More on that runaway Prius...

If they cook then they'll fade and might not be enough to stop the vehicle - maybe the 'problem' is that the owners partially apply the brakes to try and combat the acceleration, then the brakes overheat and it's not going to stop until they've been released and allowed to cool off.

Reply to
Jules Richardson
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on."

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=3D=3D I have seen situations where people have had their seats set too far back from the steering wheel which reduces the power that could be applied to the brake pedal. Mind you most of these people where fairly obese and their bellies too large. Nevertheless this could be a factor in stopping a run-a-way vehicle. =3D=3D

Reply to
Roy

"Gomez said the best evidence that his client was frantically slamming the brakes is that a California Highway Patrol officer who was giving Sikes instructions over a loudspeaker smelled burning brakes and saw the lights on."

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Brake lights on, brakes getting hot enough to stink, yet the car isn't slowing down -- brakes clearly are *not* fully applied.

I wonder if there's some sort of problem that prevents the brakes from being fully applied, no matter how much pressure is applied to the pedal. That would be consistent with the multiple reports of drivers "standing on the pedal" while the car continues to accelerate.

Reply to
Doug Miller

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I agree, I had a hot 327 Chevy Impala run away with me when the motor mounts broke. Standing on the brakes choked the engine down. Since the computer also controls braking on the Prius I wouldn't doubt if that is malfunctioning too.

Jimmie

Reply to
JIMMIE

Yeah, I can believe that *if done from cold* - my speculation is that drivers might be partially applying the brakes and overheating them - after which they might not be sufficient to overcome the engine even with the pedal pushed down as hard as they can manage (I've only ever experienced severe brake fade in one vehicle when driving down mountain roads, but it was surprising how quickly it came on and how utterly useless the brakes were once they'd got too hot - on a downhill grade, barely enough to stop the vehicle, but they were fine again once they'd cooled off for a while)

Reply to
Jules Richardson

Nope. That won't happen if the brakes are fully applied. Try it in your own car: floor the accelerator, then step on the brake with your left foot. The brakes will *easily* overcome the engine. The only way applying the brakes doesn't bring the car to a stop, even under full throttle, is if the brakes are not applied all the way.

Reply to
Doug Miller

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No, it wouldn't.

What people do is rather than stop the car right away and shut it down, they use the brakes to CONTROL or MAINTAIN a certain speed. The brakes quickly get HOT and quickly lose their effectiveness.

Burned brake smell means that those brakes are not going to do jack squat no matter how hard you push on them.

Reply to
mkirsch1

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The antilock system causing the brakes to heat up?

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

Right, that's exactly what I mean -- in which case the drivers are idiots.

That's why you should use the transmission to slow down, rather than the brakes...

Reply to
Doug Miller

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Of course it would. Read what I wrote.

That contradicts what most of the drivers involved have stated.

Yes, of course -- IF that's what the drivers are doing. But that's not what they *say* they're doing...

Thank you, Captain Obvious. The question is what caused the brakes to get into that condition in the first place.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Or "too stupid to shift into neutral".

Reply to
Doug Miller

ote:

It's often possible to tell if brakes have been severly overheated. The rotors show heat damage and the pads will show glazing. I'm thinking this vehicle was towed from the spot and these brakes went under a microscope. I think this guy is a fraud. I heard on the news today that he has a lawyer already.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

No argument there...

Yes - I admit I was doing a certain amount of playing :-) Lots of the grades were around 1:3, so it gave the car a pretty good work-out.

cheers

J.

Reply to
Jules Richardson

Possible malfunction of the anti-lock braking system? The systems are so reliable and have been around for so long, what could have gone wrong with the brakes on such a new vehicle?

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

Never underestimate how stupid an individual can be. I have always been proven wrong every time I believe I've see it all.

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

ts on."

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IME most newer cars have the opposite problem - when you set the seat so that you have a comfortable reach to the steering wheel, your feet are too *close* to the pedals. My older cars do not have this problem. I do not know why this is, but my theory is that it is due to concerns about airbag deployment.

nate

Reply to
N8N

ts on."

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Agree; could be a factor. saw a guy in a bank recently who had a stomach so large he looked pregnant with triplets! Don't know how he could even reach the steering wheel! Saw a TV programme, many years ago, on TV, about an advanced driving course, where the students were learning how to skid their vehicle's rear wheels. One petite female student couldn't be taught to apply the brakes hard enough to lock the back wheels. Until the instructors discovered that the seat in her particular car (IIRC it might have been one of those older smaller Fords that used to catch fire if rear-ended?) could not be moved far enough forward for her to apply the brake pedal fully. She had been driving for some time before that. And seemingly had not been applying the brakes fully even in a crash stop' situation'! Don't remember much else about the course except that by putting a pillow behind her back she was able to apply the brakes fully! Scary; eh?

Reply to
terry

Anybody seen a Hydro-Boost unit with problems?? That's the one that was used on cutaway vans, some 80's Lincolns, and I'm sure many others. It ran off the power-steering pump, and had no vacuum can. I can't remember the situation exactly, maybe bad check valve, but it was possible for the power steering pump to push back on the pedal when applied, thereby releasing the brakes. It's been too many years for me to remember for sure what could cause it. Shutting the engine down would always allow them to work like any non-power brake vehicle.

Lefty

Reply to
Lefty

I guess that would be a case of over-revving the engine, although newer cars may have a rev-limiter.

Reply to
JawBone

n

There is one somewhat longer hill (about half a mile?) on the way into this community. The speed limit is supposedly 50 kilometres =3D 30 mph. With most traffic doing 60 =3D about 35 mph. With a school zone at the bottom. In a line up of cars it is very easy to see which ones have transmissions that effectively slow down the vehicle without using the brakes! Most automatic drivers will use their brakes; the brake lights popping on the moment we are over the crest of the hill. Others including a relative's older model Lexus have paddle shifters on the steering wheel that work well. Otherwise we prefer the series of manual transmission vehicles we have owned since the late 1970s. Owning a brake franchise must be a money maker in this area? Generally we get well over over 60,000 to 75,000 miles on a clutch and at least 35,000 to 40,000 miles on disc brakes. Doing the brake work ourselves a full set, including new rotors can be done for around $200 or less. The whole thing is we think; know your vehicle, know how to stop it no matter what, know how vehicle handles (steering and brake wise) if the engine stalls or conks out. Know how to use the emergency brake and drive on it if necessary. Above all have not encountered yet, although modern vehicles may be different, a vehicle that one couldn't get 'out of gear'. Vehicle driven since the early 1950s (that's about 60 years) have included everything form a 1926 crash (non synchro) box, a Wilson pre- selector (semi automatic), a British column shift manual; 1973 Plymouth, 1960s and 1970s Chev Impalas, manual VWs, manual Toyota pickups, manual Nissans etc. etc.

Reply to
terry

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