Explorer cruise control jams open in Victoria

[JC260]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

I love how he calls 000 and has them ring up Ford for a solution. I could imagine the Ford tech on the other end of the phone saying "they all do that".

[mik]

this story sounds more than a bit sus, :.

[JC260]

hmm this screams BS doesn't it?

My old EF has cruise control, one day the brake switch failed when trying to brake from 80kp/h. It kicked down a gear trying to maintain speed so i just switched off the cruise - problem solved. I don't believe that so many failures could occur right after the other on the same car.
Hopefully the police and ford find nothing wrong with it.

[rodderz]

The bloke was just on sunrise too. I think his handbag got caught over the gearknob or something causing him to not be able to disable the cruise control

[Jack91]

Thats utter crap. How do brakes just not work? Fair enough they are very extremely hard if your booster splits (which has happened to me while driving before). Turning the car off and removing the keys was pretty stupid, what if the steering locked? Theres a lot that needs answering here.

[LTDHO]

Is Chase Weir the dumbest Ford driver ever?

We all know there are many ways to stop a vehicle in the event the cruise gets stuck on. Chase Weir jusy screamed like a little girl for 54 klms. That's half an hour to think

"Put it in Neutral"
"Turn of engine"
"use foot and hand brake"

[LTDterri]

Oh thank god, I thought it was only me thinking this dude had the lights on but nobody was home.

[RG]

You guys are just a big bunch of meanies.

It was really really scary.

[Brazen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eGTq...eature=related


Runaway Ford Explorers. Nothing new.

[jonk]

In the Fairlane I've experienced the cruise racing the engine when the trans has been knocked into neutral. Also prob's with the throttle body being cleaned and then the butterfly valve getting stuck, after releasing the foot from the accelerator. Tool mechanics... what are they cleaning the damn thing in, acid !?

[AWD Chaser]

CRUISE CONTROL FAIL!

WHEN NATURE CANT CONTROL NATURAL SELECTION, MACHINES WILL...

[AWD Chaser]

hahaha - damn media just made it even more exciting - its now 100kph!



http://www.news.com.au/national/driv...-1225810814610

THE driver of a runaway car stuck on cruise control hurtling along Melbourne's Eastern Freeway at 100km/h said last night he was convinced he was going to die.

[swanee]

Originally Posted by Kia Chaser

CRUISE CONTROL FAIL!

WHEN NATURE CANT CONTROL NATURAL SELECTION, MACHINES WILL...

Looks like he has mastered removing keys from the ignition.

[smally289]

That would be the Explorer's 'Self Destruct Function' which really is a great idea and should be engaged more often.

[Den76]

Sounds like total BS
Way too many items to fail one after the other
Maybe he was late to see his dealer,
Chick Chick Boom lol

[Brazen]

Yeah yeah yeah Fords are perfect, must of been the driver, whatever.

If this was a Holden you would be yelling from the rooftops that a recall is needed and they are killing machines.

[Wally]

Chase sounds like one of those guys you want beside you in a pinch. Probably find out he was jumping up and down on the footrest. Meanwhile poor old Texas Instruments will be getting a faxstream of please explains for it's SCDS.

Charliewool is correct, after extensive forensic investigation, the AFF debating team members could find no bone fide evidence Chase actually exists.

[JC260]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Yeah yeah yeah Fords are perfect, must of been the driver, whatever.

If this was a Holden you would be yelling from the rooftops that a recall is needed and they are killing machines.

The brand of the car means jack. Even if it was a Holden (toyota, mitsu or whatever) it wouldn't matter and besides, do you seriously believe that this fairy's car had a catastrophic failure of the brakes, transmission and ignition all at once? :

It's got more to do with his complete inability to handle the situation with some basic thinking.

[Pinch]

Will check tonight, but pretty sure the Mini locks out manual over a certain RPM - and it must be in Park to remove the key. Not sure about simply turning it off in drive, but I suspect not either.

And it has cruise control.

A DSG Golf is the same from memory, as was the Mrs old Hyundai Lantra.

Hmmm....

Anyone with an auto Explorer able to advise rather than speculate?

[Pinch]

Originally Posted by Pinch

Will check tonight, but pretty sure the Mini locks out manual over a certain RPM

Meant neutral. Most car makers now do this to avoid inadvertant engine damage by shifting to neutral accidently at speed. Most auto's also require the car to be in Park (or in some cases could be neutral as well) before allowing engine shut down.

