Sudden unintentional acceleration

[bobbin]

In response to a post by Ozukus back in 2017 regarding brake failure...

On 24th December 2019 at 4.30 in the afternoon whilst parking our 2018 Outlander hybrid alongside the roadside, it suddenly accelerated in reverse and could not be stopped despite having both feet firmly on the brake pedal! It hit 3 parked cars and demolished a fence, the concrete posts of which managed to stop the car continuing as they become wedged between the outlander and the third vehicle!

The car was written off as was one of the other cars, luckily no people were on the pavement at the time. The car was completely out of control and it was terrifying.

Following this incident, having researched this phenomenon it seems that this is known as SUA (sudden unintentional acceleration) and is known to affect other manufacturers such as Toyota and Tesla. In fact just this month Tesla have had a lawsuit issued against them in USA to investigation this phenomenon, which of course they deny. As do Mitsubishi, according to an interview in the Phillipines when a number of incidences in a different model of mitsubishi also had many complaints of SUA.

When reading the information out there on the internet, accidents are always blamed on the driver, either putting their foot on the accelerator or by car mats getting caught under the pedal or due to degrading batteries? Most people will not believe us when we tell them about this incident and put it down to driver error but we know this a real thing, something people should be aware of and something the manufacturers should acknowledge and investigate.

We really liked the Outlander but following this episode we will never get in another Outlander let alone buy one.


Bobbin

 

[greendwarf]

So, if it effects other manufacturers as well, do I take you are going to walk everywhere in future? Oh no, that won't work because you are going to be in constant fear of being run down by all these out of control cars.

Seriously, distressing as no doubt your experience was, there is no evidence of this being any more likely than having something fall on you from the sky - a recent event here in London when the body of a stowaway fell from an aircraft into a nearby garden. Your response it not rational, IMHO.

 

[AndyInOz]

Joining a forum purely to post this FUD.

I smell a rat.

 

[michael8554]

Teslas have multiple "dashcams" and send data to Tesla, which is how they can prove that the accidents weren't due to the car software.

In fact the accident rate is lower when their autopilot is used !

Another trick by the Stockbrokers who have "shorted" loads of Tesla stock, hoping it will go down in value.

But based on the occasional "Fly By Wire" airliner accidents, you can't be 100% certain that such strange behaviour can't occur.

 

[jaapv]

Joining a forum purely to post this FUD.

I smell a rat.

Me too. UFO- caused maybe?
Even in the extremely unlikely case of such an occurrence - I struggle to think of a technical explanation, and even then the natural reaction to a car reversing unexpectedly would be to attempt to shift it into drive which would knock it into neutral, it is more than unlikely that such damage would ensue from standstill.
Two feet on the brake? It is easy to depress the accelerator at the same time. Put your foot on the brake. Tap the shift switch forward (or have your passenger do it) inadvertently. The car will start to reverse. Panic and put your second foot on the brake (you think) and you will be pushing both pedals at the same time.

I was in such an accident, long ago, caused by a runaway automatic Mercedes S. Five cars were damaged, only mine was totalled, but that was because it broke the rusty body. It even made the front page. But it was not a traumatic experience.