Unintended Sudden Acceleration of an Hyundai Elantra Ended in High-Speed Crash
#106
Super Moderator
My current car is drive by wire, and thus does not have a throttle cable. But every previous vehicle I've had (including the Ford Ranger in question here) was not, and pressing the resume button would always cause the accelerator pedal to fall away from my foot unless I was already traveling faster than the resume speed.
#107
It absolutely does. There's a solenoid that directly actuates the plate on the throttle body. This causes the throttle cable to move because it's physically attached to that same lever. This in turn causes the accelerator to drop. It doesn't "press" the pedal, so to speak, but the end result is the same.
My current car is drive by wire, and thus does not have a throttle cable. But every previous vehicle I've had (including the Ford Ranger in question here) was not, and pressing the resume button would always cause the accelerator pedal to fall away from my foot unless I was already traveling faster than the resume speed.
My current car is drive by wire, and thus does not have a throttle cable. But every previous vehicle I've had (including the Ford Ranger in question here) was not, and pressing the resume button would always cause the accelerator pedal to fall away from my foot unless I was already traveling faster than the resume speed.
#108
Lexus Fanatic
Folks, given that geko29 is an engineer, while maybe not 100% correct on every point, I think he's in a position to speak with some credibility....especially on a complex issue like the electronics in today's cars.
#109
In my case, I'm 99% sure it was the cruise control. I believe it malfunctioned in a way that it enabled itself (I had not turned it on in any of these cases, and certainly not in the case where it happened immediately upon starting the engine), but had no input as far as gas/brake position and speed, so was trying to accelerate to its "set speed" by locking the throttle open.
#110
You're going to have a tough time with airliners then. All the Airbus models from the A319 on up are full fly by wire systems. Boeing transformation has been a bit slower, but all their new airplanes will feature some version of fly by wire.
Steve
Steve
#111
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
with all respect to geko29, those things happened 16/17 years ago, with an obviously defective, probably extremely primitive cruise control compared to anything on today's cars.
#112
Yup the B has had it for many years too. I do not fly in those flying culvert pipes packed like sardine cans.
#113
Super Moderator
Edit: It was C&D's long-term K900 tester: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...-update-review
Last edited by geko29; 02-18-15 at 05:11 AM.
#114
Lexus Champion
Perfectly valid points, all. However, I read a review in the past 7 days of a 2015 model car which, during the testing period, did a spontaneous full panic-stop on an empty expressway because the cruise control saw it was about to crash into a nonexistent car. Different expression of fundamentally the same problem that afflicted my Ranger.
Edit: It was C&D's long-term K900 tester: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...-update-review
Edit: It was C&D's long-term K900 tester: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...-update-review
The software is likely reacting properly, relying on the signals that the collision detection system gives it. Those forward radar systems may react in funny ways.
Infiniti advertises that their forward collision alert can detect cars 2 ahead of you because they discovered that the signal is bouncing off the road, even under the car ahead of you.
The forward collision detection system (just an obstacle warning) on my ES can act wierdly if there is snow on the road ahead; it will sound the alarm even if there is nothing ahead, not even another car. I am thinking that the signal may be bouncing off the uneven surface of the road caused by tire tracks through the snow. In some cases, I have to turn it off (and rely on my eyes for obstacles ahead.)
The K900's pre-collision system may be reacting to some uneven surface that we know is not a problem but it does not know is not a problem: the radar sensors detect something and the software reacts -- correctly for an obstacle ahead -- by applying the brakes.
#115
All you need to do is find out if all OBD2 can be controlled via telematics like onstar etc. All bidirectional scan tools can turn things on and off, that is how they test things. All onstar type systems can do the same like start the engine and turn it off and lock out the ignition key or what ever the device is that is used for that function. OnStar can unlock doors read all the diagnostics and with the above mentioned things it does I'm sure it has bidirectional control just like the scan tool.
#117
Lexus Champion
if you are not in " 'Murika", why should you worry? Sit back, relax, have a good laugh and be thankful that you outside North America know how to drive cars, and can tell the difference between the brake and accelerator pedals.
#118
Holy Batman.
For the fun of it, I just tried out this on my IS250:
Put the car in gear, pressed down firmly on the brake, and hit the gas pedal.
Result: Engine RPM went up and Car surged forward as much as the suspension allowed.
btw:I have had my car recalled for the "fix" ages ago.
For the fun of it, I just tried out this on my IS250:
Put the car in gear, pressed down firmly on the brake, and hit the gas pedal.
Result: Engine RPM went up and Car surged forward as much as the suspension allowed.
btw:I have had my car recalled for the "fix" ages ago.
#119
Holy Batman.
For the fun of it, I just tried out this on my IS250:
Put the car in gear, pressed down firmly on the brake, and hit the gas pedal.
Result: Engine RPM went up and Car surged forward as much as the suspension allowed.
btw:I have had my car recalled for the "fix" ages ago.
For the fun of it, I just tried out this on my IS250:
Put the car in gear, pressed down firmly on the brake, and hit the gas pedal.
Result: Engine RPM went up and Car surged forward as much as the suspension allowed.
btw:I have had my car recalled for the "fix" ages ago.