On Wed, 3 Mar 2010 07:49:16 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Mar 3, 10:06Â*am, dpb wrote:
wrote:

...

Yes, but you missed my whole point. Â* You acknowledged that it's
desirable to have some kind of interlock to keep the car from being
shifted into at least Park while it's moving. Â* OK, so I implement
that system via an interlock system consisting of a solenoid driven by
the computer. Â* That's right, the same computer that is malfunctioning
and has the throttle pegged. Â* ...

Automotives don't use simply a single computer -- hence there is no "the
computer". Â*There are a multitude of very small (and some not so small)
microprocessors. Â*The likelihood of there being multiple systems on the
same processor is small.

Nonsense. Sure there are multiple computers in a car. Common ones
are for the engine control, ABS, climate control, etc. But nothing
says that one computer cannot be responsible for many systems. Why
would it seem unusual to have a case where the engine start/shutoff
was in the same computer as that which determines the throttle
position? It is part of the engine control, is it not? And if
there was an electronic shift interlock, why would it be unusual for
that same computer to control it? That computer is the one that
knows if the car is running, what speed it's traveling at etc.

I don't know what exactly any of the computers in these cars controls
or how the system is put together. Yet, you among others, are
jumping to conclusions on what is possible or impossible without any
facts.


And in FACT, on most current production vehicles, there is either one
or 2 computers that control everything. Common practice seams to be a
PCM (Powertrain control module) and a BCM (Body control module).
The PCM handles engine and transmission and all related functions -
often including cruise control, stability control, ABS, etc, while the
BCM handles the AC, power windows, sometimes cruise control etc, and
the instrument panel, among others.

SOME vehicles use only one computer to handle everything (including,
apparently, the RADIO.


AFAIK there's discussion of firmware but no definitive data (released
anyway) regarding the role in the acceleration incidents. Â*There (again,
apparently) may be some firmware issues w/ braking systems it seems...

Again, I've yet to see any indication there was/is anything that would
have prevented shifting to neutral or turning off the ignition as
effective countermeasures.


Just because you haven't yet seen it doesn't make it impossible by
design as you are now suggesting.