Out of Control - How to Stop a Runaway Toyota (or Any Car)

It’s a scene right out of the 1970s TV show “CHiPs,” except it really happened Monday on Interstate 8 near San Diego, California.  A driver in blue Toyota Prius passed one car when his car began to accelerate suddenly.  He managed to dial 911 before reaching speeds in the 90s.  An alert California Highway Patrol officer pulled alongside the Prius, issued instructions over a loudspeaker, and helped the driver slow down safely.

This story has a happy ending but too many others have finished in disaster.   Indeed, there are reports of at least 56 fatal accidents involving Toyotas and sudden acceleration going back as far as 2004.

If your car suddenly accelerates – and you don’t have Officer “Ponch” Poncherello to slow you down – what should you do?  And if you don’t drive a Toyota, what should you do if your throttle gets stuck (because of a loose floor mat or a water bottle?).

Here’s what the experts (and Toyota) recommend:

1. Practice “Deliberate Calm.”  In an emergency situation, you need to consciously tell yourself to stay calm and to focus on solving your problem.  In aviation, pilots call this “deliberate calm” – a purposeful effort to stay cool while doing exactly what you’re trained to do.  If you want a perfect illustration of “deliberate calm,” just ask Capt. Sully Sullenberger on the US Air 1549.

2.  Step on the brake with both feet: At high speed, don’t jam on the brakes – which could cause you to lose control of the car.  Instead, apply steady and firm pressure.  Do not pump the brakes.

Pumping brakes at full throttle “can make a bad problem even worse,” according to a test track study by Consumer Reports.  Power brakes rely on engine vacuum to provide additional brake pressure, CR says.  “At full throttle, the engine doesn’t generate any vacuum," CR explains.  "So as soon as we removed and reapplied pressure to the brake pedal, the power assist disappeared and stopping the car became hopeless."

3.  Shift into neutral and steer safely to the side of the road.  Even though the car will rev loudly in neutral, don’t worry.  Most late model cars have so-called engine speed limiters to prevent damage.  Also, don’t worry if you accidentally put the car in reverse, the engine will either stall or act like it’s in neutral.

4.  Be very careful about turning off the engine: If you shut down the car while you're speeding, you could lose power steering and braking, making the car more difficult to control.  If you don't have any other option, then turn the key to the ACC position, according to the AP.  Do not remove the key from the ignition.  If the key remains in the engine, you will still be able to steer and brake, but you won't have power assist.  Also, if you turn the key too far, you could accidentally lock the steering and you won’t be able to control the car. (If your car has an engine start/stop button, you need to press down for at least three seconds to turn the car off.