Sikes was thousands of dollars in debt, and even his 911 call (where he claimed the accelerator would not come back up, even while braking) was somewhat unconvincing. A police cruiser eventually pulled in front of Sike’s Prius (which he was quite behind on payments with) to bring him to a stop.

According to NHTSA documents, “While the release of today’s study indicates there is the possibility of pedal entrapment and sticky pedals (both previously known incidents), there’s no evidence of either situations occurring in the case of Mr. Sikes.”

“NHTSA Investigation 3/31/2010 Conclusion: Initial assessment does not indicate any physical evidence of pedal entrapment or sticky accelerator pedal… Test drive conducted, same route as Sikes incident. Could not simulate runaway situation.”

Further case studies of other “Runaway Prius” stories (including the NY maid crashing hers, pictured above) are also starting to look falsified. In addition, NHTSA officials are now saying upwards of 90% of these Prius incidents are caused by driver error. Either a person is not properly operating the vehicle, or they are lying. Either way, Toyota looks to (just about) be in the clear.

Source: Jalopnik

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.

You can’t let the public think for a second that there’s a shadow of a doubt you’re full of s–t. Rumors began from the moment a CHiPs officer saved “runaway Prius” driver James Sikes that he was faking the entire event. 911 calls from whens he supposedly traveled at 90+ MPH down a San Diego highway didn’t help Sikes case – an operator had to instruct him how to use the emergency brake.

Is a dumb driver enough to make claims he was lying? No…but other facts surfacing are not helping his case. Mr. Sikes is somewhere around $700,000 in debt, bankrupt, and 5 months behind on payments with his Toytoa Prius. James and his wife, Patty, who were both in charge of a failed real estate firm, filed for bankruptcy in June of 2008. Sikes ALSO has an apparent history of items in his possession being stolen, followed by insurance claims (see pic above).

And now the oddest part of James Sikes’ story: a search of California Business Records shows the company Adutlswinglife LLC is owned by a Mr. James Sikes. The company operatesAdultSwingLife.com, which advertises that it supports “The Adult lifestyle, wife swapping, hook-up, Swinger clubs, adult social club, booty call, Friends with Benefits, NASCA” with web chats, message boards and other services. Sign us up, Mr. Sikes!

Sources: Jalop 1 | Jalop 2