How to stop a car with a jammed accelerator

obi_waynne

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Any tips on how to stop a car if it has a jammed accelerator.

It would seem that people panic and do daft things or do nothing!

Here are my tips and please add your own as I'm sure I've missed out quite a few.

DO
1) Knock the engine out of gear and DONT WORRY ABOUT THE NOISE, engines have rev limiters.
2) BRAKE, even with the engine running the car brakes will still work.
3) Dip the clutch which will disengage the engine although the engine will rev you will quickly slow up and be able to stop.

DONT
1) Turn off the engine, the risk of the steering lock cutting in is too great!
2) Use the handbrake unless the car is going slowly, the rear will step out if you do.
3) PANIC, stay calm and think ahead.

What about autos? Any experience with them?
 
But Waynne if you turn the ignition once backwards the steering lock won't come on. Infact with my Focus the steering lock doesn't click in till the key is actually pulled all the way out.
 
i'd still turn off the engine.
steering will be the least of your worries.


Myself personally would leave it in gear and turn the engine off and let the gears bring the car to a stop. But you have to remember on modern engines you have next to no brakes with the engine switched off.
 
But Waynne if you turn the ignition once backwards the steering lock won't come on. Infact with my Focus the steering lock doesn't click in till the key is actually pulled all the way out.

In a panic situation like this you often over turn it and make matter worse. Drivers are not practiced at a one click turn of the ignition barrel. Plus you probably only have a few seconds to bring the car under control;)
 
If you turn off the engine, you will lose power assisted steering and the vacuum assist to the brakes, no vacuum = no servo.
You'll also lose the climate control and radio. :lol::lol::lol: [o.k. non essentail but funny and you'll need both these to assist in calming down after getting to the side of the road]
If you can engage neutral as in a manual box, your assisted steering and braking [with engine running] will allow you to pull over to the side of the road and stop in safety regardless of how high the engine is revving at. Let's face it, the last thing to consider is whether you're going to damage the bloody engine by bouncing it off the rev limiter.
With the engine off, you will of course still have brakes and steering, just not as good as you are used to it being, both will be heavier to use, this may add precious seconds onto your stopping distance. I have a feeling that in that situation you will want to stop as quickly and safely as possible.
 
The steering lock will note engage unless the key is removed. In a panic though, it's possible you might go too far and pull it right out. You might as well leave it running and besides you'll want hydraulics for steering anyway.

Clutch down. Automatic, just stick it in N.

Now brake as normal. The engine will be reving away happily to itself but the rev-limiter will stop it coming to harm.

Simple really
 
I'v been in that situation on a couple of ocasions, I once drove 20 miles on a stuck throttle, I just swiched the ignition off and on continuasly, by the way, if you switch the ignition off the engine is still turning at the same reves so you still have power steering and brakes. its the same as being towed with a dead engine, I allways tow in 4th or 5th gear, that way I'v got power steering and brakes.
 
i remembe when the turbo went on my defender 90 as i was driving down the motorway, it sucked the oil out the sump straight into the engine, which ment i couldnt turn it of with the key. there was thick smoke all over the motorway and i thought it was on fire, i stopped it by putting it in gear and letting the clutch up which caused the engine to stall.
 
I would have to gauge the situation first depending upon speed, but the tendancy would be to switch off the engine and bring it to a halt. If none of you cannot drive a car without power steering and non-servo assisted brakes then you have not lived!

Most steering locks will only function with the key removed and that would also require the wheel to be turned a few degrees to bring the lock into position.

Knocking the car into neutral be it a manual or auto is making the assumption that the gearbox is not faulty.

There's always using the car infront and using this as a brake.................the shunt might be enough to kick in the fuel cut-off switch.
 
I think that Toyota is getting a very unnecessary battering from the media on this one. Something as simple as a recalcitrant driver's footwell mat can cause a similar situation.

Some drivers must be so insensitive to not notice the accelerator pedal feeling gritty or getting slow to lift off when removing right foot pressure.

The fault is incredibly thinly spread across the world.

Driver error is far more likely to cause a dangerous situation that a slightly sticky accelerator pedal pivot.
 
Funnily enough, mats caused the opposite problem with the Dispatch - prevented the top-hinged accelerator from making it's maximum movement and as a result turned it from acceptably sluggish to dangerously sluggish. Heck, it made the difference between being able to achieve 70 and not.
 

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