Had some excitement driving to work today (9 miles)...

I was driving on cruise control at 60 mph. As I climbed the last hill on the highway, the Box began accelerating up to about 80. I switched off the cruise (thinking the cruise had stuck or malfunctioned), but it kept accelerating.

Next, I pushed in the clutch (thinking that maybe the cruise switch had failed to disengage the cruise), and to my horror the tachometer bounced off 7000 rpm. Instantly, I shut off the engine, the restarted it by popping the clutch while in 5th gear. To my great surprise, the car began accelerating again.

Lastly, I popped the gas pedal all the way down for a split second, and all became normal again.

Now, the rest of the story...
I had just washed the car on Saturday - under the hood, too - but hadn't driven it at all after that. The temperature here dropped from about 55 that day down to about 15 overnight this weekend.

My guess is that the throttle cable thawed, then refroze on the highway just as the cruise pressed it open for more power. I've only had a stuck throttle cable once before, many years ago, on a different car, and that was in the driveway - but it was also due to ice.

I see this as a freak thing, not really as a flaw in the xB design, other than the fact (theory) that the throttle cable can stick open under the right (or wrong...) circumstances.

Has anyone else experienced this on the xB? It certainly woke me up on this Monday morning!

 

Wow, sux man. Glad you didn't panic! Had it happen to me before in a Ford Van and had to shut off motor and disconnect cruise.

I was thinking more along the lines of water in the electronics. I had a Neon that died 30 minutes into a trip because of eng. bay wasing the day before. Then next day started and ran fine and never happened again.

 

Glad you handled that OK, Gordon! Something like that can really get your circulation going.

I suspect you are right that it may have been an ice problem, and hope that is all it was.

I've only had a throttle stick open on my once, but that was quite enough, thankyouverymuch. Wasn't a Scion, it was back when I had a brand new Plymouth Baracuda with a massive V8. That time it was a defective throttle cable problem and there was a recall that replaced 'em all.

Again, glad you took care of it well!

 

sounds like yer cruise control is the culprit...

 

My other stuck throttle was on an '85 Chrysler Lebaron GTS (non-turbo). That was most upsetting since the engine went zero to 6500 RPM in about 2 seconds on a cold startup at about -10 degrees. Not the way to take good care of a car, but it gave great service for a very long time in spite of that event.

Anyway, drove the Box today without a problem. Guess it was a one-time scare, and at least partly my fault since I didn't drive it around the block right away to dry it out after drowning the engine bay.

Still the best car I've ever had.

 

My old Jeep has a reoccuring problem of it reving up to 2500 RPM and refusing to go any lower.. nothing like sitting in traffic with the engine goin 'Wreeeeeeeeeeeeee',, bye bye gas!

 

My second Cherokee did that from brand new, and was one step away from being bought bace under the state lemon law before thr problem was finally found.

It was a wiring harness problem that gave the 'puter an incorrect reference resistance for determining idle RPM because of a poor connection within the harness itself. The main engine harness ended up being replaced in its entirety. (What was especially bad about that on mine is that it was intermittent, and it was an automatic - you'd be sitting at a light or whatever and the vehicle would suddenly go full throttle - or not.)