Woman Tells Gripping Tale of Runaway Lexus

[fenderstratguy]

I believe you. I didn't believe the stuck pedal or floor mat story from the beginning. When that CHP officer died his car was a dealer loaner (no floormats!)

[fenderstratguy]

@fenderstratguy I also do NOT believe it is operator error.

[fenderstratguy]

I think the govt needs to subpoena Toyota to reveal every string of computer code which can make these cars accelerate. Then they need to broadcast those signals to cars in a lab (wheels on jacks of course) until they can induce it. Once that is successful then they need to use spectrum analyzers to find the source(s) of that signal that is leaking onto the control lines. It may be a simple shielding issue but there should be code added to make it fail safe also.

[fenderstratguy]

Maybe God stopped the car -- or maybe she just drove out of range of the stationary source that was broadcasting the signal to speed up. Could have been a cell phone, a cheap Chinese toy, a Mexican radio station, who knows?

[adfadfewfrewafawefaw]

It's funny that this car WAS NOT one of the cars that had accelerator issues.

[Japanboy1208]

American paper The Wall Street Journal (electronic version) told that disclosing advantageous information for Toyota that assumed the idea of the U.S. Ministry of Transport of the rapid acceleration problem of Toyota Motor that the driver's driving mistake was a cause had been intentionally avoided the 30th. It is testified that the former top official who retired from road traffic safety bureau (NHTSA) of the this ministry subsidiary in July is a real name, and the surrounding of Secretary of

[iceman5815]

Did u guys know that this bitch sold her run-away Lexus to a family without telling them of it's problems and the family was able to put 27k trouble free miles on the Lexus? This bitch should be in jail for perjury.

[Descartes619]

@iceman5815 hahaa... i know right? what a little trashy opportunist.

[alexmn22]

Wow, in 2004, my brand-new Lexus ES-300 while I was driving it around 20 mph, it suddenly sped to around 50 mph and hitting the car in front of me. It never realized to me till today, as I heard that Lexus is also having this runaway problem. At that time, I contacted Lexus service, explained them the situation, but they pointed driver error, and I accepted that maybe it was my own fault. If anyone wants to contact me here, please do so.

[iceman5815]

@alexmn22 Next time keep ur foot of the gas pedal which is the one on the right.

[nealaronson]

I have a Lexus 330es which ran away with me once and has had several more minor spontaneous accelerations. The dealer has never been able to identify the problem but I don't think it's the foot pedal or the floor mat. I believe it's the computer. I still like the brand, but the problem needs to be solved and I'd be happy to add my name to those who need to substantiate their complaints.

[EnajAseret]

BusinessWeek did a good article called "The Toyota Witch Hunt" , it tells the whole story of Ms Smith and where that car is now. The NHTSA sent out a rep and they found an after market floor mat on top of the factory installed one. The Smiths dismissed the dealers findings.

No evidence was found the car was ever put into reverse or damage of any kind.

The car was also sold intact to new owners with only 3000 miles on it and those owners have had no issues with the car.

[torinobob]

God stopped the car? GOD STOPPED THE CAR????????????? Really?

[otlil]

apparently she is from tennessee... one of those bible belt states... you have no idea...

[MrCreepyCreeper]

Funny she never thought to shift to neutral....

[whisperstearz]

Seriously like i feel soo bad for toyoto's CEO having to sit across from this and take it and the Only thing he must want to do is just smack the sh** outta this lady and just scream "PUT THE DAMN CAR ON NEUTRAL U FU**ING IDIOT!!!"

i know for sure that if i was one of the people attending this hearing that day if he didnt do it i would.

[lrd9999]

She said she tried every position but P. Even if she's lying Toyota is screwed. Other complaints have matched hers, including one in '05 from a Camry owner who just wanted his car fixed. The Dilbert guy didn't prove much, except that it is possible to cause a malfunction without the ECM leaving a log. I don't know why anyone would think putting a computer in charge of the accelerator, starter button and parts of the transmission would be safe. ECMs have always been known for temporary glitches.

