4-Runner Sudden Acceleration

[2004TR4-SR5]

No, it will not blow up. The engine has a rev limiter which will stop it from self destructing.

Besides, if anyone ever found themselves in such a situation and could not control a vehicle, it is a much better option to destroy the engine than to crash the car. But like I said, rev limiters protect the engine from destroying itself in the first place.

i actually forgot about the rev limiter....i guess i stand corrected...after that being said throwing it into N is the best thing to do....thanks guys! If you think about it...when something like that happens...do you think the person its happening to is gonna think of that if they panic. I read on the new that a guy was driving his prius on a freeway in cali and he gave it some gas to pass someone and it got stuck and sped up to 90mph and it goes on to say that the california highway patrol told him to apply the e-brake and step on the brakes...why not just throw it in N?

 

[LBeard87]

I just saw another story today of a 61 year old man who was going over 90mph in his Prius and called 911 in order to stop. I had a Prius as a rental once and I'm pretty sure they can't go over 90mph even if they were being towed by a top fuel dragster.

I saw that story today too. He called the California Highway Patrol and they waited for him to go onto large hill and waited for him to slow down a bit, had him shut the car off and put a CHP officer in front of him to use his brakes to slow him down. The report said that the Prius driver had both feet on the brake pedal and he could smell his brakes burning.

Why does it not occur to these people to just shift into Neutral. I know you can in the Prius as i have done it. Who cares if your motor bounces off the rev limiter a 100 times. I'd rather blow the motor of a very replaceable car than die. It should be common sense and it makes me crazy to hear all these damn reports.

I understand these are very dangerous, high stress, panic indusing situations and its unfortunate that people have been hurt or killed by these incidences, but I hope some drivers out there have the ability to stay calm, assess the situation and do the right thing. both feet on the brake pedal is not going to fix it.

 

[TRADICLES]

American made toyota the problem

hi cj3flyr

yes, still like the tires. They have been perfect for me both on & off road. They really grab when you need it, mpg is good, not noisy on the freeways & really like the 1 inch extra clearance.

Not really concerned about the mechanical issues. That one is history.

I'm only concerned about the electronics issue. Toyota has not closed the door on that one yet. They only talk about continuing the analysis.

I'm concerned about my t4r a little because of my driving 13,000 ft ledge trails and we keep hearing about other models, not on the recall list, showing up with related problems. I sure hope toyota gets to the bottom of this fast so all can forget about this issue.

I'm really glad, so far, that no one has reported a serious problem with the t4r.

4runners are made in japan with some parts coming from brazil.the problems are with the american made toyotas.sorry but we just don't make them that well in america!!!!!!

 

[wjamyers]

Firestone Revisited: Was Toyota a Takedown Target in the Name of NUMMI? - Big Government

 

[Scoobs]

4runners are made in japan with some parts coming from brazil.the problems are with the american made toyotas.sorry but we just don't make them that well in america!!!!!!

I'm not sure that really has anything to do with it. I'm more interested in knowing why we aren't hearing about runaway Toyotas in Canada? Toyota sells the same vehicles in the U.S. and Canada yet all the runaways are in the U.S. Our drivers up here aren't any better than our U.S. cousins, so something else is at work here.

 

[Rivalsock]

i actually forgot about the rev limiter....i guess i stand corrected...after that being said throwing it into N is the best thing to do....thanks guys! If you think about it...when something like that happens...do you think the person its happening to is gonna think of that if they panic. I read on the new that a guy was driving his prius on a freeway in cali and he gave it some gas to pass someone and it got stuck and sped up to 90mph and it goes on to say that the california highway patrol told him to apply the e-brake and step on the brakes...why not just throw it in N?

He didn't just throw it in neutral because, and I quote "I definitely would've tried, uh, to put it in neutral...but, ah, I was afraid I'd put it in reverse."

He also didn't want to turn it off in traffic because he thought the steering wheel would lock and he could possibly be rear-ended. Even though with the cop just yelling at him with a loudspeaker he just used the brake and shut the car off anyway...

