Originally Posted by SPAGAT and KEN THOMAS, Associated Press

SAN DIEGO – 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 California freeway, according to a memorandum obtained Saturday by The Associated Press that a congressional spokesman says casts doubt on the driver's story.

James Sikes, 61, called 911 on Monday 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 on Interstate 8 near San Diego.

Federal and Toyota investigators who examined and test drove the car could not replicate the problems Sikes said he encountered, the memo said.

The findings raise questions about "the credibility of Mr. Sikes' reporting of events," said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for California Rep. Darrell Issa, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee that is looking into the incident.

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

"Everyone can just leave us alone," she 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."

Mrs. Sikes said the couple's lives have been turned upside down since Monday and they are getting death threats.

"We're just fed up with all of it," she said. "Our careers are ruined and life is just not good anymore."

Monday's incident appeared to be another blow to Toyota, which 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.

During two hours of test drives 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 Oversight Committee.

"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 memo stated.

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 Saturday, 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's report. He said the investigation was continuing and the company planned to release technical findings soon.

Michels said the hybrid braking system in the Prius would make the engine lose power if the brakes and accelerator were pressed at the same time.

Transportation Department spokeswoman Jill Zuckman said investigators "are still reviewing data and have not reached any conclusions."

Sikes called 911 from the freeway on Monday and reported that his gas pedal was stuck and he could not slow down. In two calls that spanned 23 minutes, a dispatcher repeatedly told him to throw the car into neutral and turn it off.

Sikes later said he had put down the phone to keep both hands on the wheel and was afraid the car would flip if he put it in neutral at such high speed.

The officer — who eventually pulled alongside the car and told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake — said Sikes braking coincided with a steep incline on the freeway.

Once the car slowed to 50 mph, Sikes shut off the engine, the officer said.

The memorandum obtained by The AP said when investigators placed the Prius up on a lift, they found the driver side front wheel well was dislodged and the brake pads were worn down. "Visually checking the brake pads and rotor it was clearly visible that there was nothing left," the memo said.

Drivers of two other Toyota vehicles that crashed last week said those incidents also resulted from the vehicles accelerating suddenly.

NHTSA is sending experts to a New York City suburb where the driver of a 2005 Prius said she crashed into a stone wall Monday after the car accelerated on its own.

And in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the driver of a 2007 Lexus said it careened through a parking lot and crashed into a light pole Thursday after its accelerator suddenly dropped to the floor. That car was the subject of a floor mat recall. Driv

Mechanics can often not get vehicles to perform intermittent problems on demand.

This is hardly news.

This guy is probably a scammster though. How about the person who less than 24 hours later in New York who reported the same thing?

Man at Wheel of 'Out-of-Control' Prius Has Troubled Financial Past
Friday, March 12, 2010


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March 9: James Sikes talks about his experiences in his Toyota Prius during a news conference held at Toyota of El Cajon in El Cajon, Calif.
The man who became the face of the Toyota gas pedal scandal this week has a troubled financial past that is leading some to question whether he was wholly truthful in his story.

On Monday, James Sikes called 911 to report that he was behind the wheel of an out-of-control Toyota Prius going 94 mph on a freeway near San Diego. Twenty-three minutes later, a California Highway Patrol officer helped guide him to a stop, a rescue that was captured on videotape.

Since then, it's been learned that:

— Sikes filed for bankruptcy in San Diego in 2008. According to documents, he was more than $700,000 in debt and owed roughly $19,000 on his Prius;

— In 2001, Sikes filed a police report with the Merced County Sheriff's Department for $58,000 in stolen property, including jewelry, a digital video camera and equipment and $24,000 in cash;

— Sikes has hired a law firm, though it has indicated he has no plans to sue Toyota;

— Sikes won $55,000 on television's "The Big Spin" in 2006, Fox40.com reports, and the real estate agent has boasted of celebrity clients such as Constance Ramos of "Extreme Home Makeover."

While authorities say they don't doubt Sikes' account, several bloggers and a man who bought a home from Sikes in 2007 question whether the 61-year-old entrepreneur may have concocted the incident for publicity or for monetary gain.

A man who bought a house in the San Diego area from Sikes in 2007 told FoxNews.com he immediately questioned the circumstances surrounding Monday's incident.

"Immediately I thought this guy has an angle here," the man said on Friday. "But I don't know what the angle is here."

The man, who asked not to be identified, said the home he purchased from Sikes had undisclosed problems that eventually cost him $20,000. He tried to sue in civil court, but Sikes had filed for bankruptcy during the process.

"It got to the point where it wasn't worth me paying legal fees to go after a guy who was broke," he said. "I ate the 20,000 bucks."

The man said Sikes came off as a dishonest businessman who was difficult to work with during the transaction.

"It didn't surprise me," he said of Sikes' recent troubles with his Prius. "I thought this guy is trying to pull a scam here."

Toyota executives, who have talked extensively with Sikes, have said they're "mystified" by Sikes' account.

"It's tough for us to say if we're skeptical," Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, said Thursday. "I'm mystified in how it could happen with the brake override system."

Esmond 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.

Sikes' reputation apparently precedes him in Northern California, as well.

"I've been warned that he used to do business here," Jim Pernetti of AAA California Document Services told Fox40.com, "and that I should be very wary of anything with him."

Sikes called 911 on Monday to report that his gas pedal was stuck and his blue 2008 Prius was speeding at 94 mph down a freeway near San Diego. A CHP officer helped bring the car to a stop, but not before two calls to police dispatchers that spanned 23 minutes.

Asked why he didn't simply put his car in neutral, Sikes said: "You had to be there. I might go into reverse. I didn't know if the care would flip. I had no idea how it would react."

