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What do you do when the gas pedal sticks?

I've never heard of any vehicle that you can't knock out of drive. Clicking the ignition switch back to acc. Or simultaneously applying emergency brake along with main brakes.
My thoughts on this is that a lot of people freeze up and lose their ability to work out a problem because it is outside the norm...like the deer caught in the headlights, and things are happening too fast to get back in the cognitive loop.
The bad thing is nobody knows truly how they will react in a given situation until they are there.
In my own experience your past experience and training if applicable take over.
 
Wow. That's some good driving by her to not flip that thing taking onto the shoulder like that. What is so frustrating to watch are the people that don't know what to do. Basic driving skills/knowledge is to pull to the right when police are coming up. I don't get what that's so hard.

Anyway, I would like to know what was wrong and what the woman did to try and stop it. It used to be that if the pedal was stuck down, you just do quick stomps on the pedal to unstick it, which I have had to do in the past on an older vehicle. Maybe there is something with the newer vehicles and drive-by-wire that can mess things up.


BTW, loving the new profile pic Jethro. lol Hopefully they can restore it but man, what a mess.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
I admit I've never owned a vehicle newer than a '96 (I prefer to work on junk instead of make payments), but when the accelerator pedal sticks on a newer vehicle is it impossible to put the car in neutral and let the engine blow itself up as you safely brake to a stop?

http://news.yahoo.com/video/vehicles-accelerator-gets-stuck-35-023308404.html

Help me understand this, folks.
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I don't know why it is this way, however, the simple answer is to turn off the ignition. As soon as the engine dies, which takes only a second, turn it back to the middle setting between "off" and "ignition" so you can still steer. This location on the ignition switch used to be called "accessories" and was on the other side of "off" but no more. This is the best viable answer.
 
thisnumbersdisconnected said:
I don't know why it is this way, however, the simple answer is to turn off the ignition. As soon as the engine dies, which takes only a second, turn it back to the middle setting between "off" and "ignition" so you can still steer. This location on the ignition switch used to be called "accessories" and was on the other side of "off" but no more. This is the best viable answer.
Click to expand...
actually having this happen, i just shifted to neutral and shut the car off. depending on the speed you may or may not be able to steer it.

most newer cars, as well this did happen to one fleet vehicle while he drove, will idle when they loose a tps or potientometer.that truck lost the gas pedal. it went to idle in traffic.
 
It used to be that if you switched off the ignition the car would still steer and you could slow down steering in a wavy pattern. But nowadays the steering often locks if you switch off the ignition. (So is this really progress?)
 
Pizzaguy said:
Anyone got a link to the follow=up video where they interviewed the driver?
Click to expand...
Just google 'woman sues auto manufacturer for faulty gas pedal', lol.:lol

Sorry, but that's what I think of first when a person calls police to say their gas pedal is stuck and they can't stop. Somehow they have the sense of mind to call police, but not to turn the ignition key off, or put her in neutral.

Also, why does this seem to only happen on the interstate...and where are her brake lights? If panic is why common sense goes out the (car) window in situations like this, why isn't her foot cramming the brake pedal into the floor board? That's the very first reaction to this situation...and, considering you're out of your mind with terror, one you would not surrender even if it's obvious it's not having any effect on the car.

Sorry folks, color me skeptical on this one. But I will leave a little room for this being legit. Just not a lot.

There are better ways to have your fifteen minutes of fame...like posting a video of your cat playing the organ. It's safer, too.
 
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jasoncran said:
actually having this happen, i just shifted to neutral and shut the car off. depending on the speed you may or may not be able to steer it.
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Have you ever had the hood of your car suddenly open up while driving? Trust me...you'll never forget the experience...especially if you have loose bowels.


jasoncran said:
most newer cars, as well this did happen to one fleet vehicle while he drove, will idle when they loose a tps or potientometer.that truck lost the gas pedal. it went to idle in traffic.
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A throttle sensor getting stuck in that direction doesn't make for a very good law suit, does it, lol.
 
JMarttn said:
I've never heard of any vehicle that you can't knock out of drive. Clicking the ignition switch back to acc. Or simultaneously applying emergency brake along with main brakes.
My thoughts on this is that a lot of people freeze up and lose their ability to work out a problem because it is outside the norm...like the deer caught in the headlights, and things are happening too fast to get back in the cognitive loop.
The bad thing is nobody knows truly how they will react in a given situation until they are there.
In my own experience your past experience and training if applicable take over.
Click to expand...

Not saying that this will always be the case but in any emergency situation I have experienced, rather than enter a state of uncontrolled panic, I have found that I have entered into a state of collective reason. It seems that my mind has gone into overdrive and my ability to think through and reason multiple solutions suddenly rush into view. It's as if time slows down allowing me to consider multiple options and make a choice and then act accordingly.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
Just google 'woman sues auto manufacturer for faulty gas pedal', lol.:lol

Sorry, but that's what I think of first when a person calls police to say their gas pedal is stuck and they can't stop. Somehow they have the sense of mind to call police, but not to turn the ignition key off, or put her in neutral.

Also, why does this seem to only happen on the interstate...and where are her brake lights? If panic is why common sense goes out the (car) window in situations like this, why isn't her foot cramming the brake pedal into the floor board? That's the very first reaction to this situation...and, considering you're out of your mind with terror, one you would not surrender even if it's obvious it's not having any effect on the car.

