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So this guy in San Diego can't control his Prius which speeds up to 94MPH. As an aside, can they really go that fast? But I digress.

In the 911 call he was asked if he could put it in neutral. He said no. Interesting answer. I can see being rattled but the suggestion would have solved the problem.

Why is it so difficult for people in this situation (a run-away car) to simply turn it off? Do we need to teach this in driving 101??

Got to love the input from the cop who helped him. "Push in the brake AND the emergency brake". Yeah, pulling the e brake will REALLY help.

Seems to me there are some drivers out there that shouldn't be out there driving.

I have this same thought every day. They really make getting a license far too easy.

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Stephen Westerfield
2009 Infiniti M35 | 2007 Honda Fit Sport | 2005 Ford Mustang GT |2000 GMC Sierra |1992 Acura Integra LS | Super Westerfield Bros Acura Integra

See my comments in the other thread about how cars are now just a big black box to people. They know these things...

* You must have a key to start them
* The pedal on the right makes it move
* The pedal on the left makes it stop
* The shift lever selects Park, Drive and Reverse (may not know what "Neutral" is)
* You have to put gas in it.
* You are supposed to change your oil (do they even know why they have oil in the car?)
* Stuff (tires, etc.) wears out over time.

Anything beyond that and you are asking too much of them.

I would LOVE to hear what the real story is with that car, but I doubt we will ever hear it.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

we were talking about this at lunch yesterday...in this guys defense, he is a 61yr old prius owner...at 94mph, i don't blame him for being hesitant to turn the car off. hey may lose power steering, power assist brakes and if he turns the key too far, the steering wheel will lock.

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05 MCS

Good call. I wouldn't be so quick to turn the ignition off on a car today either.

When I got hit in the other Z06 the engine stalled. The front wheel on the passenger side was bent to hell. Nonetheless. I lost Power Steering and Power Brakes. When the wheel bent and yanked the car it also yanked the steering wheel while I was fighting with it. I almost broke my arms. Without the bent wheel and just coasting to a stop. Probably ok. In any kind of panic maneuver that last thing you want is for the engine to stall.

I'd be all over Neutral and coasting to the side of the road.

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http://www.greywinds.com

Just a correction here. If you turn the key too far the steering wheel will not lock (not in a Toyota at least). The lock is not engaged until the key is removed from the ignition.

fixed some of those

What amazed me is that the report I heard stated that it was the most tense 20 minutes ever. Wow! Twenty minutes?
I couldn't believe that the HP officer didn't just let the Prius "bump draft" her to a stop. I'm sure that the cruiser's brakes would be up to the task of stopping a Prius.
From the patrol car's bull horn, "Hello Sir, I'm going to pull in front of you and slow down. Just use my vehicle as your brakes"....the end.
Charlie G

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1998 BMW Z3
1987 BMW 325is
2000 BMW
1996 F250 Turbo Diesel

What is the "normal" way to shut off a car with a fob and start button (no key for ignition). I rented an Altima once with the fob/button but really don't remember what the technique was to shut if off (must have been intuitive or more likely the instructions were on the visor or some tag that I could not miss). Also the trans was a CVT like the Prius but other than the engine noise (such as there was) the shifter seemed normal automatic.

Of course, I think 61 is young.

FYI back in the old days (before the government or someone forced standardization) there were various automatic shifter patterns (i.e. not all PRNDL). Also Ford and Chrysler had the shift control as buttons on the steering wheel hub. I'm guessing it won't be long before the "start button STOP" is standardized also.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

In addition to all the other surprising stuff about both driver, car, and CHP officer I curious about how the whimpy small engine and the electric motor/battery could have enough energy to go that fast for so long. I wonder if the regenerative braking was also providing power for the electric motor.

A lot of questions, even assuming the driver isn't lying.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

I hadn't even thought of the possible implications of the regenerative braking... Maybe a hybrid with a stuck throttle actually goes FASTER when you use the brakes? Like a turbocharger, hilarious.

I would hate to be an engineer at Toyota right now....

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

The cynic in me smells someone trying to game the system and set up a lawsuit.



No kidding. I've got a friend who is a service advisor at Fred Anderson Toyota. He said that even though they're the 11th largest Toyota dealer in the country, they had NEVER had a complaint about any of these things. All of a sudden, people in 20 year old cars are coming out of the woodwork trying to get over on Toyota. J is also working 12 hour days M-F, along with every other Saturday. I'd hate to be over there.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

On an E90 BMW you just press the start/stop button to shut it down. It then kills the motor but everything electrical remains active until you press it a second time or get out and close the driver's door.

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2

Seems to me that if there are ANY questions about how to turn off the car then its a SERIOUS problem!

Maybe its time to go back to the dark ages. You know, back when an actual connection existed between things like the gas pedal and the engine. And a key that actually started (and stopped) the car.

and yeah, 61 is NOT old...you young fart!

Ron

As much as I would like to blame people for much of this, I think one thing that is missing is that manufactures have ventured into a new era in which they can't fall back upon standard user interfaces.

In the beginning everyone was making it up as they go. I think the Ford Model T for example had the throttle on the wheel and three pedals on the floor. The purpose and orientation of those pedals really don't match much to what we know today. There was no standard back then on how to operate a car. I don't know when, but at some point there was an agreement to standardize on the current pedal configuration.

Enter things such as auto-manual transmissions and now you have confusion as to how to shift. Do you push forward or pull back to upshift? I think for years Porsche did this backwards than most others and I am not sure if this has yet to be resolved. Now we have cars that do not require a key in the ignition and/or use a "start" button vs. a twist of the ignition switch. Then things like "how do I turn the car off while moving" are not an easy question to answer as you don't have much if any previous experience to fall back upon.

In short I think there needs to be some standards in place for (at a minimum) new cars that do not use a traditional ignition switch. I don't want to have to jump into a car and then read the operating manual to know how to turn it on/off. This may sound counter to my comments about "people don't know how stuff works", but there is something to be said for standardization.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.