LexFather

It is a Volvo.

Not sure if the police are going to blame stuck accelerators in all cars in all accidents now or if this is real. Since only 14 people know Volvo still sells cars, I doubt this gets much media attention.


http://www.wftv.com/news/22586318/detail.html
Ga. Car Auction Crash Seriously Hurts At Least 6
Georgia Crash Sends Dozen To Hospital

Posted: 11:13 pm EST February 16, 2010Updated: 11:16 am EST February 17, 2010
ELLIJAY, Ga. -- A car plowed into a crowd at a north Georgia auto auction and sent more than a dozen people to hospitals, including at least six with serious injuries.

Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said the accelerator apparently stuck as the car, a 1995 Volvo, was being driven into the hall for dealers to bid on it Tuesday night.

Wright said one person was critically injured and was being treated at an Atlanta hospital.

He said the names of those injured and the extent of their injuries were not yet available.

The state patrol is investigating, but Wright said it was too early to speculate on whether charges could be filed

mmarshall

We're talking about a 15 year old car here, though........who knows how much wear and miles the throttle system (and the engine-management system) had on it.

Evitzee

Let's find out how old the driver was, and whether he/she had any alcohol or drugs in their system. When you dig down in these sorts of stories you'll usually find a seriously compromised driver.

mmarshall

Good point. I think both your post and mine has merit.

pagemaster

Possibly a mis-placed floormat

IS-SV

The fact that the car is 15 years old won't be a good answer. Agreed, state of the driver TBD, pending investigation.

I8ABMR

I dont care how old the car is the throttle should never ever stick ever ever ever. I have had hondas with close to 300k and never even heard of such a thing

whazzzzuup

iTrader: (11)

The throttle body could be dirty, which may cause it to be sticky.

UberNoob

LOL!!
hilarious

volvos are nice though
ive been contemplating a S60R as a daily winter beater

bruce van

Stuck throttle will now = Twinkie Defense

mmarshall

It may not be the BEST answer, but it is a plausible one. A 15-year-old vehicle may not have an electronic Drive-By-Wire system, meaning that it would have mechanical rods, levers, joints, and linkages. Normally, those parts have corrosion resistance and are designed to go the life of the car without needing lubrication or repair. But, the average design life of a modern car (including most safety items) is generally considered to be 10 years/150,000 miles, though, of course, a lot of cars go further than that, such as the Hondas you mention, I8ABMR. And it also has to be taken into account that although Volvo, like Mercedes, has a stellar safety reputation, their vehicles do need service/repair and are not known for a Honda level of reliability.

So, if that sounds like I'm trying to make it into a spin, I disagree. Volvos, reliability-wise, in general, are simply not Hondas.

And, with that, let's let the investigation take its course.

IS-SV

Shorter answer, 15 year old car should not have this problem and it's very unlikely this incident was due to the age of the car. There are thousands of 15 year old cars on the road without this problem.

Agreed, Volvos are no match for Hondas and Toyotas when it comes to reliability but this is more of a safety discussion.

Yes, let the investigators do their jobs instead of the armchair internet wizzards with no hands-on experience, lol.

mmarshall

Volvo? Hey....just ask your local Librarian or scholteacher.

IS-SV

Stereotype of the day, this is the best place to get these updates on stereotypes, lol.

Good pic, she looks ready to slap our hands with that ruler.

mmarshall

Even safety items don't have an unlimited shelf life.


I've actually done work on some older Volvos. A neighbor of mine has owned several of them and sometimes needs help with minor things. Their engines are like iron, but they do have hardware/electrical problems.

And, of course, investigators don't always do THEIR jobs, either; or, if they do, the results get manipulated or covered up. We're seeing that, right now, at least to some extent, with our beloved Toyota and Lexus.

And, as far as Internet "wizards" go, I've yet to see a better auto-talk forum than this one. If I did, I would have said "Adios".