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Prius surged forward

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by yite, Apr 2, 2008.

  1. yite

    yite New Member

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    Was at a stop light behind a truck with our Prius (bought December 2000) in Neutral and my foot on the brake. When I put the car in Drive, foot still on the brake, it surged forward FAST. Luckily the truck stopped me, though the front of the car is all crumpled up. Anyone heard of similar experiences?
     
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Yea, it's called not keeping your foot on the brake enough.
    Why did you put it in neutral? I'm betting you foot was on the accelerator and when you dropped into drive it surged forward.

    There's no reason to put the car in neutral at a stop like that and several good reasons to leave it in drive.
     
  3. jiepsie

    jiepsie New Member

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    Could it be not keeping your foot on the brake at all, but on te accelerator instead? I think it will happily shift from N to D while rolling slowly without pushing the brake.
     
  4. yite

    yite New Member

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    No, my foot was definitely on the brake because the car was facing up an incline and would otherwise have rolled back into the car behind me.
     
  5. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Check your floor mats to see if it got wedged on top of your pedals.

    If you hit both pedals, then it'll surge up if your not pushing the brake hard enough.
     
  6. statultra

    statultra uber-Senior Member

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    first of all, if you were on a incline why the heck did you have it in neutral.

    and your car surged forward, your gas pedal had to be depressed.
     
  7. yite

    yite New Member

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  8. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    Sounds like a TROLL to me.

    New Member driving a Classic

    Won't say why car was in Neutral at stop light

    Frend sends anti-Prius links?????
     
  9. donee

    donee New Member

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  10. Tripod137

    Tripod137 New Member

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    Interesting...if the floor mat is on top of the gas pedal (as has happened to me and my wife -- we have since gotten new winter floor mats), the engine will obviously rev like crazy. If you put the car in neutral, that will keep the car from revving (by design, it seems), so by switching back to drive...the pedal is still down...the engine immediately revs up and the car takes off.

    Sounds totally logical to me. The mat probably covered the gas pedal while at the stop on the hill.

    Does the poster, by any chance, have aftermarket floor mats?

    This problem can happen if you install them on top of the factory mats (bad idea) or install them correctly (removing the factory mats AND using the floor mat hooks).
     
  11. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Maybe; lets see if the OP will post photos of the damage, the car's odometer reading, and the driver's side footwell showing the pedals, the carpeted area, and any floormats used.
     
  12. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Yes, photos of the damage and of the floor around the pedals will help us give a good on line diagnosis.

    No one is saying you're lying mind you, it is just so we can make an informed diagnosis.
     
  13. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    A real consumer affairs site will not have banner ads on their site as it compromises their impartiality.

    This is a real consumer advice site, look no ads!!
    CHOICE - CHOICE Online
     
  14. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Definitely sounds like a troll, or a shill for litigators, or maybe another old fart driver who can't tell where his feet are anymore and ought to surrender his license. These identical posts appear under a different name at
    PriusOnline.com • View topic - Prius surged forward
     
  15. NaptownPrius

    NaptownPrius Getting Greener....

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    Why did you put it it in neutral on an upward incline?
     
  16. yite

    yite New Member

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    We have only the original floor mats which haven't been moved or cleaned in weeks (oops) and none of which was on the accelerator pedal.
     
  17. ForTheGlory

    ForTheGlory New Member

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    Here's a question whose answer should help to explain some of what's going on here: I know that the Prius is "steer by wire", where the steering wheel is not mechanically linked to the tires. Does the go pedal work the same way? My impression was that the pedal mechanically actuates the throttle.

    If the pedal is mechanically linked to the throttle, there's no chance of a "false acceleration command" being the computer to the engine. The only possible command source is the pedal itself. I suppose that the "auto-creep" function of the transmission also sends commands, but the acceleration from that is not nearly on the level that the original poster is describing.
     
  18. yite

    yite New Member

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    I'll ask the repairer to take photos or go there myself to take them. Our insurance company was incredibly efficient about getting us a replacement car and taking the Prius away: all done within about six hours.
     
  19. yite

    yite New Member

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    I wonder about this, too. As I recall (no Prius here to test) pressing the accelerator pedal while in Park or Neutral does not cause the engine to rev, so they're not mechanically linked, right?
     
  20. ForTheGlory

    ForTheGlory New Member

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    I've never had cause to press the accelerator while in Park or Neutral, so I'm not sure what it does.