1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Here we go again... "Runaway Prius Slams into Mini-Mall in Pasadena"

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by KK6PD, May 27, 2011.

  1. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2008
    4,003
    944
    118
    Location:
    Los Angeles Foothills
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Here we go again......

    PASADENA (KTLA) -- A driver lost control of her car and slammed into a mini-mall Thusday morning, plowing through a martial arts studio and trapping an unsuspecting woman in an elevator.
    She said her Toyota Prius would not stop, even after she pulled the keys out of the ignition.

    For the rest of the story, and video...

    Runaway Prius: Woman Trapped When Runaway Car Slams into Mini-Mall - ktla.com

    Lets see what develops on this one......
     
  2. Troyroy

    Troyroy Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2010
    373
    30
    0
    Location:
    Troy, NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Sounds to me that she doesn't know how to drive a Prius. "Pull keys out of ignition"
    Why would that stop her car.????
     
  3. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2009
    4,050
    727
    5
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Good ****** God!! How do you crash like that??? Likely another case of putting her foot on the wrong pedal. Is she over 80? In need of money? I'm calling BS.
     
    Misplacedhippie likes this.
  4. Kore971

    Kore971 PEDD-CESC

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2009
    106
    58
    6
    Location:
    Downey
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    First of all, when a second gen prius has the ignition on, you CANNOT remove the key because it is locked in the slot, and secondly she obvisously was not paying attention to driving the car if the first thing she tried to do was remove the key instead of pressing the brake... :thumbdown
     
    Misplacedhippie and efusco like this.
  5. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    2,369
    978
    70
    Location:
    Sunnyvale, California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    You can't pull the key out of the keyslot when the car is turned ON. It's locked in there.

    Maybe it is an SKS car, in which case you only have to have the key inside the car to start it. Once it's started, the key is irrelevant.

    This looks like either something stuck under the accelerator pedal, or mistakenly hitting that pedal instead of the brake.

    This incident happened too quickly, but if there were more time to respond, the thing to do is shift to neutral and/or hold the Power button down for at least 5 seconds.

    I wonder what the black box will show?
     
  6. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    19,891
    1,191
    9
    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Shall we start a "guess the driver's age" lottery?
    Even the 'when I took the keys out of the ignition' quote raises my eye brows, It's possible she has a non-smart key Prius, but the likelihood is very small.
    *edit-sorry had a delay in posting and didn't see the comments above about the smart key. This whole story is fishy and sounds like classic pedal confusion.
     
    Misplacedhippie likes this.
  7. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2009
    1,403
    191
    0
    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
     
  8. Skoorbmax

    Skoorbmax Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2010
    2,641
    264
    0
    Location:
    Western NY
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Driver error, no doubt in my mind.
     
  9. wesayso

    wesayso Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2011
    385
    35
    0
    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Anyone care to demonstrate what happens at slow speed while applying full brake and stomping the accelerator? Chick is trying to cover her nice person.
     
  10. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,673
    6,492
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    This is good news.
    Priuses are getting too expensive!!!

    A few more UA storys, and maybe some media attention and they'll be back on sale again!!! :D
     
    2 people like this.
  11. ksstathead

    ksstathead Active Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2007
    1,244
    243
    0
    Location:
    Kansas
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Which might not be all bad, depending on the result of the age contest referenced above...
     
    1 person likes this.
  12. Skoorbmax

    Skoorbmax Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2010
    2,641
    264
    0
    Location:
    Western NY
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    LOL, it worked the first time. Nothing can bring prices on these down like a few people who don't know how to drive.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,693
    48,945
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i'm outraged by the 'unsuspecting' woman trapped in the elevator. she should have known a prius was coming! we need noisemakers on these death traps!
     
  14. jamesa53

    jamesa53 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2011
    74
    8
    0
    Location:
    Indiana
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    When I watched the video, it seemed she was under the influence of something..........or was it just me?
     
  15. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    7,730
    2,546
    0
    Location:
    The last place on earth to get cable, Sacramento
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
  16. skilbovia

    skilbovia Member

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2010
    400
    91
    0
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    They really like to pick on Prii don't they. If the rapture doesn't come on Oct 21, Nutcase will blame a Prius.
     
  17. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2009
    924
    123
    11
    Location:
    GA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    N/A
    Sorry folks, the Rapture(TM patent pending) was delayed because it is currently in the back of a Prius traveling across country and you know those things won't go over 60mph and have to be plugged in every night...unless they are crashing into something then they are suddenly capable of warp-speed. :eek: :der:
     
  18. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2009
    4,050
    727
    5
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Too many references rolled up in one thread. I'm lost and it's only page 2.
     
    1 person likes this.
  19. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,796
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Well one thing I'm SURE of, is that was one really bad parking job.

    Everything else? Who knows? Without applying prejudice either for or against the owner of the vehicle, I'd hope for an investigation.

    Of course, I'm suspicious. When she says, it didn't stop when she had her feet on the brakes...then later says it didn't stop when she had both feet off all pedals? I can believe in the possibilty of a failure, or even a ghost in the machine...BUT I have a hard time believing that The Prius is magically able to become an unstoppable perpetual motion machine.

    But I'd say, rip it apart and take a look....investigate...get back to me if anything tangible reveals itself...otherwise....bad parking job....
     
  20. mikewithaprius

    mikewithaprius New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2011
    656
    103
    6
    Location:
    Rhode Island
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Well, somewhat close, I do it all the time - getting to stage 4 while stopped with the engine off. Less rarely do it if I'm stopped and very low SOC to charge battery. In other words, the car stays 100% stopped with your foot on the brake even if you floor it.

    I literally laughed out loud, thanks, bisco :)