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I had a car that did this back in the early 1980's and it was pretty terrifying. A 1972 Datsun 1200. It had nothing to do with the gas pedal, but the throttle would not release and the car would go faster and faster no matter what we tried.<>
I don't recall that we ever got it resolved.
A little late for diagnosis, but back in the day that was a problem for race cars where the accelerator return spring would break and suck the butterfly to full open. Short of fixing the problem (ahem) the immediate correction was to put your foot under the accelerator pedal and lift. Once the issue was discovered to be common it was SOP to weld a bar across the top of the pedal to catch your toe so you could definitely "lift off the throttle."
It is absolutely amazing how many people in this thread posting what they would do are saying they would turn the ignition off. You guys really need to think this situation through.
I suggest that all of you saying your first choice would be to turn the ignition off, to get out on a highway when it isn't busy and at around 70mph; turn the ignition off and then try to change lanes a few times like you are navigating around traffic and then stop as quickly as you can. Then pull back out and run back up to 70mph and simply bump the transmission to neutral and do the same lane swaps and then stop. Come back and tell us which is the proper emergency procedure. lol
I am surprised by how many people do not realize you can just hit the gear shifter and it will pop into neutral and stop. Just a couple of months ago I was showing someone that when I was in their car because they were struggling to go from reverse to drive and kept missing drive because they had the button pressed. They had no idea that when you come out of park or reverse to shift to drive you can let go of the button or stop pulling back if it is a column shifter and it will stop you when you get to drive. There is a positive stop that stops the shifter when you get to drive if you are not pressing the button. There is also a positive stop at neutral coming up from drive so you don't even have to press the button or anything, you just simply hit the shifter and it goes to neutral.
I had the accelerator stick when I was in high school once and I just hit the shifter, pulled over and stopped. Popped the hood, got out and saw that the linkage had hung, popped it loose and then continued on my way. I was 17 at the time and knew what to do, how in the world does someone make it to their 40's or 50's and have no idea how to handle this situation?
On cars that still use a mechanical shift linkage, yes it's possible to shift it into neutral and come to a stop with the brakes. On newer cars with everything fly-by-wire that isn't so cut and dry anymore. On a newer loaner bmw I recently received there is no more P-R-N-D-L. Park is its separate button on the shifter. Push up for R and down for D. Once pushed the shifter will return to its center location, like a joystick. How do you know if the computer of your particular year/brand/model won't lock you out of going into N with the accelerator applied? Most people probably don't know and too afraid to try because they don't want to damage their transmission.
What is known is that the main brakes on cars within the last 30 years or so can overpower the engine even at WOT. Punch the pedal down and firmly keep it pressed down and you will come to a stop. Don't let up because repeating this will overheat them and possibly burn them out. Yes it will take longer to stop but you will come to a stop.
With power steering and brakes, do NOT turn off the engine. Disengage the transmission - put it in neutral. But that reportedly did not work? I don't know. Too bad there's not a shut off for fuel.
A little late for diagnosis, but back in the day that was a problem for race cars where the accelerator return spring would break and suck the butterfly to full open. Short of fixing the problem (ahem) the immediate correction was to put your foot under the accelerator pedal and lift. Once the issue was discovered to be common it was SOP to weld a bar across the top of the pedal to catch your toe so you could definitely "lift off the throttle."
Problem with most race cars was the fact that when you lifted and the pedal didn't return.. By the time you realized what was happening.. You were in the wall.
Then they came up with the steering wheel 'kill switch' that killed the ignition.. Which the drivers would accidentally hit or would break and still had the same problem as above. Both these, I think came into play shortly after the Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty crashes.
What I don't quite understand.. Stuck throttle.. you blow all the tires/spike strip them.. Car is still going to
Otherwise shouldn't all cars go into neutral as long as you step on the brake?
I drive barefoot (which I've heard is illegal?) if I'm wearing sandals, thanks to a close call with a flip-flop (sole curled under, straps caught on the pedal) & just last week I had a new one: Shoelace. The shoelace was a little trickier than the flip-flop because it's harder to free your foot from a sneaker but the flip-flop incident scared me more because I was a much more inexperienced driver.
Honestly; I'd rather have the brakes go to the floor than a stuck gas pedal, yikes.
I'm not sure where people get this - I hear it all the time, but it is not illegal to drive barefoot. Personally, I do it on most long trips as it keeps my feet from "falling asleep."
Last edited by blktoptrvl; 02-14-2018 at 06:47 PM..
would be going 155mph if the pedal got stuck... wouldn't magically stop accelerating at 100mph
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcenal352
This.
Wouldn't that depend on the cause of the problem? Why assume that the pedal was stuck all the way down?
I wonder how much fuel he had. If not much, clear the interstate and let him just run out, maybe?
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