Toyota Still in Denial about what Causes Runaway Acceleration
Toyota won’t admit ECM boards are causing the problem.
by James Buchanan

Back in August, 2009, an off-duty CHP officer was driving a Lexus, which experienced a runaway acceleration in southern California near the town of Santee. One news article describes the event “CHP Officer Mark Saylor, 45; his wife, Cleofe, 45; his daughter, Mahala, 13; and his brother-in-law, Chris Lastrella, 38, were all killed in the Aug. 28 crash in Santee. Police said someone in the 2009 Lexus ES 350 called 911 just after 6:30 p.m. to report that the car’s accelerator was stuck. The car was a loaner because Saylor had dropped off his regular vehicle for service. Witnesses say the Lexus was going about 100 mph on northbound state Route 125 when it slammed into the rear of a Ford Explorer, plowed over a curb and went through a fence before hitting an embankment and going airborne. The Lexus reportedly rolled several times before bursting into flames in the San Diego River Basin.”
One of the passengers called a 911 operator, but it was too late. The driver had burnt up the brakes trying to fight the accelerator. The car was doing 120 miles per hour and only had a half mile until the freeway ended. Just ten seconds after the 911 operator was called the passengers let out a scream and all four people in the car were dead.
The correct procedure for a runaway acceleration is to put the vehicle in neutral as soon as possible and to hit the brakes. It’s OK to fight the accelerator with the brakes but only for a few seconds. If you try to fight the accelerator with the brakes for much longer than that, you will eventually burn up the brakes.
You want to push down on the brakes as hard as possible, and you also want to shift into neutral as quickly as possible. If the engine is revving at or above the redline, you should turn the engine off, although you’ll lose the power assist on the brakes and steering. One important thing to remember is that some Toyotas do not shut off their electrical systems immediately like American cars do. They stay on for a few seconds, which is why you should shift to neutral immediately since the electrical system could take a while to shut down. (more…)















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