At least those where his excuses, I just think this guy wants attention. If it is the case he isn't just trying to get on TV (and/or sue Toyota for some free money, we will see) then he should learn how to use his vehicle before he takes it on the road and endangers everyone.

 

[YZThumper]

I almost hate to even bring this up... but as a former FJ owner (with the same V6 as the 4Runner and same setup) this was a problem. I had it happen to me twice. I believe somebody on the FJ Forum had it happen at some point and hit into another car at a stoplight. I could be misremembering which forum I read that on. It ALMOST happened to me.

The discussion we had went something like this..... "It seems that FJ's are 'jumping' at lights and in garages when you are stopping."

The discussion went on for a while and we ultimately figured out that it was just the typical getting used to the weird brakes that the FJ has (they grab like nobody's business, but it isn't a gradual grab.... you are either stopped or still rolling... hard to explain, but I feel some of it in my 4R). Anyway, we tested the theory for a few weeks and it seemed to be incomplete locking of the brakes or people doing the inch forward in the garage thing, and then the AC cycling or a fan coming on or something similar that automatically makes the engine ramp up slightly. Due to the brakes not being locked, the vehicle seems to lurch forward slightly.

This is typical of pretty much any vehicle made in the last 20 years with fuel injection and AC. I just learned to make sure that I was really all the way down on the brakes, and I did turn the AC off before pulling into the garage because I had a super tight fit and the one time I smacked into the lawnmower (no damage to either).

It wasn't a big deal. I wasn't concerned about it, but if I remember right (and this was a couple of years ago) some people were filing complaints with NHTSA and Toyota and not getting many answers.

I think a lot of it is just getting used to the vehicle and driving it properly for how it is set up. That isn't so much a safety issue as a user error issue.

Exactly. This actually did happen to me in my 03 Sport and caused me to hit the car in front of me at a stoplight. I had leaned over to take a bite of my sandwich, taking my eyes off the road, and the A/C compressor kicked in causing the engine to surge and the car lurched slightly forward and smacked the guy's bumper in front of me. No damage, but defintiely not psyched about the behavior of the 4runner.

 

[SecretAgent]

Exactly. This actually did happen to me in my 03 Sport and caused me to hit the car in front of me at a stoplight. I had leaned over to take a bite of my sandwich, taking my eyes off the road, and the A/C compressor kicked in causing the engine to surge and the car lurched slightly forward and smacked the guy's bumper in front of me. No damage, but defintiely not psyched about the behavior of the 4runner.

you can't be upset at the 4runner for your lack of attention. the 4runner didn't do anything wrong. you admittedly taking your eyes off the road to eat a sandwich and stopping too close to the person in front of you were the fault of your accident.

 

[Maz]

The CHP officer who arrived on the scene and helped the San Diego driver was interviewed on television. He confirmed the driver's story of being up off his seat standing on the brakes. In addition he had told the driver to put on his parking brake for additional help, after the Prius arrived at an uphill grade on the road.

Some people insist the brakes on any car can overpower the engine. In fact we have one poster who did a test he says "proved" any car could be stopped, even if the engine starts racing. Of course it's hard to put much stock in this "proof" since only drove at 50 MPH, and in a parking lot with no other drivers. Slightly different than going in excess of 90 MPH on the freeway or city streets while dodging traffic.

We know it was a CHP officer driving the car that raced through San Diego city streets and ultimately crashed and killed both himself and passengers. In that case witnesses reported seeing the car's brakes on fire. Now we have a second CHP officer who observed a driver struggling mightly to stop his car. The driver says his brakes smelled like they were burning, and the officer saw him literally standing on his brakes.

There are only two choices here. We can believe the deceased CHP officer didn't know how to drive and his fellow CHP officer didn't really see what he says happened. Or we can acknowledge the claim sudden acceleration doesn't matter because you can always stop anytime......is an urban myth.

 

[wjamyers]

The CHP officer who arrived on the scene and was helping the San Diego driver was interviewed on television. He confirmed the driver's story of being up off his seat standing on the brakes. In addition he had told the driver to put on his parking brake for additional help, and this occurred after the Prius arrived at an uphill grade on the road.

