Unintended Acceleration...Any ideas?
10-09-12, 06:20 PM
#16
In fact, the one thing I can definitely tell you is that if you press the brake 100% and the throttle 100% at the exact same time, the car will come to a complete halt, generally very quickly... even more quickly with vehicles that have the throttle go to zero when the brake is depressed...
which brings up something I am unsure of in this case - did this car have that software update and was it even applicable for this car?
10-09-12, 06:23 PM
#17
Lexus Fanatic
In fact, the one thing I can definitely tell you is that if you press the brake 100% and the throttle 100% at the exact same time, the car will come to a complete halt, generally very quickly... even more quickly with vehicles that have the throttle go to zero when the brake is depressed...
What happened here was the OP thought they were braking, and they hit the gas instead. Scary I'm sure, and it seemed like the vehicle was out of control, but the drivers foot was on the gas, not the brake, or on the gas and the brake in some way...
In this accident, even if the car "accelerated on its own" if it moved forward, the brakes were not fully depressed. If it was "spraying dirt" then the brakes were not depressed. Bottom line.
Very interesting that they're going to buy it back though...
10-09-12, 08:37 PM
#18
This thread has been troubling me since it first started - doesn't it appear from the two pictures that it was the rear wheels of the front wheel drive car that were spinning and spraying the dirt? And the downed fence section is well ahead of the car rather than being knocked down and run over. Or am I seeing things that aren't there?
Dave Mac
Dave Mac
10-09-12, 08:42 PM
#19
Lexus Fanatic
And why would the car stop there and not just run on into the house? There's nothing underneath it that would impede it from continuing ahead under throttle. Why would it sit right there and "spin and throw dirt" instead of just driving ahead?
Im with ya Dave...
Im with ya Dave...
10-10-12, 04:58 PM
#20
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While I agree that the "unintended acceleration" claims are bogus, and that the OP likely unkowningly slipped his foot onto the gas instead of the brake which caused this accidentI too find it very interesting that Lexus has agreed to buy this car back.
I personally have not heard of a story where they have done that...
I personally have not heard of a story where they have done that...
***Well, I just got off the phone with a representative of Lexus, North America. They got police report information, claim information, pictures. They have submitted the vehicle to "Buy Back" Program which I hope works out..and I hope they are serious. Thanks for all the suggestions. ***
10-10-12, 05:17 PM
#21
Lexus Fanatic
Little too much coffee this morning?
Relax.
Relax.
10-10-12, 05:31 PM
#22
While I agree that the "unintended acceleration" claims are bogus, and that the OP likely unkowningly slipped his foot onto the gas instead of the brake which caused this accidentI too find it very interesting that Lexus has agreed to buy this car back.
I personally have not heard of a story where they have done that...
I personally have not heard of a story where they have done that...
There was a follow up report that same ES350 was in service with 35K+ miles without incident.
10-16-12, 03:46 PM
#23
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10/16/2012
Wizard070
Back when the intended acceleration was happening my 2007 ES350 was at the Lexus Dealer for lube service.
When I picked it up I noticed that the dealer has also re-programmed the engine's ECU. Because of this I ran a little test regarding unintended acceleration.
The description of my test and the results of my test are shown below.
If your Lexus is running maybe you can test it. In fact any one else could test their Lexus too.
JerryF
Wizard070
Back when the intended acceleration was happening my 2007 ES350 was at the Lexus Dealer for lube service.
When I picked it up I noticed that the dealer has also re-programmed the engine's ECU. Because of this I ran a little test regarding unintended acceleration.
The description of my test and the results of my test are shown below.
If your Lexus is running maybe you can test it. In fact any one else could test their Lexus too.
JerryF
10-16-12, 08:11 PM
#24
10/16/2012
Wizard070
Back when the intended acceleration was happening my 2007 ES350 was at the Lexus Dealer for lube service.
When I picked it up I noticed that the dealer has also re-programmed the engine's ECU. Because of this I ran a little test regarding unintended acceleration.
The description of my test and the results of my test are shown below.
If your Lexus is running maybe you can test it. In fact any one else could test their Lexus too.
