Another out-of-control Prius

A tip-o'-the-hat to Norwegians and the Norwegian media for the
nonsensationalized media report whose message is let's wait and see
what the facts are.

There seems to be a concern here for process over profit. Good on 'em.

The operator was held for observation, I wonder if the car as well
was put in a secure lock-up pending investigation/analysis.

 

This is helpful. It appears the 'runaway accelerations' are occurring at highway speeds ... 60+ mph. If we're going to have any success at replication, we need to understand the entry conditions.

I'll try the 'kitty cat keyboard' test with our 2010 cruise control at +70 mph this weekend. This means trying obtuse timing conditions with the cruise control stalk to see if there is any way to replicate this acceleration. I've already done the 'kitty cat keyboard' cruise control stalk test but at a slower speed.

Bob Wilson

 

I'm as tired as anyone of what seems to be the daily caustic Toyota media event in the U.S.A., but I don't know if I can give too much credit to the Norwegian media for a non-sensationalized report.

There is a fine line between sensationalism and the balance of reporting. This was just a report of an event and responses by police and Toyota. It's so "light" it's akin to a high school paper sending a student to get a story. So do we "credit" non-reporting as being good? I'm tired of the real or imagined blood in the headlines and fear mongering in regards to every Toyota "event" that we have seen in the US, but in this case, important questions were not asked or reported. They are the same questions posed to James Sikes and that is did the driver try neutral, emergency brake, or powering off? I don't think it's sensationalism to ask those questions and be a little more indepth.

It was Toyota's Norwegian spokesperson that was saying let's not speculate too much. Which is a fine answer if you are the spokesperson for Toyota. But without fanning the flames of the wall of Anti-Toyota publicity, I think at least some idea of why a drivers pedal evidently get's stuck and why running a vehicle along a safety rail becomes the "best" choice to stop momentum are valid and important questions to pursue.

This just seems like very light reporting based on released statements only. At one point the article even say's "Norwegian Media says"...so it's "media" quoting "media"....it's not much of an article.

While I'm absolutely sure the event probably won't get the spin and coverage you see here, I'm also sure this wasn't a very well written article.

Calmer heads might be prevailing in Norway, BUT inquiring minds want to know. ....it's a tricky balance.

 

But Bob, didn't we have a report the other day of a lady that claimed her Prius accelerated coming out of her driveway?

I've read so much I could be wrong, but I think there has been at least one claim that The Prius accelerated widly from a slow start up condition.

 

Bob,

I drive at 60 mph on a 55 mph highway five days per week. I have been trying everything that I know to do with the CC as far as bumping up and down, holding down for +/- 5 to 10 mph speed changes, turning on and off with both the stalk and the brake pedal and I have not yet been able to have mine do anything other than what it is supposed to do.

If there is anything that you would like for me to try, I will be glad to do so. I can go out on I-40 and to some things at 70 mph and above, also.

Dwight

 

I'm with TEM on this one.....I *think* I read about that one as well, and wasn't there one about someone in a parking lot that couldn't park too? Maybe their car got impatient and tried to help do it by itself LOL. Or was that a different car?

I'm starting to agree with what the guy said in the "how to stop your Prius" video that was posted on the front page of PC today.

 

I tried different things too. The closest I came to was to hit the brakes at a high speed, slow down and then do a "RES" at a lower speed. But it was easy to stop.

I couldn't find anything either. Even if holding the cruise control stalk in "RES/ACC", hitting the end of the stalk always turned off cruise control.

It would take an electrical fault not connected with the cruise control stalk. I'm not interested in pulling a Gilbert.

Bob Wilson

 

Hmmm.. my first impression is that the damage pattern, barrier type, and claimed collision speed are not well matched. The majority of the damage would appear to be a little too high, it even spreads up the A-pillar - which I would expect if the damage were worse in the initial impact area...but it isnt. There is also remarkably limited damage to the hub cap, tyre and door. 176 kph to zero using a metal barrier - I would expect much worse. Toyota and the Norwegian authorities should do a thorough investigation before they even consider banning the Prius.

There is another case in the UK where a Prius driver killed his wife in a car park and claims it was the car. While each case my have some validity, they really need to investigate properly to avoid people cashing in, escaping prosecution, or soiling the name of Toyota.