RE:sales glitch, UI ;long, long, long

[human <human@nh.ultranet.com>]

-- [ From: human * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --

So no one actually answered his question...

[If someone truly knowledgable about this story wants to correct any errors
I've made or fill in more detail, please do.  Shouldn't this pathetic tale
be in the archives for the next person who wants to know, "so what was that
sales glitch in the 80's?"????]

The 1984 Audi 5000 Automatic had double the number of the runner up vehicle 
(some nustaD I think) incidents of "unintended acceleration".  I believe the
Audi was involved in about 350, the next highest about 170.  This occurs any
time a vehicle with an automatic transmission is put into gear while the
operator does not properly apply the brake, in conjunction with an improper
idle condition (ie 3000 RPM)  Also occurs if operator floors gas instead of
brake....

Sixty Minutes blindsided our German engineers by doing a wonderful piece of
TV art on this "feature" of the Audi 5000.  They customised a transmission
and got it to rev the engine up via hydraulic pressure, etc. etc.

Remember the recent flap over the TV guys blowing up a pickup truck to
"demonstrate" what could happen in an accident?  Audi did not respond like
GM did.  They hardly responded at all.  They did not realise the chokehold
yellow journalism can have on the American consumer marketplace.  The result
was a crash in the value of Audi automobiles, a lot of frustrated and angry
Audi owners, and a lot of irritating encounters with poeple who thought it
was outrageous they could sell such a dangerous car.

(I bought my 83 5kt for $7000 when its book value was $9000 in '87.  That's
how fast their value was collapsing.  This was no sweetheart deal, just
typical)

The final report from the NHTSA was, after investigating *every* case,
including the one where a woman had the misfortune of being involved in her
son's death, concluded that "pilot error" was the cause in every case.  Many
kickdown switches under the accelerator were broken from people thinking
their foot was on the brake, pushing harder in an effort to stop a runaway
car.

Below is the "Recall" instututed to quite some of the fervor....  If the
operator can't put the car in D or R without having their foot on the brake,
the mean old car just plain can't take off "on its own"

I am still searching for the NHTSA report I mentioned.

Huw "human" Powell
82 Coupe

The following is a direct c&p from the NHTSA web site recall section:

Report Date: Sat Aug 10 04:45:33 1996 

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 87V008000 
Make: AUDI 
Model: 5000 
Year: 1984 
Causing Fault : LOCKS UP,STICKS,GRABS 
Resulting Fault : ENGINE RUNAWAY,SUDDEN ACCELERATION(5-83) 
Component: POWER TRAIN:TRANSMISSION:AUTOMATIC:LEVER AND
LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT 
Manufacturer: VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC
Year of Recall: 1987
Type of Report: Vehicle 
Potential Number of Units Affected: 251,102
Summary:


SYSTEM: TRANSMISSION LINKAGE. 

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. 

DESCRIPTION OF DEFECT: SUDDEN ACCELERATION FROM A STATIONARY POSITION MAY
OCCUR, WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE OR DRIVE. 

CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: UNEXPECTED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING
COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH, CAUSING INJURIES. 

CORRECTIVE ACTION: INSTALL AN AUTOMATIC SHIFT LOCK TO PREVENT THE
TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER FROM BEING MOVED FROM PARK TO REVERSE OR DRIVE
UNLESS BRAKE PEDAL IS APPLIED AT THE SAME TIME. 

So, of course, the car was capable of doing dangerous things if you operated
it incorrectly, in this example, shifting the Automatic transmission into
gear without first ascertaining an appropriate engine speed (i.e. idle!) 

( My 83 5kt which had an Auto, was so well balanced it could sit and idle in
gear without moving, so I presume that is where the awful habit of getting
in, turning the key, and putting it in Drive without pausing comes from.)