Technicians who tested a Toyota Prius after its owner claimed its gas pedal stuck were unable to recreate the same condition, according to a draft congressional memo obtained…by CNN.
In addition, owner Jim Sikes’ claim that the car kept going even though he slammed on the brake while his gas pedal was stuck to the floor does “not appear to be feasibly possible,” said the draft, obtained from sources familiar with the investigation.
The memo, written for members of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, summarizes the observations of a representative present at the testing of the Prius, as well as another car “allegedly involved in sudden unintended acceleration events…”
Technicians from Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took Sikes’ Prius on a test drive and attempted to duplicate the same experience, the memo said, but were unsuccessful. A congressional staffer and another Toyota technician tested another Prius.
“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. “NHTSA and Toyota field representatives reported the same results with the 2008 Prius owned by Mr. Sikes.”
“These findings certainly raise new questions surrounding the veracity of the sequence of events that has been reported by Mr. Sikes,” said Kurt Bardella, spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, and ranking member on the committee.
There just may be a few concerns about Mr. Sikes’ truthfulness. He’s a bankrupt realtor $700,000 in debt including months behind on payments for his leased Prius. Which I imagine Toyota has threatened to repo.
The bankruptcy statement isn’t clear on how much he makes from his AdultSwingLife website.
I own a Prius and I thought this was a hoax from the start. No system is infallible but the sudden explosion of “sudden acceleration” issues just smells like BS.
However, for those that don’t know, the Prius does not have a key. There is a security keyfob that enables the system to work, but you have to press a power button. You can power the car off by pressing it, but you do lose all control as the car is “fly by wire”. You can however put the car in neutral. If the accelerator was really stuck “on” even through the electronics and not through a mechanical failure, the car should still go into neutral.