Car accelerator jams and car hits 135mph

[MackemX]

I forgot to post this when I saw it the other day

he said he was scared of losing the power steering but I would still turn off the ignition if I was driving along a straight road. I'd rather struggle with the steering than risk crashing at over 130mph. He's been really lucky to walk away.

I did have an old car in the past that had a sticky accelerator cable but a few kicks on the pedal normally sorted it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4796264.stm

A motorist drove for 60 miles at speeds of 135mph after the accelerator on his BMW car jammed and his brakes failed.

Kevin Nicolle, 26, was on the A1 near Thirsk in North Yorkshire when the car started to accelerate.

"I was in tears most of the time on the phone to the police - I really could see myself dying," he told the BBC.

He had to drive on the hard shoulder to avoid crashing but eventually lost control and hit a roundabout near Blyth, Notts, but escaped unhurt.


I remember the 999 lady saying 'he's crashed'
Kevin Nicolle

Speaking to BBC Five Live about the incident on 5 March Mr Nicolle said: "I was travelling down the motorway and I came to traffic in front of me.

"I took my foot off the accelerator because it's automatic - but I wasn't slowing down at all.

"I hit the brakes. They were braking ok, they were keeping me at about 70mph.

"So I phoned up the police after I called the AA and they said straight away 'stick your hazard lights on and headlights on - we've got a helicopter en route to you'."

Police patrol cars were also sent but struggled to catch up with the BMW 318.

Mr Nicolle said: "Then the brakes started burning out - I could see smoke coming from the brakes."

He tried to put the car into neutral but the gears were jammed.

Mr Nicolle was in constant contact with the police on a hands-free phone.

As he approached Blyth he saw a sign for a roundabout.

"There was a load of cars parked waiting to go onto the roundabout, so I went on the inside on the hard shoulder to try to get around it.


I would certainly like to reassure anybody driving any BMW that we see this as really nothing more than a freak accident
Duncan Forrester
BMW
"But doing that sort of speed there was no chance and I hit the roundabout head on.

"I remember the 999 lady saying 'he's crashed'.

"I survived the accident but I thought I was going to die in the fire."

But miraculously he walked away completely unhurt - and said he is now considering giving up driving for good.

Mr Nicolle said the police took the car away for tests and BMW said they would carry out a full investigation.

BMW's UK media relations manager, Duncan Forrester, said: "I would certainly like to reassure anybody driving any BMW that we see this as really nothing more than a freak accident.

"We have absolutely no record of anything such as this happening in the past, hence the reason why we want to take a close look at it."

The R reg car had 107,000 miles on the clock and had three months remaining on the MOT.

[BJ_M]

yea - i had a 65 olds that the accelerator spring broke and the pedal stayed floored .... the brakes would have not slowed that big v8 down much at all .. no big deal though , just turn off the ignition ..

i had my girlfriend on the floor working the pedal and drove home ....


the guy above in the BMW -- what a twit to not just turn off the car -- under speed you dont need power steering (in fact you really dont need it much at all on smaller cars like a 318) ..

hard to believe the "gears" were stuck -- should have been able to drop it in to low or N (isnt R for "race"?)

[MackemX]

hard to believe the "gears" were stuck -- should have been able to drop it in to low or N (isnt R for "race"?)

can you change BMW automatics like that?

I know mine is hard as hell to steer when going slow. I know this as I was pushing the damn thing the other day when the battery went flat and struggled to steer if off the drive. As you say though going fast then you should be able to switch lanes and eventually you would freewheel to a stop quicker as being in gear slows the car down more than being in neutral

[BJ_M]

exactly -- in fact bmw has proportional powering steering anyway -- but it looks like an electric system now ... wait -- he had a 4cyl .. so prob. just speed sensitive steering with hydrol pumper ..

Also assisting the car's agility is BMW's Active Steering system, available for the first time in a car of this class. Previously only available on larger 5 and 6 Series models, Active Steering is offered as an option on six-cylinder models and resolves the conflict between low-speed agility and higher-speed stability by delivering a speed-proportional steering ratio. Active Steering also brings a number of key safety benefits. In conjunction with the DSC+ system, if the car detects oversteer, Active Steering applies a small amount of positive steering angle to bring the rear of the car back into line. Additionally on the new 3 Series, when applying the brakes on a surface with differing grip levels such as snow or ice, Active Steering intervenes to stabilize the car more precisely and quickly than the driver is able to do manually.

[Doramius]

I agree with the shifting. All automobiles have their gear system to where you can at least knock the gear into Neutral without having to even press a pedal. It does this for head on accidents. Many have the same working for going in reverse (if not all). You have to apply the brake to move it back into gear though.