[MastermindAlaska]

Also newer transmissions control modules lockout certain positions under certain conditions.

Such as revving it up in neutral or park and trying to preform what is called a "Neutral Drop" to break the tires loose.

Which is another reason it may not have responded.

If you want real propriety over your gears you're going to have to get something old and vacuum modulated, or something with a stickshift.

[MastermindAlaska]

I think it depends if the the trans. It might not even has a manual valve.

Anyone ever worked on a newer trans? The valve doesn't really control anything anymore anyways.

On electrically controlled turbohydramatcis moving that valve just applies pressure to a pressure switch that tells the comp to kick in a solenoid for a respective gear.

That trans is turbohydrastatic (more computer biased)

I have no problem believing that it wouldn't go into neutral if the comp was malfunctioning.

[SubZX]

Crocodile tears

[whisperstearz]

First of all Obscene u sound like this stupid lady's daughter .. PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL will override all electronic systems no matter what car. LISTEN TO EVERYONE ELSE AND SHUT UP.

This lady needs to go to jail for being so stupid.. thats IF shes being honest.

Above all who is the court going to preside with? the import dealer.. or its own citizens.Just think about it.. if the domestic dealers makes money, so does the Gov because they owe them for the bail out. Conspiracy?

[MegaFeofan]

she may not be stupid. just wants a huge settlement. maybe be both. but her lawyer probably instructed her what to say and when to cry.

[wangtang2k]

This lady is faking it too damn hard. Too busy sipping on her fucking Starbucks' latte than paying attention to everything else while trying to think of a way to not work for the rest of her life. Funny how she can use the Bluetooth Hands-free system in her car while calling her husband but she can't even think about putting the car in neutral. Instead of praying, do something with that time, lady. Another jackass trying to get a quick buck by shedding a crocodile tear for TV. Boo Hoo ;_;

[koukiR32]

this problem could have been solved by moving the transmission lever to Neutral.... let the engine rev.. but won't stop the car completely.... then apply brakes and safely pull the car off the road..... engine will keep revving... but u'll be safe.... then shut off the engine end of story

[tenacioustaut]

This problem could be solved by BEING HONEST LOL

[Turrick16]

push to start button is old technology brought back from the grave, don't believe me look it up. every car historian will tell you that push to start button was head of it's time since one can hop on and drive when it was first put into cars but I'm glad it is back plus what else key-less entree

[Turrick16]

simple on paper doesn't mean it will work in practice. freak reaction dismissed common sense and thinking so if u practice it it will be natural when does happen. Karma is a bitch and Toyota is being slapped hard and the saying goes no good deed goes unpunished.

[ipantis]

My Yugo wont go over 60 mph

Most people with a Lexus drive 100 mph anyway.

[kratani01]

1. The tranmission is still a mechanical device so shifting into neutral would still be doable.

2. The push button start does have an override where if you hold down or friously tap the button it will shut the car off while in motion.

3. Full brakes will stop the car. You'd be surprised how powerful the braking system of a car is.

Edmunds did a review of the problems and showed these three things can be done in such a situation.

[obscene678]

To all the stupid people out there. This car has electronic transmission selection that will not let you shift into neutral or reverse at speed (it does this so you can't damage gears). This car also use a push button to start the car, so you can just turn it off. Also, at full revs breaks won't do much to slow down the car.

[MegaFeofan]

oh really, brakes won't do much? only if her foot was not on the brake pedal. she was too busy praying.

[obscene678]

I want you to start your car. Next I would like you to slam on the gas. While your right foot is on the gas pedal, I would like you to take your left foot and apply the brakes. Please respond with what happens, or what hospital you are staying in.

[MegaFeofan]

@obscene678

wow, are you serious? it is very easy to do and yes i did that long time ago. i guess lots of drivers attempted that at least once out of curiosity. the car will slow down. the exact deceleration rate will depend on how hard you "slam on the gas", i.e. your speed, and how hard you brake. even if, according to your theory, braking would have no effect, why do you think i would end up in a hospital? what do YOU think would happen?