JerryF
Wizard070
Back when the intended acceleration was happening my 2007 ES350 was at the Lexus Dealer for lube service.
When I picked it up I noticed that the dealer has also re-programmed the engine's ECU. Because of this I ran a little test regarding unintended acceleration.
The description of my test and the results of my test are shown below.
If your Lexus is running maybe you can test it. In fact any one else could test their Lexus too.
JerryF
11-15-14, 12:54 PM
#26
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Hey folks, old thread, but I actually just had a similar incident with my wife's SC430 from 2002. I used to think "unintended acceleration" was mumbo jumbo, but starting to reconsider.
Pulling into the garage at a crawl, foot soundly on the brake. Actually stopped the car for a second and then it started moving forward on it's own. I hammered on the brake more with no response from the brake system (throttle was at idle the whole time) and it eventually stopped when I shifted into reverse. I'm no noob when it comes to driving cars (drive an air-cooled vintage 911 in the summer) but this was genuinely spooky. The ONLY explanation I could come up with is if there was some snow under the tires on the garage floor and it slid on that, but it didn't feel that way. It felt like the brakes just totally let off and started rolling forward.
For what it's worth, really spooky. I'll be keeping an eye on it.
Pulling into the garage at a crawl, foot soundly on the brake. Actually stopped the car for a second and then it started moving forward on it's own. I hammered on the brake more with no response from the brake system (throttle was at idle the whole time) and it eventually stopped when I shifted into reverse. I'm no noob when it comes to driving cars (drive an air-cooled vintage 911 in the summer) but this was genuinely spooky. The ONLY explanation I could come up with is if there was some snow under the tires on the garage floor and it slid on that, but it didn't feel that way. It felt like the brakes just totally let off and started rolling forward.
For what it's worth, really spooky. I'll be keeping an eye on it.
11-15-14, 01:13 PM
#27
For yours, it's a rear wheel vs front wheel issue in my opinion - potentially something going on with weaker braking in the rear of the car?
Front brakes generally bite more than the rear given their larger surface area and more pistons (again more area to push on the rotor.) Therefore, in a FWD car, hammering the gas and hitting the brakes should slow the car down - even if not as fast as normal when off the gas. In a RWD car with perfect brakes, you can do the whole "smoke the rear tires" thing by floating the brakes so the front of the car holds the car in position, but the rear end lets go due to less braking power.
I'm wondering if your front tires didn't potentially slide on something - and perhaps even at idle the rear brakes didn't catch? I'd be looking at the rear end for an answer on that - ESPECIALLY since you stated the car was @ idle....
Front brakes generally bite more than the rear given their larger surface area and more pistons (again more area to push on the rotor.) Therefore, in a FWD car, hammering the gas and hitting the brakes should slow the car down - even if not as fast as normal when off the gas. In a RWD car with perfect brakes, you can do the whole "smoke the rear tires" thing by floating the brakes so the front of the car holds the car in position, but the rear end lets go due to less braking power.
I'm wondering if your front tires didn't potentially slide on something - and perhaps even at idle the rear brakes didn't catch? I'd be looking at the rear end for an answer on that - ESPECIALLY since you stated the car was @ idle....
11-15-14, 08:11 PM
#28
Lexus Fanatic
It sounds to me like it just slid. You said yourself the throttle was at idle, so how was the vehicle accelerating if the engine was idling? Seeing that your SC is as old as it is, it could have been water or air in the brake lines too.
11-17-14, 03:58 AM
#30
It's mentioned a lot on another forum I'm on, but if you've never had your brake fluid flushed out of that car - do that instead of just a bleed. I had an older F150 bought used that was only about 4 years old that was boiling the brake fluid in the hills near West Virginia... after a full flush, no more boiling and pedal response firmed up.
There's recommendations in the user manual, but some do the fluid replacement on motorcycles as often as every 2 years to ensure that there's no water in the system to cause issues during clutching/braking.
There's recommendations in the user manual, but some do the fluid replacement on motorcycles as often as every 2 years to ensure that there's no water in the system to cause issues during clutching/braking.
