Toyota runaway cars dilemma?

luther

There are some things I don't understand about the self accelerating Toyota cars. #1: Why wouldn't the driver simply put the transmission into neutral and brake to a stop? Don't worry about damaging an engine.due to too high rpm #2: Turn the ignition key off, making sure you don't turn it too far and lock the steering wheel. Apply the brakes and don't release. If the brakes are used in this manner, and not "pumped", there should be enough vacuum assist to bring the car to a stop. There won't be any power steering, and steering will be pretty "stiff" but any adult should be able to steer it in a nearly straight line and through minor curves. Does anyone have insights into this. Any comments welcome

WB

What you wrote is what should be done. Unfortunately, a lot of people are not experienced or knowledgeable enough to do this. And some people are too scared to think.

nUts

2 theories.































#1 I'm assuming you've never had this problem happen to you, perhaps the driver did put the car in nuetral but it was still unresponsive, I did read that one person did apply the brakes the whole time, and he could smell his brakes cooking so they were clearly ingaged.































#2 and most likely Panic, when someone panics they panic and lose all train of thought. Probably thinking OH S*#T F*#K F*#K and then crash.































Personally if that were to happen to me I would be ok because I would also put it in neutral. But I don't have to worry about that crap because I buy German cars. Audi 2009 rs6 is the way to go.

Mustanger

First off you can't "turn the ignition key off on a Toyota" The key just disable the alarm system in the computer. There is a start/stop button that has to be held 3 seconds to tell the computer to shut down and stop the engine. Big problem with that is that the steering is through the computer. When you turn the wheel you're telling the computer what you want and it decides how much to turn the steering. Shut that damn computer down and you have no steering at all. Not just heavy steering from losing power assist but absolutly NO steering. Now what do you think about the wonderful world of computer control?

ugiidriver

You answered your own question, except for one fact. The steering wheel will not lock. You can test this at low speed or even when you are not moving. The steering wheel will not lock until after the transmission is put in park and the key removed.















In order to put the car in park the brake must be held down while the shifter is moved.















So if you simply turn off the key you can still steer, just with more effort because the power steering will not be boosted. I am surprised this is not required on DMV tests, there seem to be so many people who have not thought about it in advance.

paul h

Most people simply panic and do not have time to think things through when your vehicle is out of control. We're talking about a wide range of people that this happens to and most people are not mechanically inclined or knowledgeable.































The intiial response is to press as hard as possible on the brakes to slow the car down which won't work....most braking systems aren't strong enough to overcome a racing engine as we see time and again Emergency brakes are only designed to keep a car from rolling when parked and provide a minimal amount of braking force in other situations.....they are highly inadequate to stop a racing car either. And people are also sometimes fearful that if they shift into neutral, they will lose control or the engine will somehow blow up and trap them in a burning car or worse...thank Hollywood for that. When people are faced with a crisis situation with little time to think things through, they revert to what they know and braking is the only thing people know so they try to brake harder.































The truth is that modern cars have rev limiters which shut off fuel and ignition to prevent the engine from over-revving and blowing up. It may sound like it's going to but it won't. Engines don't really blow up...they seize up from overheating and lack of oil protection although during seizing up, it's possible for parts of the engine like connecting rods or crank parts to burst through the engine wall. It takes an awful lot to seize an engine...I've seen engines run for an hour with no oil in them.































The proper procedure is to shift into neutral, then brake as quickly and safely as possible while keeping the vehicle under control and then shut off the ignition when stopped. You can indeed try to shut off the ignition on some models while driving but then you might lose power steering and braking effort may increase. You also risk locking up the steering wheel on certain models if it's not done properly by turning the key off and then back to the on...unlocked... or accessorie position...without starting of course. It depends if the road is straight or not and any traffic around. And in some cases, the car may start back up if the engine is turning by being still engaged with the trans. And in some cases like the Prius, the steering, braking, etc.. are computer controlled so shutting off the engine/car won't be good. So you're better off leaving the car run and shifting into neutral.































There have been some claims that certain Toyota or Lexus models cannot be shifted into neutral at higher speeds...that they are electonically controlled to prevent engine or trans damage but for the most part, this is not the case. Most vehicles have a mechanical linkage or cable to shift gears although some may have an interlock which prevents you from shifting into reverse at higher speeds. And some of the problems might be related to cruise control software or servo problems...the accelerator is electronically controlled by the cruise servo on some models... so hitting the "cancel" button for the cruise might help as well. Normally, hitting the brake pedal should disengage the cruise servo but the brake switch may be bad or defective.

toledojeeper

Paul H is incorrect...the transmission on most newer vehicles is controlled by electronics and a computer,so the computer will not let you put it into neutral with the accelerator at full throttle.From what I have read it will also not let you shut the vehicle off at full throttle too.

Dustin

The real issue is when will Toyota admit the problem is electronic, and fix it properly, before more people get killed? This 'What should people do when their Toyota runs out of control?' question should not even exist, since the problem was identified years ago.















In Japan, Toyota was censured by the Japanese government in 2006 for ' failing to disclose and act on reports, over eight years, of design defects implicated in 'loss of control' incidents. " There were also over 2600 such complaints involving Toyota vehicles in the U.S. from 2004-07.