Some people insist the brakes on any car can overpower the engine. In fact one poster here who claims he did a test that showed any car could be stopped, even if the engine started racing. In fact the exact claim, which was repeated several times, was that he "proved" it. Of course he only drove at only 50 MPH, and in a parking lot with no other drivers. Somewhat different than going in excess of 90 MPH on the freeway while dodging traffic.

We know it was a CHP officer driving a car that raced through San Diego city streets and ultimately crashed and killed both himself and passengers. In that case witnesses reported seeing the car's brakes on fire. Now we have another CHP officer who was witness to a driver struggling mightly to stop his car. The driver says his brakes smelled like they were burning, and the officer observed him literally standing on his brakes.

There are only two choices here. We can believe the deceased CHP officer didn't know how to drive and his fellow CHP officer didn't see what he says he saw. Or we can acknowlege the claim sudden acceleration doesn't matter because you can always stop anytime......is a myth.

do you actually believe the cop saw the foot on the brake pedal?

 

[Spaceman]

Yes, I have…… every time I am touching accelerator pedal LOL… Sorry just couldn’t resist..:wink2:

I know........I meant to use the word "unintended" acceleration.
Oh well......next time.

 

[Maz]

do you actually believe the cop saw the foot on the brake pedal?

No I don't. I saw the interview and the CHP officer said he observed the driver was clearly up out of his seat. I can't quote him verbatim, however the words he used were very close to he could see the driver standing on his brakes.

 

[Jed]

The CHP officer who arrived on the scene and helped the San Diego driver was interviewed on television. He confirmed the driver's story of being up off his seat standing on the brakes. In addition he had told the driver to put on his parking brake for additional help, after the Prius arrived at an uphill grade on the road.

Wow, that officer must have X-ray vision. He could see the driver's foot standing on the brake pedal? That's incredible! Or is he saying that the guy was literally "standing" on the brake pedal? Again, that would be incredible that the guy could be up off his seat to stand on the pedal. I didn't know they made convertible Priuses.

Some people insist the brakes on any car can overpower the engine. In fact we have one poster who did a test he says "proved" any car could be stopped, even if the engine starts racing. Of course it's hard to put much stock in this "proof" since only drove at 50 MPH, and in a parking lot with no other drivers. Slightly different than going in excess of 90 MPH on the freeway or city streets while dodging traffic.

Car and Driver proved it too, at much higher speeds. For some reason, they had no trouble at all stopping a Toyota Camry with the throttle rigged to be wide open. Anyone can read the Car and Driver test and make his/her own decisions. As for me, I know already.

We know it was a CHP officer driving the car that raced through San Diego city streets and ultimately crashed and killed both himself and passengers. In that case witnesses reported seeing the car's brakes on fire. Now we have a second CHP officer who observed a driver struggling mightly to stop his car. The driver says his brakes smelled like they were burning, and the officer saw him literally standing on his brakes.

Yeah, literally standing on the brakes. Did it ever occur to you that he could have literally been standing on the GAS pedal? Just ask Audi about that...everyone knows that's what the Audi drivers were doing when they swore up and down that they were standing on the brakes.

There are only two choices here. We can believe the deceased CHP officer didn't know how to drive and his fellow CHP officer didn't really see what he says happened. Or we can acknowledge the claim sudden acceleration doesn't matter because you can always stop anytime......is an urban myth.

The cop that died likely panicked. People make mistakes...even cops. They aren't superhuman. As for the CHP officer, he made statements that he couldn't possibly support without major assumptions, such as the guy didn't have his foot on the brake pedal.

 

[Jed]

do you actually believe the cop saw the foot on the brake pedal?

Didn't you know that the Prius has glass doors and the cop could see right through them? Hahahahahaha

 

[Spaceman]

Why do the brakes stop working in these situations????????

Where do power brakes get there power??? >>>> vacuum from the intake manifold. (I assume it still works this way in newer cars)

What happens to the manifold vacuum at full throttle??? It goes to near zero!! Therefore, no more power brakes. (See comment below about stored power)

This must be why we hear so much about people having trouble trying to stop the car using power brakes in such emergency situations!!!

That CHIPs officer was really smart to tell the Prius guy to also use the e-brake since it is designed not to need any power assist.

