Run Away Prius a Hoax

It's a hoax. Zero doubt in my mind about it. In fact, pretty much zero doubt from the Prius "haters" I know at work. If it walks and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. I don't need DNA tests to prove conclusively. By the way (I just have to ask), but were you on the OJ Simpson jury when they acquitted, you know, the same group that believed - "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit"?

There is solid evidence. Try connecting all the dots. No, it's not pure "speculation". What a bunch of baloney you spew.

First off, without an admission of guilt by the duck, Mr Sikes, any determination of fraud can only be made based on a LOT of circumstantial evidence. That's harder to do in a court of law, but it can be done. Secondly, Toyota is not going to come right out and call this a hoax. Clearly, you've never worked in corporate America, otherwise, you would know this is not how major companies work?

Depending upon whether Toyota wants to prosecute (IMO, they have enough evidence to proceed with litigation, if they so choose), or to just let this go, so as to get it out of the media...are things that will be determined in the coming months. While most of us would go after this clown for making fradulent claims (my opinion, and I think most people's opinion), I'm sure Toyota execs are looking at the bigger public relations picture, rather than trying to punish someone who's already filed for bankruptcy. Other than making an example, what would be the point? On the flip side, Toyota making an example of a bug, is bad PR.

Evidence has now been presented that clearly suggests that this was a hoax, and Mr. Sikes was looking for a financial payday (at Toyota's expense) to get him out of bankruptcy. IMO, all Toyota needs to do is put the evidence before the people/media, and most will be able to connect the dots to draw their own conclsuion regarding what Mr. Sikes was up to. Toyota need not try to squash this bug, and I would guess they will let this die.

 

But if Toyota don't try to do something with this guy, do think this will ever end

 

You are being generous, I've seen online articles with disastrous spelling and grammar. I think some organizations, including CNN, are using barely educated interns to grunt out steaming piles of "journalism".

 

It's a balancing act. IMO, and even if Toyota had a slam-dunk case against Mr. Sikes, they would not litigate. IMO, Toyota could garner more good will, and more positive press if they let people and the media decide on their own - rather than dragging this out in the courts. IMO, the evidence is pretty compelling that Mr Sikes is a hoaxster. A lot of Toyota "haters" at work have mentioned to me that they feel Toyota has gotten a bum rap. That's good will that money (or the courts) can't buy.

 

Here's probably the clearest evidence of the smoking gun (pun intended) about this story, in my mind.

Even IF the car accelerated without provocation, even IF everything electronic went haywire simultaneously and could not be rectified by the driver, there still remains,
...the burning brakes.

Follow me on this; In the Sikes scenario, his brakes can ONLY burn if the brake pads have physical contact with the rotor or brake hub.
Physical contact at speed does not imply but absolutely necessitates friction. As we well know, friction is the source of both heat, wear and drag in brakes.

The greater the pressure of the brake pads against the rotor the greater the friction, accordingly the heat, wear and drag will also increase.
Similarly, if the number of times the brakes are mildly applied, which still creates friction, exceeds the ability of the brakes to cool off, then heat can eventually increase to the pad burning point, the pad wear will increase but braking ability will decrease by a phenomenon known as pad glazing.
(Heat is also a contributing factor in decreased braking ability too, but space/time limits me from further explanation).

According to published accounts, the brakes had sustained so much friction and therefore drag that:
a. the brakes had no time to cool off before the officer smelled the brake pad material in an overheated condition.
b. the analysis technicians (and officer) noted substantial brake pad material around and on the wheel/brake surfaces.
c. the driver stated his ability to stop was compromised (and that's a big big paraphrase....)

It's also well understood that reasonably normal brakes (and even crappy brakes) can create sufficient friction to slow or stop a car.
It's been proven (and I don't have the link) that even a high powered accelerating car will be slowed or stopped by brake application.

In no possible way, can the 2008 Prius combined engines puny 110hp (at best) ALONE defeat the slowing/stopping action of the brakes, which WERE applied as evidenced by the smouldering brakes and excessive brake pad material.

In the Sikes scenario, the only way the brakes could enter into this overheated condition without slowing the car substantially down would be for the driver to repeatedly alternate between pressing the brakes to create friction (slowing the car down a few mph) and pressing the gas to speed it back up. Driving at a high rate of speed would get the job done much faster.

This exact pedal ON, pedal OFF scenario was clearly played out as evidenced by the car's computer, to the tune of nearly 250 times it's reported.

It doesn't really bother me that the car supposedly experienced a sudden unintended acceleration event, what bothers me (besides a host of other suspicious factors) is that the driver says the car would not slow down despite the brakes telling me a completely different story.

