How to Stop Sudden Unintended Acceleration - Cars with Automatic Transmission

While Sudden Unintended Acceleration—the kind that triggered the Toyota recall—is an extremely rare occurrence, it doesn’t hurt to have effective countermeasures ready. Here’s a quick primer on what do if your car takes off.

The scenario is terrifying: While cruising along, your car takes off like some mysterious invisible foot has floored the throttle. The odds that this will actually happen are infinitesimally small. We’d bet that the morning walk to your car has a greater likelihood of injury. But sudden unintended acceleration does happen. And if you’re driving, you should know how to remedy the situation.

Step 1 /// Press the Brake Pedal, Hard

The first thing to do—immediately—is press as hard as possible on the brake pedal. Do not pump the pedal, but simply keep steady, hard pressure. Use all the strength your leg can muster. The brakes will require significantly more force than normal because when the engine throttle is wide open, there’s no engine vacuum to power the brake booster. The car won’t slow as quickly as normal, either, but it will reduce speed. In every car, the brakes are more powerful than the engine, so eventually the brakes will win.

Step 2 /// Get Into Neutral

The next step is to shift the transmission into neutral. If the throttle is stuck wide open, the engine will rev alarmingly high. Do not worry about hurting the motor, there’s an electronic rev limiter that will automatically keep the engine spinning high enough to kill it. With the engine power now disengaged from the drive wheels, the brakes will have a much easier job.

Step 3 /// Turn Off the Car

You’re well under control now, but just to be safe, shut off the engine. Since some modern cars have push-button starters, like many Lexus models, you may have to hold the button for three seconds to cut the engine. And you should be aware that the brake-pedal pressure may increase when the motor stops running. As safely as possible, pull the car off the road and call a tow truck. There’s no sense driving the car again until the mechanical problem is found and fixed.

Performing well in any panic situation comes down to being prepared. So find an empty parking lot and practice these techniques. To simulate a stuck throttle, you’ll have to keep the throttle pinned with your right foot and use your left foot to work the brakes. After a few go-arounds, you’ll get the idea.

[Via http://bensoncheng.wordpress.com]

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