Toyota Prius Speeds Out of Control on SoCal FWY

Malorn said, "What happens if last night's prius does not have a happy ending and it is all caught on recorder and by a news chopper. It is just a matter of time before it happens."

I agree! Some mentally ill person will choose to commit suicide in their Prius thus setting the stage for a lawsuit by the family. WOW! Millions of $. Let's call it Priucide lol!

 

I'm not sure, and anything is possible, but let's just say I wouldn't be shocked at all if it was a scheme.

 

Maybe Mr Spikes (the unfortunate Prius driver in Calif.) could reply on Prius chat exactly what he did. As a 2005 and 2010 Prius owner, I would like to know if he tried turning the engine off with the start button and or tried to put the gear shift into neutral besides standing on the brakes. It appears to me that he had some type of real car problem

 

At last !
This is really what both sides of the issue have needed...an honest to God real world example. I'll hold my judgement until this report has been completely reviewed by the Toyota technician and CHP. If the driver is lying he should be crucified, the news outlets humbled, and if our Prius has a problem it will be fixed.
This morning's ABC news report follows:
Toyota With 'Stuck' Accelerator Hits 94 MPH, Driver Rescued by California Highway Patrol - ABC News

 

Re: Run Away Prius

Hmmm. I notice that Toyota is offering upgraded brake pads among its accessories. Perhaps that should become a stock item on the car.

 

Re: Run Away Prius

I've never tried .... does anyone know if a Prius can do 90 MPH going up a long upward grade? If I had to guess, I'd guess no, though maybe he had a high speed as it hit the upwards grade.

 

Re: When will Toyota get it right?

so the guys brakes would be overheated if he was speeding and tried to slow down to 65 from 90? no....uh, I don't think so...matter of fact I know so...

next thing I'll hear is the cop was in on it too....right?

 

at what speeds does ICE only acceleration happen?

or at what speeds does the prius stop using motors for acceleration?

 

Re: TV Tease - CHP stops runaway Prius

You're in your G2 sitting in the parking lot with the car off. Can you grab the gas pedal?

Rolling along in slow traffic, seat all the way back.. Maybe I'd get within a foot of it, never going to grab it with my hand.

Is this a limber 61yr old who's not very heavy and not very tall to be able to do that while blowing down the road at 90ish mph? Back when it was new I took my prius up to 90 to see how that was and it's not so good up there.

If I'm the toyota tech coming to investigate this, I'd ask that guy to sit in the seat and now dip your fingers in the blue chalk so we can see how you were grabbing the depressed accelerator while sitting in the car... then we'll start to think about how that goes at high speed.

 

The second floor mat on top of the factory mat certainly did not help matters any......

 

Re: TV Tease - CHP stops runaway Prius

Does anyone know what year Prius this was? I don't see it in any of the reports?

 

Re: When will Toyota get it right?

The story smells and I don't mean the brakes. We have more than enough videos and Toyota themselves that indicate that the Prius brake is a throttle cut-off, unlike their non-hybrid cars. This is someone trying to get out of a ticket, mistaking throttle for brake, or trying to get money out of Toyota.

Rumple

 

Re: TV Tease - CHP stops runaway Prius

I've gone neutral at 60+ and had no problem... even on a downhill the prius does slow down

 

Re: TV Tease - CHP stops runaway Prius

To answer all of the above questions in one spot:

1) The Prius does not have a steering column lock. Powering down will not lock the steering, but steering will require more effort without the power assist.

2) Powering down or shifting to N is safe for the car at any speed.

3) Powering down requires you to press the power button for about three seconds. If you do this while driving, the Prius goes into a sort of zombie state, where power is mostly removed, but the parking pawl is not engaged. Once stopped, you will have to press the brake, power off, and power up again to restart.

4) The fastest way to remove engine power is to shift into N. You can do this by holding the shifter in N for about one second, or by pressing Park. Shift back to D to continue driving. This method keeps power to all of the power assists: brakes, steering, etc.

5) At any speed above a crawl, pressing Park will immediately shift your Prius into N. Avoid pressing Park while crawling, as the parking pawl can be pretty abrupt when it falls into place.

Go out and try this. Many of us have tried these techniques at a variety of speeds. Just make sure you have clear roads and no traffic.

Tom

 

You know, there's a precedent for a fix for this situation. While it was a Ford, I can't remember the model. It could have been the runaway parked cars which were supposedly in Park (but weren't, due to inaccurate feel for whether you'd engaged Park), but I really don't remember.

NHTSA did an investigation, and in the end, the "fix" was to put a sticker in the appropriate location to tell drivers how to prevent whatever was going on.

In all seriousness, perhaps a sticker "hold ON button for three seconds to turn car off when driving" would be at least an interim step Toyota could take. (Even better, it could suggest shifting into neutral too if appropriate.)

While I'm at it, there's another interim step Toyota could take, which is "familiarization drives" at vehicle delivery. While people could sign to waive it, a salesperson or whomever could follow a script to show the driver what to do in unusual circumstances. How to shut it off while driving. How to switch to neutral while driving. How to apply the brakes in an emergency (don't pump them). Etc.

 

Re: When will Toyota get it right?

It is possible that this guy had a real runaway. They do happen in every type of vehicle, although the timing on this one is very fishy.

What especially bothers me is that this guy made no attempt to power off until much later in the runaway. People need to know how to control their cars, in both normal and unusual situations. If you can't be bothered to learn, you don't deserve to drive.

Tom

 

Re: When will Toyota get it right?

and, when this case is found to be a total fraud (which is very likely), where will that be printed? buried on page 34 no doubt. I say when this is proven to be false, this driver's Prius should be taken away, his money given back to him, he should be banned from ever being allowed to buy a Toyota ever again, and he should be brought up on charges and jailed, and even that is too good for this loser.

 

So, does his Gen II Prius have brake override or not?




If it does, then it makes the story sound more sketchy. It would mean the pedal would have to be stuck and the brake override coincidentally failed at the same time.

 

Re: When will Toyota get it right?

So the CHP officer was in on it too? Have you seen the interviews?

 

Re: When will Toyota get it right?

The chp cop is as stupid as anyone who believes this hoax. Cops where I live don't even know the law!