Other:

For me, I'm turning the key off!! This is a sure thing & I won't have to worry about any neutral lockouts.

The car speed will continue to spin the engine anyway until the speed drops below ~ 30 mph. Therefore, should be lots of power steering down to a safe low speed.

Also, it should be noted that typically you do not need power steering to easily maneuver a car using slight turns. It's more of a problem when turning a corner or parking. As for power brakes, you typically will still have normal power for the next 5 to 8 pumps after the engine stops. So, use the stored power wisely. Try to bring the car to a stop with the 1st application of the brakes. Just don't pump them.
:cowboy:

 

[Jed]

Not only that, but most modern vehicles DO NOT rely on engine vacuum to provide power brake assist. They have electrical pumps instead.

So the short answer is that even under full throttle the brakes will function just fine.

It's also important to understand that if the power brake assist did fail to function for some odd reason, you would still have 100% of your braking forces...but you'd have to press down harder on the pedal to get it.

 

[Spaceman]

Yeah, literally standing on the brakes. Did it ever occur to you that he could have literally been standing on the GAS pedal? Just ask Audi about that...everyone knows that's what the Audi drivers were doing when they swore up and down that they were standing on the brakes.



Me too!!! Right now I'm 50/50 on this one.
Reminds me of the guy that claimed the boy was in the balloon last year. There's too many people out their doing stuff like this.
If he is pulling a scam on us, I hope they catch him.

 

[blackmax]

He didn't just throw it in neutral because, and I quote "I definitely would've tried, uh, to put it in neutral...but, ah, I was afraid I'd put it in reverse."

He also didn't want to turn it off in traffic because he thought the steering wheel would lock and he could possibly be rear-ended. Even though with the cop just yelling at him with a loudspeaker he just used the brake and shut the car off anyway...

At least those where his excuses, I just think this guy wants attention. If it is the case he isn't just trying to get on TV (and/or sue Toyota for some free money, we will see) then he should learn how to use his vehicle before he takes it on the road and endangers everyone.

You have it EXACTLY correct. Me personally, I believe he's just another person who was either

1) put up to a stunt, or
2) looking for attention and to get on the news, or
3) short Toyota motors stock (betting on a decline)

It's nonsense. I need to go get a Ford, drive it like a crazy person, and call 911 claiming "it's out of control!!!!!" No matter what I'm told, I'll just keep saying "it's out of control!!! Brakes don't work.....I'm scared to put it in neutral.....It's out of control!!" Oh, but wait, trust me, that will soon happen. Just watch. There are many many goofy nutjobs in this world. They're coming out of the woodwork now. Again, it seems evident that there is no such thing as out of control cars due to accelerators. NO SUCH THING. Brake defeats throttle by a 10:1 margin. Maybe nobody remembers the Audi 5000 nonsense (proved to be 100% lies) back in about 1986? Same stupidity, different year.

 

[Maz]

Didn't you know that the Prius has glass doors and the cop could see right through them? Hahahahahaha

Maybe they were really driving 50 in a parking lot like Jed and the heliocoptor footage of the aftermath was faked? Or maybe Car and Driver has compromising pictures of the CHP officer who was on the scene. Oh wait isn't the CHP unionized...he's probably in on it. Besides I heard he has family in the UAW and we know they're all criminals. By the way isn't the driver related to a lawyer somewhere? What do you want to bet the CHP officer who died with his brakes on fire was standing on the gas pedal too. 10 to 1 odds that copter taking the video was painted black!

There's got to be a plot here somewhere if we just keep looking we'll find it. After all this is a huge conspiracy and everybody is in on it!

Oh sorry, I forgot to add the all important hahahahahahah part.

 

[offshorebear]

The guy had brake fade. He probably used the brakes to maintain the speed limit when the throttle was stuck. Stand on your brakes for a few minutes and they will fail. I doubt a Prius comes with performance ceramic brake pads.

The CHP officer said he could smell the brakes down the whole road.


I had to panic stop my 4Runner once from highway speed to 0. It worked, but after that the brakes were almost worthless because they were so hot. I had to let them cool down.