Audi 5000 All Over Again? ABC News Opens Investigation On Toyota Sudden Acceleration Incidents

Seems to me that there should be a mandate that the braking system on all cars must be capable of overpowering the vehicle's engine and stopping the car. Seems like the German cars have it but the Japanese cars don't - don't know about US cars.

— pcar4evr (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 10:51:59 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

Why does that picture remind me of a classic lawyer joke?

— Shredmo (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 11:31:09 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

All they had to do what put the car in neutral.

That still doesn't excuse Toyota for releasing dangerous deadly vehicles on to the public. So much for Toyotas being the best engineered cars on the planet?

— LexSucks (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 11:31:46 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Should give investigative "journalism" some good ratings. I guess they're just following Obama's decry of "strike while the iron is hot" to help out the big 2.5.

I'm sure ABC will be doing a full investigation of Ford's latest recall which officially tops 16 million cars for fire hazards dating back to 2003.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 11:41:52 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Lexsucks,
Cars is one thing, floormats another. There's no preventative safety systems that protect against stupidity or panic.

Why not ask why Toyota hasn't electronically limited their death mobiles to 70mph so the state trooper would never have reached 100mph. Who needs to go past 70mph?I know, its completely Toyota's fault for being so successful that the US gov't now feels the need to get involved to ensure the "free market corrects itself".

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 11:45:00 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

If not handled right, this will open the door for Hyundai to take the number 1 spot, unfortunately!

— montyz81 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 12:12:21 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

I thought Toyota already fixed the floor may issue :/....

— shabaru (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 12:12:22 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

As I recall, after years of investigating thousands of reported runaway Audis, the culprit ended up being "pedal misapplication", the official terms used in the final reports, and a euphemism for "operator error."

It seems the all-too-human (or all-too-North-American?) default position is: Not My Fault. Even when we mess up, it's because of a "bad design" that was at fault. Not operator error, lack of training, or anything else that would render us as being accountable for our own decisions, actions, or inactions.

Combine that with a sea of helpful lawyers, hoards of empathetic jurors, and media who dutifully shine the light of truth on all matters to help the public be well-informed, and we have the current state.

Sue the bastards for making people-killers!

— Steve (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 12:49:38 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

Agree with Steve.
The problem with the Audi 5000 was that the pedals were a little bit close together and it was human error. audi didn't handle the problemk correctly, as they should have tried to make a minor change with pedal placement and they wouldn't have suffered for 10 years.

Floormats are an issue sometimes. I had one bend pretty badly once, and while I didn't make this kind of a mistake, it has affected my shifting when I stepped down on the gas. It's easier to avoid in a stick shift because worst case you step on the clutch and the car goes nowhere.

Sounds like people just can't drive in this case.

— Schwitz916 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 1:17:53 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

Toyota needs to get in front of this mess or they're gonna get "Audi'd".

— thstone (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 2:03:57 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

Did. You guys read the comment of the woman who put her Prius in Reverse then Drive and crash into her garage door at 20 mph?
Or the guy who was on the hwy with the cruise control and he pushed it up and it accellerated and then he hit the brakes and he was still going 90 mph in traffic with his foot still on the brake

now I know if I'm braking in my IS and was doing 90, there would be a loud screech and then a stop.
I'm thinking majority of these complaints are driver error, and like most Americans they don't want to take responsibility for their own actions. I'll be glad when cars can drive themselves then we won't have these problems

— Inline6 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/3/2009 2:09:31 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

I'm gonna rent a Winnebago, set the cruise control and go make a sandwich. Hey, the button said automatic pilot!

I realize that there are many many factors in this, and a quick reaction from most of us here who are enthusiasts who know more about automobiles than the average consumer would notice a problem if you were doing say 60-70 and the car was accelerating on it's own. The problem would be detected, researched, and resolved quickly in our own minds before getting to 90mph or more. Putting the car in neutral to disengage the transmission from the engine is the #1 that allows you to brake without more power going to the wheels.

But again, most people don't think like this, or have the automotive know-how that we do with driving or about the car itself. That is why they buy a Toyota (ok cheap shot).

I've never had an issue with my floormats in my car, the clip does it's job fine. Unless your constantly pushing and adjusting your feet while driving there is no error of the mat being pushed up and over the gas pedal. I think some research should be done into the people's driving habits, how they sit, where the foot placement is. Do they drive with both feet? Are the mats checked to ensure they are flat and not bunched up? Too many variables.

— Whelan (View Profile)

Posted on 11/4/2009 8:06:45 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Several solutions assuming the brakes are toast: Put the car in neutral, down shift to lower gears, throw the dang thing in park/reverse(to clip the engine)or just turn the ignition off. Anything to take the engine power away from the wheels should be attempted.

But from what I've heard, the new fangled electronics will not allow the car to be switched off unless in park or downshifted with the accelerator floored. Interesting.

— r_driver04 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/4/2009 11:54:18 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1