[lrd9999]

In most cars, COLD brakes will have no problem overpowering the engine, at least up to 50 MPH, assuming that driver is strong enough to use them with whatever power assist is left. If they're hot from stop&go traffic, a long hill or a weak driver who can't fully apply them, all bets are off. The reason the Toyota stories are more credible than the Audi 5000 claims from the '80s is that some of the Toyotas had scorched and melted brakes.

[MegaFeofan]

so is it slow speed stop&go or high speed highway driving? can't possible be both. unless there is some crazy scenario with brakes get hot after two hours of stop&go and then hitting 100mph on highway with failed electronics. a good plot for a horror movie...

[lrd9999]

The worst case would be a long hill, like one of those winding roads descending the side of a mountain. Of course, drivers are supposed to use engine braking in cases like that, but some don't; I've even seen signs on some of the roads reminding them to downshift. Overheating is harder to avoid on those pseudo-highways with fast traffic but lots of ill-timed lights. Very slow S&G traffic jams shouldn't be a problem, since there's little buildup of speed.

[lrd9999]

For some of these runaway car scenarios, I can picture a driver pressing the brakes hard enough to stay with the flow of traffic (and heat up the brakes), but not enough to slow down, then trying to figure out what to do next. Before they know it the brakes are hot and useless.

[lexusmaster55]

1st of all, you are to labeled as "the stupid people out there"!!!! Every Transmission has what's called a MANUAL valve with a cable going from the Transmission gear selector to the Transmission. When you move the gear selector from "D" to "N", the vehicle goes into NEUTRAL!!!! It is IGNORANT people like you who spout off at the mouth that have no clue what they are saying!!! SHUT YOUR PIE WHOLE THE MORE YOU SAY, THE DUMBER YOU LOOK AND SOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[obscene678]

Then how do you explain her shift the car in N and it ignoring the command? I don't think you are much of a Lexus master.

[lrd9999]

Some drivers might also panic when they hear the engine rev in N and think they're making it worse, then put it back in D. Of course, if the computer is locking it in D, that wouldn't matter, but no one has proved that that's possible yet. I've seen some bloggers claiming that they can program a GM THM to do almost anything, but no indication whether that can happen with a non-hybrid Toyota. If the car relies on the computer to implement any lever change, it could block out N by inaction.

[kratani01]

Has our society really gotten to this point where even operating a car is challenging? Come on, seriously what would any sane person do in such a situation: 1. hit the brakes 2. shift into neutral. To make it worse this woman looks like a stereotypical Lexus owner who is normally superficial and doesn't posses an ounce of logic. It's worse to hear such comments as "out for blood against Toyota". I'm sure if this were an American car company the media & Congress wouldn't be making such a fuss

[obscene678]

how do you supposed she could have stopped it? I am sure you are aware the Lexus in question has electronic throttle control. The Lexus also has electronic transmission control that will not allow you to change into neutral or reverse while driving at speed. Also, take into account that this car uses a push button to start the car, so simply turning the key wont work. No matter how hard you slam the breaks, you can not stop a car at full revs.

[sietube2008]

Also, she was ordered to cry as well I believe.Sad. She could have some physical difficulties with poor driving skills as well.

If the auto runs-away, most people will hit into neutral, this is a basic driving skill that we will learn from DMV.

[sietube2008]

un...that is strange .....I drive this lexus but this does not happen. why????

why this will not happen to ALL this lexus model owner?????????

Was she on drugs or drunk?

[Bobofet241]

Oddly I only hear these story's happening in the U.S. Could it be a conspiracy by the US Car makers? Because that would force people to buy American.

[stingstungme]

I feel very bad for her. I'm glad that she was able to make it out alive and unscathed.

I've been hearing about this Toyota problem for a few months and Toyota has known about the problem internally for much longer.

When are we going to hold them accountable. They need to get fix, recall, replace those cars ASAP!