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catsgalore's avatar
catsgalore
Explorer
Apr 21, 2015

Gas Pedal Problem

I hope my post will help others. We left on our RV trip on March 21st in our 1999 Fleetwood Southwind Storm. We left from Arkansas and we were headed to California. We reached Santa Rosa, New Mexico and took the 54 Southwest to the 70 into Las Cruces, New Mexico. The road has a few large climbs with long downhill grades. We were just about to go downhill when our gas pedal got stuck on the firewall in the floored position. My husband tried to slow down the RV but it was a lot for the brakes as we were towing our vehicle in the back as well. We were going downhill so fast and luckily no one was in front of us. We got off at the very next exit and the RV was still racing we pulled into a dirt area and the RV finally stopped. The brakes were no longer working. After we calmed down we called our Roadside Assistance who after a few hours told us they could not get anyone to help us. We stayed in a parking lot for the night but neither of us had any sleep. The next day I called Roadside Assistance again and this time they sent a mechanic who tried to move the gas pedal over with a crow bar and added brake fluid for us. He told us our brake pads crystalized which is to bad for us because they were fairly new. The mechanic took cash only and also charged 75 dollars an hour with a two hour minimum. We proceeded to Tucson and had the brakes pads replaced. The RV ran fine all the way to California and back to Arkansas. I called Fleetwood and asked why the pedal was so close to the firewall and they told me to call Chevy which told me to call Fleetwood. I finally gave up. I'm posting this so that maybe we can help others to prevent a freak event like this one.
Class A
  • cheezkween's avatar
    cheezkween
    Explorer
    Apr 21, 2015
    In the case of a stuck accelerator, the correct thing to do is to immediately PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL.

    The engine will continue to rev hideously but don't let the noise panic you; IGNORE THE NOISE- you will be able to come to a controlled stop in a safe place.

    Do NOT turn off the key; repeat- DO NOT turn off the key as you will lose power assist to brakes and steering.

    Put the transmission in neutral.

    If the accelerator sticks, put the transmission in neutral. Repeat this to yourself over and over until you internalize it
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Apr 21, 2015
    This was a dangerous situation which I never thought about before your post. I worried about losing my brakes on a downhill and what I would do. I have turned the key off on my tow car and it was hard to steer and the brakes at first worked but after several pumps they became very hard to stop. I can't imagine trying to steer a MH with the eng off down a windy road. I wonder if the power steering pump would work somewhat if the eng was still in gear rather than neutral? Glad you OK.
  • Cloud_Dancer's avatar
    Cloud_Dancer
    Explorer II
    Apr 21, 2015
    IMO factory steering wheel locks are dangerous. AND, they don't even deter car thieves. I don't have them in ANY of my vehicles.
  • rgatijnet1's avatar
    rgatijnet1
    Explorer III
    Apr 21, 2015
    Executive wrote:
    Have you determined WHY the pedal stuck? Did it get jammed or wedged somehow? I'm trying to picture why and how the pedal might get stuck.

    On another note......when the accelerator gets stuck like that, sometimes it's best to simply turn the key OFF rather than fight the brakes and the engine. The power brakes won't work as well but they will work. Better than picking up too much speed and if the brakes finally heat up and fail, you're screwed....glad to hear you came out of this incident ok...must be terrifying.....Dennis



    I guess it depends on the vehicle. On mine, the brakes switch to electric power once the engine stops. You will lose power steering, which means it is going to take a lot of effort to turn the vehicle to exit the road and to park it.
    This same situation can happen if the rheostat for the gas pedal jams or fails. The connection between the gas pedal and the engine is an electrical connection on the newer RV's and electrical connections can fail, or get out of adjustment.
    Being prepared for a stuck throttle situation is as important as knowing what to do with a tire blow-out.
  • BTPO1's avatar
    BTPO1
    Explorer
    Apr 21, 2015
    Executive wrote:


    On another note......when the accelerator gets stuck like that, sometimes it's best to simply turn the key OFF rather than fight the brakes and the engine. The power brakes won't work as well but they will work. Better than picking up too much speed and if the brakes finally heat up and fail, you're screwed....glad to hear you came out of this incident ok...must be terrifying.....Dennis


    I agree, but make sure that you do not go to the lock position as that will lock the steering wheel. You can also go to the neutral position. Most newer vehicles have a rev limiter I believe. JMO
  • Executive45's avatar
    Executive45
    Explorer III
    Apr 21, 2015
    Have you determined WHY the pedal stuck? Did it get jammed or wedged somehow? I'm trying to picture why and how the pedal might get stuck.

    On another note......when the accelerator gets stuck like that, sometimes it's best to simply turn the key OFF rather than fight the brakes and the engine. The power brakes won't work as well but they will work. Better than picking up too much speed and if the brakes finally heat up and fail, you're screwed....glad to hear you came out of this incident ok...must be terrifying.....Dennis

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