Once in neutral, you should be able to shut the ignition off (I've had some systems sensitive to where you can only shut off the engine in Neutral or park. not sure why) And then apply the brake. I wasn't in the car, but it sure sounds like he wasn't experienced enough to try and slow it down properly. He's lucky he walked away. He'll probably get money from BMW for it and not have to pay a thing more on his car loan.

[MackemX]

an R registration BMW 318i (1997) is only worth around £2400- £2800

I'm not sure he'll get anything from BMW as it could just be down to natural wear and tear or bad maintenance

I remember a Ford Puma I bought new in 1998 and the handbrake failed after 3 days. The car rolled away down the street after I'd gone in my grandfathers house. Around 15 minutes later someone knocked on the door to ask if that was my car down the street on the other side of the road wedged into a fence

I took it to Ford garage but they would not admit it was a faulty handbrake and refused to repair it. I'd previously taken it to a garage and got their opinion and they said the handbrake had no grip. When I gave it to Ford to look at it the car came back with the handbrake fixed but I had not asked them to fix it!

after a few rants I eventually got the repairs done but only because that particular Ford garage said it was for customer satisfaction and not because Ford were to blame

I can't imagine if I'd been parked in some of the places I'd normally parked as it could have been kids running about or a busy road with many cars

, while writing this I remember another Ford, it was an old 1980 Fiesta that didn't have a working handbrake. I used to leave it in gear when I parked. One time we got out the car I'd parked on the road and walked down the drive to my girlfriend's house. A few seconds later we heard a big crash and I said some idiot had crashed his car . I then noticed my car was missing and when I looked down the street it was head on into a tree . Luckily it had gone off the road into the tree as another 50 yards the road bent and it would have been into someone's house instead

ah, I've got so many memories with cars so I think it's best I stop now before I bore you all to death and beyond

[BJ_M]

you are supposed to park with your tires turned towards the curb in case that happens ...

in some places like Pennsylvania it is (was anyway) the law

[MackemX]

ah, who cares here's another car caper

when I was 18, I had an old Alfa Romeo 1.3Ti and it was fast as hell. I was an idiot back then and had been driving fast racing another car but then I got into town and slowed down. I came up to a junction but when I pressed my brakes they failed . There was 3 of us in the car going around 40mph coming to a T junction and no way of stopping as that car also had a faulty handbrake at the time .

Luckily I swung it round the corner and no cars were coming at the time. The car eventually rolled to a stop after I turned off the ignition but steam was coming from the bonnet (hood) . We sat for a minute or so jokng about what just happened but it was probably more out of relief

I got out the car but I'd been dying for the toilet for ages and I ended up peeing on my wheel . Steam was still coming from the bonnet so I popped it open and then I realised it wasn't steam, it was smoke! The brake pads had dropped out and it was the metal on metal that had ignited from overheating plus brake fluid was leaking from the cylinder!

what was even more shocking is that the Alfa's have a fuel pipe kinked over the axle (silly design) and mine had been rubbing as teh clip had broken days earlier and it had started leaking ever so slightly. This pipe was inches away from the fire and I initially tried to blow it out!! I gave up and screamed at my mates to get out the car and run as I thought it was going to ignite the petrol

after a few minutes of watching from a distance nothing much happened so we knocked on a door for some water to put on it. I threw the water over and it put it out

can you believe I then drove the car home with no brakes and just used the gears to slow down?

the cars you bought when you were young and had no money

[MackemX]

you are supposed to park with your tires turned towards the curb in case that happens ...

in some places like Pennsylvania it is (was anyway) the law

I do that now when I remember but normally on steep hills

[MackemX]

this is about the same Alfa Romeo 1.3Ti

I was selling the car and a mate wanted to buy the car just because it was fast as hell and he wanted to fix it up. Although there was no brakes on the car we were at the bottom of a 200 yard hill so I said I'd accelerate hard up so far up the hill just to show the power and then let the car stop on the incline by dropping gear. I got so far up the hill and dropped it into 1st to stop it but it was a big mistake as it was cold and the autochoke kept the revs high. I didn't realise that I should have switched the ignition off as it all happened within seconds so the car still went up the hill to the top and down the other side and we had no brakes . My mate started panicking as we knew it was all downhill but even worse it was a dead end at the bottom

I remember screaming at someone crossing the road to get out the way as I couldn't slow down. At the bottom of the hill was a brick wall with some garages on the left and a back garden on the right but it was coming up fast. At the end of the row of garages there was a small throughfare that started of around 10 foot wide but went down to a few feet



I swung it round fast into the throughfare and this cushioned the car as it got thinner. It peeled away the wings but at least we didn't crash hard . Needless to say my mate didn't buy the car and I got £5 from the scrapman when he came to take it away

again, the things you do when your young and stupid

[BJ_M]

yea -- good story about stupid things one does when young ....

i remember also driving a TR7 across town completely (about 6 miles) to show it to a dealer that i wanted to do a trade with -- it had NO brakes at all , but the hand brake did work ... i just geared down a lot and used the handbrake to help now and then (they dont do a lot of real braking) ...

