Sudden Acceleration While Parking

[Twinmomplus1]

Hello,

I'm new to the Forum today.

Has anyone else experienced sudden acceleration while parking? Two weeks ago, after running a series of errands, I attempted to park my 2006 LR3 HSE in a store parking lot. Much to my terrifying surprise, the vehicle jumped the curb, went over a bush, and crashed into the exterior of a cinder block building. I had my foot on the brake the entire time. Upon impact, the air bag exploded and the vehicle stopped. After my initial shock, I was able to put the gear into park and turn off the ignition. The interior of my LR3 was untouched with the exception of the air bag exploding; the exterior looked surprisingly well with what looked like very minor damage. Other than being shaken emotionally, I was uninjured in this incident.

Long story short: the car was towed to a collision shop pending insurance investigator. A mechanic drove the car briefly, and noted that it "launched" while parking -- exactly what I experienced. My insurance company deemed the car a total loss due to the expense of the parts needed for repair. I am distraught at the loss of my beloved SUV, and am concerned that others may have/or will experience similar.

I should add that my husband and I are the original owners; the car has been well maintained over the years, and had only 57.5K miles on it. We had expected to hold onto our "tank" for life, but sadly, that cannot be, and we will likely accept the insurance settlement.

Thoughts?

 

[uoflcardfan77]

Just a shot in the dark but look at the throttle body or maybe the accelerator stuck. Let us know what happened. I would also contact Land Rover North America. This should be brought to their attention.

 

[Twinmomplus1]

Turning our LR3 in

Thank you for your quick response. My internet research over the last week has also mentioned possible issues with the throttle, including but not limited to the potentiometer and/or vehicle speed sensor. There have been various consumer complaints regarding "vehicle speed control", both while driving at full speed and slowing to brake.

My husband and I are off to the body shop this morning to examine the car once more and speak with the mechanic who drove it. And much to our sadness, we'll be taking the plates off the car so that it can be turned over to the insurance company in a few days.

I plan on speaking with our local Land Rover dealer and filing complaints with Land Rover of North America and NHTSA. Will share with this group any new information that I find.

 

[Houm_WA]

I'm just going to throw this out there....what are the chances that you went to step on the brake but hit the gas pedal instead accidentally?

I'm sorry to ask it and don't mean to offend. Of course the car's "black box" will also be able to answer that question.

 

[catman]

Someone hit my wifes RR while merging lanes and then later blamed my wife for hitting her to avoid liability. I asked my dealer if they could access the black box so I could argue my case and they acted like they had no idea what i was talking about. Then when I pressed they argued it would take a heavy collision for anything to read on the box.

Regarless, I am curious what type of accident is sufficient for someone to get that black box info. I am guessing a simple accident is not justification for anyone to take the time and expense to read the data, but a potential lawsuit against LR might get them looking at it!

 

[jwest]

I'm just going to throw this out there....what are the chances that you went to step on the brake but hit the gas pedal instead accidentally?
.

You apparently missed what she said.... "A mechanic drove the car briefly, and noted that it "launched" while parking -- exactly what I experienced."

This does not address the fact that simply popping the shift lever out of "D" will halt the vehicle pretty much no matter what.

However, this is one clear example of why I HATE the stupid Electronic Parking brakes these days. Nothing is more second nature to me than quickly yanking a hand E brake.

I learned this many years ago when my moms GMC lost it's brakes down a hill into traffic. She first ground the gears down shifting to slow the speed as much as possible then the E brake. She did it so directly and calm that it was almost "fun" from my perspective.

The less control engineers allow us, the more out of control the population of drivers will become while not even having a clue as to what to do in a situation.

 

[Houm_WA]

I did miss that part. I think the LR3 would fare quite well in the lost brakes scenario; largely in part to that electronic parking brake you loathe...not so much for the electronic par but for the separate brake drums it actuates.

 

[hell pie]

Glad to hear you are ok Twinmomplus1. Please do keep us informed of what response LRNA and NHTSA gives. This is definitely a case where black box information will be scrutinized. As we saw with Toyota, unintended acceleration can be deadly.

You mention that there were various consumer complaints regarding vehicle speed control. Do you have any links to online documents? I would be interested in reading up on this; I don't want my LR3 to take my life or anybody else's life!

 

[spawnywhippet]

I have noticed a less pronounced version of this in my own 2006 LR3. Using the same amount of throttle travel (about 25%), my car can either launch like a scalded cat or barely pull away. I am particularly sensitive to pedal and steering inputs, so I am pretty sure its not a driver error. Perhaps there is a throttle position sensor issue to look at?

 

[djkronik57]

I have noticed a less pronounced version of this in my own 2006 LR3. Using the same amount of throttle travel (about 25%), my car can either launch like a scalded cat or barely pull away. I am particularly sensitive to pedal and steering inputs, so I am pretty sure its not a driver error. Perhaps there is a throttle position sensor issue to look at?

I've also noticed what seems like some strange throttle mapping or throttle issues with my new LR3. Sometimes I'll nearly give myself whiplash giving it just a little bit of throttle. If I put it in park and play with the gas pedal it's sometimes difficult to get a smooth increase in RPMs, it tends to want to jump up at a certain point, or alternatively won't go anywhere till I mash it and then it stays revved beyond letting go of the gas.

This may also be related to what I think is a dirty throttle body/dirty MAF that I have on my list to clean (getting some stumble on cold starts). The OP also noted that their foot was on the brake the whole time, so may not be related.