Well, now I've read and seen it all. In this article: Prius owners blame wild rides on cruise control - CNN.com ..the author claims that a Prius would "rocket past the set speed" while in cruise control. OK. Maybe I'm nuts. Does anyone out there have a Prius that can "rocket" to any speed? Honestly, the mass media will stop at nothing to sensationalize the most minor issue in order to sell commercials, but this is unbelievable. A rocketing Prius. Now I have really seen it all.
I read this one with dismay. CNN is now officially as bad as Fox News. Put them all on the B Ship. Tom
Oh sure, my Prius frequently his 200+ MPH, I have to have my Hanz device to keep my head protected, and of course my 4 point racing harness. LOL Mitch
This is exactly the type of press that toyota needs to adress head on. Toyota should form a task force to quickly react/contact people like this that have a problem...to pull the car off the road, give them a loaner in the meantime, and spend some time trying to duplicate the problem. Did Toyota ever contact the Woz? Probably not. Toyota's response seems to be - put their heads in the sand and claim, "we will do better next time". They are doing a HORRIBLE job. The problem that Toyota now has - any and every bad experience, whether it is driver error or not, will be in the press the next day. It's unfortunate that Toyota has not recognized the fact that many of us realize - there are forces at work that would like to bring down Toyota. If Toyota is not more pro-active in how they deal with problems, and how they address all the mis-information that's in the press, Toyota's market share in the US could become a fraction of what it is today.
Really? I wasn't aware. And you know what? Please tell us how it works? I'll wait. LOL. Oh, and if you think Toyota is doing a good job, then you are a fool. Maybe you took a puck to the head?
You're correct --and I agree, other than that I'd put the emphasis on contacting the media promptly and effectively. Can we not all agree that Toyota has more of a PR deficiency than an engineering deficiency?
We need to educate or Toyota needs to modify how to shut off the engine. Still, the article makes it sound like it is impossible to shut off the engine. Also noticed the complaints were about previous gen Priuses. Did the cruise operate the same way? Pressing the brake should have disengaged the Cruise though...
As fuzzy1 said, these efforts are often legal and PR minefields and too many people/businesses have dug a bigger hole for themselves this way.
This reminds me of the John Stewart 'runaway Camry' skit from last week. Hey I'll take one of those rocketing-Prii, please. I could get to work a whole lot faster @ 200mph! I need one with wings, though.
That car needs to be recalled. Not because of the cruise control but because it has the ability to rocket.
I have found that the car accelerates faster than what I want it to after braking to slow at highway speeds, when I hit the resume button, but I just speed up at my own pace with the accelerator pedal to close to where I am cruising, then hit resume. I think I am saving a little fuel by accelerating more slowly than it is programmed to do, especially if it is like going back from 50 to 70mph or so. When it does stop it may be a mile an hour or so beyond what it is set for but I find that much variance under normal cruise control driving as I go up or down slopes in the roadway. Nothing to be alarmed about.
Some other brands with a push-button start, you don't have to wait 3 seconds to turn off. If there was an easy (software) fix for toyota, I'd make it EASY, and a QUICK turn-off for the nervous Prius/Toyota driver. I can see another lawyer encouraged sticker on these cars telling people how to turn the car off in an emergency.
Ah, but do you really want to shut the car off in a split second? One slight bump on the button at highway speeds and the damned thing shuts down? Sounds too easy to suffer an accidental shutdown for me. I'll keep my Prius Rocket III as it is. In fact, I think I'll find a bumper sticker with a picture of a rocket on it.