[pokerface]

Originally Posted by radix

Well either CHP Officer Todd Neibert is wrong or you are:

http://www.10news.com/news/22777208/detail.html

Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, 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 — something 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," he said.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...YiLgwD9ECP5D80

[BlackSapphireZ]

can't they just look at the ECU and see what the status of the car was at the time of the "incident" ?

they can look at brake, throttle, air temp, fuel input etc.... so they can determine if he was BS'ing or not....

[immiketoo]

Heard on the news that the driver did not move car to neutral after being instructed to do so...

[immiketoo]

Blacksapphire, love your sig pic.

[ENINTY]

It's aliens fuckin' with the source code...

[Schumacher]

They tested the car after this and everything seems to be fine?

Plus, the Sikes character has a history of bankruptcy, stealing and fraud. He also owns a porn site, if that reflects on his character.

[solefald]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2...rius-incident/

Investigators with Toyota Motor Corp. and the federal government were unable to make a Toyota Prius speed out of control as its owner said it did on a San Diego County freeway, according to a draft memorandum obtained yesterday by The Associated Press that casts doubt on the driver’s story.

James Sikes, 61, who was on his way home to Jacumba Monday on Interstate 8, called 911 to report losing control of his Prius as the hybrid reached speeds of 94 mph. A California Highway Patrol officer helped Sikes bring the vehicle to a safe stop in East County. Sikes said afterward that he hit the brakes hard and kept the pedal down as the car sped.

During two hours of test drives of Sikes’ car Thursday, technicians with Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration failed to duplicate the same experience that Sikes described, according to the memo prepared for the House Oversight Committee and Government Reform.

“Every time the technician placed the gas pedal to the floor and the brake pedal to the floor the engine shut off and the car immediately started to slow down,” the memo said. “… It does not appear to be feasibly possible, both electronically and mechanically that his gas pedal was stuck to the floor and he was slamming on the brake at the same time.”

The findings raise questions about “the credibility of Mr. Sikes’ reporting of events,” said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for state Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista, the top Republican on the House committee, which is looking into the incident.

Sikes, a real estate agent, filed for bankruptcy in San Diego County in 2008. “I’m in real estate, and most Realtors file bankruptcy. I’m human, I’ve had conflicts with my past business partner and I’ve had things happen in my life. But I’m not making up this story,” he told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Wednesday.

Sikes could not be reached to comment yesterday. However, his wife, Patty Sikes, said he stands by his story.

“Jim didn’t get hurt. There’s no intent at all to sue Toyota. If any good can come out of this, maybe they can find out what happened so other people don’t get killed,” she told AP, adding that they are getting death threats.

The brakes on the Prius also did not show wear consistent with having been applied at full force at high speeds for a long period, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing three people familiar with the probe, whom it did not name. The newspaper said the brakes may have been applied intermittently.

Toyota Corp. spokesman Mike Michels declined to confirm the Journal report and said the investigation was continuing.

Toyota has had to fend off intense public backlash over safety after recalls of some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide — more than 6 million in the United States — because of acceleration and floor mat problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius. Regulators have linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems.

In August, CHP Officer Mark Saylor and three family members died in a crash in Santee. A floor mat in the Lexus that Saylor was driving may have jammed the accelerator.

[majin ssj eric]

Pure BS. The Toyota gravy train is gaining momentum...

[Quasimodem]

Originally Posted by majin ssj eric

Pure BS. The Toyota gravy train is gaining momentum...

I wonder how many CHP officers are hearing "Sir, sorry I was driving so fast, my accelerator was stuck." LOL

Doesn't anybody wonder how a police car caught another car driving 94 mph? It was probably pretty close from the start. Maybe Sikes was driving along at 90 and the cop saw him, then his accelerator got stuck. One quick thinker, but he is getting himself into more trouble now, like the Wendy's finger incident. Not too smart in the long run, but he got himself out of a ticket.

[solefald]

I guess we how our official answer on this

http://www.thecarconnection.com/mart...s-in-san-diego

[jpsum]

Originally Posted by radix

Do you have a source for that? He didn't say that in the CNN video. AFAICT, his timeline made perfect sense.

Sorry that I mis-quoted him. I thought he said he tried to pull the e-brake, but instead he actually was referring to the gas pedal.

How can a guy his size reach down and pull the gas pedal in a Prius going 94mph? I'm 150 pounds and pretty flexible , I don't think I can do that even with the car parked, steering wheel all the way up and the seat slided all the way back. Unless he has arms with proportions of a monkey, there is no way that is possible. It would only make sense if he had stuck his foot underneath the pedal and tried to pull the pedal up that way.

[jpsum]

Originally Posted by BlackSapphireZ

can't they just look at the ECU and see what the status of the car was at the time of the "incident" ?

they can look at brake, throttle, air temp, fuel input etc.... so they can determine if he was BS'ing or not....

I think the ECU only records a brief moment before an impact.

[HAZEx36]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

Heard on the news that the driver did not move car to neutral after being instructed to do so...

he was hesitant because he thought the car would flip

[Schumacher]

Originally Posted by jpsum

I think the ECU only records a brief moment before an impact.

No, the car monitors brake and accel input constantly. Toyota says that the guy was never fully on the accelerator or brakes and was making rapid switches between them or something of that sort.

[jpsum]

Originally Posted by Schumacher

No, the car monitors brake and accel input constantly. Toyota says that the guy was never fully on the accelerator or brakes and was making rapid switches between them or something of that sort.

I see... How long does it record?

[solefald]

I called bullshit on this story 5 minutes after it came out. This dude looked like he is full of shit... and apparently he turned out to be full of shit.

http://jalopnik.com/5491101/did-bank...d-acceleration

James Sikes, the San Diego runaway Toyota Prius driver, filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and now has over $700,000 in debt. According to one anonymous tipster, we're also told he hasn't been making payments on his Prius.

Among the list of creditors holding secured claims is none other than Toyota Financial Services for a lease on a 2008 Toyota Prius with 7,200 miles on the odometer. Total value of the lease at the time of bankruptcy was $20,494.

Mr. Sikes also has not shied away from cameras appearing on CNN and numerous other television programs. In each, he's stated numerous times he's not going to sue and isn't looking for any financial remuneration from Toyota other than a new vehicle

We're now hearing rumors that Sikes has a history of items in his possession being stolen and him filing for insurance claims. We found at least one case of this in his bankruptcy documents

But there's also another, more salacious tidbit we've found which may or may not be irrelevant — we're still trying to fit this piece into the puzzle. With a tip from a commenter at TTAC, we discovered Sikes owned and operated a web site called AdultSwingLife.com. Interesting. There's also a report from KTLX with a neighbor stating he may have been involved in the porn industry. Someone alleging to be a former business partner also claims Sikes stole from their company and acted fraudulently

Sorry radix, but i stand by my words

[Quasimodem]

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnal...aspx?id=528174