go into an automatic mode and fall back on my training, however loosely it may apply. Had I not regained control, I would have wasted a few seconds attempting to downshift (with a CVT ), then turned the key off. Luckily it didn't go that far, as I probably would have locked the steering wheel and completely lost control.

[squatch81]

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

I've been rebuilding NHW11 accelerators for a couple of years and studied the NHW20 accelerator. I've tested every form of 'How to deal with a runaway' and am well practiced. I'm quite happy to share my 'lessons learned' about Prius ...

Bob, please, do tell.

I never found any cause for my glitch and it hasn't repeated, but it would be great if I could do something to help keep it from happening.

[orange4boy]

I do drive a Toyota so I may be a little sore.

My point is more about media hype and bad reporting than it is about the Toyota recall. The samurai story is also an example of bad media hype. Ford's UA incidents are also higher than the average but Toyota is getting most of the attention.

This kind of hype propagated by lazy reporters also continues to happen about other issues.

If you look into it, the risk is tiny and the actual reports small in number which isn't to say it shouldn't be looked into.

maybe it's because the Toyota recalls are brought about by a faulty vehicle design,

This has not been proven yet but you can bet that it's a mix of ergonomics, driver error, floor mats, and possibly electronics. And if it is found to be true then I'll be there to get on Toyota's case to fix it.

while the SUV rollovers are brought about by faulty drivers failing to drive within the limits of a vehicle class's inherent design?

This is true to some extent, but I'm mostly complaining about the hype compared to the actual loss of life. If there were many news stories about how to avoid rollovers and the relative dangers of driving an SUV then fair enough but there ain't. Now people are scared to death to drive a Toyota but lack of respect for their SUV's driving characteristics has not changed.

I'm not specifically bashing big SUVs here but I do wish people wouldn't buy the giant ones to toodle down to the grocery store or commute to work alone on polished city streets.