Why the "Out of Control" Prius Driver Is Full of It

In one teeny bit of defense, I got my iPhone in November, and didn't get around to pairing it till last weekend. ¡Pura pereza!

While I have my grave doubts about this incident, what frosts me most is the mainstream media implying that this car indeed, in fact, beyond a shadow of a doubt, ran away.

 

Re: Sikes says he has no plans to sue Toyota

True this ^^^

It's not any different than what the LAT or ABC is doing with no facts. They are trying to build a circumstantial case based on innuendo and actual falsifications. Neither have any facts other than what is known in public.

 

Actually NHTSA allowed Ford to call them a part of their customer service program. They were not recalls. And despite all their SUA complaints, they aren't being sued.

 

The Associated Press: Toyota 'mystified' by runaway Prius case in Calif.

I find this bit rather amusing...
"A law firm representing Sikes said Thursday he has no plans to sue Toyota over the ordeal.

 

Radio host's Prius experiment brings CA incident into question | KING 5 TV | Seattle News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | Local News

 

So here is some food for thought.

If we operate under the assumption that this guy is possibly not telling the truth, here's some facts that we know.

• He was on the phone with 911 for about 24 minutes
• He went about 20 miles

If you ignore the media's reported 30 miles over 20 minutes and go with 24 instead, that averages to 75 MPH.... hmmm.

Or, how about this. We KNOW that he used his cell. I wonder, considering the dude is a fancy real estate guy, how new that phone is? If it has GPRS enabled, wouldn't the cell records have information about this in their system? But even ignoring GPRS, couldn't the time it took to change from tower to tower factor into how much distance was actually involved?

We don't know for sure how much ground he covered, and if I were Toyota I'd be after those records in a heartbeat.

 

I think it's the iPhone that's causing the SUA. Just kidding.

 

Seems like someone is digging a little deeper with the California runaway prius driver...

Did Bankrupt Runaway Prius Driver Fake "Unintended Acceleration?" - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik

 

All the silly talk about how we are "lynching" Sike's is completely absurd - and perhaps offensive to those who suffered through a real lynching. The best you could accuse the board of doing would be assassinating Sike's character. There is nothing wrong with a group of people discussing possible motives behind Sike's alleged SUA incident and nobody is getting hurt - we are not sending letters to the credit agencies to ensure that he can never get a loan or any other damages.

The truth of the matter is, his report of the SUA incident is bizarre to say the least and leaves open to question his intent/motivation. While it's true the best any of us can do (lacking official data) is to hypothesize and guess at his intentions, I find all of these posts educational in examining the situation from multiple angles.

The posts I find useless are the ones bantering back and forth debating the merits of accusing someone on a public forum as if real damages were being incurred by word of mouth (libel? Really, would anyone characterize these statements as defamatory/libelous to the point of damaging Sike's character in a meaningful manner?)

While his financial situation may have no bearing whatsoever on his SUA incident, it's the whole story, not the pieces, that is most telling for me. Taken together, all these small tidbits point at a substantial possibility for secondary gain. Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not this was in fact in the case.

Nobody "convicted" anyone on this board of any crime, and certainly no punishment was carried out. All that was done was pure theorizing with no intent to defame, no substance of a threat to Mr. Sike's reputation.

I said it before and I'll repeat it again: Regardless of the veracity of Sike's alleged SUA incident, I maintain that a person who does not know how to shut off his vehicle in an emergency or shift into neutral is not only one who does not belong behind the wheel because he poses a danger to himself, but he becomes a public menace when he operates a technically advanced vehicle without a solid understanding of its operating characteristics and more importantly emergency procedures.

This should be just as criminal as an untrained person trying to fly an unfamiliar aircraft. Regardless of the outcome (whether he lands it safely or not), the act in and of itself should be a crime.

 

I would maintain that a well-maintained and adjusted parking brake system, when fully engaged, would hold the vehicle still against a significant amount of throttle. Far too often people do not fully engage the parking brake or leave it poorly adjusted.

In my manual Volkswagen Golf 2001 2.0L gas engine, in first gear, when I "fully engage" my parking brake the car will stall before moving. As the car aged and the brakes loosened (adjusted brakes per manual should be no more than 3-4 clicks before you can longer pull the handle any higher) it would be possible to drive against a lifted brake, but even then when fully engaged my car would stall first.

