Runaway Prius driver: Brakes were 'almost burned'

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ELLIOT SPAGAT

Snip: The officer said he told Sikes to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brakes as the Prius neared 85 mph. The car slowed to about 55 mph, at which time Sikes says he turned off the ignition and the car came to a stop.

"The brakes were definitely down to hardly any material," Neibert told reporters Tuesday. "There was a bunch of brake material on the ground and inside the wheels."

The officer found the floor mat properly placed and the accelerator and brake pedals in correct resting position.

The freeway incident happened at the worst possible time for Toyota - just hours after it invited reporters to hear experts insist that electronic flaws could not cause cars to speed out of control under real driving conditions.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100310/D9EBMC1O0.html

[madokie]

1. Goodby TOYota

you never belonged here to begin with anyway. You never were a good car anyway. Only thing you were good at was in buying a good reputation anyway. You won't be missed by me or millions of others just like me anyway.

[elocs]

2. Hyperbole much? I'd buy another Toyota. Many DUers are happy with theirs also.

Fortunately you only speak for you.

[dipsydoodle]

4. The driver actually said exactly what you've just said

He loves Toyota but he added "not the Prius". You probably saw exactly the same interview with the driver over your side.

As to your other comment - yes if you were to search the word Toyota under LBN and GD I think you'd confirm who's trying to run a witch hunt.

[Mopar151]

11. I see you've activated the Toyota Defense System

Good for you. Keep up the covering fire, I'll check the other traps.....

[frylock]

34. i put 180000 on my 1993 pickup..

i'd drive another toyota in a heartbeat.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Its what happens

when you use the handbrake at speed. The linings , which were not designed for that appication, disintegrate. Hence the reason its not recommended.

[Kolesar]

5. Does the Prius have disc brakes in the rear?

Parking brakes for disc brakes are small drum brakes installed within the disc.
Parking brakes for drum brakes use a cable to move the regular brake shoes and those brake shoes are plenty big.

[dipsydoodle]

6. I refered to the drum brake.

Wasn't the drivers fault as such. The police officer told him to apply the handbrake which is against all manufacturer's advice - not just Toyota.

[Mopar151]

17. Prius is disc/drum

Not all disc brake cars use a seperate drum for parking brakes. Some use a seperate cable actuator to mechanically apply the caliper.
The Prius, surprisingly, has conventional (tiny! 200 x 30 mm) drum brakes in the rear, with cable/lever actuation of the service brake shoes in "emergency" mode.
I beleive that there is an important piece y'all are missing here - the E-brake uses an old-school cable on the prius, which is not subject to the ABS system - ABS operates on the hydraulic system of the normal service brakes.

[htuttle]

8. Um...there aren't separate brake pads for the parking brake

It just triggers the regular rear brakes, which better be designed for that application!

[dipsydoodle]

10. What ?

May I suggest you go look inside your one of your rear wheels sometime to figure out wtf is inside the drum you can see. It sure aint an Edison record player.

[tinrobot]

30. I just redid my rear drum brakes three days ago.

Of course it was a different car (MGB) but drum brakes are pretty similar on most cars. The handbrake simply activates a lever which pushes the brake shoes into the drum, the lever usually sits just inside the brake piston.

Here's a picture of a Prius rear brake drum:



Notice the silver colored piston on the top, right below it is the lever which is operated by the handbrake.



Here's a closeup - the arrow points to the handbrake mechanism.

[Mopar151]

36. Please read post 17 n/t

[TommyO]

13. From the article it doesn't seem that it was just the parking brake

"The officer said he told Sikes to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brakes as the Prius neared 85 mph. The car slowed to about 55 mph, at which time Sikes says he turned off the ignition and the car came to a stop."

[rfranklin]

7. I think you can stop it by holding down the "power button"

Anyone know for sure?

[Kolesar]

9. Like MS Windows--to turn it off, use the "Start" menu...eom

[Starckers]

14. Did the key work?

Can't you just turn the key to kill power in an emergency?? What about pushing it into neutral?

[progressoid]

23. Or perhaps 'neutral'?

:shrug:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

25. You'll end up holding your breath and getting the blue scream

of death.

[nebenaube]

12. and yet...

Still no mention regarding the cruise control... I suspect it was engaged.

[TommyO]

15. If it were, it should have gone off when the brake was tapped

[nebenaube]

35. I have a 2006 Prius and ...

I have a 2006 Prius. Actually, it's the wife's vehicle so I don't drive it often (she rarely drives it over 35mph). When I have driven has been on the highway and when cruising with the cruise control engaged; tapping the brake pedal does not disengage the system. In fact, mine accelerates slightly and I usually disengage it via the master switch at the point because I'm not used to reaching for the controls on the steering wheel or steering column. My habits have grown from tapping the brake pedal to disengage the system. It does not behave in the same manner as other vehicles in which I have grown accustomed to using that feature.