Sorry folks, color me skeptical on this one. But I will leave a little room for this being legit. Just not a lot.

There are better ways to have your fifteen minutes of fame...like posting a video of your cat playing the organ. It's safer, too.
Click to expand...
I have to agree with you.
 
WIP said:
Not saying that this will always be the case but in any emergency situation I have experienced, rather than enter a state of uncontrolled panic, I have found that I have entered into a state of collective reason. It seems that my mind has gone into overdrive and my ability to think through and reason multiple solutions suddenly rush into view. It's as if time slows down allowing me to consider multiple options and make a choice and then act accordingly.
Click to expand...
I found that comes with the experience of age. Seriously.

When I was young, I learned from some survival training in the Air Force how much having been in the same or similar situations helps us keep our presence of mind in times of crisis.

After going through water survival training I was shocked to realize what they had me calmly doing because of the very good training they used to prepare me for it. They had me releasing the tow rope while para-sailing at 400 ft. up and parachuting down into the ocean, cutting loose from the chute, inflating my life preservers and a raft, and waiting for a helicopter to pick me up, and I can hardly swim and fear water! Without that experience gleaned in training...I would have just crammed the brake pedal to the floor and cried like a baby.
 
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Jethro Bodine said:
Just google 'woman sues auto manufacturer for faulty gas pedal', lol.:lol

Sorry, but that's what I think of first when a person calls police to say their gas pedal is stuck and they can't stop. Somehow they have the sense of mind to call police, but not to turn the ignition key off, or put her in neutral.
Click to expand...

The sense of mind, and the time, to call police. But, they don't do something as simple as turning off the engine, or a half dozen other ways to stop a car.

It's scary to be on the road knowing there are such irrational people on the road with you.
 
I didn't read everyone's posts, but I've had a few older cars where the gas pedal would stick and I would have to pump the gas several times to unstick it. Usually a heavier spring on the carb would fix it.

Newer cars aren't like that though and some of them don't even have a cable... it's all electronic.

The cruise control on our van started acting up last winter and it wouldn't let the car come back to an idle. I was pulling off the freeway on a snowy day and I had to slam the car into neutral, shut it off and then start it again. It was kind of scarey. But what scared the jeebers out of me is when I went to pull into the gas station and the idle raised and there was slush everywhere. Even with the brake on it was pushing the van right into the gas pump. I didn't have time to shut the van off, so I slammed it into park to get it to stop and my wheels were right against the concrete that the pumps are mounted on.

Yeah... that was fun.
 
Hammer said:
The sense of mind, and the time, to call police. But, they don't do something as simple as turning off the engine, or a half dozen other ways to stop a car.

It's scary to be on the road knowing there are such irrational people on the road with you.
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Add alcohol, weed, prescriptions drugs, and texting to that and you've got a very scary scenario to deal with in society today on your trip to the grocery store.
 
StoveBolts said:
I didn't read everyone's posts, but I've had a few older cars where the gas pedal would stick and I would have to pump the gas several times to unstick it. Usually a heavier spring on the carb would fix it.
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I've had to add another spring to the throttle return on more than one of my old Rochester carburated GM cars. Usually on one I rebuilt and didn't line the throttle plates up on the shaft very well. The problem was, adding another spring wore the bushing out on the throttle shaft quicker.


StoveBolts said:
...what scared the jeebers out of me is when I went to pull into the gas station and the idle raised and there was slush everywhere. Even with the brake on it was pushing the van right into the gas pump.
Click to expand...
Ah, yes...Michigan winters. I remember them well. When it's slushy the drive wheels will keep turning when you put the brakes on when driving an automatic rear wheel drive car. I ran my brothers '74 Torino into the push bar on the family Scout trying to stop the car from creeping at idle without putting the car into neutral. He was pretty mad...but at least I didn't panic, do nothing, and call police telling them I couldn't stop, lol.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
I've had to add another spring to the throttle return on more than one of my old Rochester carburated GM cars. Usually on one I rebuilt and didn't line the throttle plates up on the shaft very well. The problem was, adding another spring wore the bushing out on the throttle shaft quicker.
Click to expand...
Good ole quadra puke! Don't know how they got that name. They were actually a pretty good carb! Seems like I've heard about the bushings getting worn out though lol

So ok, I let my 13 year old son drive the Camaro a few weeks ago. I live out in the country and he's driven our daily driver from a particular point to our house which is about 2 miles many times. He couldn't believe I was going to let him drive the Camaro. So, he gets in the drivers seat and his legs are shaking so bad you could see his left heel bouncing lol. He honestly thought that something was wrong with the gas pedal because it was so stiff lol! BTW, it's a Holly.



Jethro Bodine said:
Ah, yes...Michigan winters. I remember them well. When it's slushy the drive wheels will keep turning when you put the brakes on when driving an automatic rear wheel drive car. I ran my brothers '74 Torino into the push bar on the family Scout trying to stop the car from creeping at idle without putting the car into neutral. He was pretty mad...but at least I didn't panic, do nothing, and call police telling them I couldn't stop, lol.
Click to expand...

Ouch! Those Trorino's are nice cars! Especially if they have a 351C! At least it was the family scout! When our van was sliding into the gas pump I think my heart skipped a few beats lol!
 
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