Prius with stuck accelerator glides to safe stop

[Chrystie Street Cut]

EL CAJON, Calif.— A California Highway Patrol officer helped slow a runaway Toyota Prius from 94 mph to a safe stop on Monday after the car's accelerator became stuck on a San Diego County freeway, the CHP said.

 

Prius driver James Sikes called 911 about 1:30 p.m. after accelerating to pass another vehicle on Interstate 8 near La Posta and finding that he could not control his car, the CHP said.

 

"I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny... it jumped and it just stuck there," the 61-year-old driver said at a news conference. "As it was going, I was trying the brakes...it wasn't stopping, it wasn't doing anything and it just kept speeding up," Sikes said, adding he could smell the brakes burning he was pressing the pedal so hard.

 

A patrol car pulled alongside the Prius and officers told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake.

 

"They also got it going on a steep upgrade," said Officer Jesse Udovich. "Between those three things, they got it to slow down."

 

After the car decelerated to about 50 mph, Sikes turned off the engine and coasted to a halt.

 

The officer then maneuvered his car in front of the Prius as a precautionary block, Udovich said.

 

In a statement, Toyota said it has dispatched a field technical specialist to San Diego to investigate the incident.

 

Toyota has recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide _ more than 6 million in the United States _ since last fall because of acceleration problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius.

 

http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/9001/10602836/Prius_with_stuck_accelerator_glides_to_safe_stop

 

 

Why didn't they just tell him to shift into Netrual, and turn the motor off, pull to the side and apply handbrake? People never cease to amaze me when it comes to driving. Those Drive by wire units they have in these toyotas are garbage.

[Dan05979]

Are people that stupid that they cant put the car in Neutral and shut the car off???????????

[Grand Concourse]

I am hoping people aren't just blaming their bad driving [stupidity] on Toyota just to get some sort of cash settlement.

 

It's like with the LIRR and the gaps issue. It wasn't an issue years ago, but after the first death, more and more incidents happen because people can watch where they are stepping.

[St Louis Car 09]

I am hoping people aren't just blaming their bad driving [stupidity] on Toyota just to get some sort of cash settlement.

 

It's like with the LIRR and the gaps issue. It wasn't an issue years ago, but after the first death, more and more incidents happen because people can watch where they are stepping.

Lately alot of so called loyal Toyota customers have been making up claims about surprise accelerations.It totally disgust me how low people go for the money.:mad:

[metsfan]

Some cars can't shift into neutral at certain speeds. What he should have done is put it into low gear, engine revs high, but you bleed off the speed, then use parking/e-brake.

 

You know what i don't get is people who don't put the brake on when they park. If someone hits your car, it's going to move a lot vs not at all.

 

- A

[SubwayGuy]

Screw Toyota. Buy Ford and support American jobs at a reasonable wage in the process.

 

You also won't get a car that decides to go into full parallel and BCO the brakes on you

[Grand Concourse]

To be honest I'm more a Ford-GM person as well. So I'm glad to see Toyota kicked down a few notches. It's their turn now >:-)

I just hope GM get's back on its own wheels and the government lets them run on their own.

[Joe]

Makes the commute fun.

[St Louis Car 09]

Screw Toyota. Buy Ford and support American jobs at a reasonable wage in the process.

 

You also won't get a car that decides to go into full parallel and BCO the brakes on you

How can Any red-blooded American support American cars when its the Americans who are laying off their workers? The Japanese and Koreans are the ones Doing the hiring of Americans.Kia just opened up a new plant down south hiring Americans.Where are the new Ford and GM plants? *Sings* (Some where over the rainbow)

[SubwayGuy]

How can Any red-blooded American support American cars when its the Americans who are laying off their workers? The Japanese and Koreans are the ones Doing the hiring of Americans.Kia just opened up a new plant down south hiring Americans.Where are the new Ford and GM plants? *Sings* (Some where over the rainbow)

 

Yeah paying them half as much. And the only reason those American companies laid off was because of this stupid belief that foreign s*** is more reliable which has hurt sales for the past decade plus by irrationally leading American consumers AWAY from American cars. F*** foreign shit, buy American and support America. I'm sick of America subsidizing the rest of the world's economy because those Japanese and Korean profits make their way across the damn Pacific every time Johnny and Suzie buy a new minivan.

 

Those plastic foreign cars can burn in hell. Everyone should have known they were cheap and badly made like 90% of the s*** from over there but noooo "they were reliable" right?

