California police report supports Prius driver

[DainBramaged]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- A California Highway Patrol report released on Wednesday in a sensational "runaway" Toyota Prius incident appears to support the version of events given by the driver, which the automaker has called into question.

The written account by a CHP officer who raced to the aid of James Sikes after his emergency call on March 8 says that the 61-year-old realtor appeared to be stomping heavily on the brake pedal while speeding at 85 to 90 miles per hour on a freeway near San Diego.

Toyota has said it found no evidence that Sikes had been applying the brakes forcefully and that by doing so he should have been able to stop his blue 2008 Prius.

"I could see the driver sat up off his seat indicating that he was possibly applying the brake pedal with his body weight," CHP Officer Todd Neibert wrote in his investigative report.

"I was able to to view his actions through the lowered right rear window," Neibert said in the seven-page written narrative. "His back was arched and both hands were pulling on the steering wheel. I noticed that the Prius slowed slightly, down to approximately 85 to 90 miles per hour."

Neibert wrote that Sikes "looked over at me briefly and appeared to be in a panicked state" as they drove at high speeds along Interstate 8. The officer also noted that the brake lights on the blue Prius were lit as it ascended a long uphill grade at about 85 miles an hour.

It was then that he advised Sikes through a loudspeaker to apply the brake pedal and emergency brake simultaneously. Shortly afterward, the car's speed dropped dramatically and then came to a stop.



Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100318/OEM/303189975/1290#ixzz0iXWp4lXP

[madmax]

1. Bet this doesn't receive

as much air time as the report that his story was fabricated.

[DainBramaged]

18. Especially here on the Big DU, 18276543399200 on your internets dial

[readmoreoften]

88. It says a lot that so many were itching to support a corporation avoiding a lawsuit over a driver.

Toyota has everything to gain by dismissing his story. DU chomps at the bit to "balloon boy" the likely victim of a defective product.

[TexasObserver]

158. Things that make you go "hmmmmmmm."

I've read many views of what makes for a good progressive, but defending an irresponsible global corporation which makes killer Toyota vehicles has never been among them.

[HopeHoops]

2. Has Toyota called him a "poopy head" yet in their efforts to discredit him?

Just wait, they'll claim the old lady in NY simply WANTED to crash her Prius into a stone wall.

[WeekendWarrior]

10. I don't think Toyota

is footing the NTSBs bill. Seems to me, their the ones calling him a poopy head.

[Stinky The Clown]

134. Its NHTSA, actually ..........

And for years they've been pretty cozy with car guys.

Think FAA without the propeller beanies.

[WeekendWarrior]

3. Yeah, well

I saw the guy on the news and, frankly, I wasn't convinced. My wife turned to me when he was being interviewed and said, "I don't know about that guy" -- which was exactly what I was thinking.

Not that either of us are experts. Could be he was telling the truth, but who knows. In this day and age, everyone's looking for an angle.

[Ikonoklast]

4. I know what you mean.

"Used car salesaman" vibe for me from this guy.

[jody]

5. "brake lights on the blue Prius were lit". End of debate? n/t

[WeekendWarrior]

8. I can step on my brake and gas pedals at the same time

and my brake lights will be lit. Doesn't take much to light them, either.

[TexasObserver]

137. Can you burn your brakes off doing that?

[PBS Poll-435]

140. Actually more likely to burn your brake pads/discs with light prolonged pressure

than a few hard stops. The friction raises the temperature very quickly.

[TexasObserver]

142. The answer is "no, you can't do that on a Prius if it's functioning as designed."

Again, you FAIL.

[PBS Poll-435]

143. You can't put slight pressure on the brake pedal? Just enough to trigger the rear brake lights?

Um, yeah, I think you can.

[TexasObserver]

150. No, you can't burn the brakes down putting slight pressure on the brake pedal.

The very suggestion that one could burn the brakes off without Toyota's automatic suspension of accelerator being triggered is silly.

There is simply no evidence to support your tortured conjecture.

[PBS Poll-435]

163. Your lack of intellectual curiosity on this matter is baffling.

Have you ever owned/leased/rented/stolen a Toyota Prius? Have you ever driven one on that stretch of highway?

You do realize that DOT standards for brake light/CHMSL differ from what most manufacturers deem as intended braking, right?

And not to belabor the point, but 250+ alternations between the brakes and the gas is exactly how you would burn out the brakes in ANY vehicle.

