Memo: Testing didn't duplicate sticky gas pedal on man's Prius - Polidicks

[release] [img]http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/US/03/14/california.runaway.prius/story.prius.jpg[/img] (CNN) -- 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 Sunday 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." Contacted by CNN, Sikes declined to comment but said he stands by his story. He said his attorney will be making a statement on his behalf Monday. Sikes said last week he was traveling east on Interstate 8 outside of San Diego, California, when his accelerator stuck as he sped up to pass a car. "As I was going, I was trying the brakes ... and it just kept speeding up," he said. Sikes said he called 911 for help as he was traveling in excess of 90 mph on a winding, hilly portion of the highway. He said dispatchers tried to talk him through ways to stop the car, but nothing helped. Eventually, a California Highway Patrol officer caught up to Sikes and used the patrol car's public address system to instruct Sikes to apply the brakes and the emergency brake at the same time. That tactic worked, and he was able to stop the car. The memo said that before Sikes' vehicle could be tested, technicians had to replace rotors, brakes and pads, because the pads and rotors were worn down. David Justo of Toyota Motor Sales headquarters, described in the memo as Toyota's residential hybrid expert, said that if car's gas pedal was stuck to the floor, and the driver applied the brake, the engine would shut down. "If the engine does not shut down, then the gears would be spinning [past] their maximum revolutions per minute and completely seize the engine," the memo said, quoting Justo. "So, in his case ... 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." 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. Toyota recently issued widespread recalls because of problems related to the accelerator pedal in several of its auto models. One theory behind the sticky accelerators is the vehicles' floor mats. But Sikes said last week, "My mat was perfect. There was nothing wrong with my mat." He said that before the incident, he had taken his 2008 Prius into a Toyota dealership and gave workers his recall notice but was told his car wasn't on the recall list.[/release] and the followup: [release]The story of a runaway Prius appears to be ballooning out of control. In the wake of a congressional memo that raised doubts about James Sikes' tale concerning his out of control Toyota more than a week ago in California, the 61-year-old now just wants to be left alone. "We're just fed up with it all," said Patty Sikes, his wife. Online reports have increasingly called into question aspects of Sikes' claim that the accelerator got stuck and he was unable to stop, and others have delved into his personal finances, revealing that in 2008 he declared bankruptcy with more than $700,000 in debts. Since the incident, Patty Sikes says she and her husband have received death threats, and that the whole thing has "ruined" their careers. "Life is just not good anymore," Patty said. According to the memo, obtained over the weekend by the Associated Press, efforts to duplicate the circumstances with the accelerator described by Sikes to police failed. "It does not appear to be feasibly possible, both electronically and mechanically, that [Sikes'] gas pedal was stuck to the floor and he was slamming on the brake at the same time," the memo stated, noting that every time they hit the brake the "engine shut off and the car immediately started to slow down." The investigation did, however, show that the front brake pads had been worn. "Visually checking the brake pads and rotor it was clearly visible that there was nothing left," it said. Skepticism over Sikes' harrowing tale, which had him speeding along at upwards of 94 mph on Interstate 8 near San Diego last week, is understandable in the aftermath of the infamous "Balloon Boy" story that saw dozens of media outlets get fooled when the tale turned out to be false. But as of now, it would appear that Sikes and his wife are not looking for the attention the Heene family allegedly craved. "Everyone can just leave us alone," Patty Sikes said. "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." Read more: [url]http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/03/14/2010-03-14_memo_takes_air_out_of_james_sikes_tale_of_outofcontrol_toyota_prius.html#ixzz0iBuiPCgN[/url] [/release] And as expected, he looks like this. [img]http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/03/15/alg_driver_james-sikes_1.jpg[/img]

[quote]the 61-year-old now just wants to be left alone.[/quote] "I lied and don't want anyone to know about it"

Yeah, there's something in this story that's just not adding up.

He's way in debt, wanted attention, and had a Toyota. What doesn't add up? It's a fake.

Oh great. Now no one's going to take seriously the other people who this actually happens to. :/

Jesus 700k in debt. Now countries in debt will 'accidently' nuke the country their in debt to. Stupid sticky launch key...

I still fucking love my Camry, best car ever.

my favorite thing about these accelerator bugs, is that even if your car is speeding uncontrollably, you can just simply turn the key and shut the car off.

[QUOTE=I Has a Crayon;20750973]my favorite thing about these accelerator bugs, is that even if your car is speeding uncontrollably, you can just simply turn the key and shut the car off.[/QUOTE] Then your wheels lock up and you die anyway.

So wait, if he made it up, then how did his pads and rotors get so worn down that they needed to be replaced before they could test the car? And wouldn't the cop following him notice if his brake lights were on or not? This story is bizarre.

[QUOTE=Bengley;20751393]Then your wheels lock up and you die anyway.[/QUOTE] Your wheels don't lock up. When you turn the engine off all that happens is that power doesn't go to the wheels, so theoretically you cannot accelerate any more. Even if they did lock, that would mean friction, which would mean slowing down. In any case, it's physically impossible for the engine to override the brakes, even in something as powerful as a Bugatti Veyron.

