Dateline NBC - Sudden Acceleration Investigation - Segment 2

[bigggmustang73]

Brakes still work with the engine off. Turn the engine off!!!!!

[KillanatorVids]

American car companies are crazy... or were, untill 2004.... Jeep Grand Cherokee's before 2004 would burst into flames in small rear end collisions

[MrHobiecat]

this guy is full of kwrap. If the wires were coming out of connectors, and wires were shorting together, then when the car was checked after a run away incident they would FIND THIS THINGS. They have not found this things. Wires in cars do NOT wear and short from vibration, they have freaking teflon insultion that is difficult to cut intentionally, and will outlive your car by about 500 years. IF something fails its up to the driver to compenstate and correct for it. If you cant, DONT DRIVE!!!!!

[jrms60r]

Geonerd- what you said is correct, except Drive-By-Wire is still "no" cable, either for throttle or cruise. I was refering to the cruise control "not" being on then going to WOT. I re-watched the video and I see he was refering to the cruise control being on.

[jrms60r]

The wiring he is stating causing the gas pedal to got to WOT could only happen if the car IS DRIVE-BY WIRE. In the video the throttle body had a throttle cable(as a1980's-90's cars had so a short in wiring could not make the gas pedal go to WOT. This could only happen if the car is DRIVE-BY WIRE.

[geonerd]

@jrms60r

You are missing the point.

Cruise control IS a form of drive-by-wire. There is a servo that is attached directly, via a secondary cable, to the throttle butterfly. Computer glitch = possible full throttle servo actuation.

[gotspeed1212]

@jrms60r how do you think cruise control works... there is a remote servo that pulls on a second cable on the throttle body, power it open and bang wot.

[jrms60r]

Not if it is Drive by Wire. No cable for cruise either. What don't you understand?

[jrms60r]

DRIVE BY WIRE still has NO cable for the cruise or throttle. Thats how it works.

[p8950]

This happened to my 1996 explorer, engine went wide-open, I pressed the brake too hard and broke a brake line trying to control it. Engine is leaking rad fluid now from a cooked seal. I never use cuise-control so it wasn't the cause I think.

[MetalicSlayer404]

These are cars built in the 80's WTF This is OLD. So called EXPERT drivers were not Skilled enough to turn off the key or shift out of drive?

[tomsriv]

Dateline always trys to scare you. Just turn the car off and put it in neutral.

[osoenigmatic]

its real, definitely happens

[GTVAlfaMan]

There is no way the engine can overcome the braking system, these people had their foot on the accelerator pedal the whole time.

[sparky121257]

well I am here to tell you that this happened to me yesterday with my mom in the car. I have another witness to this issue in another separate incident.

I didnt believe it either until this has happend to me over all about 5 or 6 times now in the past 6 or 7 months. I thought I was accidently hitting the gas in previous incidents but not yesterday. my foot was off both the brake and gas and the car shot forward violently.

[pbear957]

Are you on drugs? Of couse an Alfa can't even generate enough HP to get out its own way, let alone overcome the brakes!

[lrd9999]

I'd have assumed that myself. I've had the throttles stick on a few cars, and was always able to hold them with the brakes until I could pull over. But in a recent test on a Toyota, I think is was a Tacoma, the brakes could stop (slowly) if it happened at speeds under 30, but at 60 the brakes got too cooked to stop the vehicle at all. The Ford in the White House incident in the video couldn't stop because the front wheels were on grass. So you can't always assume that the brakes will prevail.

[geonerd]

@GTVAlfaMan

With the engine at full throttle, there is VERY little manifold vacuum. If the car has just started, there will be very little vacuum accumulated in the brake booster. W/O the vacuum assist, the force required to stop the car increases greatly. (No power brakes.)