[PBS Poll-435]

30. Slight pressure on the brakes will cause the rear brake lights to illuminate

(And prolonged slight pressure on the brakes will cook the front discs too!)


End of debate?

[jody]

42. Beats me but if there is a suit the testimony will be interesting. n/t

[Juneboarder]

101. Have you ever driven a Prius?

Let alone drive a prius up a steep grade? I live in SD where this incident occurred, and the grade is quite steep. My Prius would never be able to go 85 up this grade... 85-90mph cannot be accurate here.

[jody]

104. Nope, never driven one. Thanks for the information. n/t

[Romulox]

6. The fact that his Toyota was less than perfect is proof he is lying. That, and the jacket. nt

[TexasObserver]

159. You've aptly summed up the attacks on him.

[joeybee12]

7. And police reports are never wrong, right? It's not just Toyota but the NTSB

is having "issues" with this guy's claim.

[itsrobert]

53. LMFAO: The NTSB is on the Toyota payroll

just a fact of life. Maybe Toyota should make a donation the CHP association?

[Iggo]

9. As several of you may have noticed, I'm not a big cops guy...

...but doesn't the word of a guy who actually saw him standing on the brakes account for anything with you people?

[snooper2]

12. Yeah, if I wanted to imitate that I was doing everything possible to stop my car

I could give a good show as well...

[Iggo]

15. Your mind's made up. Have a nice day. (n/t)

[laughingliberal]

13. No, we make up our minds according to how much we like the subject,

what they're wearing, whether we think their wife is pretty, how tall they are....

:sarcasm:

[Iggo]

14. I know, right?

[petronius]

22. It does, but couldn't he also have been standing on the gas pedal?

The report doesn't do anything to support the contention that it's a fake anyway.

No matter if this guy is a fraud, it shouldn't detract from some really excellent work by the officer. And, this car and the others need to be disassembled (both physically and however one disassembles software) down to the molecular both by Toyota and by someone without a vested interest...

[joeybee12]

24. I have no horse in this race, but you're right...if he's going 90, and the cop

is watching the guy AND trying to drive his own vehicle, how accurate or good is his view?

Quite frankly Toyota and this guy are probably both crooks.

[itsrobert]

54. It's hard to believe a Prius can go 90 MPH

And when someone is even slightly on the brake pedal to "give a good show", it's even more hard to believe.

[PBS Poll-435]

31. If the CHP's car had a sunroof/moonroof, then he could have seen the drivers feet on the brakes.

Because he would have physically had to get close enough to the Prius and be about 2-3 feet above normal driving position to SEE Mr. Sikes "standing" on the brakes. (Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense either...)

[NoGOPZone]

45. His description is one of the more neutral, no pun intended, versions

on this incident I've seen published anywhere. You likely should notice however, that he cautiously states the driver was POSSIBLY stepping on the brake hard. He can't state for sure since he couldn't see the pedals and it's not evident from the text if he had the brake lights in view at that time. He does however, note that the vehicle slowed slightly.

Let's hope his entire report gets put on the Internet somewhere.

[TexasObserver]

151. Yes, even with the cop on the scene and the brakes burned off ...

... the compulsion to defend the global corporation is too strong among its loyal defenders.

[jody]

11. Will plaintiff lawyers strike or keep Toyota owners in the jury pool? n/t

[TexasObserver]

153. Strike them. Too many Toyota owners concerned about their car's value.

Don't you think some of the zealous defense of Toyota online is likely to be Toyota owners not happy to see their brand suddenly drop like a rock in re-sale value?

[Pathwalker]

16. Does anyone here remember Richard Jewell?

Just about every network declared the security guard guilty of being the Olympic bomber, when it turned out that he was actually a hero. Yeah, he sued them all, and got some money, but he never got his reputation back.
I have NO IDEA if this one guy is a fraud, or not, but I'm no longer willing to take word of the MSM - or a gazillion dollar corporation at face value, much less anonymous posters whose gut is acting up. I will wait until the evidence is presented in a court of law, like the Constitution says.

[laughingliberal]

19. I remember

and I have no doubt if DU had existed back then we'd have had some already convicting him, too.

[DevonRex]

20. You said it perfectly. And ICAM. nt

[dionysus]

47. where have you been? out of lattes the past few days?

