Re: UNINTENDED ACCELERATION

["Psychos 'R Us" <honge@creighton.edu>]

On Tue, 26 Sep 1995, LeDuc, Eugene A. wrote:
> Would someone please explain what this reference to unintended acceleration 
> is all about that I keep seeing!!

It's a phenomenon in which the car accelerates by itself against the 
contrary and you have no power to stop it even if you jammed on the 
brakes, turn off the engine, prayed to the god of automobiles, or throw a 
big, strong stick in the direction the vehicle is accelerating.

> I must have missed a BIGGIE huh?

You bet your underwear! It is a quite a biggie, bear in mind that 
detergent prices are going up and water conservation is more important 
than ever.

> What make /model did this UA effect?

In the late 80s, the most hoopla-ed about is the Audi by the 60 Minute 
show -- although they could never get it to repleat even with rigged 
Audi. On the other hand, they did nice demonstration of several Ford trucks 
exploding.

If anyone has eye-balled closely on rec.autos.* in early 90s, several keen 
news browers will notice some people has also posted the same phenomenon 
happening on Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords. But without 60 Minute's 
backing, the voices eventually died.

So what the heck is with this uninteded acceleration? Although no one who 
has researched this topic is not certain, they found something in Audi 
that may explain this phenomenon. It appears to be that the gas pedal and 
the brake pedal are closer to each other than almost all other production 
automobiles -- especially against American domestic automobiles. From 
that, it's accepted that for these people who reported the UA, that they 
are used to more spacing between the gas pedal and brake pedal -- and in 
some situations, they pressed the wrong pedal in the Audi -- and fly they 
go and panicked they did.

I believe all Audi automatics had this problem. Of course, the reason 
those Ford trucks keep exploding in the 60 Minute show, Ford added 
(through their LAWYERS -- in which Audi did not), is that 60 Minute show 
has somehow misplaced some explosives near the gas tank...

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