Run Away Prius a Hoax

Heck, I'm facebooking these posts. I though the whole thing was a ruse from the start

 

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I agree with the concept, but would argue that is should be required for younger drivers. BTW, my definition of younger is anyone younger than me.

 

Hi
I am from Germany and do you know whats really strange about all of this ?
While Priuses seem to " run away " near enogh ever day in your country we don`t have a single case in Germany where Priuses have been sold since 13 years !
I havn´t heared about cases in Europe nor Japan !
So why is it they only seem to "run away" in the US ?
This all reminds me of the 80 !
Audi was quite succsessfully selling cars in the US (Audi 5000) when they strangely suddenly starrtet to act like a "runaway Prius" !
And by the way,this only happend in the US also !
There was an investigaton by your authorities to the cases but of course there was absolutly nothing to it and the car was behaving as it should but that did`nt help Audi in any way !
They are still suffering from that today .
The same thing as did to Audi now is happening to Toyota .
Of course it was a hoax !
How the hell did he manage to get through trafic for 30 miles at a speed of 94 mph when he wasn`t even able to slow down ?
I can asure you he would have hit sombody on the way without a doubt !
Theres absolutly nothing wrong with your Priuses at least nothing serious !
Its your media who´s trying to scare the living daylights out of you in order to return to american vehicles !
And of course when ever somthing like this happens there are people who try to benefit from it in order to get money from Toyota !

 

In addition to other responses --

Both moves have problems under certain conditions, and at the time the manual was written, it probably wasn't worth the effort and inevitable driver confusion to explain it. No matter how they write it, some readers will get it wrong.

As for Neutral, there is a corner case where MG1 could be damaged. The case we know about does not apply to runaway engines, or to level roads. And in SUA incidents, so what? The damage is less serious than a crash and injury.

As for Park, at very low speeds it will engage and cause a serious jolt, something that you should not make a habit. Again, not relevant to SUAs.

 

wow so many bogus people try to make up stories in the US. I hate these people. I hope he goes to jail.

 

Nihil novum sub sole. As I said from the beginning, this is purposeful and intensional. Very much as it was with Audi back then. Media frenzy used as a "marketing tool" all over again. Very disgusting, but that's the way it is.

 

If found guilty of fraud - I hope this guy goes to prison for a spell, or is forced into making a public announcement about how he is a publicity-seeking douche bag.

 

I'm 50 next month - still believe I drive well - and have a great track record

 

When I first heard this story on the news my inner cynic thought he just wanted a brand new Prius for free (that Toyo would give him for all his trouble). Nothing I've seen has convinced me otherwise yet.

 

Looks like they tested the vehicle - and were not able to reproduce the stuck accelerator, and did not find much wear on the brakes. Suspicious, to say the least.

Questions arise over story of runaway Prius - Autos- msnbc.com

 

Well done.

-Brad

 

In the US this would require a near complete cultural transplant. Being a weasel is human nature, but it seems to be magnified here.

CEO runs a company into the ground?
Not his fault.

Sports figure runs a SUV into a tree?
Not his fault.

Drunk driver kills someone?
Not his fault.

A pet owner allows their dog to crap on my lawn?
Not his fault.

Not that I'm bitter or anything.

 

well its obvious its a hoax. Sikes records show that hes in heavy debt and is known to make bogus lawsuits. And the phone records was very unconvincing.

 

I hope for our sake you're right...but this article is missing an important fact...The officer approaching the Prius smelled burning brakes before giving instructions and saw the brakes were worn down once stopped..Also Toyota states if both the accelerator pedal and the brakes are used at the same time...The wheels have no power...Was the officer part of the hoax ?

Here is a contradicting link :http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/12/national/6294314.shtml

Also an opposing view on putting the car in neutral :

Toyota's latest woes may be hard-wired » Daemon News - Best Software Review

Everybody take a chill pill and let the smoke clear before you all come to conclusions.

 

Am I the only one who found it funny that they were getting death threats over a Prius ? Lol I just found that funny. The wife said they have beeng getting death threats and that is "life is just not good anymore." Right. I can't imagine how good life is being bankrupt and $700,000 in debt.

 

You don't have this quite correct. You can operate the brakes and press the accelerator on a Prius without any trouble, in which mode it would be easy to burn the brakes. All you have to do is use modest pressure on the brakes. If you brake hard, the brake override kicks in and removes the engine power.

Alternately, you can cycle between acceleration and braking. This will also burn the brakes.

Preliminary reports leaking out show that the front brakes were pretty much gone, but the damage wan *not* consistent with heavy braking. If he had really stood on the brakes and the car hadn't stopped, the brakes would have burned and the rotors would have overheated. As it is, the brakes were burned, but the rotors showed no sign of overheating.

This looks like a deliberate attempt to burn the brakes.

Tom

 

Just being the messenger:
"Toyota has said all Priuses are equipped with a computer system that cuts power to the wheels if the brake and gas pedals are depressed at the same time, as Sikes was doing.

"It's tough for us to say if we're skeptical. I'm mystified in how it could happen with the brake override system," Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, said Thursday.

Please read the CBS report on the officer's observations!

 

That's not what is says!

"The memo did say that investigators found the front brake pads were spent. "Visually checking the brake pads and rotor it was clearly visible that there was nothing left," it said."


...and in this article: Memo: Testing didn't duplicate sticky gas pedal on man's Prius - CNN.com


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


So how did he do it? How did he perpetrate the hoax??



He must have purposely wore out the brakes beforehand by repeated hard stopping in neutral? Did the cop make a mistake when he said the brake lights were on (I can't get mine to turn on while still accelerating, even pressing softly)? I do think it was a hoax but it still doesn't add up.

 

Crap, I'm going for a drive to try this again ... and wash the car.