:hi:

[DevonRex]

51. No but I'm surprised I'm still sane. RW relatives were here for

a week. I can't even watch the news when they visit because then I'll be treated to their version of the "truth" for hours on end.

Is this place safe for Democrats today?

:hi:

[dionysus]

58. oh, you missed a minor kerfluffle over dennis' yes vote yesterday...

:hi:

[DevonRex]

68. I take it we're not supposed to talk about that now. I mentioned it once

today and boy howdy, they were NOT pleased.

:rofl:

Poor things. They must be in mourning.

[dionysus]

71. well, he sure is dead to some... there's some anger, denial, awkward coping.

you can imagine :rofl:

[laughingliberal]

122. And some formed their own opinion that does not change with the whims of the politicians

and are not required to either demonize or canonize a politician.

[Arkansas Granny]

21. That's a very good reminder. Too many people accept rumors as facts.

[TexasObserver]

154. Yes, all because one jackass who taught him in some class suspected him.

That case does bear a similarity to the Prius owner under attack. He is an icon of irrational hatred, and those attacking him are CERTAIN he's evil. No basis, but they're certain.

[951-Riverside]

161. Does anyone here remember Richard Heene or Anna Ayala?

[Spazito]

17. Why anyone would believe ANYTHING Toyota says...

at this point is beyond me. The fact that Toyota had anything to do with the 'investigation' totally negates any results from said 'investigation', imo.

[Romulox]

26. It's called "confirmation bias"--people are anxious for info. that supports their biases.

We're all guilty of this, of course.

[Spazito]

27. "confirmation bias", I like that phrase...

it fits quite well re this issue and, as you point out, can all too often color our views on many things.

[Johonny]

23. I heard PRIUS are made from people

[Tesha]

44. (Only the green Priuses are.) (NT)

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

25. Even with electronics failure and malfuction... brakes are still mechanical and hydraulic.

If there was physical failure of the brake mechanics, NTSB or Toyota would have been able to find that immediately.
Such a failure would be easily reproducable as the core brake systems are not "drive-by-wire".
Brakes on cars, even powerful cars, have enough stopping power to stop a vehicle. Even at WOT.

This story was fishy from the start. If you are standing on the brakes in a two wheel drive car, AT A MINIMUM, the two non-drive wheels would quickly slow down (skidding) and lock up or the ABS would engage. This would be easily observable by the officer in his report. Drive wheel would not immedaitely lockup (at WOT).

[Tesha]

46. That's not exactly true of the Prius, but it's probably "sufficiently true".

Remeber, the Prius has the ability to hold-off application
of the friction brakes and instead do regenerative braking,
dumping kinetic energy back into the battery to slow the car.

As you press the brake pedal harder, at some point the computer
decides it's time to add friction brakes to the mix. (In another
thread, someone posted a hydraulic circuit diagram of the
Prius brake system.) But I'll also bet that at some sufficient
brake pressure, the car can't over-ride the friction brake
application except through ordinary ABS "cycling". I can't
imagine the car would have gotten DOT approval otherwise.

Tesha

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

49. Correct. And good points.

But at the core there is still the hydraulic brake system with is required by DOT to operate even given 100% power failure.

I just can't buy that the mechanical brakes could not stop the car... especially if the guy were standing on them.
If you are, in fact, standing on a brake pedal and the car isn't stopping then your brakes have mechanically failed.
If the problem were mechanical or linked to malfuctioning ABS or sensors it would have been easily reproducable/detectable.

[Tesha]

57. (Just in case you had any doubt, I agree with you.) (NT)

[jmowreader]

166. I can buy it

Brakes do their thing by converting kinetic energy into heat energy. At some point your brakes can't deal with any more heat, and they quit working. (This is why every rest area or weigh station at the bottom of a serious hill has a "trucks test brakes before entering" sign about a quarter-mile before the entrance--if your brakes heat up too much, you are not stopping.)

I found something interesting on http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-technical-discussion/68385-brake-pedal-floor-2.html:

"When Prius brakes are operating normally, the brake pedal pushes only against a "stroke simulator" which is basically a piston on a spring...in the event of power brake failure, the stroke simulator changes function and becomes a normal master cylinder, providing pressure to the front brakes."

I'm sorry, folks...I know we're all supposed to aspire to drive hybrids but this just doesn't look safe to me.