[QUOTE=spacedooky;20751756]Your wheels don't lock up. When you turn the engine off all that happens is that power doesn't go to the wheels, so theoretically you cannot accelerate any more. Even if they did lock, that would mean friction, which would mean slowing down. In any case, it's physically impossible for the engine to override the brakes, even in something as powerful as a Bugatti Veyron.[/QUOTE] I mean the steering. On many modern cars if you turn off the engine the wheel locks, and that's pretty inconvienient at 90MPH.

[QUOTE=Bengley;20752717]I mean the steering. On many modern cars if you turn off the engine the wheel locks, and that's pretty inconvienient at 90MPH.[/QUOTE] if you TURN THE KEY COMPLETLY OFF, then yeah, steering lock turn the key to ACC, no steering lock, the engine will still be turning over but not producing any power, you will then have the power-steering and the power-brake, you'll stop and you won't even have time to call 911 and look like a idiot for not being able to turn off your engine

[QUOTE=shipkiller;20753093]if you TURN THE KEY COMPLETLY OFF, then yeah, steering lock turn the key to ACC, no steering lock, the engine will still be turning over but not producing any power, you will then have the power-steering and the power-brake, you'll stop and you won't even have time to call 911 and look like a idiot for not being able to turn off your engine[/QUOTE] The prius is a button start. There is no key involved.

[QUOTE=3com111;20753517]The prius is a button start. There is no key involved.[/QUOTE] Sounds easy to steal.

[QUOTE=helpiminabox;20753650]Sounds easy to steal.[/QUOTE] the key needs to be in the car.

How about you don't fuck with the engine at all if this happens and just put the damned thing into neutral God damn, why do you people have licenses

[QUOTE=Zeke129;20754073]How about you don't fuck with the engine at all if this happens and just put the damned thing into neutral God damn, why do you people have licenses[/QUOTE] Enjoy your motor exploding and POTENTIALLY sending shrapnel your way. (Although honestly I might consider this as an option if it ever happens to me)

I have always wondered that in movies when someone messes with the breaks the driver is only putting more gas , but I mean you could slower down by changing gears or just turning off your car

Why did he need to be told to use the fucking emergency brake.

[QUOTE=wabash;20755549]Enjoy your motor exploding and POTENTIALLY sending shrapnel your way. (Although honestly I might consider this as an option if it ever happens to me)[/QUOTE] You can stand on the accelerator with the car in neutral and it's not going to explode. The car will cut off the fuel once it hits the rev limiter. I think it's clear this guy was just angling for his 15 minutes of TV fame.

So he was zooming down the road long enough for a police man to catch him? And it didn't cross his mind once to shut the engine off? [editline]12:28AM[/editline] Also, what is a guy who was $700,000 in debt doing buying a brand new car? Are people really that stupid?

i guess he's in a...[i]sticky[/i] situation xD

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;20755829]You can stand on the accelerator with the car in neutral and it's not going to explode. The car will cut off the fuel once it hits the rev limiter. I think it's clear this guy was just angling for his 15 minutes of TV fame.[/QUOTE] Ah, I've seen videos of that shit exploding but you may be right.

[QUOTE=shipkiller;20753093]if you TURN THE KEY COMPLETLY OFF, then yeah, steering lock turn the key to ACC, no steering lock, the engine will still be turning over but not producing any power, you will then have the power-steering and the power-brake, you'll stop and you won't even have time to call 911 and look like a idiot for not being able to turn off your engine[/QUOTE] You wont have power-brake/assisted-braking, if it's hydraulic, and powered by the engine :colbert:

I hate the Prius. I've yet meet someone who owns one that doesn't act like gods gift to the world. They're all so damn smug.

Am i missing something with this stupid car? Why don't people just pull the stick back into neutral (or dip the clutch if America knew what a manual gearbox was) then brake to a halt? Yeah the engine will most likely over-rev and blow up but it beats crashing.

[QUOTE=Spartex;20758424]Am i missing something with this stupid car? Why don't people just pull the stick back into neutral (or dip the clutch if America knew what a manual gearbox was) then brake to a halt? Yeah the engine will most likely over-rev and blow up but it beats crashing.[/QUOTE] First: the prius is only sold with a automatic transmission, that's (ironically) controlled by the Computer that's also part of the problem. Second: [B]ALL[/B] modern street legal cars have a rev limiter, so they [B]CAN'T[/B] blow up because of constant redlining, safety feature :science: But normally the solution would be to put the car in neutral, if it wasn't for the Sky-net inspired transmission.

[QUOTE=Van-man;20758454]First: the prius is only sold with a automatic transmission, that's (ironically) controlled by the Computer that's also part of the problem. Second: [B]ALL[/B] modern street legal cars have a rev limiter, so they [B]CAN'T[/B] blow up because of constant redlining, safety feature :science: But normally the solution would be to put the car in neutral, if it wasn't for the Sky-net inspired transmission.[/QUOTE] I work in engine development, rev limiters won't stop an engine blowing up if it's left on the limiter for too long. Trust me on that one. Even electronic gearboxes will let you drop into neutral, "safety feature"

I remember hearing the 911 call on the news. [quote='911']My car is speeding out of control. What kind of Toyota?[/quote]