A Prius with stuck accelerator glides to safety

sequoias

sequoias

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Prius with stuck accelerator glides to safe stop | KOMO News - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather - Seattle, Washington | National & World News

EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) - A California Highway Patrol officer helped slow a runaway Toyota Prius from 94 mph to a safe stop on Monday after the car's accelerator became stuck on a San Diego County freeway, the CHP said.

Prius driver James Sikes called 911 about 1:30 p.m. after accelerating to pass another vehicle on Interstate 80 near La Posta and finding that he could not control his car, the CHP said.

"I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny... it jumped and it just stuck there," the 61-year-old driver said at a news conference. "As it was going, I was trying the brakes...it wasn't stopping, it wasn't doing anything and it just kept speeding up," Sikes said, adding he could smell the brakes burning he was pressing the pedal so hard.

A patrol car pulled alongside the Prius and officers told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake.

"They also got it going on a steep upgrade," said Officer Jesse Udovich. "Between those three things, they got it to slow down."

After the car decelerated to about 50 mph, Sikes turned off the engine and coasted to a halt.

The officer then maneuvered his car in front of the Prius as a precautionary block, Udovich said.

In a statement, Toyota said it has dispatched a field technical specialist to San Diego to investigate the incident.

Toyota has recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide - more than 6 million in the United States - since last fall because of acceleration problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius.

Toyota owners have complained of their vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow down, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has received complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles since 2000.

One of the crashes claimed the life of a CHP officer last August.

Off-duty CHP Officer Mark Saylor was killed along with his wife, her brother and the couple's daughter after their Lexus' accelerator got stuck in La Mesa.

The Toyota-manufactured loaner vehicle slammed into a sport utility vehicle at about 100 mph, careened off the freeway, hit an embankment, overturned and burst into flames.
 
Seems, they're still not over with the repairs/recalls....gonna take a while for sure. I don't know why he didn't shift it to netural, but maybe couldn't since the transmission is electronic...whatever happened to the safety feature if anything fails? :roll:
 
Wow, he's lucky to be alive and also lucky for other drivers too... that would have been worse if there was a traffic jam on interstate.
 
Mod's Note:

Thread's merged.
 
sequoias said:
Seems, they're still not over with the repairs/recalls....gonna take a while for sure. I don't know why he didn't shift it to netural, but maybe couldn't since the transmission is electronic...whatever happened to the safety feature if anything fails? :roll:
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The driver did get a recall notice from Toyota two weeks ago and he went to the local Toyota dealership to have it fixed. They told him that his Prius was not on the recall list.

No matter what or why, it should be fixed in first place!
 
Driver should turn off engine or shift netural and apply the emergency brake if stucking brake or accelerator
 
Royale said:
The driver did get a recall notice from Toyota two weeks ago and he went to the local Toyota dealership to have it fixed. They told him that his Prius was not on the recall list.

No matter what or why, it should be fixed in first place!
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Human error, indeed.
 
Runaway Toyota Prius Driver w/Stuck Accelerator

James Sikes Brings Prius to Safe Stop With Aid of Officer in Patrol Car; 2008 Prius Not Covered By Pedal Recall

James Sikes, whose 2008 Toyota Prius accelerated suddenly on a California interstate Monday, reaching 94 MPH before he was able to bring it under control with the help of the California Highway Patrol, said the cause of the incident was a "stuck" accelerator.

According to Sikes, he held on to his steering wheel and tried to pull the accelerator pedal back with his right hand. "I thought it was maybe stuck," he said. "Somehow the pedal was stuck. But it wasn't stuck on anything that was visible."

Toyota has issued separate recalls to fix floor mats and "sticky" accelerator pedals. The 2008 Prius is covered by the floor mat recall, but not the accelerator recall. It uses a different accelerator pedal than the cars that allegedly have "sticky" pedals.

Sikes said that he also checked his floor mat during the incident, and the mat was "perfect."

Sikes, 61, was driving east on Interstate 8 near Lake Jennings Park Road at 1:30 p.m. when he tried to pass a slower car, according to the California Highway Patrol's account of the incident. Sikes then noticed that the Prius seemed to be accelerating on its own.

Sikes attempted to bring the car under control himself, and then called 911 when he hit speeds over 90 miles per hour. Sikes says his vehicle reached 94 MPH.

A car from the California Highway Patrol caught up to Sikes when he was east of Kitchen Creek Road, meaning that he had traveled more than 20 miles since the incident began. Officer Todd Neibert pulled alongside the Prius and began giving Sikes instructions over his public address system.

Said Neibert, "When I saw him, I could smell the brakes."

"I was standing on the brake pedal," said Sikes, "looking out the window at him."

Based on instructions from the police officer, Sikes used his brakes and his emergency brake to slow the car down. Sikes said the car slowed to 55. After several attempts to shut off the car by using the ignition button, he was successful.

'I Won't Drive That Car Again'

Neibert pulled his patrol car in front of Sikes on the shoulder of the interstate in case the vehicle began accelerating again.
Sikes reported that there was "nothing wrong with my mat" and that his accelerator pedal "stayed right where it was" when he attempted to pull it up. Sikes also said there were several times when he came close to other vehicles, and that he was also worried about careening off the interstate in the hills east of San Diego.