Sincerely,

ZC1

 

Actually, Toyota should be thanking Sikes for pulling this act, for it significantly weakens the case of other Toyota drivers who have experienced real sudden unintended acceleration.

Otherwise, it'll die on its own just like the "Syringe in the Pepsi Can."

 

Despite his claim to the contrary, I don't think there's any question that Mr. Sikes was not willing to stop the car until the CHP got there, and the press had been alerted.

The brake data is just the icing on the cake. The additional facts that he didn't attempt to put the car in neutral, because he feared the car "would tip over", or that he even tried to turn the car off until instructed to do so by the CHP...is just further evidence that he lied about trying to stop the car. This is a slam dunk. In a court of law, if you're caught in one lie (pergery), the rest of your testimony is discredited. Ergo, I don't believe word one about his alleged story regarding unintended acceleration.

Mr Sikes = hoaxster

 

Good reasoning. I have only one question. Does anyone know if the car's "computer" keeps the time information? For example, now we knew the last 250 events, but do we also know the time period in which they happen? I am asking because I thought any car that is more than few days old would have repeated actions such as "gas-brakes-gas-brakes..." in the last 250 events. But if the computer only keeps the information since the last car start, that's a different story.

 

I would be curious to know the timeframe between those 250 events also.

 

Perhaps all the Prius owners who think Toyota owes them money for loss of value can sue this guy instead.

 

My interpretation when reading about those events is that other events would also be recorded but that since it "only" holds the last 250 events and he had alternated between the two pedals so damn much that he "pushed" all the other normal events logged off the "radar".

It would be interesting to look at the those same events on a car that has been driven normally and see what it does log.

 

Only Toyota knows. The rest of us are learning about this as we receive information.

Tom

 

Seriously, does America have the worst drivers?

Is it any wonder that we have people that can't stop their cars, or confuse the brake and gas peddles?

I submit for your evaluation, exhibit A:

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com (15 second commercia, first)

How could this moron claim he didn't even see the rock slide directly in front of him? Geez. I think I'm more scared than ever to drive on the road.

 

Which begs the question - How could you not see a huge wall of rocks directly in front of you? The first thing out of his mouth when he got out of his car was, "I didn't see it". Distracted, or not, what a freekin moron.

Sorry, but Audi's German exec's had it right when they put the blame back on the American driver for Audi's version of unintended acceleration. Driver error. Maybe not all the time, but I'm beginning to believe there are enough incompetent and/or fradulent drivers, that a large percentage of these allegations/claims fall into one, or both of these bins.

 

Well i am very sorry if i hurt your feelings but i wasn`t talking about the recalls because of the accelerator pedal or floor mats we had these cars (not Prius !) also recalled in Gemany .
I was talking about Priuses mystyriously "running away" wich also mysteriously only seems to happen in the US !
As far as i remember the Prius modells didn`t have the sticky accellerator and the floor mats wich could have caused a "stuck accellerator where fixed in a recall !
Maybe we only have 1 or 2% of the sales but i guess Europe and Japan toghether don`t have less than the US and ist`s simply not happening in Europe nor Japan !
Other then you seem to think i am very grateful to your country because it made sure i could grow up in freedome !
I will never forget that but from time to time i get worried how your media is capable of influencing people in certain directions and as you mentioned especially we Germans know where that can leed to !

 

IMO it's a combination of incompetent drivers, along with our culture that frowns on taking responsibility for your actions or admitting fault.

And once I typed "admitting fault", I thought of another factor.. Insurance.

 

sorry its a hoax. The guy wants a new car and has a shady history.He didnt want to put the car on neutral after being told 100 times by the phone operator.

 

Perhaps the two countries Prius are not identical?

 

I disagree. Since no one has been able to replicate this dangerous confluence of failures and since no one has been able to show that a car with the power (or lack of power) of a Prius could EVER overcome the stiff application of the brakes, even without the engine cutoff, it would seem that someone is going to have to do more than point their fingers at Toyota in order for me to take their allegations seriously.

It is kind of like the flying saucer abductees! There are probably more of them than those who claim this unintended acceleration fraud, but I don't believe them either! It is just common sense. If there really were alien creatures stalking the earth in equipment we can only dream about, why wouldn't they abduct the leaders of nations, the top scientists, the commanding generals? Instead, they seem to exclusively raid trailer parks, country western beer bars and Walmart parking lots.

No one has definitively determined that all of their claims are hoaxes, but I just have a feeling that they are either terribly mistaken or just like the attention. Just a hunch on my part and I know it is terribly uncharitable, but that is just my suspicious nature.

And I think the flying saucer people are nuts too!