[tavalon]

28. Toyota, you aren't going to be able to Exxon Valdez your way through this.

[harun]

52. Yah they will, look how many idiots here whole heartily believe

Toyota on this without a full investigation even being complete yet. Heck Toyota hasn't even stated they believe it didn't happen. They just say they haven't any concrete findings yet either way and yet people jump up and down about how this guy faked it all.

[PBS Poll-435]

29. Don't care. Being a CHP doesn't make you an automotive expert.

Or even automotive-ly curious.

When the 911 Operator told Mr. Sikes (multiple times) to put the fucking car into neutral...and ignored the 911 Operator multiple times...



Prima facie evidence that Mr. Sikes wanted this thing to go on for a while...

[DainBramaged]

32. There needs to be one or two avid 'Yota supporters left on DU

Makes it fun shooting holes in your arguments.

[PBS Poll-435]

37. If you would just address any rational arguement for or against the driver

Then this would be an argument.


So far, you have jack shit...

[DainBramaged]

39. I didn't know you knew Jack Shit.....

I have no opinion on this issue, I simply posted an article and a link. Draw your own conclusions or make a fool of yourself, you need to choose.

[PBS Poll-435]

64. I totally believe you when you say that you have no opinion on the issue

And me and Jack Shit had a falling out a few years ago. Dude couldn't hold his liquor.

[dionysus]

74. lol. well played. :)

[PVnRT]

116. "I have no opinion on this issue." LOLOLOLOLOL

Yeah, you have no opinion on this. Right. And I'm a mechanized President Lincoln.

[LanternWaste]

125. As well as supporters of stealing music...

As well as supporters of downloading and stealing music from union workers... "makes it fun shooting holes in their" pro-union faux-righteousness.

[snooper2]

34. if you put you car in neutral it will stop suddenly and cause you to wreck..

learned that on a DU thread last week :rofl:

[PBS Poll-435]

35. I learned that it was an optional feature on the Prius

Neutral at high speeds helps you get into tight parking spaces quickly.

(by flipping)



:D

[The Straight Story]

40. LOL I have done that before (an accident) and no stop or wreck

But yeah, I heard some DUzy's too :)

[Missy Vixen]

60. Are you speaking of my comments on the matter?

Are you aware that calling out another poster is against DU rules?

I noticed you never commented on my other assertion -- a car speeding out of control and in neutral would be difficult to maneuver on a crowded Southern California freeway. I'm sure you'll have some other oh-so-trenchant comment on that one, too.

:rofl:

[Romulox]

59. You might want to look up "prima facie" before using it (incorrectly) again.

:hi:

[PBS Poll-435]

85. Maybe you should look it up.

I know what first look/appearance evidence means.

That is what makes Mr. Sikes of San Diego Prius Fame so unbelievable.

[Romulox]

92. It's a legal "term of art"--it may *literally* mean "first look"

but that's not what it means with respect to the law. :hi:

[PBS Poll-435]

96. I don't believe that I am trying a case against the San Diego Prius Bumbler

And i understand the concept of *generally accepted*.

:hi:

[Romulox]

98. Oh dear: add "fraud" to your "to google" list then, I suppose. nt

[Juneboarder]

111. Last time I checked...

we were debating the Toyota Prius topic; not picking on people for proper grammar usage.

[Barack_America]

130. It takes an expert to realize that brake lights = brakes?

[TexasObserver]

156. A police officer is more of an auto expert than a 9-1-1 operator.

And he was there, as an eye witness.

The smell of burning brakes was obvious, just as the smell of desperation is obvious in the defense of Toyota's killer vehicles.

[grantcart]

33. two points

1) If you were going to select a place in San Diego where staging this type of incident would safe to do this remote area East of the city heading out in the desert would be the safest without question. It is a divided 2 lane highway with an extra third lane going up hills.

2) The Average speed on this highway is 80 MPH with many going 85 and some going higher. Of course going up the steepest part of the grade slows most of the traffic somewhat but I am frequently passed by people going 100 on this part of the highway which appears to not be well monitored by the CHP.

[JTFrog]

36. Wonder how long before someone digs up the cop's financials and claim he's in on it.

:eyes:

[PBS Poll-435]

38. Follow the Money!

:eyes:

[Texasgal]

41. It's amazing to me how many

people think this is some sort of scam... geez, this guy must have been an incredible ACTOR! :sarcasm: Worthy of an OSCAR!

[jody]

43. OSCAR or even a NOBLE PRIZE!

I really did mean NOBLE and not NOBEL.

