Stuck accelerator Video. HOLY CRAP

[SirStev0]

nuts.

 

[coloumb]

The driver in the video probably did what most of us would've done - panicked and tried to avoid hitting anything [pretty impressive driving/reaction skills]. Just too bad it ended up the way it did.

Perhaps auto makers need to rethink their acceleration control systems...

 

[OutHouse]

What's stopping them from putting the car on neutral/stepping on brakes/turning off car? ^_^

yea wtf. put it in neutral, turn it off do something!!!

 

[reallyscrued]

never. it won't be long before conventional throttles are extinct, and for good reason - they are totally redundant.

Please elaborate?

 

[WelshBloke]

That guy's a bloody idiot.

 

[Lean L]

This is dumb.... do people just not know how to use the transmission? No need to freak out over anything. I had a gps knock me into neutral just recently while climbing a hill with cars close behind. First reaction was shift back into gear and continue driving. Less than 1/2 sec response time... people just are not very bright nowadays. Before someone says it's not the same situation, first sign that anything isn't right with the throttle, my reaction would be to check the transmission. Not hard at all.

 

[jagec]

Turning the engine off seems dangerous. As far as I know, the car's hydraulics (brakes, steering) are run off engine power... turn off the power, lose power braking/steering. Fail. Also maybe this isn't true in newer cars but in the cars I've driven, if you turn the steering wheel too far w/the engine off, it locks.

You still have initial power braking from the residual vacuum in the system, so if you stomp on the brakes AND KEEP YOUR FOOT DOWN, the brakes work fine. Power steering is essentially unnecessary unless you're parallel parking or AGGRESSIVELY cornering at high speeds (or in a truck I guess), and the steering wheel won't lock unless you turn the key past Accessory into Lock. Which indeed might be a concern for some panicked people, but those people probably won't think to turn the key in the first place. Besides, chances are that you'll be stopping in a straight line 90% of the time you get a stuck accelerator anyway.

I've had a stuck accelerator once. I was driving an old Toyota Land Cruiser down a mountain gravel road, towing a trailer full of rocks. I came to a straightaway, accelerated, and then the pedal stuck down as I lifted to slow down for the curve. I almost put a hole in the floor stomping the clutch pedal, and then shut off the engine while braking to a halt so that it wouldn't overrev and get damaged.
Once I came to a halt, I pulled the parking brake. I must have been too aggressive, because it snapped. I put the car in gear, but there was enough weight in the back and the road was steep enough to overpower the engine. So I stood on the brake while the other guy in the car went out and shoved a rock under the tire. Then I fixed the throttle and we continued on our way.

It would have been bad if I hadn't had someone with me, as the power brakes were gone at that point and there was a LOT of weight behind me.

 

[Drako]

I do not understand why these fucking morons just don't put it in neutral.
WHAT THE FUCK ?

This, and/or turn off the ignition.

 

[LTC8K6]

Please elaborate?

Drive by wire is now pretty much universal, so they can and have taken the next step.

Some mfgs have actually done away with the throttle altogether such as with BMW's valvetronic, Fiat's multi-air, Toyota's valvematic, etc.

 

[reallyscrued]

Drive by wire is now pretty much universal, so they can and have taken the next step.

Some mfgs have actually done away with the throttle altogether such as with BMW's valvetronic, Fiat's multi-air, Toyota's valvematic, etc.

I hate drive-by-wire. I exclusively drive manuals and miss the feeling of a mechanical linkage allowing me to finely tune and actuate the gas pedal in relation to the clutch; the feel of a lifeless smooth pedal doesn't translate resistance of the throttle plate well and unless you clean your throttle body every time you change your oil, chances are it will stick closed for a fraction of a second. Plus, never have I ever driven a car where the DBW system didn't have some sort of a delay in the system itself. (Disclaimer: I've never driven the newer manuals in premium sports cars like BMWs, Benzes, Infinit's, etc. I would like to give them a whirl though)

And I'm a little confused your post. You are mentioning intake valve systems that allow them to adjust timing, how does take the place of a throttle butterfly?

EDIT: Very sleepy.

 

[jagec]

And I'm a little confused your post. You are mentioning intake valve systems that allow them to adjust timing, how does take the place of a throttle butterfly?

EDIT: Very sleepy.

Instead of the throttle plate opening or closing to let in more or less air, the valves themselves open more or less (lift and duration) to achieve the same control.

 

[corwin]

How the hell does an accelerator get "stuck" when you're at a dead stop with your foot on the brake? Why would you take your foot of the brake? This is just dumb...

 

[Doppel]

Since when is calling a person pressing the wrong pedal a stuck accelerator?

 

[Doppel]

On the topic of sticking the car in neutral... wasn't the issue with the unintended acceleration on the prius a few years back was that it has a goofy gearbox where there's no actual mechanical linkage and instead a switch? And that there was some kind of glitch?

I didn't follow it too closely, so my memory may be a bit fuzzy there.

Actually it was people simply hitting the wrong pedal, but yes to put the prius in neutral you need hold it in N for a moment, it doesn't simply go right into it. Also, pressing the ignition does nothing; it needs to be held for a moment. Still, slam the damn brakes should be number Fvcking 1 priority!

Lastly, this video is highly fishy. The guy accelerates and very, very quickly is into the next lane, like he was expecting it to happen. I simply think that's an unnatural reaction if your car really did start to speed up.

The car starts to accelerate at 6 seconds and as 7 seconds comes along he's already steering. I don't buy it.

