How to survive when your car stalls...

[Eleanors38]

CAUTION: Be sure to read owner's manual before trying this.

When your car stalls while moving, you lose assist to both power steering & power brakes. That doesn't mean both systems have failed, only that the power loss is now a handicap not present in the days of "manual" brakes & steering.

Manual drum brakes back in the day were so sensitive, you could comfortably stop a 2+ ton Chevy without ordering the convenience of power brakes; manual steering, while taking some muscle, always readily "fed back" & remained facile to correction.

But everyone has PS and PB, and when the engine stalls, the brakes are like standing on a brick, and the steering is dead and resistant; worse, once you get the steering to turn, it won't feed back and you have to turn just as hard to correct your direction. In short, power assist DOES NOT revert back to "manual:" It's WORSE than manual.

Try this. Find an empty parking lot (no one around) and travel 10-15 mph. Turn the ignition off intentionally. Now, steer the vehicle with all you've got, one direction & the other. Stand on the brakes to stop the car. See what you are up against?

This may help you in the event of engine/power assist failure. Remember, your objective is to pull over to the right (better yet, off the ROW) and to stop the car before plowing into someone ahead.