Runaway 2009 Lexus ES fiery crash kills family of 4
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From: Frankie Pintado on 17 Sep 2009 18:57 On Sep 17, 10:58 am, a <a...(a)thisisnotmyrealemail.com> wrote: > Mike wrote: > > I'm no Toyota fanatic but that story sounds fishy to me. > > > I the first place what Toyota can reach 120 MPH, except while going down a > > mountain? > > > In the second place EVERY vehicle has more brake HP than engine HP Yeah, that's how people do burnouts. > Please do not take this personally, but allow me to educate you. If your accellerator sticks and you're already moving at say 65mph, you will experience severe brake fade due to heat buildup, then you've got no brakes. But, at the point where the brakes are glowing white, shifting to neutral may not be enough to save you. You have to shift to neutral before you try to stop with the brakes. Almost all cars can at least do 100mph, all lexuses can do over 115 mph.
From: Jeff Strickland on 17 Sep 2009 19:01 "Jeff" <jeff.utz(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:a44e396d-898c-4f8d-b86d-152b6cbc8561(a)j19g2000vbp.googlegroups.com... On Sep 17, 10:14 am, "Mike" <mikehu...(a)lycos.com> wrote: > I'm no Toyota fanatic but that story sounds fishy to me. > > I the first place what Toyota can reach 120 MPH, except while going down a > mountain? > > In the second place EVERY vehicle has more brake HP than engine HP. If you > doubt that floor the throttle on YOUR vehicle and apply the foot brake > with > you left foot and take note of what happens. ;) > > "john" <johngd...(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message > > news:1d58c26c-4867-4f04-bad0-9d40b1fbf606(a)b25g2000prb.googlegroups.com... > > > So watch those mats! > > > "Toyota said Tuesday it will order all dealers to inspect their cars > > for mismatched floor mats after a mat was suspected of snagging a gas > > pedal on a runaway Lexus, ending with a fiery crash that killed four > > family members in San Diego County. > > > Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc. planned to issue an order Wednesday to > > about 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealers nationwide to make sure each of > > their new, used and loaner vehicles had the proper floor mats and that > > the mats were properly secured, said Brian Lyons, a spokesman for the > > Torrance-based company. > > > Customers who are concerned should also make sure they have the proper > > mats. > > > "If there's any doubt in their mind about the security and shape of > > their mat, go ahead and visit the dealer" to have them checked, Lyons > > said. > > > California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, 45, and three others > > were killed Aug. 28 on State Route 125 in Santee, a town near San > > Diego. The runaway car was doing more than 120 mph when it hit a sport > > utility vehicle, launched off an embankment, rolled several times and > > burst into flames. > > > The SUV driver was treated for moderate injuries. > > > In addition to Saylor, who was a 19-year CHP veteran, the crash killed > > his wife, Cleofe, 45; their daughter, Mahala, 13; and Saylor's brother- > > in-law, Chris Lastrella, 38. > > > Lastrella made a 911 call about a minute before the crash to say the > > vehicle had no brakes and the accelerator was stuck. > > > The call ends with someone telling people in the car to hold on and > > pray, followed by a woman's scream. > > > The family was in a 2009 Lexus ES 350 that was loaned by a dealer > > while their own vehicle was being serviced. > > > Investigators with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have > > determined that a rubber all-weather floor mat found in the wreckage > > was a couple of inches longer than the mat that belonged in the > > vehicle. > > > That could have snared or covered the accelerator pedal. > > > "We don't know if the all-weather floor mat was properly secured or > > not," he said. "We do know that it was a floor mat from a different > > Lexus." > > > Lyons said most Toyotas come with carpeted floor mats, but all-weather > > mats are sold as accessories. > > > The driver could have put the car in neutral to disengage the engine > > from the automatic transmission, Lyons said. > > > The driver also could have turned off the electronically keyed car by > > holding down the start switch for three seconds, but that could have > > locked the steering wheel, turned off the headlights and cut power- > > assist to the brakes, Lyons said. > > > Lyons said the company had not had any complaints about mismatched > > floor mats. > > > In 2007, the company did recall all-weather mats from some of its > > Lexus ES 350s and Toyota Camrys after complaints that they could slip > > and trap the accelerator. > > > However, this crash was unrelated to the mats that were pulled from > > the market during the recall, Lyons said. " > > >http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20090916/AUTO01/909160398/1148/aut... There is a thing called an "Ignition switch." Turn off the ignition switch and the engine stops. This will slow down the car. Jeff <JS> That's the point, Jeff. There is no "ignition switch," per se. You are accustomed to getting in, putting your key into the switch and twisting it to start the car and twisting it the other way to turn the car off at the end of the trip. The Lexus in this story has a device that is roughly equivelent to the device at the store that detects you leaving with items that you have not paid for. The car can read the device while it is in your pocket, or maybe you have to wave it near the receptor, but in any case the car knows you are there, and it startes when you press a button marked START. You turn the car off by pressing the same START button and holding it. The article states that this can lock the steering, which at 120mph presents an entirely new set of problems. </JS>
From: dsi1 on 17 Sep 2009 20:15 dbu` wrote: > > Shift to N and bail out after stopping. Let the damn thing self > destruct. Shifting to N won't slow you down much - better to go to through the lower gears. Slam it into park when you think you're slow enough...
From: Jeff Strickland on 17 Sep 2009 20:33 "dsi1" <dsi1(a)humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message news:JiAsm.10752$944.6225(a)newsfe09.iad... > dbu` wrote: >> >> Shift to N and bail out after stopping. Let the damn thing self >> destruct. > > Shifting to N won't slow you down much - better to go to through the lower > gears. Slam it into park when you think you're slow enough... Slam it into Park? That's not going to do anything, and downshifting a car running at full throttle is not going to slow down anytime soon.
From: a on 17 Sep 2009 20:41
Frankie Pintado wrote: > On Sep 17, 10:58 am, a <a...(a)thisisnotmyrealemail.com> wrote: >> Mike wrote: >>> I'm no Toyota fanatic but that story sounds fishy to me. >>> I the first place what Toyota can reach 120 MPH, except while going down a >>> mountain? >>> In the second place EVERY vehicle has more brake HP than engine HP > > Yeah, that's how people do burnouts. > > Please do not take this personally, but allow me to educate you. > If your accellerator sticks and you're already moving at say 65mph, > you will experience severe brake fade due to heat buildup, then you've > got no brakes. But, at the point where the brakes are glowing white, > shifting to neutral may not be enough to save you. You have to shift > to neutral before you try to stop with the brakes. > Almost all cars can at least do 100mph, all lexuses can do over 115 > mph. Dude - You're talking to "Mike" - you left my name at the top and it looks like you're replying to me... a |