Believe It Or Not, Runaway Toyota Looks To Be Fake
So far, both Toyota and the NHTSA can’t find anything wrong with James Sikes’ Toyota Prius – the (supposed) runaway Prius. We know, you can test a car 1,000 times and still find nothing wrong, but when its owner takes it away on drive 1,001 something could happen.
But mounting speculation against Mr. Sikes and this negative test result only adds insult to the case against this possible new Ballon Boy. Or was this all the media’s fault? According to Fox News, and this hilarious yet completely serious clip, this all might be:
In the end, we may never actually know if Sikes was full of it, or that his Prius really did try to kill him. Everyone has their opinion, and Toyota, of course, disagrees with his claims:
While a final report is not yet complete, there are strong indications that the driver’s account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the preliminary analysis.
The investigation revealed the following initial findings:
• The accelerator pedal was tested and found to be working normally with no
mechanical binding or friction. It should be noted that the Prius is not subject to a recall for sticking accelerator pedals and the Prius component is made by a different supplier than the one recalled.
• The front brakes showed severe wear and damage from overheating. The rear brakes and parking brake were in good condition and functional.
• A Toyota carpeted floor mat of the correct type for the vehicle was installed but not secured to the retention hooks. It was not found to be interfering or even touching the accelerator pedal.
• The pushbutton power switch worked normally and shut the vehicle off when depressed for 3 seconds as the 911 operator advised Mr. Sikes to do.
• The shift lever also worked normally and neutral could be selected. The neutral position is clearly marked and can be easily engaged by moving the lever left to the “N” marking.
• There were no diagnostic trouble codes found in the power management computer, nor was the dashboard malfunction indicator light activated. The hybrid self- diagnostic system did show evidence of numerous, rapidly repeated on-and- off applications of both the accelerator and the brake pedals.
• After examination of individual components, the front brakes were replaced and the vehicle was test driven, during which the vehicle was observed to be functioning normally.
• During testing, the brakes were purposely abused by continuous light application in order to overheat them. The vehicle could be safely stopped by means of the brake pedal, even when overheated.
How could you possibly trust the testing of Toyota when they hired former NTSB people to get safety standards reduced for them? The credibility is with James Sikes.
Mar 22nd, 2010 at 11:34 am
[...] a day after Mr. Sikes apparently lost control of his Toyota Prius in Southern California, a suburban New Yorker claimed they couldn’t brake and slammed a Toyota Prius into the side [...]