Accelerator pedal test postive

[ZoomALH]

I tried an experiment with the car: while driving in gear, with nobody behind you, press on the brake pedal while still having your foot on the accelerator pedal. It does bring the engine back to idle. If that fails, turn the car off and back on so that the steering wheel isn't locked. You'll find that steering is still possible but it feels heavy at slow speeds like a manual power steering car.

[Stefan2006]

Yea, this is well known as an artifact of VW drive by wire. The difference is that VW programs it differently from say, Toyota.

[freerider]

Audi was nearly killed by unintended acceleration from the pedals being too close and too far to the left. I think it's a safe bet that Toyota will also add this safety feature.

[goyeahyeah]

That's why I'm glad VW still uses key ignitions. The news says that some cars you have to push-hold the off button to shut it off. Others you have to press multiple times. What if a kid is playing with the button? What if you have an engine runaway and have to shut it off immediately and can't shift it into neutral?

[Superbass]

Originally Posted by goyeahyeah

That's why I'm glad VW still uses key ignitions. The news says that some cars you have to push-hold the off button to shut it off. Others you have to press multiple times. What if a kid is playing with the button? What if you have an engine runaway and have to shut it off immediately and can't shift it into neutral?

You stomp on the brakes.

Now would be a good time to buy a Toyota though. The dealers must have some good sales going to make up for lost customers.

[darren]

More bad news....it looks like Toyota may have tried to bury early investigations...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/ambs8icm3pyy

[8Hector8]

Originally Posted by darren

More bad news....it looks like Toyota may have tried to bury early investigations...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/ambs8icm3pyy

Is there a simley for a golden shovel? While it looks bad, I'm sure a few of the unintended acceleration may have been floor mat issues unrelated to the current recall or driver error. That's why I don't step between someone starting their car in front of a building. Before you say it's being paranoid, I knew someone who jerked their car in a ditch because they normally drive autos, was conditioned a certain way and just forgot to take it out of gear.

[hsadd]

This is somewhat related, did anyone see the news reports about the woman from Tennessee who had a runaway Lexus giving testimony to Congress? She said the car accelerated to 100 mph for 6 minutes and she stood with both feet on brakes with no result and couldn't shut off the engine.

I'll give her that maybe an electronic ignition key and shifter wouldn't let her shut off the engine or shift out of gear but I have two problems with her story.

First, 100 mph is really fast. 6 minutes at 100 mph is 10 miles. Was there no traffic for 10 miles or is she a really good driver? Second, aren't the brakes strong enough to overwhelm the engine?

[jon applespeed]

As symphathetic as I am to someone who had a runaway, I don't buy her story if that is the case. Maybe she reached a maximum of 100 mph, not 100 mph sustained. If you've ever found a stretch of open road and floored it, you know you it is very fast. Brakes are strong enough to overwhelm pretty much any engine. Was it a hybrid? Maybe the brakes weren't giving her full power. If it wasn't a hybrid and the brakes were working normally, I don't see how the brakes couldn't stop the car. This is true for any normal car.

[fgbrault]

Originally Posted by jon applespeed

As symphathetic as I am to someone who had a runaway, I don't buy her story if that is the case. Maybe she reached a maximum of 100 mph, not 100 mph sustained. If you've ever found a stretch of open road and floored it, you know you it is very fast. Brakes are strong enough to overwhelm pretty much any engine. Was it a hybrid? Maybe the brakes weren't giving her full power. If it wasn't a hybrid and the brakes were working normally, I don't see how the brakes couldn't stop the car. This is true for any normal car.

I believe that at higher speed brakes have great difficulty overcoming a full throttle. There is much more force required (due to Physics) and the brakes can heat up and become impaired.