> Someone suggested that if you left the car in gear after you turned the
> engine off that the transmission would turn the engine over enough to keep
> the power steering and brakes working.
Only a manual transmission does this. Automatic transmissions disconnect
because the engine is what drives the hydraulic pump. Simple test, turn the
ignition key back on. If the engine is still being spun over, it will
instantly begin to run. If you have to engage the starter motor, the engine
was disconnected and not turning over.
> Another post suggested that some manufacturers (I recall Nissan and BMW)
> had
> a "fail safe" condition in their ECU that would not allow the car to be
> accelerated if there was pressure on the brake pedal.
So far, I've yet to drive a car that refused to allow the car to be
accelerated with the gas and brake pedal pushed. Every
Honda/Nissan/Ford/Chrysler/Toyota/GM/VW I have driven allowed it. This
includes a good number of 2009 model year vehicles. Not saying certain
models don't have this lockout, but I've yet to encounter it.
> Next I tested the fail safe system. Driving about 35 I put my left foot on
> the brake and pressed as evenly as I could while also pushing on the
> accelerator pedal. For someone not accustomed to left foot braking, this
> is
> not as easy as it sounds. I definitely was slowing down even though I was
> pressing on the gas.I must say, I didn't "firewall" it but I think I was
> pressing hard enough to give it a fair test.
No, it wasn't a good or fair test. Any vehicle will slow down when the
brakes are applied. That does not mean the brakes are adequate to stop a
runaway at high speed. For that takes a whole lot more braking energy,
which creates a whole lot more heat. And that heat is what causes the
brakes to fade and fail. Try your test again at 70 mph, and try to bring
the car to a complete and total halt. That you will find to be quite
different. Now make the mistake many people make, and try to "control" the
vehicle instead of simply stopping it immediately.
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