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

Stuck Accelerator

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Oregon-Mica, Apr 6, 2006.

  1. Oregon-Mica

    Oregon-Mica New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2005
    36
    0
    0
    Location:
    Southern Oregon
    :unsure: First let me say I have a 2006 Prius and love it.

    That said, have there been many problems with uncontrolled acceleration. I saw one article about it in consumer affairs and a person at work, where we have a 2004, had it happen the other day.

    Oregon-Mica
     
  2. cmwade77

    cmwade77 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2006
    116
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 12:37 PM) [snapback]235931[/snapback]</div>
    No problems here, if there were any i would immediately take it to a dealer, as it is still well under warranty and this should not be happening.
     
  3. Denny_A

    Denny_A New Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2005
    133
    1
    0
    Location:
    Fox Valley, WI
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 04:37 PM) [snapback]235931[/snapback]</div>
    There have been instances, when during hard acceleration (pedal to the floor), that the floor mat traps the accel pedal so it won't move when released. Specifically, if the floor mat anchor tab lets go and the mat creeps forward until it's in just the right position (wrong position) to trap the pedal. Hard braking will overcome the acceleration until the pedal can be released.

    There may have been another type of uncontrolled accel, but I'm not aware of any such personally.
     
  4. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2005
    9,810
    464
    0
    Location:
    MD
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    consumeraffairs.com belongs to a law firm specializing in cheap lawsuits. i wouldn't put much stock in what they have to say.

    haven't heard of anything myself, and DH works at a very, VERY high volume prius shop.
     
  5. djasonw

    djasonw Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2004
    949
    115
    0
    Location:
    Coconut Creek, FL
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Only time I have had unintended acceleration in my 04 Prius is when I pass gas stations. I just can't seem to stop!!!!
     
  6. hycamguy07

    hycamguy07 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    2,707
    2
    0
    Location:
    Central Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Sounds like pedal to the metal syndrome... ;) (check the carpet mat) it has a tendency to slide to the pedals unless you have the little clips..

    My wife used to have this problem with her Saturn she would set the cruise control and 3 miles later the car would take off to 100 mph and then disengage the dealer couldnt find the problem and just disconected the cruise... Yes It can be a Mr. Toads Wild Ride...

    I have an 04 and have never had this problem occur

    San_Carlos_Jeff:
    I never trust these stories because all this person would have to do is push the brakes harder the car will come to a stop. In almost all cases (not all) what happened is someone was pushing on the accelerator instead of the brakes.

    Good point! or they step on the side of the brake pedal and thier shoe just hits the edge of the accellorator so the harder you push the more you go.... :huh:
     
  7. Oregon-Mica

    Oregon-Mica New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2005
    36
    0
    0
    Location:
    Southern Oregon
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Apr 6 2006, 04:26 PM) [snapback]236033[/snapback]</div>
    :D I can LOL as well as the next person. For the person who had this happen. She was lucky not to have an accident. The accelerator stuck on an off ramp while she was slowing down. She was able to go around a car, and just missed hitting a pedestrian. From responses so far, it does not appear this is a common occurence.

    Oregon-Mica
     
  8. San_Carlos_Jeff

    San_Carlos_Jeff Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2005
    871
    160
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2012 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    N/A
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 07:04 PM) [snapback]236050[/snapback]</div>
    I never trust these stories because all this person would have to do is push the brakes harder the car will come to a stop. In almost all cases (not all) what happened is someone was pushing on the accelerator instead of the brakes.
     
  9. jeromep

    jeromep Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2004
    827
    2
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Washington State
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 05:04 PM) [snapback]236050[/snapback]</div>
    The Prius has a N position. You can fall into that at any time while driving. If people feel the car is going out of control they should use it. If you hold the Power button down for 3 seconds the car will just power down.

    Anyone who just lets the vehicle take them for a wild ride without trying to take the vehicle out of gear or powering it down doesn't know their vehicle. These folks would also probably not choose to take the tranny out of gear or turn the key off on a conventional vehicle if this were to happen.

    People screw up their foot positioning in vehicles all the time. Car makers have worked real hard over the years to make the brake pedal very high and very far away from the accelerator, which has created greater foot travel to the brake and less comfortable driving positions for a lot of us. But this has been done to eliminate this gas mistaken for brake problem that people have at times. And that isn't even foolproof.

    As a final thought, I do my best to verify and reverify stuff I read on the Internet. Anything that seems just a little sensational or unsupported by significant quantities of duplicatable evidence I just don't buy.
     
  10. joelparks

    joelparks New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2005
    82
    0
    0
    Location:
    Bedford, MA
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Denny_A @ Apr 6 2006, 03:51 PM) [snapback]235941[/snapback]</div>
    Yep, this happened to me shortly after I slapped in the WeatherTech aftermarket mats I bought. They came with the required disclaimer but I ignored it. I trimmed them OK but they still aren't a very good fit. And they can still slip up and trap the accellerator if I step on it hard. But I don't do that much any more.
     
  11. Oregon-Mica

    Oregon-Mica New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2005
    36
    0
    0
    Location:
    Southern Oregon
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeromep @ Apr 6 2006, 06:29 PM) [snapback]236083[/snapback]</div>
    As I indicated in my original post. I am reporting what the individual told me. If I had not talked directly to her, Iwould be wondering the same thing. The vehicle in question is used as part of a fleet. The driver is not an experienced Prius driver. She did not think of powering off. She indicates she pressed as hard on the brake as she could. Might she have also been pressing on the accelerator. I do not know as I was not in the car. I love my 2006 and posted this simply to see if others had this problem. If nothing else, it seems like it has stimuated a discussion. I will also post when the car comes back from the Toyota dealer.

    Thanks for the interest in this topic.

    Oregon-Mica
     
  12. BNG4DBK

    BNG4DBK New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2005
    12
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 6 2006, 01:37 PM) [snapback]235931[/snapback]</div>
    Yes. One day, a hot summer day (temps in the 90s), while driving my early 2004 model, the accelerator didn't slow the car down when I took my foot off the gas. If memory serves me right, the car even sped up a little. I had been driving about 40 mph. I didn't perceive it as an urgent safety isssue though (I've got about a million miles of driving experience under my belt) but I was somewhat concerned. I should also mention that the pedal wasn't down far enough to get held down by the floor mat. It happened a couple of times in that roughly nine mile drive, a drive where I changed my plans and headed straight to the Toyota dealer. I had recently received a supposedly unrelated recall notice so now was the perfect time to take it in.

    I explained the situation to the service representative. I was told that this wasn't a known problem and that the recall wasn't targeted toward it. They did do the recall there and then though and also checked the car for any anomalies. No problems found. Since that time I've experienced no more situations like that. That was maybe 15,000 miles ago. Right now I've got about 30,000 miles on this otherwise excellent car.