 

[SunnyD]

I've been in this exact scenario before - my old pontiac lemans had a sticky throttle wire on the carburetor. My wife and I were leaving home one day and the accelerator stuck. I popped it in neutral and immediately shut the ignition off, stopped, popped the hood and tapped the assembly which popped the throttle back to normal. I think I was 22 at the time, so not a shitton of driving experience on me, but it was called COMMON SENSE. I used it.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

A lot of our responses are made with the assumption that the controls we have available are mechanically linked. More and more parts of cars are controlled by computers and not direct mechanical links anymore. First we saw it with throttles, more recently with transmissions.

Car we are imagining:
Brakes: Can still work without engine running. You have to just stomp really hard
Steering: Like brakes, can be done, just harder to turn.
Transmission: mechanically linked, just pull it out of gear.

But in a 100% computer controlled car without direct mechanical controls that has "crashed"
Brakes: Useless spring loaded petal
Steering: Useless
Transmission: Useless

Obviously this sounds incredibly doomsday, but it is an example of a worse case scenario. As such I think car designers should keep it in mind and maybe keep somethings mechanical.

 

[Doppel]

A lot of our responses are made with the assumption that the controls we have available are mechanically linked. More and more parts of cars are controlled by computers and not direct mechanical links anymore. First we saw it with throttles, more recently with transmissions.

Car we are imagining:
Brakes: Can still work without engine running. You have to just stomp really hard
Steering: Like brakes, can be done, just harder to turn.
Transmission: mechanically linked, just pull it out of gear.

But in a 100% computer controlled car without direct mechanical controls that has "crashed"
Brakes: Useless spring loaded petal
Steering: Useless
Transmission: Useless

Obviously this sounds incredibly doomsday, but it is an example of a worse case scenario. As such I think car designers should keep it in mind and maybe keep somethings mechanical.

On the contrary, if I'm not mistaken an increasing number of cars now have--because they are drive by wire--built such that when the brake is pressed with the accelerator the throttle will cut.

 

[LTC8K6]

I hate drive-by-wire. I exclusively drive manuals and miss the feeling of a mechanical linkage allowing me to finely tune and actuate the gas pedal in relation to the clutch; the feel of a lifeless smooth pedal doesn't translate resistance of the throttle plate well and unless you clean your throttle body every time you change your oil, chances are it will stick closed for a fraction of a second. Plus, never have I ever driven a car where the DBW system didn't have some sort of a delay in the system itself. (Disclaimer: I've never driven the newer manuals in premium sports cars like BMWs, Benzes, Infinit's, etc. I would like to give them a whirl though)

And I'm a little confused your post. You are mentioning intake valve systems that allow them to adjust timing, how does take the place of a throttle butterfly?

EDIT: Very sleepy.

The systems I mentioned do not have a conventional throttle body with a throttle butterfly valve. They are throttle-less, like a diesel. Intake air is controlled entirely by valve timing and lift, removing the need for the conventional throttle system.

http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/07/0612.html

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/technology_guide/articles/mm_valvetronic.html

Valvetronic.
Enjoy better performance while consuming less fuel: Valvetronic lets you get even more driving pleasure from your BMW engine.

This highly advanced technology replaces the conventional throttle butterfly with a electrical mechanism that controls the amount of lift of the individual intake valves on each cylinder. Your engine is able to breathe freely, delivering better performance while using less fuel.
The performance of the engine is more efficient and immediate, thanks to the elimination of the pumping losses and air-flow disturbance caused by a conventional throttle butterfly. Instead, air can flow through the intake manifold freely, and Valvetronic precisely regulates the quantity of air entering the cylinders.
Valvetronic uses a stepper motor to control a secondary eccentric shaft fitted with a series of intermediate rocker arms, which in turn control the degree of valve lift. The throttle butterfly is no longer needed as a means of controlling the air supply - though for safety reasons it is still fitted as an emergency back-up.
By optimising the fuel/air mix process, Valvetronic produces fuel savings of up to 10 percent (based on the ECE driving cycle). In addition, Valvetronic improves cold start behaviour, lowers exhaust emissions and provides smoother, more immediate power.

 

[Wyndru]

It seems like a lot of cars there have cams in them (that also keep track of km/h). Is it a law to have these in every car in SK?

 

[airdata]

scary...

 

[Jinny]

I had this happen on a stick shift car. Freaked me out for a second, but once I grasped what was happening, threw it into neutral, red lined, slammed on the brakes, locked up, realized I didn't have ABS, pumped brakes, and stopped. Scared some soccer moms half to death.

.....or just depress the clutch

 

[Sa7aN]

No they don't, I'd they are worn enough the engine could over power them, especially once it has some momentum behind it.

i stopped my 1970 camaro with vac assist brakes when its secondaries froze open and i ran out of gears... worked 350ci 4speed with a 4:11 rear vs drum brakes... brakes won but i was literally standing on the pedal

i didnt throw it in neutral because i really didnt want to blow the engine, and i didnt turn the ignition off because there were turns approaching, i would have done both if the brakes didnt have an effect

 

[eits]

anyone else notice that that car slammed into the other car at just over 80 mph?

 

[wirednuts]

my first reaction would be to turn off the key. who cares if it locks the wheel, and yes i know it makes the brakes hard to push but fuck it, you will stop and not die.

i agree putting it in neutral is best, but really in a panic you will likely throw it to park. which is fine too. youll probably ruin the parking gear, but again you will stop and not die.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Please elaborate?

Actually, my grandparents told me of their old 1975 Ford Econoline that they were taking up an interstate ramp (a circular one) with their children when an engine mount broke. The other one on that side soon followed and the entire engine lurched sideways. The different angle pulled the throttle cable all the way open, and so they went flying up the interstate ramp. They shut off the engine once they were to the top of the ramp and were able to get it stopped.

While an electronic glitch wouldn't occur with mechanical linkage, its very naive to think they are some how impervious to all issues.