 

It is thinking like this that feeds the very corporate lawyers/class action lawyers earning billions with each case. The greed of many individuals combine together to form a very powerful base.

Yet when analyzed from a more objective ground, I believe most will see through this as yet another attempt to get rich quick - not all that much different from the alleged scheme that Mr. Sikes might be trying.

 

One thing is for sure - I wouldnt' bank on NHSTA or CHP to be trying very hard to prove Mr. Sike's claim is fraudulent. Not only would it make CHP looks incompetent and totally gullible, it would also make NHSTA look rather silly and almost evil in this witch hunt not at all unlike the craziness with the McArthur era.

 

I thought the CHP were out of the case just because there WAS no actual accident? Nothing for them to investigate. They are leaving it to feds to investigate.

Also, as a side note, I always put on my parking brake when I park, but I have never been able to actually move when I forget to take it off. Am I too careful with my accelerator? (No, I don't think I have ever floored it in any car I owned...)

 

The other point is that anyone who voluntarily raises his ( Sykes the Scammer ) or her ( Rhonda 'Hallelujah Jesus I'm Saved' Smith ) hand to make accusations has to be ready to bear the scrutiny of the blinding light of the press. Character assassination? Don't be foisting some BS on the public or your character will be assassinated.

 

This is becoming an interesting situation, where the draw of hype is compelling the media to dig for background info:

According to his bankruptcy records, he had a $700,000 debt. Additionally, his debts included two homes he was upside down to the tune of $240,000. He had credit card debt to deal with, including $12,000 owed to Bank of America, $38,000 owed to Citibank and $15,000 owed to Discover.

http://www.10news.com/news/22804088/detail.html

That could simply mean he's not representative of the typical owner. But it shows a reason to focus less on him and allow the other investigations to get resources too. An actual problem will only be confirmed by observing patterns, not just one very strange 911 call.
.

 

Could simply mean that he had intent and motive. Columbo would be all over this one.

Also in News:

Bankruptcy court records show that in 2008, Toyota was listed as a $19,000 creditor, the value of the leased Prius, which has to be returned.

His total debt was $700,000, and he has had a Mercedes, a boat and a motor home repossessed. The bank also took back a 2007 Dodge Ram, leaving him and his wife with just the Prius.

While Sikes is current on his lease payments, he has to give the car back in a few months, which would leave him carless.

Toyota has questioned details of Sikes' story, noting the Prius hybrid has a brake override that is supposed to slow the engine when the brake is applied. The car's brake system also helps recharge the battery, and the override system prevents overloading the car's electronics.

As to why he didn't put the car in neutral and coast to a stop, Sikes says he panicked, and was afraid that would "flip the car."

"I've since found out that's not possible, but I had no idea," Sikes says. "Hopefully, I helped save five to 10 lives because people are now finding out" how to put a moving Prius into neutral.

Now he's making himself a martyr.....

 

Whoa this guy had some debt. Not Good.

So when are they going to announce the autopsy findings on this Prius?

I say higher Jim Rockford..

-B

 

Until the 1 laptop computer and its operator (probably only 1 of those in the entire U.S. as well) show up to analyze the data log(s), there isn't really much to even autopsy. The CHP noted the brake pads were almost worn to the metal backing. What else is there to autopsy? Do a voice stress analysis of the 911 tapes? Maybe do a polygraph examination of Sikes?

 

So, should a prospective hybrid driver be required to have a special classification on your drivers license to operate a hybrid car? Just like what is required in California if you want to be able to legally operate a motorcycle. To get the motorcycle classification added to your license in California, there is a course that has classroom and hands-on driving experience that prepares you to take the written and operator skill test. It is something like 40 hours combined and costs in the range of $2,000.

Are you ready to go that far to limit who can and can not drive a hybrid?

 

Yeah true... the one guy with the special laptop needs to show up . I'd like someone other than the CHP to declare the brake pads gone- both front/rear?. The pad do wear out but it takes some 150K+ miles to do it. That's all. I figure Toyota is investigating this and will report on it. They have to given the spot light on them. Other things like how many miles were on this car? Was it serviced regularly? Did a code fire off? Did he install the stealth mode switch? Any modifications like those funky eBay power chips? Did he rig the pedal? I'm really hoping for a report. This is my Generation Prius.