[Starckers]

16. Cruise Control

You are right, no one has asked that yet.

[NYC_SKP]

26. I have recommended engaging cruise control, then using decelerate lever.

Along with shifting to "B" and applying regular and emergency brakes.

I have a Prius with 75,000 miles.

It only accelerates suddenly when I want it to, which is all the time.

[SlingBlade]

18. Sez he called 9/11 from his cell phone

And eventually turned off the ignition.

Wouldn't it have been safer, easier, And less dramatic, to have reverse those steps ?

This story has irked me since it began, My Bull Shit Detector keeps going off here.


I wonder why ?

[blueamy66]

24. It must have been very difficult

to hold a cell phone and drive in and out of traffice at 90 MPH.

I know that I couldn't have done it.....

[tinrobot]

27. It also took him 23 minutes to stop?

With a car supposedly "out of control?"

Out of control cars usually crash within seconds, not 23 minutes.

Very fishy...

[lefty2000]

32. There May Be A Problem with Electronics, but

Inevitably anybody from now on who has an accident in a Toyota is going to face the temptation to claim "sudden unintended acceleration." It is just human nature. And Toyota is going to continue to deny it until faced with irrefutable proof. That too is human nature.

[melm00se]

19. toyota's

reputation as a quality car maker is disintegrating right before their eyes.

they really need to take aggressive and swift action to own up to the problem and fix it....NOW is no fast enough.

I just bought a car and a Toyota was in the running and I am very happy that I chose to go with another make.

[CoffeeCat]

31. I agree with you about the "swift action"...

Toyota has recently said that the electronics on the Prius absolutely weren't the
problem. Anyone who is paying attention can clearly see that this IS a possibility.

They appear to be covering and stonewalling--or in denial about the possibility
that this could be an electronics issue. A worst-case scenario for them, for
sure, but denying it--while these highly visible incidents happen on CNN--isn't
helping the company in the long run.

Toyota has always been a reputable, stellar company. They need to continue. Denying
and making statements that appear false to a layperson--will destroy the entire
company--not just the Prius.

[divideandconquer]

33. Toyota has been one of the most dishonest companies, here's a golden oldie from these crooks

Toyota set their emission controls on their cars not to trip the check engines lights back in 1998





Toyota Agrees to Pay $7.9 Million Settlement

SACRAMENTO -- The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board (ARB) announced today that Toyota has agreed to a $7.9 million settlement stemming from a 1998 recall order for potential defects in evaporative emission system monitors.
ARB’s Executive Officer Michael Kenny said, “We are pleased that we have reached an agreement in this case. We believe that this settlement will not only benefit the owners of the vehicles but all Californians.”

Through discussions finalized February 20, 2002, Toyota agreed to fund a package valued at $7.9 million. A $1.2 million contribution will go to the California Air Pollution Control Fund (APCF). The state uses this fund to educate the public and provide programs to minimize the output of smog-forming emissions from various sources. And, $4.3 million will go toward supplemental environmental projects to be agreed upon jointly between ARB and Toyota.

Also, Toyota will extend the warranty coverage for defects that may occur in the evaporative emission control system of the affected vehicles from three years or 50,000 miles to 14 years or 150,000 miles. And, Toyota has agreed to introduce some of their new models earlier than required to comply with ARB’s near-zero evaporative emissions standards. The extended warranty and the early compliance efforts are together valued at $2.4 million.

ARB tests indicated that during the years 1996-1998, Toyota sold vehicles in California with diagnostic systems that were unable to routinely detect fuel system vapor leaks. The defects were found during tests by the ARB who subsequently ordered a recall of approximately 330,000 cars. Toyota challenged the order claiming that their leak-check systems met California requirements.
----------------------------------
<http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/nr030502.htm>

[Jefferson23]

20. The case against Toyota seems to be taking yet another turn for

the worse. A former attorney for the car maker, has literally thousands of documents relating to what he has characterized as
information Toyota kept from authorities. At this point who knows what truth there is to his claims, but one thing is certain,
the saga continues.

Another Prius out of control was reported from Westchester, NY this morning too.

[TommyO]

21. A link for the New York incident

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10060446

[Jefferson23]

29. Thanks for posting the link, I had only heard of the event on CNN this morning.

[DallasNE]

22. Some Things Don't Add Up Here

I smell a driver that was upset with Toyota over an earlier incident and this driver is wanting to show Toyota up. I wouldn't be surprised to find this story turns out to be a cruel hoax.

[dipsydoodle]

28. Exactly the opposite

on live interview, on the dealer forecourt, he said he'd only buy Toyota but not Prius - which is understandable given the circumstances.

[DallasNE]

37. Explain This Then

The officer found the floor mat properly placed and the accelerator and brake pedals in correct resting position.

I smell a disgruntled Prius owner, for whatever reason, but I could be wrong.