[PBS Poll-435]

48. The man has a incredible history of fraud. And his story makes no sense.

But who cares! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[Pathwalker]

50. Can you please provide a link to his "history of insurance fraud"?

Which you describe as incredible. I googled but all I could find was a ank you.report stating he had filed 2 insurance CLAIMS. If this man has been previously convicted of insurance fraud, then this should be rather easy to prove, which makes me wonder why this report is not on Google.
Thank you.

[PBS Poll-435]

55. Short of losing a Monet out his trunk...

Good god.

[Pathwalker]

56. So, no link. okay. n/t

[PBS Poll-435]

62. Here is a good start...

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/12/toyota-autos-hoax-media-opinions-contributors-michael-fumento.html

Sikes also has a history of filing insurance claims for allegedly stolen items that are slowly coming to light. In 2001 he filed a police report with the Merced County Sheriff's Department for $58,000 in stolen property, including jewelry, a prosumer mini-DV camera and gear, and $24,000 in cash, according to Fox40 in Sacramento. His bankruptcy documents show a 2008 payment of $7,400 for an allegedly stolen saxophone and clothes.

http://americanaffairs.suite101.com/article.cfm/do-runaway-toyotas-embolden-hoaxers

[Romulox]

65. Can you make your claim explicit? I'm not sure what I'm to infer from the stolen saxophone...

:shrug:

[PBS Poll-435]

66. I would be more worried about the $24,000 in cash that was "stolen"

:shrug:

[Romulox]

67. Right. But why is it so hard for you to make your claim explicit? Second request. nt

[PBS Poll-435]

70. Here we go. I *believe* that this man is a liar. I don't *believe* most of his previous claims as

a *victim*.

I believe that he concocted a scheme (with help, of course) to create a nation-wide sensational breaking (brakeing!) news story.



And all reasonable evidence shows that he is a fraud.


Happy? :)

[Romulox]

73. The evidence (e.g. of a stolen saxophone) doesn't support your claim--you skipped a few steps...

You need to explain how the fact that this man claims to have had some cash, and a saxophone stolen makes your claim more or less likely. You keep skipping that step. :hi:

[PBS Poll-435]

76. 'Some cash' is not 10K+ (IRS/Treasury Department 8300/CTR)

It is basic common sense. Why would *You* have $24,000 in currency in your vehicle? Why would you leave it unprotected? Why would you allow for the opportunity for it to be *stolen*?


Does it really make sense?

[Romulox]

77. So, you still can't make your claim (whatever it may be) explicit?

If everything is so clear, why can't you just spell it out? :hi:

[PBS Poll-435]

79. The man is lying. He caused the entire incident. He will be proven a fraud

And hopefully, like the Balloon Boy *incident*, he will serve a little time in prison.



Better? :hi:

[Romulox]

82. For the fourth time--how does the stolen money, sax, make your assertion more or less likely?

Why not organize your thoughts before your next post? :hi:

[PBS Poll-435]

86. Pattern of Behavior. (DUH)

Have a nice day! :hi:

[Romulox]

89. Your inability to string a sentence or two together to express your thoughts itself speaks volumes.

Nudge nudge, wink wink is all you have, huh? How surprising! :silly:

[PBS Poll-435]

94. For clarity's sake...What exactly do you want from me?

The man's case, seems incredible and extremely unlikely. He has a bankruptcy filing that indicates a history of, lets call it "instability."

I have said that I believe he is lying about his *incident* because of a basic knowledge of the automobile in question and its operations. Upon further review of his past *claims* it appears very obviously that he may have some credibility issues.

[Romulox]

97. I'd like an explicit assertion of how the "evidence" you've presented makes you claim of fraud more

or less likely. You can't make a strong argument by relying on your audience to draw the same inferences from the evidence as you do.

What you are trying to argue is that this man has a "history of fraud" such that it is likely that he is committing fraud now. The problem with this argument is that you have no evidence of any fraud he may have committed in the past. In other words, have a saxophone stolen is not, on its own, evidence of fraud.

This is basic.

[PBS Poll-435]

100. The claims on the Cash/Monet/First Edition Gutenberg Bible were not paid

He did get a check for some clothes and stuff. :shrug:




It seems that his insurer didn't believe his outrageous claims. (either)

[Romulox]

102. Is this a joke? Where are these references to Monet and Gutenberg being pulled from?

I am dumbfounded at this point.

