# US weighs brake feature for all cars post-Toyota



## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

Sorry, but I fund a lot of this a little amusing. This isn't the first time a car accelerated uncontrollably on a highway somewhere. I even read about this in the learner's driving manual and even in that limited book, they explain how to over ride the vehicle to bring it back under control.

Can't speak for the prius, but all of our vehicles have at least 2 independant ways to bring them under control if the engine decides to take off. Neutral for auto/clutch for stick, and the ignition key. Something I heard is that the push button ignition systems that many new cars have require a full 3 seconds to actually shut off power. Seems a little long IMO, since any old vehicle with a direct ignition switch can be shut off as soon as you turn the key. A lot can happen in 3 seconds especially when you consider reaction time of a driver.

I think one of the biggest problems is people expect the vehicle to always work perfectly and don't prepare for when things can go wrong. I even see people burn their brakes out because they don't gear down on steeper hills (hills that I rarely even touch the brakes on). Common sense, but they don't think and do it anyway.

Some one on one of the diesel forums posted a link to this video. I thought it was hillarious, but be warned it contains foul language and some direct "common sense":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ4PtafRB9chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ4PtafRB9c


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## alexcrouse (Mar 16, 2009)

Exactly! But even the button WILL stop the car! I drive a Toyota and am not scared at all. The most recent Prius that made the news, there was nothing at all wrong with the car, the jerk was just trying to make big money from Toyota.

That idiot that called 911 while his car was running away? What a moron. 911 op even told him what to do, all he did was scream like a little girl while he wrecked. And i even heard a report that a Prius accelerated to 140mph before the guy got it to turn off. Show me a Factory Prius that will go 140, and i will buy you a viper to replace it.

I'd bet money this whole thing was started by GM just to make foreign cars look dangerous, then the news ran with it.


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## namyzarc (Mar 18, 2008)

I just read an article and Toyota has tested the cars computer.
Apparently that guy had alternately pressed the accelerator and brake pedal 250 times....
In addition, his story just doesn't add up. IMO, this guy is lying.


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

What I saw on a brief TV news report today is the NTSB was unable to find anything wrong with the car either, not just toyota. I agree it sounds fishy and I don't even particularly like the prius.


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## rmay635703 (Oct 23, 2008)

Actually there is a bit more going on with toyotas troubles, there are some legitimate "programming" issues that are to blame but on an off note...

Why not put in a kill switch or change the law back to require keyed ignition? I see ideot button starts in many advertisements and I instantly think, ah crap so It doesn't just shut off.

Ever wonder why most every car 1960-1995 had a key? Because law required it as the form of ignition.

Also leave neutral alone, it serves a vital function don't lock it out under accel.

It seems to me it isn't too much to ask to have a working key and neutral?


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## BWH (Sep 26, 2008)

> [Head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, David]Strickland also said Toyota's bigger fleet had boosted the number of complaints. "They had the same percentage of sudden acceleration issues as other manufacturers. They just had more of them because they have more cars."


I guess it's not always good to be the king. 



I played around with my wife's gen1 Prius the other day. It's very odd to realize that there is no direct mechanical connection between the controls in your hand and the things they are meant to control. I could floor it and shift into neutral or hit the brake (didn't try the key yet, I'll wait till I'm in an empty parking lot to try that one) and the throttle just cut off. Stopping wasn't a problem, but I can see how you can get into trouble real quick if the computer fails.


Cars today will not let the driver do anything that will damage the car. IE shifting to a lower gear at too high a speed. Increasingly though the driver is left without any options to protect themselves from the car. 


We rented a gen2 Prius on a trip to California a while back. I absolutely hated that bloody start button.  Even reading the manual it took several days to figure out how to start and stop the car on the first try. I for one will never buy a car with one. 


Of course I am in the middle of converting a car so I guess the chance of me buying a new one is a bit low.


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## alexcrouse (Mar 16, 2009)

Frankly i hate the Prius. Actually, all hybrids. They are ment as a distraction to still appear good for the environment but keep us burning gas. If that kind of R+D cost went into battery development, do you really think we would be such an underground movement? Think if they took that motor design from the prius. Put 4 of those rings together on one shaft, ud have one hell of an electric motor. By the way: My hybrid driving friends hated me in high school, my Saturn SL-1 got better mileage than their 40k$+ car that daddy bought them. I got 54mpg!


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## CroDriver (Jan 8, 2009)

Is it really that hard to shout down the car?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ4PtafRB9c

EDIT: Didn't see that David already posted the video... I just can't believe how stupid this guy was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03m7fmnhO0I

He was calling the police instead of DOING something!!


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

alexcrouse said:


> Frankly i hate the Prius. Actually, all hybrids. They are ment as a distraction to still appear good for the environment but keep us burning gas. If that kind of R+D cost went into battery development, do you really think we would be such an underground movement? Think if they took that motor design from the prius. Put 4 of those rings together on one shaft, ud have one hell of an electric motor. By the way: My hybrid driving friends hated me in high school, my Saturn SL-1 got better mileage than their 40k$+ car that daddy bought them. I got 54mpg!


Personally, I love the saturn. Tough, lightweight, and meant to be fairly aerodynamic from day one. I hear that with some PCM hacking, you can lean out the fuel mixture to get even more MPGs. I only drove mine for a single full day before parking it prior to teardown, but it seemed to be a zippy little go cart.

I think you will be hard pressed to find another 4 door sedan with that much room inside that is as lightweight and still performed well in crash testing. Haven't heard of 54MPG but it might be possible, of course I would probably try and stuff a diesel in there somehow


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## Woodsmith (Jun 5, 2008)

Slightly OT.

When I had an MGB many moons ago I wanted a start button like the old race cars did.

I fitted a button to start the car but when I turned the key off the engine stopped.  Doesn't that work with modern cars then?


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