Stuck Accelerator

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 12:37 PM) [snapback]235931[/snapback]</div>

No problems here, if there were any i would immediately take it to a dealer, as it is still well under warranty and this should not be happening.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 04:37 PM) [snapback]235931[/snapback]</div>

There have been instances, when during hard acceleration (pedal to the floor), that the floor mat traps the accel pedal so it won't move when released. Specifically, if the floor mat anchor tab lets go and the mat creeps forward until it's in just the right position (wrong position) to trap the pedal. Hard braking will overcome the acceleration until the pedal can be released.

There may have been another type of uncontrolled accel, but I'm not aware of any such personally.

 

consumeraffairs.com belongs to a law firm specializing in cheap lawsuits. i wouldn't put much stock in what they have to say.

haven't heard of anything myself, and DH works at a very, VERY high volume prius shop.

 

Only time I have had unintended acceleration in my 04 Prius is when I pass gas stations. I just can't seem to stop!!!!

 

Sounds like pedal to the metal syndrome... (check the carpet mat) it has a tendency to slide to the pedals unless you have the little clips..

My wife used to have this problem with her Saturn she would set the cruise control and 3 miles later the car would take off to 100 mph and then disengage the dealer couldnt find the problem and just disconected the cruise... Yes It can be a Mr. Toads Wild Ride...

I have an 04 and have never had this problem occur

San_Carlos_Jeff:
I never trust these stories because all this person would have to do is push the brakes harder the car will come to a stop. In almost all cases (not all) what happened is someone was pushing on the accelerator instead of the brakes.

Good point! or they step on the side of the brake pedal and thier shoe just hits the edge of the accellorator so the harder you push the more you go.... :huh:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 07:04 PM) [snapback]236050[/snapback]</div>

I never trust these stories because all this person would have to do is push the brakes harder the car will come to a stop. In almost all cases (not all) what happened is someone was pushing on the accelerator instead of the brakes.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 05:04 PM) [snapback]236050[/snapback]</div>

The Prius has a N position. You can fall into that at any time while driving. If people feel the car is going out of control they should use it. If you hold the Power button down for 3 seconds the car will just power down.

Anyone who just lets the vehicle take them for a wild ride without trying to take the vehicle out of gear or powering it down doesn't know their vehicle. These folks would also probably not choose to take the tranny out of gear or turn the key off on a conventional vehicle if this were to happen.

People screw up their foot positioning in vehicles all the time. Car makers have worked real hard over the years to make the brake pedal very high and very far away from the accelerator, which has created greater foot travel to the brake and less comfortable driving positions for a lot of us. But this has been done to eliminate this gas mistaken for brake problem that people have at times. And that isn't even foolproof.

As a final thought, I do my best to verify and reverify stuff I read on the Internet. Anything that seems just a little sensational or unsupported by significant quantities of duplicatable evidence I just don't buy.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Denny_A @ Apr 6 2006, 03:51 PM) [snapback]235941[/snapback]</div>

Yep, this happened to me shortly after I slapped in the WeatherTech aftermarket mats I bought. They came with the required disclaimer but I ignored it. I trimmed them OK but they still aren't a very good fit. And they can still slip up and trap the accellerator if I step on it hard. But I don't do that much any more.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 01:37 PM) [snapback]235931[/snapback]</div>

Yes. One day, a hot summer day (temps in the 90s), while driving my early 2004 model, the accelerator didn't slow the car down when I took my foot off the gas. If memory serves me right, the car even sped up a little. I had been driving about 40 mph. I didn't perceive it as an urgent safety isssue though (I've got about a million miles of driving experience under my belt) but I was somewhat concerned. I should also mention that the pedal wasn't down far enough to get held down by the floor mat. It happened a couple of times in that roughly nine mile drive, a drive where I changed my plans and headed straight to the Toyota dealer. I had recently received a supposedly unrelated recall notice so now was the perfect time to take it in.

I explained the situation to the service representative. I was told that this wasn't a known problem and that the recall wasn't targeted toward it. They did do the recall there and then though and also checked the car for any anomalies. No problems found. Since that time I've experienced no more situations like that. That was maybe 15,000 miles ago. Right now I've got about 30,000 miles on this otherwise excellent car.