"I won't drive that car again, period," said Sikes. "Maybe they can find out what's wrong with them now."

He then referenced the sudden acceleration incident that claimed the lives of California Highway Patrolman Mark Saylor and three members of his family in nearby Santee in August 2009. "That was just right down here," he said, "not too far from me. Obviously, if I can have a problem, anybody can have a problem."

The Saylor incident helped spark national interest in sudden acceleration in Toyotas. Saylor's mother-in-law testified about the crash before the House Oversight Committee's hearing on February 24. Federal investigators have said that floor mats may have contributed to the Saylor accident.

In a statement on Monday's sudden acceleration incident, Toyota said it "had dispatched a field technical specialist to San Diego to investigate the report and offer assistance." READ TOYOTA'S STATEMENT HERE

The 2008 Prius is not covered by a recall for accelerator pedals. Sikes said he had experienced no previous problems with his car, but had received a recall notice for his Prius, presumably for his floor mats, though he did not specify. He said he took the Prius to his local dealer but was turned away. "I gave them my recall notice and they handed it back and said I'm not on the recall list."

Runaway Toyota Prius Driver With Stuck Accelerator Hits 94 MPH, Rescued by California Highway Patrol - ABC News
 
When the driver is in panic mode, that is where they really do not think of everything but watch the road and trying to figure way to avoid accidents. Going 90MPH does not have much time to figure out something else.

Chevy57 said:
Driver should turn off engine or shift netural and apply the emergency brake if stucking brake or accelerator
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diehardbiker said:
When the driver is in panic mode, that is where they really do not think of everything but watch the road and trying to figure way to avoid accidents. Going 90MPH does not have much time to figure out something else.
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That's correct...can't pay attention to details while trying to keep eye on the road avoiding things in the way. Not much time to react to details.
 
On second thought.... BAD IDEA!

When turn off engine at the rate of 90MPH, the steering wheel will lock and you will have hard time braking because there is no power to the power brakes.
 
diehardbiker said:
On second thought.... BAD IDEA!

When turn off engine, the steering wheel will lock and you will have hard time braking because there is no power to the power brakes.
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The emergency brake at 90 mph (if it would even work) would send the car flipping for 3 miles.... Best choice would be shifting to N. I am not sure about Toyotas but many vehicles have a 2 position on switch......switching to the first postition would allow steering
 
The problem is when a driver is in panic mode, and when turn off and the steering wheel locks, the driver will go in deeper panic mode, so again bad idea. I know what you mean by turn it back to second position. Also, it COULD restart the engine anyway. So it is STILL bad idea.

TXgolfer said:
The emergency brake at 90 mph (if it would even work) would send the car flipping for 3 miles.... Best choice would be shifting to N. I am not sure about Toyotas but many vehicles have a 2 position on switch......switching to the first postition would allow steering
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Toyota says....

How to drive if the gas pedal sticks
Mr. Bartlett offers several recommendations for owners of affected vehicles. First, he says, “The key is to be aware of what to look for. We know that this is a progressive problem, one that gets worse over time, so be mindful if your pedal begins to stick.”

Barlett says Consumer Reports has done extensive testing on how to regain control of vehicles experiencing sudden acceleration. Drivers who experience sudden acceleration should put the transmission into neutral, he says. They should not pump the brakes. “If you put it into neutral, you will retain full steering and full braking capability. This will save your life.”

As Toyota works to fix the problem, it must also address the issue of its image. These setbacks will threaten the carmaker’s reputation for quality and safety. Bartlett says Toyota is handling the problem well.

“They seem to be handling this in a Toyota manner, looking at the long-term,” says Bartlett. Consumer Reports does an annual nationwide survey on brand perception, he adds, and Toyota has always led by a very significant margin.

“They did even better this year,” he says, “just months after the acceleration issues came into light [last August]. For Toyota, that’s a promising indicator that if they’re acting with transparency, earnestness, and swiftness, that they may weather this storm as good as can be expected.”
 
Shifting into neutral only is best way, but the engine will definetly revving and may blow up. Better than run into accident anyway.
 
diehardbiker said:
The problem is when a driver is in panic mode, and when turn off and the steering wheel locks, the driver will go in deeper panic mode, so again bad idea. I know what you mean by turn it back to second position. Also, it COULD restart the engine anyway. So it is STILL bad idea.
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I was thinking as I wrote that (should have typed it) that it would be tough to turn the key one notch in that situation.......

Had the guy checked the Toyota site he would have been more prepared.

There is also my skeptic side that wonders if the guy might have set it up for lawsuit purposes. The car was stopped pretty easily once the trooper got involved. Not saying that is what happened but there is a little bitty dot of doubt
 
Its possible that police finally told the driver to throw in neutral, and don't worry if engine roars too loud.

TXgolfer said:
I was thinking as I wrote that (should have typed it) that it would be tough to turn the key one notch in that situation.......

Had the guy checked the Toyota site he would have been more prepared.

There is also my skeptic side that wonders if the guy might have set it up for lawsuit purposes. The car was stopped pretty easily once the trooper got involved. Not saying that is what happened but there is a little bitty dot of doubt
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scary story...my dad just got his notice to bring his Toyota in for fixing the accelerator, he did bring it in this week and it was fixed.
 
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