Only solution would be the handbrake if the service brakes were not up to the task - burning them out after repeatedly trying to stop engine power delivering 100km/h is not impossible. And if its a Ford handbrake, see ya, wouldn't want to be ya. The handbrake on my BA XR6 wouldn't hold the thing on a 5% incline, let alone stop it from 100km/h with a 6 cyl trying to do the opposite.

Might be a tool, but might have some merit in the claims too.

[Chopped]

Wow listen to all the experts who would know what to do.

Toyota (US) have had massive issues with their vehicle's throttles becoming jammed, people have died and guess what the BRAKES DIDN'T WORK either.

"The problem received national attention in August 2009 when four family members travelling in a Lexus ES 350 soared off an embankment, rolled several times, and burned. All four of the occupants were killed, including Mark Saylor, an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer. Saylor called 911 right before the crash and frantically reported that the Lexus was accelerating uncontrollably and that the brakes were unresponsive. Eyewitnesses say the car topped speeds of 120 mph before it crashed."

"when the throttle is in the open position it requires a brake pedal force of 150 pounds to stop the vehicle, five times more than the 30 pounds required when the vehicle is operating normally."

Obviously it didn't happen because you guys said it can't.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Chopped

Wow listen to all the experts who would know what to do.

Toyota (US) have had massive issues with their vehicle's throttles becoming jammed, people have died and guess what the BRAKES DIDN'T WORK either.

"The problem received national attention in August 2009 when four family members travelling in a Lexus ES 350 soared off an embankment, rolled several times, and burned. All four of the occupants were killed, including Mark Saylor, an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer. Saylor called 911 right before the crash and frantically reported that the Lexus was accelerating uncontrollably and that the brakes were unresponsive. Eyewitnesses say the car topped speeds of 120 mph before it crashed."

"when the throttle is in the open position it requires a brake pedal force of 150 pounds to stop the vehicle, five times more than the 30 pounds required when the vehicle is operating normally."

Obviously it didn't happen because you guys said it can't.

Yeah, dont ya just love all the experts.
It took me all of a minute to consider
1 the auto locks out neutral when the vehicle is moving
2 the keys cant be switched off or removed whilst vehicle is in gear
3 the brakes would have boiled from prolonged attempts to slow below 100
4 Ford handbrakes are crap

Just as likely, yet no explorer owner has offered any insight into these possibilities.

As for the blokes intelligence, just another example of why not all drivers are as sharp as us enthusiasts.

[LOCO XP]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

no explorer owner has offered any insight into these possibilities.

That's because it either hasn't happened yet, or they have been injured or killed in similar incidents. It's a built in safety feature of Ford. That is, in the event of an Exploder having a catastrophic failure as described previously, just make sure it fails that badly that it would not be possible for the involved parties to pursue a class action or forced recall.

But in all seriousness, although it seems unlikely for this event to be entirely attributed to the car as opposed to an interplay between user and failure of vehicle systems, there has been a long string of issues with the Exploder. Can't comment on the recent models, but the initial series had many issues. I remember my parents having to take ours ('96?) into the Ford delaership on a couple of occasions as a result of recall notices.

[Bud Bud]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

It took me all of a minute to consider
3 the brakes would have boiled from prolonged attempts to slow below 100

Also would the car begin to rev out even more (fight the cause if you like) to replace the speed that was washed off due to the attempted increased braking as well?

[Whitey Ford]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Yeah yeah yeah Fords are perfect, must of been the driver, whatever.

If this was a Holden you would be yelling from the rooftops that a recall is needed and they are killing machines.

The same thing happened to a cop. He was driving a rental Lexus (Toyota) which are actually perfect driving appliances and it was entirely his own fault that he killed his family.

This has nothing to do with the badge the car is wearing.

Oh, look, good timing;

Originally Posted by Chopped

Toyota (US) have had massive issues with their vehicle's throttles becoming jammed, people have died and guess what the BRAKES DIDN'T WORK either.

You should have read more about this particular case.

It's caused by the accelerator pedal getting stuck on the floor mat and the reason why that idiot killed his family is because he floored his rental Lexus to overtake and then didn't have the presence of mind to switch the car off, engage neutral, or unstick the accelerator pedal. The problem was made worse because his car had a remote ignition key and start button and he was unable to locate the 'off' button in his panic. He also did lots of slow braking which cooked his brakes, rather than one large attempt to stop.

