[Newsbot]

Title: Highway patrol helps stop runaway Toyota
Category: Uncle Sam
Posted By: WDHIII
Date: 2010-03-09 08:43:15

[mikewood86]

Wouldn't shifting to neutral be the sensible thing? Then brakes or e brake or then turning the car off?

Good job on the officer though!

[ttruscott]

In all the sensationalist news about this, I've never heard a news person say, "If it happens to you, reach down and turn off the car, then use the brake to slow down and pull over."

I still think it is a full on press to knock down Toyota and get some American made cars a boost.

[saturn_656]

ttruscott wrote:

In all the sensationalist news about this, I've never heard a news person say, "If it happens to you, reach down and turn off the car, then use the brake to slow down and pull over."

I still think it is a full on press to knock down Toyota and get some American made cars a boost.

Good, the higher GM's stock goes the more money Canada will get when we sell our stake.

[QBall]

I was always told putting in neutral is the wrong thing to do as the engine will just rev itself until burns out or breaks apart. I was told to turn the engine off but leave the key in the "Accessories" area to keep power to steering and brakes. Of course with a Prius I have no idea what you're suppose to do as I believe it's a push button start. All in all this story isn't helping Toyota's situation.

[BartSimpson]

mikewood86 wrote:

Wouldn't shifting to neutral be the sensible thing? Then brakes or e brake or then turning the car off?

Good job on the officer though!

The problem is that most new cars in the USA are required to be set to not allow the engine to be shut off while in motion because this will disable the power steering. And then a lot of automatic transmissions prevent shifting to neutral above certain speeds to prevent clutch damage or 'grenading' of the transmission. And then the Toyotas and several other makes have been found to have brake overrides that prevent the brakes from being engaged while the throttle is engaged - this was to improve gas mileage when people drove their cars while resting their foot on the brake. The US Congress is right now looking at legislation to change this to require the brake systems to override the throttle.

[stemmer]

He tried neutral. Apparently the car will not go into neutral at high speeds....

Quote:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... way-prius/

Niebert said he instructed Sikes to put the car in neutral and hit the emergency brake and the floor brakes simultaneously. This, plus a slight incline, helped Sikes slow the car to about 50 mph. Finally, he was going slow enough to turn off the power, something he had been reluctant to do for fear of losing control when the car was speeding. With Niebert’s patrol car in front of him as a barrier, Sikes finally brought the Prius to a halt.

[BartSimpson]

stemmer wrote:

He tried neutral. Apparently the car will not go into neutral at high speeds....

And that's a good thing because when a transmission grenades it is like, well, a grenade.

[Canadianiam]

It is all BS.

All cars, and this was a car, are required, by law, to have brakes that can over power the engine. All you need to do is stand on the brakes. Those systems that bypass that are not allowed.

Now if cars are on the road that are not meeting standards then the government needs a recall.

Having been in vehicles with stuck throttles I can tell you there is no need for all this drama, it is just PR, sour grapes on the part of a country that couldn't compete.

[mikewood86]

BartSimpson wrote:

mikewood86 wrote:

Wouldn't shifting to neutral be the sensible thing? Then brakes or e brake or then turning the car off?

Good job on the officer though!

The problem is that most new cars in the USA are required to be set to not allow the engine to be shut off while in motion because this will disable the power steering. And then a lot of automatic transmissions prevent shifting to neutral above certain speeds to prevent clutch damage or 'grenading' of the transmission. And then the Toyotas and several other makes have been found to have brake overrides that prevent the brakes from being engaged while the throttle is engaged - this was to improve gas mileage when people drove their cars while resting their foot on the brake. The US Congress is right now looking at legislation to change this to require the brake systems to override the throttle.

Ah gotcha, what about just turning it to the on position just before the start position, as someone mentioned before?

[stemmer]

Put it into park... SLAM!!! and your brains are through the windshield...

[saturn_656]

stemmer wrote:

Put it into park... SLAM!!! and your brains are through the windshield...

Seatbelts don't work on Toyota's either?

[poquas]

Canadianiam wrote:

It is all BS.

All cars, and this was a car, are required, by law, to have brakes that can over power the engine. All you need to do is stand on the brakes. Those systems that bypass that are not allowed.

Now if cars are on the road that are not meeting standards then the government needs a recall.

Having been in vehicles with stuck throttles I can tell you there is no need for all this drama, it is just PR, sour grapes on the part of a country that couldn't compete.

That's a fact. It might take all the pressure you can muster, but even with the resulting damage, the brakes will stop the car.

[BartSimpson]

poquas wrote:

That's a fact. It might take all the pressure you can muster, but even with the resulting damage, the brakes will stop the car.

And a growing number of dead Toyota & Lexus owners says otherwise.

[poquas]

BartSimpson wrote:

poquas wrote:

That's a fact. It might take all the pressure you can muster, but even with the resulting damage, the brakes will stop the car.

And a growing number of dead Toyota & Lexus owners says otherwise.

I doubt "They're" saying anything.

If it's true, I suspect you're dealing with panic. Try putting on your brakes without taking your foot off the gas. It doesn't feel right, and it's going to confuse some people. There’s no software actually controlling the brakes. They still work.