So, have you heard about the guy who has been in prison for vehicular manslaughter?

[jlewisinsyr]

Unless the car you're in accelerates to 90mph on it's own, then you don't know what the hell is going on, and you are stomping on the brakes and they are not working.

Oh, and regarding the story, I think it is more likely that the vehicle had a malfunction than the man was speeding at 90 mph with his pregnant wife. Very few people go 90 mph. I would not put a man in prison unless the facts could be proven that he committed the crime. I feel sorry for the guy and his family.

Did either of your read what I wrote, cars don't just jump up to 90 MPH, even at a starting speed of 60 - 70 MPH. It takes time and progression, time that should be sufficient for anyone to take appropriate action. I am not saying that the manufacturer is not responsible, but not knowing how to take appropriate action in an emergency situation is not acceptable.

 

[Squirlz]

I'm sorry, but I am telling you, when this happened to me, the brakes did not stop the car. It happened 3 different times and each time, when the car was accelerating on it's own, I had the brakes pushed as hard as I could, the car just kept going. I don't know how else to explain it. The man we are talking about kept saying the brakes would not stop the car. Other people who have had this happen have said the brakes would not stop the car, so there is something to it that makes the brakes not work.

To the people who say the man is responsible even if the car had a mechanical failure, because he should have known what to do...yeah right! Until you are in that situation, you don't know how you will react. He was travelling at 90mph, and the brakes were not working..he had his family in the car, I think he may have been panicked and not thinking in his right mind. I know how I panicked in the few seconds I was in that situation, only I was on a rural road with no other traffic. Who knows what I would have done if I was at a busy intersection or something.

There must be something to this, but I don't know how to explain it. The two systems are not connected. Did the brake pedal feel different than normal? Did you immediately brake as hard as you could? If someone just applies the brakes normally at first, they could overheat and fade and then your braking force is reduced. They need to be stomped on immediately.

I'm just trying to understand it because I have a thorough knowledge of the mechanics of automobiles. When things like this are reported over and over it piques my curiosity as to what is going on.

 

[Squirlz]

I disagree with this. He should not be held responsible because of mechanical failure just because he didn't have the proper reaction. When faced with a life or death situation, many people panic. If the car hadn't been faulty, then he would not have been faced with this situation. The liability rests on the faulty equipment and the manufacturer. It seems that sometimes people like to blame the victim.

Oh, and regarding the story, I think it is more likely that the vehicle had a malfunction than the man was speeding at 90 mph with his pregnant wife. Very few people go 90 mph. I would not put a man in prison unless the facts could be proven that he committed the crime. I feel sorry for the guy and his family.

I haven't read the case, but was this investigated in the trial? If they found no mechanical failure then it would just be discounted as an excuse.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

Did either of your read what I wrote, cars don't just jump up to 90 MPH, even at a starting speed of 60 - 70 MPH. It takes time and progression, time that should be sufficient for anyone to take appropriate action. I am not saying that the manufacturer is not responsible, but not knowing how to take appropriate action in an emergency situation is not acceptable.

I still say one can be totally prepared for an emergency, but once you're in the situation all of it can go out the window. Sadly, I've been there, and I can say that I definitely got tunnel vision and wasn't thinking clearly.

 

[Bluestars]

Did either of your read what I wrote, cars don't just jump up to 90 MPH, even at a starting speed of 60 - 70 MPH. It takes time and progression, time that should be sufficient for anyone to take appropriate action. I am not saying that the manufacturer is not responsible, but not knowing how to take appropriate action in an emergency situation is not acceptable.

I hope if you are ever in an emergency that you will remember to act appropriately at all times. Anything else would not be acceptable. I'm sure human emotions like panic, fear, and terror will not affect your ability to act appropriately.

 

[Bluestars]

There must be something to this, but I don't know how to explain it. The two systems are not connected. Did the brake pedal feel different than normal? Did you immediately brake as hard as you could? If someone just applies the brakes normally at first, they could overheat and fade and then your braking force is reduced. They need to be stomped on immediately.

I'm just trying to understand it because I have a thorough knowledge of the mechanics of automobiles. When things like this are reported over and over it piques my curiosity as to what is going on.

