Driving With A Stuck Open Throttle Sucks

This week, I moved a crappy old Mercedes C180 30 seconds from a parking spot on the road to a spot on my driveway. The throttle on the car stuck open en-route and scared the crap out of me...
Driving With A Stuck Open Throttle Sucks

I had to move an old Mercedes C180 this week. It had been sitting in one spot for around two months and for the sake of neighbourly love, I decided to squeeze it onto my overflowing driveway. The journey from my old place to my new place takes around four minutes on foot, so in a car, you’re looking at approximately 30 seconds.

Now before we get onto what happened next, a disclaimer: the Mercedes in question cost me £200. It has an automatic gearbox. It is a pile of crap and I have no love for it. The battery is near dead. It idles like a pig. And the body work looks messier than one of those American housewives who’s spent tens of thousands on lip filler, implants and collagen.

So yes, on my 30-second journey, I pinned the throttle. And no, I didn’t care that the engine was stone cold. My right foot just did it without warning because, like a loyal dog presenting its paw, my leg knew that it would please me, its master.

What didn’t please me, was the unexpected way in which the throttle did not return to its original position after my right foot had lifted off in pursuit of the brake pedal. As the revs rose, my brain had a little panic but knew something was up, and so with full pressure on the brake pedal, a wheel locked up, slowing me down to around 15mph. But the car refused to come to a halt, so with that, I turned off the ignition, and that was that. Danger averted.

Driving With A Stuck Open Throttle Sucks

Straight after this incident, it struck me that mechanical faults and the resulting onset of panic can be catastrophic. Remember the story a few weeks ago about a guy who was decapitated when he collided with a parked lorry after his cruise control ‘locked’ on on the motorway? According to a vehicle data examiner and safety specialist, no braking was recorded before the crash, meaning that the poor guy seems to have had his foot buried on the accelerator pedal, and not the brake pedal as he thought when he called the emergency services before his death. When panic set in, then, this poor driver’s ability to assess the situation was gravely compromised.

And while my little adventure resulted in no harm, it did remind me to be more respectful of the potential dangers that come with driving a car. And without trying to sound like too much of a dad (which I’m not, by the way!), I’d like to extend that message to you guys, especially for those of you who have to deal with cold temperatures a lot at this time of year.

So in summary: enjoy cars, but don’t forget that they have the potential to screw you over. And also don’t forget that you probably don’t know yet how you’d react in a situation where panic takes over and makes you lose many of your senses.

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Comments

The TallDutchmen

Probaly not such a lemon as Colin.

12/17/2016 - 22:20 |
12 | 8

There’s a time and place for this jokes… -,-

12/17/2016 - 22:47 |
4 | 4
Mr.PurpleV12

Throw it into neutral and then slow down. Do the same thing if your gas pedal suddenly sticks/drops.

If your brakes fail, throw it into the lowest gear you have “for auto its L” then neutral and right after press the emergency/parking brake.

Can be pretty scary…

12/17/2016 - 22:26 |
218 | 0

You clearly haven’t read the last line of the post.

Accidents happen. Accidents kills people because they happen at the wrong time.

And remember Murphy’s Law. What if you’re distracted? What if you’re biting a sandwich while driving? What if- We can go on forever.

This is life. Not everyone has divine reflexes. Not everyone has 2 hands on the wheel with full situational awareness. Not everyone face a catastrophic failure and live to tell the tale, knowing exactly what to do the next time. It really pisses me off that you make it sound so simple, like you can get away with it easily.

And that, might kill you someday.

12/18/2016 - 00:08 |
22 | 82

Very true

12/18/2016 - 13:38 |
0 | 0

Yes, it’s always a plus to pre-imagine what you can do in a possible adverse situation.

Couple of months back, during night, I halted on the side of road and someone just started his car and he never noticed me. Suddenly I heard screech of hard brakes. Had a quick glance in rear view and knew he cannot stop. I immediately took off my car for another 30-40mtrs to avert collision only cos I had this pre-recorded in my mind how to avert such collisions.

12/18/2016 - 15:24 |
12 | 0
Range Rover (CTthegame tester)

Holy…

12/17/2016 - 22:27 |
0 | 0
Roadster / Tail Red

Alex only buys crap cars it seems…

12/17/2016 - 22:37 |
4 | 2
ThatClutchKick

This remember me an episode of Alarm für Cobra 11… an old Mercedes, automatic, throttle stuck open…

12/17/2016 - 22:42 |
34 | 2

And even “Höllenfahrt auf der A4” was a remake of a crappy old american movie.

12/18/2016 - 01:24 |
0 | 0
RoyP

And that ladies and gentelment is why a manual is better…

Good thing you’re alright, Alex!

12/17/2016 - 22:47 |
26 | 6
SuperSnake7

In reply to by RoyP

In an automatic gearbox you can put it in neutral by just pushing the gear knob. So yeah, that’s not a reason why manual is better.

12/18/2016 - 00:36 |
6 | 0
Miata Man (Miata Squad)

Why did you buy it? did I miss somthing in the story?

12/17/2016 - 22:47 |
2 | 0
herofrombosnia

Same thing happened to me with an old Escort, put the damn thing woudln’t turn off, I turn the key and it continues idling, very poorly but it was still working, had to give it a couple of tries before it turned off.. Scared the living crap out of me.

12/17/2016 - 23:04 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Press the clutch ;3 oh right, muricans doesn’t know how to drive manuals

12/17/2016 - 23:12 |
0 | 4
JenstheGTIfreak (pizza)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

It was an automatic…

12/17/2016 - 23:26 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Merica’!…..im about that heel toe life!

12/18/2016 - 00:13 |
0 | 0
[Flux]

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

….Alex is British…and the car is automatic…

12/18/2016 - 04:01 |
0 | 0
The VW Beetle

At least this won’t happen on your MX-5, because the engine won’t start. (Jk)

12/17/2016 - 23:12 |
100 | 0