Personally I think the whole acceleration thing is due to the drive by wire stuff malfunctioning. Especially since theres a whole lot more than just the pedal controlling the throttle. Things like A/C compressor load signal, traction control, or an idle air request all have some level of say in what the throttle will do. One of those could just go out of range and if the programming isnt set to deal with that it could do all sorts of crazy stuff.

Apparently Edmunds.com is going to give $1 million to anyone who can prove the cause of the problem. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-edmunds-prize3-2010mar03,0,6606596.story

And some people are still complaining about unintended acceleration even after getting the new pedal "fix." Heres an article about that: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota3-2010mar03,0,2270669.story

I guess we'll see.

I do agree, though, that modern cars are contributing to people paying less attention on the road. Cadillacs have radar that will brake for you if you get too close to someone with the cruise on, a lot of others will parallel park for you, minivans and giant suvs with backup sensors so you dont actually have to look when you're backing up, etc.

One time the throttle stuck wide open on my 88 jetta. I put it in neutral, turned the key and pulled over. I got out, popped the hood, and closed the throttle with my hand. Restarted the car and continued on my merry way. It was winter so I figured it got iced up and stuck open.

My girlfriend had the same issue driving in my STI compared to her Cavalier. She had some uneven tire wear so going above 60mph started making a helicopter noise on the highway in her car. She got driving my car and was doing 110 before she noticed she was going that fast.

I do agree, we need more cable throttle'd cars with no ABS and manual windows. They make good rally cars!

Keep in mind that people have stopped heavy cars with drum brakes from hi speeds for decades. Even if a booster went flat from no vacuum the brakes are adequate with some effort to stop the car IF neutral is engaged.

The media, whether attacking Tiger or Toyota is a multi billion dollar industry which makes attorneys seem likely for sainthood. The lady testifying in the senate(or congress) made a public testimony. I would say most of us car guys see right thru it, but the huge majority of the uninformed public will believe it. Guilty as charged..read all about it!

You see the hearing about the woman in her Lexus? She was bawling her eyes out tell her "tragic" story of how the car accelerated out of control and she was "just a passenger" at that point. But she had enough time to call her husband, with the in car bluetooth, to "hear his voice, if it be the last time".


FOR FUCKS SAKE PEOPLE SLAM THE BRAKES!!! DON'T CALL YOUR LOVER TO SAY GOODBYE!


Sometimes I wish we could let natural selection take care of the idiots...

BillyElliot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> FOR FUCKS SAKE PEOPLE SLAM THE BRAKES!!! DON'T
> CALL YOUR LOVER TO SAY GOODBYE!
>
>

Well if it was a ford with the sync stuff you can just ask the car to call while you're trying to stop it. Although if Hal is trying to kill you I dont see any reason why he would let you make a phone call.

My car was unintentionally accelerating today. Oh, wait, I just forgot I had the cruise control on.

In any case I certainly crashed, I'm probably injured to the point where TWO bandaids will be needed, and I'm gettin my lawyer on.

Anders

---

Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

Carl S Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> One time the throttle stuck wide open on my 88
> jetta. I put it in neutral, turned the key and
> pulled over. I got out, popped the hood, and
> closed the throttle with my hand. Restarted the
> car and continued on my merry way. It was winter
> so I figured it got iced up and stuck open.

My wife had this happen. She was 18 and knew NOTHING about cars. It happened on the highway at 120kms/h and she thought it through and did the same thing - threw it in nutral turned of the engine and pulled off the road. She didn't know about the thottle cable, so she pulsed the gas pedal a few times and started it up again. It worked fine.

Nobody ever told her to do that - she just used common sense.

Common sense is something Americans lack.

A friend said to me, "You know it's bad when you need help foaming soap to wash your hands". Pretty much paints the picture of the "automatic America".

BillyElliot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sometimes I wish we could let natural selection
> take care of the idiots...

We've been trying to systematically eradicate natural selection for years. So much for the smart advancing while the ignorant dwindle away. Nowadays, natural selection merely rewards those who reproduce the most.

Hooray evolution.

---

Brian Driggs | KG7KCA | PHX, AZ | 89 Pajero
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest

DR1665 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BillyElliot Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sometimes I wish we could let natural
> selection
> > take care of the idiots...
>
> We've been trying to systematically eradicate
> natural selection for years. So much for the
> smart advancing while the ignorant dwindle away.
> Nowadays, natural selection merely rewards those
> who reproduce the most.
>
> Hooray evolution.
>
>

Idiocracy lays this out pretty good.

BillyElliot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Idiocracy lays this out pretty good.

Yeah it does.

---

Brian Driggs | KG7KCA | PHX, AZ | 89 Pajero
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest

Anders Green Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My car was unintentionally accelerating today. Oh,
> wait, I just forgot I had the cruise control on.
>
> In any case I certainly crashed, I'm probably
> injured to the point where TWO bandaids will be
> needed, and I'm gettin my lawyer on.
>

Call the bastids who made the POS up and shout "Are you ready to LITIGATE!!!!"
> Anders
>
> Raleigh, NC
> Impreza H6 3.0

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Carl S Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BillyElliot Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > FOR FUCKS SAKE PEOPLE SLAM THE BRAKES!!!
> DON'T
> > CALL YOUR LOVER TO SAY GOODBYE!
> >
> >
>
> Well if it was a ford with the sync stuff you can
> just ask the car to call while you're trying to
> stop it. Although if Hal is trying to kill you I
> dont see any reason why he would let you make a
> phone call.


LOL

---

Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/

What I really like is how Toyotas won't allow a shift to Neutral over 50mph.

Presumably it's an engine saving feature.

Ever since the mid-80s or so, if you have a GM vehicle in Park or Neutral, the rev limiter drops to 3000rpm.

The VW throttle by wire gives you two seconds of WOT + brake before it cuts the engine to idle.

If Toyota is so much better than GM or Ford, how come they couldn't figure this out?

---

Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

Pete Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What I really like is how Toyotas won't allow a
> shift to Neutral over 50mph.

Is this documented somewhere? In all the forums and articles I have read I have never heard of this "feature"

---

-Jason