harassed mum reverses into drive and brings car to a halt. Confusion and distraction as children in rear seat squabble. Mother gets out of the silent car (no petrol engine) and walks around car to passenger side to remove child. Child stands behind car near wall. Mother goes to lift groceries from passenger seat and car drive starts up WITH NOBODY in the driver's seat. The car creeps backwards in creep mode. Where is that child? Actually the true story was that only the driver (an elderly gentleman) was in the car. He walked to the passenger door and whilst standing outside, the drive motor engaged and it was a water butt that was struck not a child. He then lent in to move the stick to neutral, but without click positions it went straight across to forward. He was then dragged up the drive, as the car went up an incline, across the road and collided with a parked vehicle, coming to a stop. Why did Toyota design and market the car with the capability to drive with nobody in the drivers seat? Fortunately no child was hurt in this incident, but the old gentleman did require clinical treatment.
Because it is expected of automatic cars in the US and Toyota would be criticised there for not having creep. I don't think it is too much to ask that you put any automatic car in park before you get out.
welcome! don't all automatics creep in the u/k? what drive motor? the car creeps as soon as you take your foot off the brake. i don't think you can put the car in drive without foot on the brake, unless it's not in park to begin with. how do you put it in forward when trying to put it in neutral? you have to move it left, then down. we have had a few reports here of people getting out of the car while still in drive. this story sounds fishy.
Yeah it's expected for automatics to have slight forward momentum with your foot off the gas. I guess one problem is with hybrids, being silent: too easy to forget it's still on.
seems like a lot of the new gassers are impossible to hear as well. but how do you take your foot off the brake and get out of the car while it's moving?
Well, it ain't momentum, it is actual force delivered through the transmission (it will move you away from a stop if you release the brake; momentum wouldn't do that). But the "car drive starts up ... the car creeps backwards in creep mode" has me lost. Prius does not apply creep force only when the gasoline engine is running, it applies the force at all times when you are not braking, purely electrically if the engine is stopped at the time. I can possibly picture the car remaining stationary if the drive inclined up toward the house, and gravity exactly balanced the reverse creep force. That would be a dynamic matter of balance, the car would likely begin moving uphill as soon as some of the weight climbed out. The engine starting would not be likely to increase the reverse motion, because the gasoline engine produces a mechanical torque that is always forward. The electric drive has to overcome that torque, any time the car is driven in reverse with the engine running. My assumption above that the driveway was inclined up in reverse seems contradicted by "He was then dragged up the drive, as the car went up an incline" after shifting to forward drive. But maybe the driveway was U shaped. -Chap
Yeah, vocabulary failed me there, you're right. Our last Civic Hybrid had very little transmission creep. We got used to it, but I recall my daughter was driving it one time, commented on it being prone to "fall back" when starting on hills.
Chock it up to HUMAN error, Always place in Park and at least E-brake at a minimum until one is ready to move. SAFETY FIRST! But we are lazy and never realize until it is too late.
I wouldn't say lazy. More likely a lapse of attention. I've infrequently almost exited the car without shutting it down. It's never 'cause I'm lazy, just a lapse or distraction. The best systems will put mental tripwires in your path, reminders, fail-safes.
how is that done in other cars? i used to see people lock their car with the engine on and keys still in the ignition when i was a kid. so they made it so you couldn't push the button down on the door and close it. but they figured out a way to mess that up as well.
Probably for the same reason all other makers of cars with automatic transmissions do exactly the same thing. As already pointed out, nothing 'started' or 'engaged' after the man stepped out. He failed to stop or disengage the propulsion system before he stepped out. Does the UK require drivers to have a manual transmission endorsement on their license in order to drive stick shifts? I.e. automatic-only licenses are not valid in manual transmission vehicles. Perhaps the reverse should also be applied, stick shift drivers shouldn't be allowed to cross over without an automatic transmission endorsement.
In the planetary gearset, torque on the 3 shafts are always in a fixed ratio (neglecting friction). Therefore, even when the engine (planet carrier) is running, there's no significant forward torque via the gears to the wheels (ring gear) when the motor-generator fixed to the sun gear is spinning freely because it's electrically disconnected, as in "N" or "R". There would be only a small forward torque at the wheels due to friction. Otherwise, very good post.
We agree on how the transmission works, we agree the torque is small, and we agree it is forward. In my car, it is small but distinctly noticeable. It certainly never contributes to thrust in reverse. -Chap
In the UK if you pass your driving test in a manual car you may drive both manual and automatic. If you take and pass the test in an automatic you may only drive automatics. Licences have different 'groups' on them endorsed for whichever classes you may drive. Driving licence categories - GOV.UK
You cannot account for all stupidity in every design. If you fail to operate the machinery correctly, it is your fault. Also: a Prius will move the instant you take the foot off of the brake. So the scenario you describe is very unlikely. Even getting out will be difficult because the car is already moving before you step out. It will also creep when the engine is off.
Unless you have a link, I'm gonna assume you're talking about this man. You Can Kill Your Wife – As Long As You Do It In A Prius He admitted carelessness and was set free.
I'd suspect she set the parking brake lightly, it held the car when she was getting out, but barely. Then with perhaps the jostling of her getting out, or closing a door, it managed to break the inertia, started slowly moving. Again, I would not point fingers, say someone has "failed to operate machinery correctly". A good design will consider human nature, readily possible scenarios. To not do so: that is stupidity.