[PBS Poll-435]

(Incredible and unbelievable insurance claims/not paid)

Like 24K in US currency.

And I am sure that you are...

[Romulox]

105. Actually, when someone is asking you to be precise, hyperbole undermines your argument.

I suddenly have the feeling that my "debate" partner is very, very young...

[PBS Poll-435]

108. 24K in cash. "Stolen" from Mr. Sikes vehicle. Claim denied/not paid

What part of credibility is tough for you to grasp?


And I suddenly have the feeling that my debate "partner" is very, very dumb.

[Romulox]

109. I think the lack of substance to your arguments speaks for itself. nt

[PBS Poll-435]

113. Toyota and independent analysts disprove Mr. Sikes claims of 20+ minutes of Toyota Terror

Then, when certain elements of his personal history are put under scrutiny, it is all but proven that this man has a pattern of incredible and risky claims.

Nevermind why someone would even have twenty four thousand dollars in cash in his vehicle (only to be stolen, no less)...
Insurance investigation didn't validate his claim. No payout.

I can not wrap my head around why you would still believe that he has any credibility or believability at this point.



What element of his recollection of events still holds water?

[Pathwalker]

69. Those are commentaries, which offer no proof of fraud.

While I am certain that some people will use this Toyota issue as a chance to commit fraud, and some will panic and not brake correctly, those articles did not state that this man has a history of insurance FRAUD - a very specific term. I was asking for a news article which states that he's actually committed fraud that's been proven.
As I stated above in this thread, I have no idea if this man is faking his Prius story or not, but I am vehemently against declaring someone guilty until ALL the facts are in. I still remember Richard Jewell, and his treatment at the hands of the media, so, I'm only interested in facts.
Thank you.

[PBS Poll-435]

72. Mr. Sikes has not been arrested as the San Diego Prius Bomber

His handling in the media falls far short of what the handling of the *incident* in the media occured.

Runaway Prius!
Runaway Prius!
Runaway Prius!

[Pathwalker]

80. So, he has never been charged, or convicted of insurance fraud.

yet you posted that he has an "incredible history of insurance fraud". So much for "innocent until PROVEN guilty in a court of law". Who needs the constitution when all you need is a gut that talks?

[PBS Poll-435]

81. I am not a government entity. I can very easily (and legally) call this man, and his claims...

A fraud.


And yes, this man is a fraud.

[Pathwalker]

84. He's real. His actions are still under investigation.

State your beliefs all you wish. I'll wait for the trials.

[Texasgal]

75. gee, those pesky things called FACTS

are so hard to come by here sometimes...eh? :hi:

[PBS Poll-435]

78. FACTS

Bankrupt Real Estate-Flipper in California.

Story With Clear Argument With Reality.

Just Wants A New Car.

Not Going to File Suit. ;-)

A Gambler. :-)

[Texasgal]

83. Your links show nothing of the sort.

You have an OPINION about it, it is not based in FACT.

[PBS Poll-435]

87. This is 2010. Try Teh Google. Or Teh Yahoo.

Geez. :eyes:

[Texasgal]

91. Why don't YOU supply us with

some FACTS instead of your BASELESS opinions?

Here's the deal, I don't give a flying rats ass about your OPINION. I am only interested in the FACTS pertaining to this case. So far you have shown nothing.

[Gormy Cuss]

90. And it's also a fact that even a low life finagler can have bad stuff happen to him.

IOW, the facts you presented are why investigating his claim is warranted, but they don't prove anything about the highway incident.

[Romulox]

93. +1. nt

[PBS Poll-435]

95. His story makes no sense. Debunked.

Full pressure on the brakes in a similar but not identical vehicle with no regenerative braking can stop the car in like 400 ft with WOT.


The vehicle I am talking about is a 268HP V6 Camry vs the 105ishHP Prius. Camry has front/rear discs, Prius has front disc/rear drums.

[Gormy Cuss]

99. Debunking his story should be based on facts related to Toyota brakes rather than contending

that his life history debunks the story and that was my point.

[PBS Poll-435]

106. I thought the issue was an out-of-control accelerator? You know..the amazing horsepower/torque that

Overpowered the brakes?

Such an incredible story could only be told by someone experience in incredible stories.


(And that was my point.)

[NoGOPZone]

117. It's those damned electric motors

100% percent torque 100% of the time. Tools of the devil, if you ask me.

