What a driver should do if the accelerator sticks

Toyota Motor Corp. has stopped selling and building eight models, saying there's a possibility that their accelerator pedals may get stuck in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. The automaker and experts have advice for drivers if a vehicle's accelerator pedal sticks:

BASIC ADVICE:

Consumer Reports magazine's instructions is simple: First, brake hard. Then put the car in neutral. When you come to a stop, turn off the engine.

The engine may keep revving loudly while you try to stop, but don't turn it off if you can avoid it. Turning off the engine means you lose power-assisted steering and brakes, and if you turn the key too far, you could lock the steering wheel.

The revving isn't good for the transmission, but that's not important, said John Heywood, director of MIT's Sloan Automotive Lab.

Consumer Reports has a video demonstration on its Web site at http://tinyurl.com/yegvesp

DON'T PUMP THE BRAKES. PRESS FIRMLY AND STEADILY.

Toyota warns that pumping the brake pedal will deplete the vacuum assist, which boosts the braking force using power from the engine. If that's depleted, you'll need to put much stronger pressure on the brake pedal, and it still might not be enough force to stop safely.

"If the engine really goes to wide open throttle it's really scary," Heywood said. "You have to jam your foot on the brake really hard."

IF ALL ELSE FAILS, TURN OFF THE ENGINE.

If you can't put the vehicle in neutral, then turn the engine off. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost.

Toyota advises:

--If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the accessory (ACC) position, but don't remove the key from the ignition, because that will lock the steering wheel.

--If your start your car by pressing a button instead of turning a key, push and hold the start-stop button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do not tap the button.

Sources: Toyota documents, Consumer Reports, AP interviews

Honda Fit Fire Recall: 646,000 Cars Globally, 140,000 In U.S.

It's been a bad week for Japanese carmakers. First Toyota (NYSE:TM) gets backhanded by the NHTSA over its ongoing unintended acceleration issues--and associated multi-million-car recalls--and now the Honda Fit faces recall over a fire hazard.

Honda (NYSE:HMC) today announced a recall of 646,000 Fit (Jazz in some markets) compact hatchbacks due to a faulty master switch that could allow water to enter the power window switch, potentially causing a fire. Of those, 140,000 cars in the U.S. are subject to the recall.

January 29th, 2010 It's been a bad week for Japanese carmakers. First Toyota (NYSE:TM) gets backhanded by the NHTSA over its ongoing unintended acceleration issues--and associated multi-million-car recalls--and now the Honda Fit faces recall over a fire hazard. Honda (NYSE:HMC) today announced a recall of 646,000 Fit (Jazz in some markets) compact hatchbacks due to a faulty master switch that could allow water to enter the power window switch, potentially causing a fire. Of those, 140,000 cars in the U.S. are subject to the recall. While not as wide-ranging as the Toyota recall, the Fit recall, which affects 2007-2008 model-year cars, is no less dangerous. The car fire could potentially start at any time, causing property damage and personal injury--especially if while the car is driving down the highway, or parked in a garage. Already several vehicle fires have been reported, prompting Honda to issue the recall. The fix is simple enough--Honda dealers will either retrofit the car with a new switch or put in a waterproof skirt. Of course, Toyota's fixes are simple enough as well--both the floormat recall and the unintended acceleration recall require little more than modification to the pedal assemblies and floormats. This isn't the Honda Fit's first recall for weather-related problems on 2007-2008 models. In late 2007, Honda issued a recall for a problem with the occupant detection system for the front passenger airbag. If subjected to road salt in snowy areas, the salt and snow could cause corrosion, breaking the wire that detects if a child seat is present. This failure would then allow the airbag to deploy in the event of a crash, potentially injuring the child. For more on the Toyota situation, read Bengt Halvorson's complete overview here, and if you have a 2007-2008 Honda Fit that's subject to the recall, Honda's customer service number is 1-800-999-1009. [Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! News]

While not as wide-ranging as the Toyota recall, the Fit recall, which affects 2007-2008 model-year cars, is no less dangerous. The car fire could potentially start at any time, causing property damage and personal injury--especially if while the car is driving down the highway, or parked in a garage. Already several vehicle fires have been reported, prompting Honda to issue the recall.

The fix is simple enough--Honda dealers will either retrofit the car with a new switch or put in a waterproof skirt. Of course, Toyota's fixes are simple enough as well--both the floormat recall and the unintended acceleration recall require little more than modification to the pedal assemblies and floormats.

This isn't the Honda Fit's first recall for weather-related problems on 2007-2008 models. In late 2007, Honda issued a recall for a problem with the occupant detection system for the front passenger airbag. If subjected to road salt in snowy areas, the salt and snow could cause corrosion, breaking the wire that detects if a child seat is present. This failure would then allow the airbag to deploy in the event of a crash, potentially injuring the child.

For more on the Toyota situation, read Bengt Halvorson's complete overview here, and if you have a 2007-2008 Honda Fit that's subject to the recall, Honda's customer service number is 1-800-999-1009.

The Price of Gas and the Cars We Buy

Back in 2007, everyone was talking about the "pain at the pump." But did that change what people drive? This infographic by Chris Svetlik looks at whether high gas prices get people to buy more fuel efficient cars.



You can see a big version here.