How do I hijack a vehicle?

What's the trick with fighting the driver when trying to hijack a military vehicle in Just Cause 2?

I keep getting killed every time I try this. I have the difficulty set on 'experienced', and given how easy it is to take on half a dozen baddies, it doesn't seem like tossing a pilot out of a helicopter should be all that difficult.

The game provides hints about which buttons to press, but these come along much too slowly to be effective, like two or three seconds apart. Also it seems pretty much random whether it wants the X, the O, or the square.

Solution 1:

I think you're just a little confused about the process.

The "hints" aren't hints, they're instructions. Wait until the button icon pops up (which will be a random one of the four buttons) and then push it, not beforehand.