:evilgrin:

[Romulox]

61. So the answer is 'no'?

:hi:

[PBS Poll-435]

63. Took a few secs to Google. (Stupid Daily AV Software!)

:hi:

[DainBramaged]

103. Wow you really are trying your best to convince us ToyYoYota is the good guy here

gee, what an endeavor......

[PBS Poll-435]

107. It is Toyota. They make nice vehicles.

And it isn't tough to show when a desperate bankrupt fraud might be lying...

[DainBramaged]

115. You should go on as a witness for the prosecution

would you like this man hanged or boiled in oil?

[PBS Poll-435]

118. Not sure as far as the legal terminology in CA goes, but how about a false police report

Reckless endangerment, Reckless Driving, & Slander.


That will be a nice start.

We can only pray for a teary confession later and perhaps a Tiger Woodsesq "press conference."



Admittedly, slander would more of a civil process thingy. ;-)

[DainBramaged]

131. HEY your boyz at toYOYOta could be indicted for criminal conspiracy, I guess you missed today's

headlines in LBN........


:rofl:

[yodoobo]

128. Actually I think he's a terrible actor

That was the very first clue.

[Mother Of Four]

110. I know I'm going to regret this...

Diving into the Prius "Did he or didn't he" pool. :freak:

I've been just peripherally reading the things about this prius driver, and decided to do a search for the 911 recording.

http://jalopnik.com/5489687/the-full-24+minutes+long-runaway-prius-911-tape

I worked 911 dispatch after I did EMS, and this really doesn't strike me as on the up and up. I know what a panicked person sounds like, and either this guy is one incredibly cool customer...or this is hinky.

History on this guy- Some are *Unconfirmed* however there are links to info in the website reporting this

http://jalopnik.com/5491101/did-bankrupt-runaway-prius-driver-fake-unintended-acceleration

Over 700,000 in debt
Bankrupt
*Unconfirmed pending requested documents for reported site* 4-5 months behind on his Prius payments
Owns an adult swinger website
After being foreclosed on a home, someone mysteriously broke in and stole the entire kitchen. Counter-tops, appliances you name it.
Two separate insurance claims- one for 7,400...another for 58,000 in items and cash.
Is part of a corvette club, and knows a thing or two about cars.

Now...there are a few ways you can look at this. Just because this guy comes off as a bit of a bottom feeder, doesn't mean that his car didn't mess up. He MAY just have some of the worst luck possible. He very well could have had an issue with his car, and his history is biting him in the proverbial arse.

Or, this could be an orchestrated attempt to discredit him. I doubt it though.

Or....he could have been faking to either a) get out from under his lease of the Prius, since he did just go bankrupt in 2008 b) hoped to be included in some sort of civil suit with multiple people represented c) get 15 minutes of fame, because he has some sort of mental disorder d)wanted to cash in on his "name in lights" for the businesses he does own. {real estate and the swinger site}

As to why this whole thing SERIOUSLY pee's in my cheerios. Either way you slice it, this is going to make it immensely difficult for people who are having issues with their car's to be compensated. People who need this to be fixed will likely be swept under the rug from here on out because of this guy playing on the "sensational" chase on the freeway. People will continue to be injured/and or killed.

The best thing he could do right now, is to bow out of the camera and lights...and shut up. Genuine or faking, he needs to zip it.

[DainBramaged]

114. My two cents

Waited all day to make a point.


I think at this juncture, Toyota will do ANYTHING to ANYONE to minimize the damage, and if that means making this one person a public spectacle to discourage others from coming forward, it is in their best financial interests to do so.


NO ONE has the right to condemn this man over this incident nor connect his previous personal dilemmas to this incident, NO ONE. Unless he is accused of a crime, and until his account is proven true or false, those who judge him guilty of some unknown sin are wrong.

[PBS Poll-435]

119. If this were a UAW vehicle in question,

You would have personally shown Mr. Sikes to the stocks last Tuesday.

[Name removed]

120. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PBS Poll-435]

121. Who needs saving?

Sucks to lose an argument. :cry::cry::cry:

[Name removed]

126. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

127. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SidDithers]

112. "Tell me, Officer Niebert, could you actually see the driver's foot on the brake pedal?"...

