Toyota Prius Speeds Out of Control on SoCal FWY

Re: Run Away Prius

Really? In this report, [ame]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35771583#35771583[/ame] the cruiser is in front of the Prius and the reporter states that a CHP cruiser was used to stop a Prius.... Maybe the cruiser being in front of the Prius was just the photo op part of the episode. Especially if there is a plot between the CHP and the L.A. Times and ABC.

 

Well, if the lynch mob didn't go after the driver, who would they have to go after? Toyota? The CHP? L.A. Times? ABC? It is much, much, MUCH easier to go after the driver than the others.

 

Re: Run Away Prius

No bob is right on. Let the facts come out. And some have put forth good suggestions if it happens to you.

You heard the chorus of the usual liers and deniers blaming the driver and la pd without any information. They don't need information it can't be anything to do with the car. You even collected the chorus.

With the congressional investigation, I don't think toyota will even attempt to bury this one. It is also very clear the 2008 prius has no brake override of the throttle.

 

I know there are problems in many Toyotas, but for some reason, in this particular case, I feel like he is more likely to be lying than any of the others based on the NBC video and other statements he made. He looks away when he talks. Seems shady.
He said he was on the brakes "pretty healthy." Why not maximum force instead of pretty healthy? If the brakes were completely faded, how would using the parking brake do anything?
He said he went to the dealer a few days before in response to the recall and the dealer refused to work on the car. Seems like he is setting up a lawsuit.

 

Re: Run Away Prius

I'm not sure that we can conclude that this is the case without more information. I know that for my 2007, the brake will override the throttle when both are held down because I tested it for myself.

 

Re: Run Away Prius

Have you tested that at highways speeds?

 

Re: Run Away Prius

I tested it at 40 mph.

Here is a demo by Toyota in a 2010 at 50 mph:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...t-screen-braking-demo-toyota-canada-demo.html

Here is Carolyn from Luscious Garage at 70 mph:

 

Re: Run Away Prius

There is an news update to this story I haven't seen mentioned here yet. The CHP car was NOT used to stop the Prius, it only parked in front of the stopped car. Listen to the drivers story- he does not mention the CHP car helping stop the Prius. He said the CHP came along side and told him via the loudspeaker to press the brake pedal fully and step on the emergency brake. Once the Prius slowed to about 50 MPH the driver held the Start button down and coasted to a (safe) stop.
Hope this helps...

 

Re: Run Away Prius

It makes the guys story seem that much more strange. Wow, so many simultaneous failures at the same time according to the driver (brakes, gas pedal, transmission selector, brake override system and starter button all not working).
Anyway, in a few days the car will be tested and they will find out what was wrong with the car and there will need to be another recall or we will find that the guy is a con artist.

 

This reminds me of balloon boy hoax.

 

Re: Run Away Prius

Yep, I've all done all 3 experiments in my Prius. It's problem but the least desirable (not surprisingly) is press + hold power since you lose power steering.

 

Re: TV Tease - CHP stops runaway Prius

Yes, absolutely. I've done it.

I've tried all 3 methods shown in Luscious Garage | Blog | Floor mat anxiety? LG TV investigates… in my 06. Try it for fun when there's nobody around late a night.

 

Re: Run Away Prius

Highway speeds exceed those figures.
Secondly, most experienced drivers instinctly know that making an full 75-0 mph stop on a freeway is near suicidal. So these N->0 demo's are not realistic.

The more relevant question is when does brake fade set in ?

 

Re: Run Away Prius

Sure, but who says you have to stop in the middle of the freeway? The 2nd gen Prius is governed to ~107 mph. Most non sports-cars (due to their tires) are governed or drag limited to a speed of 135 mph or (in many cases) less.

You can use the brakes to slow down, you can still use neutral (as you'll coast if you're not on the brake) and you can lastly (not advised) shut the power off.

If you had a Prius, you could try all 3 yourself and see the behavior. I did.

 

It just gets better and better, doesn't it?

So I'm going to try to reproduce this runaway Prius incident later today by Gilberting together seven wires; one from the accelerator, one from the brakes, one from the cruise control, one from the start button, one from the neutral shift control, one from a lie detector and another from the engine ECU. I'll get back to you guys later - if I survive.

Just in case, I'll do it on 1/20th of a tank so I can eventually stop, and have the driver's window fully open in case I have to bail out of the car. I'll also have 911 pre-programmed into my cell phone (and not use the defective bluetooth Prius connection, cause we all know that can also make the car run amok).

 

Re: Run Away Prius

Yes, the two videos show the brake can in fact stop the vehicle in a straight stop but seriously, 90 mph on a freeway is a different matter and I don't thing these two demos do justice to these "real world scenarios".

Driving barefoot ? They should be wearing crash helmets for a realistic 90mph test on a track. I would like to see those demo's.

Having said that, I do suspect today's incident is a fraud...

 

Re: Run Away Prius

The worst part is, this is still being misreported. On the 11 pm (Pacific time) news on King 5 (Seattle area station). The story starts with "a patrol car acts as a brake to stop an out of control Prius..."

 

Re: Run Away Prius

Are you here to troll or what? What's wrong w/going thru your options in order? Brakes, neutral, power.

Why would you need a helmet doing a 90 mph test of full throttle + brakes on a track?

FWIW, although this isn't on a Prius and so I don't have braking distance figures for it, but C&D tested going full throttle + using the brakes on 3 cars (1 w/smart throttle). See How To Deal With Unintended Acceleration - Tech Dept. - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver. The Camry V6 in question had 268 hp and the Mustang had 540 hp. I or someone else posted this long ago.

 

Re: Run Away Prius

Well, it's about time some party (Hello....Toyota) performs such a test on the Prius.
I'm sorry but these barefoot tests aren't going cut it in the crucible of public opinion.
It's about time Toyota release a real test video where the vehicle is completely "trashed" with real professional drivers and yet still stop safely.

 

Re: TV Tease - CHP stops runaway Prius

Would you keep your cool if your car was a runaway?

I have one nagging question...

The San Diego Union-Tribune had a line in its story that I don't understand.

"After the car slowed to about 50 mph, Sikes felt safe enough to turn off the engine and coast to a halt".

What would happen if you held the on/off button for 3 seconds while the car was traveling at 94mph??