I know your question wasn't directly towards me, but this is what happened to my FIL. The car kept accelerating. He tried the brakes and they wouldn't work. The car went off of the road and flew 30 feet. Luckily, he and my MIL survived. But it was terrifying for him. He was in the Navy for 30 years, yet he couldn't react "appropriately" during the heat of the moment. After it was over, he knew what he should have done.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

So, I just saw this on my local news. I didn't realize this happened in Minnesota.

DH and I have a 99 Camry and an 03 Sienna. We have always been Toyota fans, but this has me wondering if we are as safe as we think we are.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

It's very easy to think you'd know how to react in a stressfull situation. But once you get into that situation, everything you know goes out the door.

People like paramedics and firefighters I'm sure have "freak out" moments those first few calls. But since they're in that kind of enviroment consistantly, they can act in a proper way and make good decisions.

Not sure if even that is correct.

The accident in san diego that happened, man driving with wife in car, brother in law in the back seat.

Brother in law calls 911, car is accellerating and they can't stop, brakes don't work, need help NOW...car ended up crashing into an suv and flew across t-intersction, killed all three.

It was a loaner car from a dealership. (turns out that several other customers had complained that the car suddenly accelerated)

driver was an OFF DUTY CHP OFFICER, use to high speed driving and emergency situiations.

 

[XTinabell]

I saw this not too long ago and feel everyone should watch it.

What to Do if Your Car Accelerates Out of Control
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayToyotas/video?id=8980024

I hope the guy received a full acquittal ASAP! I hope others have charges expunged from their records and receive full restitution as well.

I like this. Thanks for posting, I've watched it several times hopefully I will remember what to do if this ever happens to me.

 

[Longsx3]

I know several posters have mentioned their non toyota accelerating which seemingly confirms what my toyota service advisor told me last week, that toyota is not the only car manufacture to have this problem they were just the first to hit this news.

In December we traded our Volvo for a Sienna, so far I love it.

 

[angwill]

A totally different problem I had with a Kia Sportage was that it would just die out in traffic. Imagine being on a crowded highway and suddenly you loose speed rapidly because the car turned itself off. It was all in he wiring and a computer chip and when I researched it on the computer many owners had the same exact issue. Kia would not stand behind the issue and since I bought the car used and 2 years old it voided the warranty from the origninal owner. It took many months and lots and lots of money to find the issue and I finally traded it in since it was a real money pit.

Issues can indeed be found in any car and I am just glad the government got involved for once and took it seriously. I also hope they hold all the car companies responsible for problems with their cars from now on.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I hope if you are ever in an emergency that you will remember to act appropriately at all times. Anything else would not be acceptable. I'm sure human emotions like panic, fear, and terror will not affect your ability to act appropriately.

And I will bite my tongue on the rest of my thoughts. I don't think my last points have expired yet.

 

[disney1990]

And I will bite my tongue on the rest of my thoughts. I don't think my last points have expired yet.

If you have a Toyota, practice turning the ignition off quickly and then turning back to the point where you can control the steering wheel. Another thing to do it to put the car into neutral. We can't control everything, but we can be proactive in an emergency situation and be prepared.

 

[PeterPan09]

So, I just saw this on my local news. I didn't realize this happened in Minnesota.

DH and I have a 99 Camry and an 03 Sienna. We have always been Toyota fans, but this has me wondering if we are as safe as we think we are.

I have an 09 Matrix-which is basically a Corolla under a different body type and I'll admit that I'm nervous. There's the acceleration issue and now a steering issue with these models.

The thing is, WAY back when I first got it, I noticed that when driving on a downhill grade-with the cruise control OFF-the car would slow itself down. I'm not kidding-it feels exactly like it does when you have the cruise on and it decelerates (not sure that's the right word or spelling) to stay at the right speed on a downhill. When I took it for it's first oil change, I told the service team about it, but I don't know that they even checked it out. They told me that they couldn't replicate it, but I got the sense that they blew me off "dumb woman probably had the cruise on and didn't know it".

2 years later and the car still will slow itself down on a downgrade even with the cruise off and my feet off the pedals. This makes me think that there is some kind of electronic thing going on with these cars that affects steering, acceleration and deceleration.