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Dangerous to drive?
Hi,
We have a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. A few days ago while driving at 60Mph with cruise control on, stepped on the break to slow down, and instead the engine revved up, the car jumped and started speeding up to 65-70Mph. The breaks would not work, so it was a considerable effort to get the car stopped. It also resulted in getting chased by a cop... After finally stopping, the shift was locked, would go only into neutral, but not into reverse or park. The car got towed to the dealer, and they replaced the "break switch" saying that was the reason for all the problems... After this happened, we remembered another time when we were trying to park at a pharmacy, and when stepping on the break, the car speed up, jumped the concrete side, jumped through some bushes, and landed in main traffic. It took considerable effort to stop the car before we hit a street light. At that time we thought that maybe the gas pedal was pushed accidentally instead of the break, and we have brushed it off, however it is not likely, as it is hard to mistake the two pedals, and the similarities between the two occurrences are now obvious as well. So, can a "break switch" speed the car up, not let the car break, and lock up the shift? Or should we be afraid of hitting someone, next time this happens? Naturally I would believe that if there is a malfunction in the car, it should rather slow down, instead of speeding up and the breaks should work in any circumstances no matter what. The car, as it is, seems to be dangerous to drive, and our joyful experience has become a constant nightmare in the fear of hitting someone or running into something when the "break switch" goes bad again. Does someone has a satisfactory answer to these questions? Thanks, Thadson |
You shouldn't have to drive in fear of that. You shouldn't be driving that car, period, until you know what the problem is, or you discover that you've been using the wrong pedal this whole time.
You're not just putting your life and your comfortable ride in danger, you're putting everybody elses in danger. It should have been taken off the road after the first time. |
First, it’s brake and brakes, not break or breaks. Break is something that happens to an egg when it's dropped on the floor.
Second, yes, the brake switch operates a few things. It turns the brake lights on; it disengages the cruise control; it also controls the shift lock, traction control and ABS. There is an open recall for the brake switch (see here and here) and that would cause your problem. If the dealer replaced the brake switch, your problem should be solved. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Hyundai have initiated recalls on 963,305 vehicles as part of four separate campaigns. The first recall, blanketing over one half million late-model vehicles, is nationwide. The other three recalls, all corrosion-related on older vehicles, are limited to the regions of the country where salt is used to de-ice roads in the winters. The most widespread recall, affecting up to 531,894 2005-2008 Accent, Azera, Elantra, Entourage, Santa Fe, Sonata, Tucson, and Veracruz models, is NHTSA Campaign 09V122000. It is focused on a malfunctioning stop lamp switch that may prevent brake lights from illuminating when the pedal is depressed (the same switch may also cause them to stay lit after the brakes are released). Manufacturer: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY Mfr's Report Date: APR 14, 2009 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V122000 PE09003 NHTSA Action Number: PE09003 Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:SWITCHES:BRAKE LIGHT Potential Number of Units Affected: 531894 Summary: HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 531,894 MY 2006-2007 ACCENT, ENTOURAGE, SONATA, MY 2007 AZERA, ELANTRA AND SANTA FE, MY 2005-2007 TUCSON AND MY 2007-2008 VERACRUZ VEHICLES. THE STOP LAMP SWITCH IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A STOP LAMP SWITCH MALFUNCTION MAY AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFTED OUT OF PARK POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. Consequence: THESE MALFUNCTIONS MY LEAD TO A CRASH. Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151. Notes: HYUNDAI RECALL NO. 092. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV . |
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