[MackemX]

while I'm at it here's another one

we were at a VW Beetle bash at an old unused airport and it was the night before and we got a little merry from the drink. We knicked my mates car keys as he'd gone to bed and we took his car for a spin down the old abandoned runway. While driving down it I didn't see the damn oil drums as I didn't have the lights on though we heard the thump and shit ourselves when we hit them

again, young and stupid as I certainly wouldn't do that now

[Doramius]

I never rely on the hand brake. I always throw a manual trns. car into gear. My wife is a different story. She's the one who starts a manual trans. without checking to see if it's in gear (or press the clutch for that matter). She's too used to automatic trans. She ruined a friends garage door once because she didn't check. I laughed for about 2 hours straight. I still get giggles about it. Our friend's insurance covered most of the damage, but we had to pay $100 for the deductible. Still, anytime my wife thinks she's a better driver, I bring up that fun event (and a few others).

[hech54]

The whole story sounds like bull$hit if you ask me....like the Audi 5000 myth so many years ago.

[lordsmurf]

Dropping into 2nd and then into 1st, engine gets so loud you think it's gonna blow up in your face. Eventually it slows down, and then you can put it in neutral and stop yourself by running over things, like bumping the curb or driving the washboard shoulders.

Brakes going out should not be the end of the world.

This guy was either stupid, or the story is bogus.

[MackemX]

The whole story sounds like bull$hit if you ask me....like the Audi 5000 myth so many years ago.

I'm telling you it's true, I really did have those things happen to me :P

oh, you man the daft BMW man?

[MackemX]

I just noticed he drove 60 miles so that means driving for at least 25 minutes if he did top 135mph

what an idiot if he drove that long on a motorway and was scared of turning off the ignition to slow down because he would lose his power steering

it's bloody hard trying to steer at 135mph round a sharp motorway bend but that's trying to keep traction and not the actual power required to steer. That tells me it wouldn't have took much steering to stay in lane or switch them in that time

when he hit a nice long stretch of straight road he could have killed the ignition before he'd even burnt out the brakes. He could have slowed down rather quickly in a few 100 yards or thereabouts. So on a straight road very little if any steering would have been required anyway

I'd be blaming the AA & police for him still crashing as they could have reassured him this could have been an option rather than him eventually crashing on a roundabout.

regardless of it being true or not, sticky accelerator cables do happen and I can see this happening. If that had been my mother in the car and she'd died I would have been well pissed with the AA & Police for not telling her to kill the ignition on a straight road

[hech54]

I was in an F-150 when the engine blew at very high RPM's...NOT fun and more of a scare than you could ever get at any amusement park.
Having said that...I'd do it again in a heartbeat if that means not plowing head-on into someone because was too stupid to turn the car off or downshift.
BUT....the driver of the BMW is clearly bullshitting so...'nuff said.

[Doramius]

He said he had the speed down to about 60MPH for a while. If he had lost power steering then on a shoulder, he'd have been fine to steer unless he can't lift more than 5-10lbs. without mechanical help.

[MackemX]

I was in an F-150 when the engine blew at very high RPM's...NOT fun and more of a scare than you could ever get at any amusement park.
Having said that...I'd do it again in a heartbeat if that means not plowing head-on into someone because was too stupid to turn the car off or downshift.
BUT....the driver of the BMW is clearly bullshitting so...'nuff said.

you saying he's bullshitting as in the accelerator got stuck or that the actual whole story is BS?

I don't know about the story but seeing as the AA/Police were mentioned then I would think that someone like SKY/BBC would call them to confirm this story is indeed true rather than look like idiots. I've seen this story on a few of the big news places but saying that who knows, maybe the SKY/BBC are idiotsor they just have nothing else to report

this is where I saw it originally but for some reason I quoted the BBC

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,15410-13513174,00.html

A motorist broke down in tears as he told how his car hit 130mph after the accelerator jammed and became stuck to the floor.

Kevin Nicolle, 25, was unable to stop his BMW and thought he was going to die.

He sped through three counties before crashing and overturning at a roundabout.

Mr Nicolle told Sky News: "I was getting hysterical, there was nothing I could do.

"The car was picking up speed with every minute."

Mr Nicolle's ordeal began as he drove home to Portsmouth from North Yorkshire on the A1 through the Dales.

As he passed Thirsk, the accelerator got stuck.

He called the police on his hands free mobile phone and a fleet of cars and a helicopter were scrambled while he spoke to an operator.

