Cruise Control Stuck at 100 kmh (60 mph)

When I says "Whoa!!!"...I means "Whoa...!!!".

Just thought members may have a little interest in this local story from the last couple of days when a young man's Ford SUV had it's cruise control stuck and all failsafe systems...well...failed.

Lucky he was on the start of a long freeway and had phone contact and police assistance throughout. Cruise control stuck, can't turn the key off, brakes inoperative...imagine if that happened on some new fangled electronics on a modern bike??!!

Here's the link to the news story:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/driver ... 5810668864

 

This is messed up! Shift to neutral and then you shold be able to turn the key or the engine will quickly spin into oblivion! Then you have the tow truck driver deliver it THROUGH the front window of Ford Australia national headquarters building! Just to catch their attention!

 

In the article the guy reckons he couldn't shift the auto lever out of its Drive setting, brakes were ineffective when pressed (hard...like when you have the ignition off and there's no power assist), key wouldn't budge and couldn't turn cruise control off. All systems fail.

And it was an SUV!! Not a little bubble car...if I were him now I'd either buy a lotery ticket or get religion if it ain't been got yet.

 

Or is it the excuse to get out of a ticket??
The brakes dis-engage cruise, so does a switch, and why would the key not turn even in gear? Even then, you could hold the "decel" button.
BS detector is hummin !!

 

There was one move, into neutral, the guy was a plank, he was just trying to dodge the toll on Eastlink. 8)

 

This same thing came up when Toyota recalled their cars for sticking accel pedals. A COP was driving his Toyota and was able to reach a speed of 120 mph before he wrecked it killing at least one member of his family. It makes NO sense to me. He was a COP! He should be able to keep it together in a stressful situation and if he had enough time to reach 120 he surely had enough time to: turn off the ignition, shift into neutral, pull the E-brake, or something.
I didn't quite get it.

 

His first call was to Ford?

 

Chase is an idiot. If he had enough presence of mind to call Ford at first blush, he obviously had sufficient cerebral wherewithal to have thought this scenario through and applied the emergency brake as well as the brake pedal. Not to mention throwing it into neutral and switching off the engine. I'd encourage the authorities to keep his vehicle to prevent him from being stupid again. His retort of "you weren't in the car" is pure hogwash.

 

If he were stuck at 60mph on OUR freeways, he'd be the slowest car on the road!

 

I've been on your freeways when I was holidaying over there in August/September this year and, having to drive on the other side of the road with the steering wheel on the wrong side made me be very careful...and drive at 55 to 60mph in the slow lane.

I'll verify that comment...I was just about the slowest car on the freeway. Although I did manage to pass an old 1970's something Toyota Corolla. But only just...