 

Toyota also had the most recalls in 2009 also, before this latest fiasco hit. Just sayin'

[St Louis Car 09]

Yeah paying them half as much. And the only reason those American companies laid off was because of this stupid belief that foreign s*** is more reliable which has hurt sales for the past decade plus by irrationally leading American consumers AWAY from American cars. F*** foreign shit, buy American and support America. I'm sick of America subsidizing the rest of the world's economy because those Japanese and Korean profits make their way across the damn Pacific every time Johnny and Suzie buy a new minivan.

 

Those plastic foreign cars can burn in hell. Everyone should have known they were cheap and badly made like 90% of the s*** from over there but noooo "they were reliable" right?

 

Toyota also had the most recalls in 2009 also, before this latest fiasco hit. Just sayin'

Well said.None the less I love Japanes cars and If there was any American company I would choose Ford.They are the only ones that didn`t need a bailout and still turned out a good profit.Getting back on topic,Toyota really need heir best engineers on this problem.

[Grand Concourse]

Ford didn't need a bailout because they were smart enough to sell off the dead weight [Jaguar, Land Rover to India's Tata co.] early. That gave them a $1+ billion infusion.

 

GM was just too bloated and needed to downsize, it was such a shame they couldn't sell off Saturn and Hummer [both deals fell], Pontiac [just phased out].

Hopefully the Saab deal goes thru.

[St Louis Car 09]

Despite the recalls,prius sales are still red-hot!!!

[GojiMet86]

I saw on the news today that three more Prius crashed, all in the same day. I don't think that's coincedence...

[Grand Concourse]

*snide comment warning: Serves them right to buy shitty looking cars

 

But seriously: I really have to wonder why it is happening all at once. Either people are trying to get into a wreck to blame it on the car or Toyota really f**ked up big time. Either way, it's time for people to buy a different brand.

[St Louis Car 09]

*snide comment warning: Serves them right to buy shitty looking cars

 

But seriously: I really have to wonder why it is happening all at once. Either people are trying to get into a wreck to blame it on the car or Toyota really f**ked up big time. Either way, it's time for people to buy a different brand.

I think people are just crashing their Toyotas.Remember we are in a recession,so people are desperate and would do anything for $$$$$$$

[rr4567]

Are people that stupid that they cant put the car in Neutral and shut the car off???????????

 

You try turning off a haywire computer controlled car with THIS

 

[St Louis Car 09]

You try turning off a haywire computer controlled car with THIS

 

LOL:p

[GojiMet86]

Simplified History of Toyota (according to a good friend)

1. Before WWII, cars wasn't the big thing.

2. During WWII, a guy named Kiichiro Toyoda makes Toyota.

3. After WWII, Toyota flops big time.

4. During the Korean war, America orders military vehicles from Toyota. Toyota is revived.

5. During the oil crisis in the 70s, American car companies go down the tank. Their cars rely too much on oil. Toyota cars don't really as much on oil. People start buying Toyotas, and Toyota becomes the big car company.

6. This year, Toyota recalls a lot of cars because of problems. However, probably most crashes caused due to driver errors, like this one. Do people want to see Toyota go down? Probably.

Just my opinion.

[Grand Concourse]

It seems [from that post] like Toyota is really at the mercy of the US market.

[GojiMet86]

Yep. In Guatemala (where my parents came from), Toyota is like the biggest brand, and there, nothing has happened, or so I've heard.

[lilbluefoxie]

I'd still buy a new Toyota today if I had the money, they're only recalling a lot because the government is going after them because they have ownership in their biggest rival General Motors.

[St Louis Car 09]

Simplified History of Toyota (according to a good friend)

1. Before WWII, cars wasn't the big thing.

2. During WWII, a guy named Kiichiro Toyoda makes Toyota.

3. After WWII, Toyota flops big time.

4. During the Korean war, America orders military vehicles from Toyota. Toyota is revived.

5. During the oil crisis in the 70s, American car companies go down the tank. Their cars rely too much on oil. Toyota cars don't really as much on oil. People start buying Toyotas, and Toyota becomes the big car company.

6. This year, Toyota recalls a lot of cars because of problems. However, probably most crashes caused due to driver errors, like this one. Do people want to see Toyota go down? Probably.

Just my opinion.

Also Toyota built KB type military trucks for the imperial japanese army and established here in the US in 1959.

[Grand Concourse]

I'd still buy a new Toyota today if I had the money, they're only recalling a lot because the government is going after them because they have ownership in their biggest rival General Motors.

 

Oh no question about that. It's a major conflict of interest there. The faster GM gets back on its own and the quicker it gets out of government hands, the better.

[Joe]

The faster GM gets back on its own and the quicker it gets out of government hands, the better.

 

Huh, what are you talking about? Didn't you hear about the twenty-eighth amendment, which states that the US will enter the auto industry?

 

lol