Sebring---- SUDDEN ACCELERATION

Discussion in 'Sebring' started by jonz6, Jan 22, 2005.

  1. jonz6

    jonz6 Guest

    Our 2002 Sebring Coupe with 6cyl- 3.0 engine suddenly accelerated while
    backing up in a parking lot causing a wreck. It lurched backward at top
    speed. Has anyone heard of this happening?
     
    jonz6, Jan 22, 2005
    #1
  2. jonz6

    Matt Whiting Guest

    Yes, it happened with several Audi's many years ago. The cause then was
    likely the same as the cause with your Sebring ... the driving
    mistakenly mashing the throttle thinking they are hitting the brake.


    Matt
     
    Matt Whiting, Jan 22, 2005
    #2
  3. jonz6

    jonz6 Guest

    Nope i didn't happen that way. My wife was backing up with her foot on
    the brake. She must not have been braking that hard.. but she says she
    had her foot on the brake pedal and when shifting forward on the shift
    lever into drive & past neutral is when it SUDDENLY jumped backward and
    fast. She then smashed on the brake pedal at the same time she crunched
    into another car.
     
    jonz6, Jan 22, 2005
    #3
  4. Yes. This happened to Audi's a while back. The government did a lot of
    reasearch. In all instances the brake system was still functioning
    properly. In all instances the drivers states they were stepping on the
    brakes as hard as they could and the car kept going. The government came
    to the conclusion that this was a case of pedal mis-application. That
    means that driver was stepping on the wrong pedal. I don't think that
    is what you wanted to hear.
     
    Alex Rodriguez, Jan 22, 2005
    #4
  5. jonz6

    Joe Pfeiffer Guest

    Yes. It happens when you aren't sitting as squarely in the seat as
    you think you are, and the pedal your foot was on was really the gas.
     
    Joe Pfeiffer, Jan 22, 2005
    #5
  6. jonz6

    Matt Whiting Guest

    I haven't driven a Sebring, but all floor mounted automatics that I've
    driven have P-R-N-D-2-1 with Park at the front (towards the dash). So,
    if your wife was backing up, that suggests she was in reverse. If she
    moved the parking lever forward from there, she would have engaged park
    not drive or neutral. If the shifter is column mounted, then it is
    moving left/right or up/down, not forward/back. Something isn't jiving
    with this story.


    Matt
     
    Matt Whiting, Jan 22, 2005
    #6
  7. jonz6

    Matt Whiting Guest

    Nobody wants to hear that, but that is the fact. Also, there are very
    few cars that have an engine that can overpower the brakes. And you'd
    likely need AWD as in FWD or RWD, two wheels locked will keep the other
    two wheels from moving the car at any rate of speed in any event. When
    I first heard the Audi stories years ago, I knew they were bogus without
    even doing an investigation. Simple physics showed that you couldn't
    possibly have a car that couldn't be controlled using the brakes at full
    application. Of course, if there had been a defect in the brakes, then
    the claims would have been plausible, but that was never found to be the
    case in any of the cars.

    Nobody wants to hear that the problem was them, but that is usually the
    case in these sudden acceleration cases. I'm not saying there isn't the
    potential for this to happen, as anything is certainly possible. It is
    possible that the brakes could fail at the exact same time that a
    software bug in the ECU commanded full throttle, but that is a long shot
    beyond long shots.


    Matt
     
    Matt Whiting, Jan 22, 2005
    #7
  8. jonz6

    maxpower Guest

    Does this vehicle have a cruise control servo?
     
    maxpower, Jan 22, 2005
    #8
  9. jonz6

    jonz6 Guest

    Servo? Yes it has cruise
     
    jonz6, Jan 22, 2005
    #9
  10. jonz6

    maxpower Guest

    We talked about this in a class one time where the cruise control servo
    soloniods could short out or malfunction and cause this. It was awhile ago
    and cant remember the details. It was not a particular model or make vehicle
    either. I believe it had something to do with the vent valve on the servo.
    Research it on the net.
     
    maxpower, Jan 22, 2005
    #10
  11. Nope, it didn't happen that way. Your wife hit the gas without knowing it,
    period. I know it's less embarrassing and less expensive for her to blame
    it on the car, but cars do not behave so much as they are behaved upon.
     
    Daniel J. Stern, Jan 22, 2005
    #11
  12. Yup. The hysterical media reports nearly ruined Audi, though.
     
    Daniel J. Stern, Jan 22, 2005
    #12
  13. Ah, right, here we go with the "sudden, full, completely unintended
    activation of the cruise control despite the car being in reverse, below
    the threshhold speed AND the brakes allegedly applied" theory.

