So whose 4Runner rollover in CO is this?

[Adventurous]

Don't know colorado well, is this close to where the toyota went 600' down the cliff and it killed the guy/almost killed another recently? Seems there has been a rash of this stuff this year. A buddy was at the little fj event out there and said there were several fj's that flopped for no reason. One almost went for a ride sideways down a mountain. Sucks but sometimes drivers let their ego write checks their *** can't cash.

Nope. That Landcruiser rolled near Gunnison (still haven't read which trail). This 4runner flopped on Black Bear Pass near Telluride.

I guess if he was going to pick a spot to flop I'd chose that over quite a few other places on that trail.

 

[Carnifex]

RSCA button. It turns off the side curtain airbags. Not sure about the other ones though. Pushing a little button sure would have lowered the cost on this situation...

The newer trucks don't have that button.

 

[87Warrior]

Nope. That Landcruiser rolled near Gunnison (still haven't read which trail). This 4runner flopped on Black Bear Pass near Telluride.

The fatal Cruiser roll was on Cumberland Pass in Gunnison county, which is a well graded road carved into the mountain side. The last I saw was a statement from the sheriff stating the cause of the accident was under investigation but they suspect speed may have been a contributing factor.

 

[battleaxe]

The newer trucks don't have that button.

I stand corrected then... My pockets aren't deep enough for the newer trucks, lol.

 

[xlcaferacer]

That is indeed on Black Bear Pass. I never would have thought someone could flop their truck in that spot (I have probably run that trail over a hundred times as I used to drive Jeep Tours out of Ouray and I know the trail well). Although nothing surprises me anymore as there were two trucks that went on their side or lid in spots that it never should have happened during the FJ Summit this year.
I'm guessing that in this instance he was hugging the the uphill side of the trail and was fairly intimidated by the proper line that takes you close to the edge on the driver's side but also lands you on a flat portion of trail really quickly. His line choice was fairly off camber and there is a small hole at the bottom of it for the driver front wheel to fall into.
I think a lot of these trail mishaps come from people buying a pretty capable rig and thinking that they can go wherever they want without the proper seat time. This trail can be driven in a stock 4x4 by a competent driver. The lesson to be learned from all of these mishaps is to learn that driving off-road can be serious. Learn what you are capable of, what your truck is capable of, and grow your off-road experiences as you gain knowledge. But most importantly, always pay attention while you are driving! Most mishaps can be avoided.

 

[Adventurous]

The fatal Cruiser roll was on Cumberland Pass in Gunnison county, which is a well graded road carved into the mountain side. The last I saw was a statement from the sheriff stating the cause of the accident was under investigation but they suspect speed may have been a contributing factor.

Good to know, thank you for the info. I was curious to know where the incident occurred but owing to the sensitive nature of the matter felt wrong asking.

 

[4Roamer]

RSCA button. It turns off the side curtain airbags. Not sure about the other ones though. Pushing a little button sure would have lowered the cost on this situation...

Do the newer trucks still have this button? I'm going to have to go look at mine when the sun comes up but, I don't remember having one.

Edit: 2016 TEP

 

[rkj__]

That is indeed on Black Bear Pass. I never would have thought someone could flop their truck in that spot (I have probably run that trail over a hundred times as I used to drive Jeep Tours out of Ouray and I know the trail well). Although nothing surprises me anymore as there were two trucks that went on their side or lid in spots that it never should have happened during the FJ Summit this year.
I'm guessing that in this instance he was hugging the the uphill side of the trail and was fairly intimidated by the proper line that takes you close to the edge on the driver's side but also lands you on a flat portion of trail really quickly. His line choice was fairly off camber and there is a small hole at the bottom of it for the driver front wheel to fall into.
I think a lot of these trail mishaps come from people buying a pretty capable rig and thinking that they can go wherever they want without the proper seat time. This trail can be driven in a stock 4x4 by a competent driver. The lesson to be learned from all of these mishaps is to learn that driving off-road can be serious. Learn what you are capable of, what your truck is capable of, and grow your off-road experiences as you gain knowledge. But most importantly, always pay attention while you are driving! Most mishaps can be avoided.

How does a competent driver know how much of an angle they can put their truck on before it rolls over?

 

[xlcaferacer]

How does a competent driver know how much of an angle they can put their truck on before it rolls over?

You can't ever really know for sure. The point I was trying to make is that a lot of people jump in and drive trails that are beyond their off-road driving skills.
In the instance of the 4Runner he chose to to take a tippy, high side-hill line on this obstacle when he could have come down the rocky hill section at an angle and driven almost straight onto the flat portion of trail that his drivers door is laying on. Check out the pics. I see a lot of people in the mountains make some super sketchy line choices because they are afraid of getting close to the edge of the road, even if it is the safer line choice.
Knowing how to read different trail situations and find the safer option comes with time. I am by no means an expert and I learn something new every time I go out. I am trying to use this flop as a reminder that this form of recreation is dangerous and you can hurt yourself and others. A tip over on this section of the trail should have never happened. Just be careful out there.

 

[Airmapper]

How does a competent driver know how much of an angle they can put their truck on before it rolls over?

I don't know how competent I am, but I've been close enough to that angle I know I don't want to find it again.

I got a older Ford Escape up on two wheels once. It was an ice storm and I slid off the road, it started to roll, stood up on the side wheels, and hung there for what felt like forever. Weeds from the ditch were touching my side window. Everything got still, then it slowly leaned back and fell on all fours. After I got done being terrified, I hit the AWD lock switch (not a true 4x4) and somehow managed to maneuver that thing back out of the ditch and onto the road. Only thing I done was bent one of the steel wheels and bent the step bars. I jumped on the steps a few times, ordered a new wheel online and was good as new. Oh yeah and a new pair of shorts...

For that Escape and the ditch I was in, I think that angle was somewhere about 89 degrees. I wouldn't be eager to find it again.

 

[battleaxe]

Do the newer trucks still have this button? I'm going to have to go look at mine when the sun comes up but, I don't remember having one.

Edit: 2016 TEP

Supposedly they don't

 

[OmegaMan73]

It went over slow, or it would have kept going. I bet the spare tire was the straw that broke the camels back in this situation. Note to all you Beverly hillbillies.

Do you really think the engineers who designed this SUV for offroad travel, and allowed the option of a factory roof rack to carry luggage would not have built in a margin of safety when it comes to tipping? One spare tire on the roof did not cause that 4Runner to tip over. That was driver error.

 

[One shot]

Do you really think the engineers who designed this SUV for offroad travel would not have built in a margin of safety when it comes to tipping? .

Sure. But if they really did remove the RSCA button, it wasn’t designed for off-road travel. Maybe designed to give the buyer the impression this is an off-road or “go anywhere” vehicle.


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[OmegaMan73]

Solid point. I would have never thought about a switch to purposefully turn off the air bags. Seems sketchy.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

Sure. But if they really did remove the RSCA button, it wasn’t designed for off-road travel. Maybe designed to give the buyer the impression this is an off-road or “go anywhere” vehicle.


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The folks at T4R ran this down when the 5th gen came out. Toyota's response was that they had updated the telemetry sensors and the algorithms that manage the SCAB to the point where a kill switch was no longer needed. Meaning, it won't go off unless you roll.

One could argue that some rollovers don't require a deployment, but that's a fine line. I guess they drew the line at putting your truck on its doors.

No Toyotas from 2014 on have the the button.