He was a CHIP and he responded very badly under pressure.

It's horrible his family died and it's good news that this Explorer didn't harm anyone, but in both cases some calm rational thought would have prevented any incident at all.

Don't believe me? Just look at all the posts in this thread about people taking a split second to engage neutral or switch off the ignition when their throttle has stuck open or cruise control will not engage. A split second.

[Pinch]

Originally Posted by Whitey Ford

Don't believe me? Just look at all the posts in this thread about people taking a split second to engage neutral or switch off the ignition when their throttle has stuck open or cruise control will not engage. A split second.

All very good if your car allows you to do it. Some of mine don't. Some do. No Explorer driver has confirmed if they have a high speed neutral lock out or ignition lock while in drive, or not.

The media articles state that all the mentioned options were suggested by the Police, and tried by the guy to no avail. Technically it was possible that the Explorer had built in mechanisms to prevent engine damage in non-emergency situations.

Until we know for sure whether the Explorer auto has engine protection shift locks, no one knows if these options mentioned were actually available. The transmission in our NC's, BA's, AU's, Fiesta's, Mini's, Subies, Lexus at al are all different.

I am loathe to flame the guy, who didn't kill or injure anyone, and who didn't create swathes of destruction like some drunk drivers do, until we know the facts.

[Chopped]

Originally Posted by Whitey Ford

....You should have read more about this particular case....

Did you !? Toyota may be hiding something about this >

REPORT: Toyota execs deny cover-up after feds rebuke automaker over runaway car investigation >
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/06/r...e-automaker-o/

Consumer Reports: Over 40 percent of 'sudden acceleration' claims involve Toyota >
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/c...npage_autoblog

Class action suit filed against Toyota over sudden acceleration claims >
"According to the suit, Toyota has known about reports of unintended acceleration for years and has received over 2,000 such complaints. Citing statistics from Safety Research & Strategies, Inc., the lawsuit alleges that there have been 16 fatalities and 243 injuries from Toyota and Lexus crashes attributed to runaway vehicles. Toyota attributes these accidents to improperly installed or incorrect floormats that prevent the accelerator pedal from returning to its idle position.

Wright, though, said in a statement, "[N]either driver error nor floormats can explain away many other frightening instances of runaway Toyotas. Until the company acknowledges the real problem and fixes it, we worry that other preventable injuries and deaths will occur." Hit the jump for the official press release from McCuneWright."
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/09/c...-acceleration/

Dodgy floor mats my **** !!

How to stop a runaway car >
" Testing theory at the track
We decided to find out just how quickly you could lose power brakes with a stuck throttle. Using our test track and several test vehicles, we accelerated to 60 mph and hit the brakes with the accelerator still floored. Once the brakes were applied, the vehicles began fighting us. The transmissions downshifted trying to maintain speed.

Instead of holding the brakes, we tried pumping them. This test confirmed that pumping the brakes is a really bad strategy. Power brakes rely on engine vacuum to provide additional brake pressure. At full throttle, the engine doesn’t generate any vacuum. So as soon as we removed and reapplied pressure to the brake pedal, the power assist disappeared and stopping the car became hopeless. “There was no way I could push hard enough on the brakes to slow the car down when the engine was fighting me,” said Sr. Automotive Engineer Jake Fisher."
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...he-brakes.html

[Chopped]

Originally Posted by Whitey Ford

.... it was entirely his own fault that he killed his family......

>> B U L L S H I T <<


"...The NHTSA had also learned from a previous ES350 investigation that, "the Lexus ES braking system loses power-assist when the throttle is fully opened, increasing braking distance fivefold." That's not good. And the brakes had signs of heavy wear and damage, "Rotors were discolored and heated, had very rough surfaces, had substantial deposits of brake pad material, and showed signs of bright orange oxidation on the cooling fins consistent with endured braking.
Additionally, because the Lexus has push button start, the operator must push the button for three seconds before the engine will shut off. A piece of info obviously and sadly not known by Officer Saylor."

[4Vman]

Brings new meaning to the police being involved in a car "chase" doesn't it.....

[winkle]

This guy is a total tosspot. And camp as a row of tents - not that there's anything wrong with that. Surely standing on the brake pedal and reefing the handbrake would be the first thing you would do, not the last. He was hysterical by his own admission. I reckon he was chasing his 15 minutes so he could host the next screening of Brokeback Mountain.