"No, I could only see the top half of Mr. Sikes' body through his window"

"Thank you, Officer Niebert. No further questions, your Honour"

Sid

[Electric Monk]

136. You win, the rest of this thread is just noise. nt

[jody]

123. CNN Toyota memo "had to replace rotors, brakes and pads, as the pads and rotors were worn down."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/17/california.runaway.prius/?hpt=T2

QUOTE
David Justo of Toyota Motor Sales headquarters, described in the memo as Toyota's residential hybrid expert, said that if the gas pedal of the car was stuck to the floor, and the driver applied the brake, the engine would shut down.

The memo said before Sikes' vehicle could be tested, technicians had to replace rotors, brakes and pads, as the pads and rotors were worn down.
QUOTE

[Mike 03]

124. The police are not engineers.

What we need is to analyze the real cases that came before the congressional hearings.

[pintobean]

129. Remember Balloon Boy?

I don't always believe the police.

[chrisa]

132. Gotta love the Toyota propaganda.

It's all the driver's fault. There's nothing wrong with our cars! They're making it up!

Terrible.

[DainBramaged]

133. He was uh drunk, distracted, eating, sleeping, having sex with his IPod, uh uh uh

not us nope, our cars, no problem, nothing to see here move along.......

[PBS Poll-435]

135. We'll see, I guess. It just seems odd that one-by-one these sensational stories of Toyota Terror

Are being proven false.





However, I really wish that this discussion could get back to a more civil tone, though.

I apologize for being somewhat abrasive and even possibly rude in these discussions.



You have a nice weekend, DB.

[Name removed]

141. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PBS Poll-435]

144. I wish you would update your sig line to include Infiniti.

And, for the record, I do not and have not ever sold Toyotas.

I do not work for Toyota.

[TexasObserver]

146. I wish you would update your politics.

Toyota is a global corporation with no sense of duty of the public. They've spent at least five years hiding a killer problem in their vehicles.

[PBS Poll-435]

164. My politics? Is this now primary rehash?

And, again, Infiniti and Nissan are one company. Perhaps you could update your sig line with fact.

[TexasObserver]

147. Yes, anything but "there goes another Toyota out of control on its own!"

[ScreamingMeemie]

138. After reading this, I now know I would never want a jury of my DU peers.

[TexasObserver]

148. Most of the Toyota defenders would be stricken from the jury pool for cause.

At least they would if they answer the judge's and attorneys' questions truthfully.

Such bias in favor of manufacturers would remove them from the jury pool.

A jury of your peers would be more rational than the pro Toyota posters.

[ScreamingMeemie]

157. I'm not talking about a jury of pro Toyota people. I am talking about

a jury of people, in this case and others on this board who are willing to toss a book or two at me strictly because I had the wrong jacket on.

[TexasObserver]

160. Those are the people you're talking about.

Their bias is their favoritism for Toyota.

Their use of the man's jacket as their "evidence" is simply part of their rationalization in support of that bias.

If they didn't support Toyota for other reasons, they wouldn't care about the man's jacket. It's a ruse to attack him.

[ScreamingMeemie]

162. My post here was in response to eleventy ten threads I had read

the day previously. No, the words of the day on DU (for me, yesterday) were "hang 'em all from the highest tree" without due process. Whether it's a Prius owner, Ben Roethlesberger (I think I have his name right) etc.

Thank you for realizing that this was one of many threads.

And I still wouldn't want a jury of my DU peers. I would want a trial set in Switzerland. :)

[Kalyke]

139. It's at this point, that I post this:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Fonline%2Fsnls-toyota-prius-commercial-is-out-of-control%2F&h=64100c3e4f6bc2684aeab50746019b9a

It's funny enough.... and then you get to the end and it's Ford fangirl's dream world.

BTW, the new Mustang tail-light signals rucking fock! (this is the mod, but they come standard now)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVFA-HuikfY&NR=1

[Name removed]

145. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zywiec]

149. Oh well if the police report says it, it must be true!!!

:eyes:

[Honeycombe8]

152. It's a mystery. We may never know. But wouldn't his brakes be worn down....

if he were stomping on them and the car wasn't stopping and continued to go 90 mph while stomping on the brakes. I mean, wouldn't the brakes burn up or wear down or something?

[northernlights]

165. read post #123 above

with link. Toyota had to replace the brakes, pads and lining in order to test the car. So apparently the brakes *were* worn down or burned up or something.

[depakid]

155. Unfortunately, the forensic evidence didn't- so your lifelong hatred for Toyota will have to wait

for another day.