For a short time, the car's brakes held the BMW318 at 70mph but they soon burnt out.

The terror ride ended in Nottinghamshire

He tried but was unable to get the automatic car into neutral and did not turn off the ignition for fear of disabling the power steering.

"I was reaching 135mph. It was like being strapped to a rocket," he said.

"I honestly though I was going to die. I started to get pins and needles all over my body. I was really panicking and broke into tears."

Police cars were unable to keep up.

Eventually, after narrowly missing other cars and hurtling past sliproads, he crashed at a roundabout near Blyth, Notts, uttering the words: "I ain't surviving this."

Incredibly, Mr Nicolle escaped with hardly a scratch but his first thought was for his car.

"I said to the firemen, 'Don't cut my car'. It's my baby. But the fireman said, 'It's a write-off mate'."

BMW says it will send experts to examine the car, which was built in 1998.

"It sounds like something happened to the throttle cable," a spokesman said.

[BJ_M]

cry baby

[Doramius]

That picture is why I won't sleep with prostitutes from the UK.

The guy looks like a distant relative of Rodney Dangerfield.

[BJ_M]

well he got his 15 minutes

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=Kevin+Nicolle&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

[hech54]

you saying he's bullshitting as in the accelerator got stuck or that the actual whole story is BS?

I don't know about the story but seeing as the AA/Police were mentioned then I would think that someone like SKY/BBC would call them to confirm this story is indeed true rather than look like idiots.

Complete and total bullshit.

In the United States, the Audi 5000 name was abandoned after Audi received very negative publicity over its "unintended acceleration" incident, a problem exacerbated by fabricated news reports from CBS News's 60 Minutes program. The National Highway and Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that the majority of unintended acceleration cases, including all the ones that prompted the 60 Minutes report, were caused by driver error. CBS issued a partial retraction.

However, with the damage to it's US reputation done, the 5000 once again became the 100 for the 1989 model year - history repeats itself in reverse. Audi sales in the US would not return to the same level for 15 years.

Eventually, NHTSA found that the Audi 5000 C3 had the lowest fatality rate of any car in the United States during its production run. Many Audi owners, who traded in their cars in the wake of the 60 Minutes fiasco, were stung twice: they lost money on trade-ins as the brand plummeted to an all-time low, and bought a less safe car.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_5000

More reading:
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cjm_18.htm

http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/4.33.html#subj7

[MackemX]

ah, I get you as your saying that the crash etc still happened but it's not the car to blame (or are you saying the crash is bullshit also?)

even if it was true and the car was to blame, I wouldn't get too flustered about it and sell a car and buy another one just because of one incident

and it just so happens I've got a '96 328i BMW so that probably has the same cable anyway as that '97-'98 model. I'd be going a litle faster on my ride to hell than a 318i

I remember watching a British consumer program about a car who's electrics died while driving but the manufacturer wouldn't admit to it but I think they eventually recalled them

and what was that car from the USA in 60's that blew up in a crash or something because of the petrol tank?

[BJ_M]

Ford Pinto

[BJ_M]

Audi and Volkswagen also are in the bottom of the reliability rankings - with the Porsche Cayenne SUV and VW tourag at the very very bottom of the list as least reliable car made ...

VW dealers were ranked at the bottom for dealer support ..

Mercedes-Benz also is worst in the list of how well five-year-old vehicles held up.

source : Consumer Reports and Edmunds

[MackemX]

Ford Pinto

that's the one

cheers

[hech54]

Audi and Volkswagen also are in the bottom of the reliability rankings - with the Porsche Cayenne SUV and VW tourag at the very very bottom of the list as least reliable car made ...

VW dealers were ranked at the bottom for dealer support ..

Mercedes-Benz also is worst in the list of how well five-year-old vehicles held up.

source : Consumer Reports and Edmunds

Of course Toyota and Honda beat out most car makers as far as reliability goes....but by no means you will ever make me believe that VW and Mercedes are at or even near the bottom of the list. The 80's VW made in New Stanton, Pennsylvania were sub standard....and since Mercedes teams with Diamler they have seen their quality suffer....but I'll take a VW over 99% of the American cars any day.
I've owned Rabbits, Golfs and Sciroccos all of my life and not once did one leave me stranded....that also goes for my 1980 Ford Fiesta...the German/U.K. hybrid "World Car"....a VW Polo with a Kent engine.

[BJ_M]

i just reprinted what statistics were reported - by over a million people ... and a quick search of car forums will soon show the same sort of trend ...

ive had such huge bad experiences with vw products - dont even get me started (3 out of four ive owned or had to drive, and i have been stranded - badly - more than once).

Mercedes was not at the bottom of the list in terms of problems with NEW cars - but at the bottom with 5 year old cars reliability and customer satisfaction