    Have you ever heard of Occam's Razor? It's a scientific principle that
    says the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Now, which is
    simpler? A or B?

    A: Your wife stepped on the wrong pedal.

    B: The cruise control on/off switch, the cruise control "set" switch, the
    brake light and cruise-kill switch, and the SBEC "no cruise control under
    30MPH, and only in the Forward direction" programming all failed at the
    same time, the cruise control engaged and pulled the throttle wide open.
     
    Daniel J. Stern, Jan 22, 2005
    #13
  14. jonz6

    Dave Gower Guest

    If you want to make any kind of a legal case, you will have a major uphill
    battle. As others have stated, the AVN ("Audi Victims Network") legal
    campaign went down in flames when multiple and overwhelming sources of
    evidence showed to everyone (including consumer organizations) that driver
    error was at fault. Drivers inevitably swore they did not commit pedal
    error, even when it was conclusively demonstrated they had. Additionally, a
    high proportion of the drivers involved were either menopause-age women or
    seniors of both sexes.

    Please don't take this as a challenge to your (or your wife's) honesty,
    merely a "heads-up" about the historical background.
     
    Dave Gower, Jan 22, 2005
    #14
  15. jonz6

    Joe Pfeiffer Guest

    To Road&Track's credit, they took an Audi and tried it. The result
    was a driver that was convinced he'd experienced it (and was positive
    his foot was on the brake), and an observer that said, "no, it was on
    the gas...."
     
    Joe Pfeiffer, Jan 22, 2005
    #15
  16. jonz6

    Larry Crites Guest

    My 1991 Dodge Monaco used to do that. The cruise control would just all of a
    sudden make the car accelerate. I don't touch the cruise buttons anymore.
    However, I don't drive it much anymore either.

    Larry
    Behold Beware Believe

    | On Sat, 22 Jan 2005, jonz6 wrote:
    |
    | > Servo? Yes it has cruise
    |
    | Ah, right, here we go with the "sudden, full, completely unintended
    | activation of the cruise control despite the car being in reverse, below
    | the threshhold speed AND the brakes allegedly applied" theory.
    |
    | Have you ever heard of Occam's Razor? It's a scientific principle that
    | says the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Now, which is
    | simpler? A or B?
    |
    | A: Your wife stepped on the wrong pedal.
    |
    | B: The cruise control on/off switch, the cruise control "set" switch, the
    | brake light and cruise-kill switch, and the SBEC "no cruise control under
    | 30MPH, and only in the Forward direction" programming all failed at the
    | same time, the cruise control engaged and pulled the throttle wide open.
    |
    |
    |
     
    Larry Crites, Jan 22, 2005
    #16
  17. Not below 30 mph with your foot on the brake and the trans in "Reverse",
    it wouldn't.
     
    Daniel J. Stern, Jan 22, 2005
    #17
  18. jonz6

    Matt Whiting Guest

    Yes, I don't think it is an honesty issue. I believe that many, if not
    all, of the Audi drivers really believed that they were mashing the
    brake, when they were, unfortunately, mashing the throttle. And this
    gentleman's wife very likely also believed that as well. However, that
    still doesn't change the fact that it is about 99.44% certain that she
    hit the throttle by mistake, especially if she was twisted around
    looking backwards when backing up.


    Matt
     
    Matt Whiting, Jan 22, 2005
    #18
  19. jonz6

    maxpower Guest

    Not an engineer, But if the vent solonoid does not vent the vacuum when the
    PCM commands it to I would think there is a possiblity of cruise control
    under the desired limit
     
    maxpower, Jan 22, 2005
    #19
  20. jonz6

    maxpower Guest

    Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co., the world's second- largest
    automaker, settled a sudden-acceleration lawsuit today brought by a
    Cleveland minister who was left in a coma after his 1987 Crown Victoria
    crashed into a neighbor's house.

    Attorneys for Leon Manigault, 77, said a defect in his car's electronic
    system caused it to speed up uncontrollably after he put it in gear. Ford
    and Manigault's family reached a confidential settlement today just before
    closing arguments were scheduled in the trial in state court in Cleveland.

    http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aor7ME4mr5Dc&refer=news_index
    Daniel man, just because you have never experienced problems mentioned on
    here such as cruise control sudden accel, 85 Turbo vehicle Timing changing
    due to improper plugs and all that does not mean it never happens or cant
    happen, have an open mind, because it is real pal
     
    maxpower, Jan 22, 2005
    #20
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