Sikes, who did not return several calls and e-mail messages, told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the incident was no hoax.

"I've had things happen in my life, but I'm not making up this story," he told the newspaper.

Roughly 8.5 million vehicles worldwide have been recalled by Toyota, including more than 6 million in the United States, due to acceleration and braking problems in several models. Regulators have linked at least 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sent experts to a New York City suburb where a 56-year-old woman said her 2005 Prius sped up on its own as she was leaving a driveway.

FoxNews.com's Joshua Rhett Miller, Jana Winter and The Associated Press contributed to this story.



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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story mistakenly said Sikes was behind on payments on for his Prius at the time of his bankruptcy filing.

NHTSA is sending experts to a New York City suburb where the driver of a 2005 Prius said she crashed into a stone wall Monday after the car accelerated on its own.

And in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the driver of a 2007 Lexus said it careened through a parking lot and crashed into a light pole Thursday after its accelerator suddenly dropped to the floor. That car was the subject of a floor mat recall. Driv

Esp. w/ computers.

My wife's cell-phone occasionally 'butt-dials' due to no fault of her own. (right? ... Try to tell that to anyone who got dialed, right?) So a month ago, her phone called mine. The thing is I was in the same room, with a friend, my wife and her phone and BT (headset) sitting on the counter. (weird) My friend went on about how he couldn't believe it if he didn't see it. The phone hasn't done this since.

I think we've all experienced electronic devices flake-out in strange ways.

Even if this latest was a balloonboyism, Toyota has a problem in that their system relies on a black-box which is not easily understood. Furthermore, their system does not have a good/obvious fail-safe mechanical path.

It damn sure doesn't on the 07 model. I power brake to overcome the belt drive's inability to get me safely across most intersections. I'd suggest people throw the car into battery mode when it's running away.

The more complete quote. Fully depressed brake and fully depressed gas pedal. Brakes that were worn but did not appear to be continuously applied (not sure if that is determined by just heat changes or what). In other words, not all the data is consistent with his story.

The only consistent data for a whole plethora of automobiles is that the more complex they become, the more problems will arise. I see **** on the Prius that makes me cringe while blurting out, "glad I won't be changing this when it breaks".

LOL, like their lives and "careers" were good before this incident.

Oh, wait, their lives were awesome! Unemployed, bankrupt real estate agents who have have an odd and unfortunate disposition towards having expensive, insured items stolen from them. Multiple times.

It was great. Now their lives have been greatly damaged (in the legal sense). From what they are saying now, it seems they are suffering from extreme emotional distress that was proximately caused by gross negligence.

"Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, bar ethics rules prohibit me from guaranteeing a big cash settlement. But, I can guarantee you a BIG CASH SETTLEMENT!"

http://www.bobpitch.com/anon/LionelHutz.jpg

Toyota dismisses account of runaway Prius

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Business Partner Claims Runaway Prius Driver A "Scammer" - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik

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

Toyota said its own testing found Sikes had rapidly pressed the gas and brakes back and forth more than 250 times.

Well, I guess that all of Toyota's problems are just over-blown hype then. :cool:

My wife's phone pushes the "0" button at random while she talks to people, but only sometimes. It'll go for two months without doing it, then the problem will come back again. Strange thing is it'll only happen when the phone is in the middle of a call, and she can set the phone down on a table and put it on speakerphone and sometimes it'll still happen.

She refuses to take it in and do a warranty claim on it. :mad: Hope she likes using that phone for the next year until the contract is up!

Not all, just some. And, likely to be increasing in scamish-ness over the next year as more people try to cash in on a perceived lottery ticket in our collapsing economy, like this guy (whose story is coming apart faster than a 5 year old Pontiac). Desperate times breed desperate measures.


Still gotta give props to the guy who called it in the second post of this thread!

How Orwelian is it that the computer is recording what is going on in the car?

I would like to see the computer code and how it would handle a WOT and brake pedal at the same time. How would it look?

and yet "Toyota said its own testing found Sikes had rapidly pressed the gas and brakes back and forth more than 250 times."


So, was he standing on the gas? ...or keeping ~94_mph while stepping on the brake 250 times?

Don't get me wrong, I expect it's likely that they guy decided to milk the situation (by not pressing and holding the 'start' button.) But that doesn't mean that he didn't have a Prius computer hiccup.

Does anyone know what they use for signal on the gas pedal? I'm guessing an optical encoder, but don't know.

Either one, close enough for full credit! I viewed his post as simply calling out some level of fraud, called it almost instantly. Everyone else bought the story hook, line and sinker (at least until recently).

printf("WTF?") if (throttle == "WOT" && brakes == "on");

What most people don't know is that most late model (last 6-7 years) cars and light truck have auto data logging. Some manufacturers have the programed ability to go as far as 36hrs of drive time.

You can only access this feature with factory scan tools, not OBD-II based units. I guarantee that after a cursury look at the brakes, gas pedal, etc. they accessed the data log. This "movie" starts at the last turn-off of the key; going backwards to "see" what was going on.

This is how they have determined the guy pressed the brake and gas pedal alternately. They can pull all the running data frame by frame. If neccesary they can print it.

When I was with BMW a guy came in and purchased a M3 lightweight for his son who was in his early 20's at best. Not long after the car came back in on a flat bed. The young guy said "It just quit while he was driving it" and "He was pissed that such an expensive car would leave him sitting"

We pushed the car in; hit the starter and motor spun so freely that you would have been certain that either A) Somebody stole his sparkpugs out of the engine - OR - B) The engine was over-reved to the point of the valves kissing the pistons.........................................gu ess which one it was?

We accesed the data log and he was taching to the redline from 1st to second then at the redline in second (manual trans).....................back to...... first where the engine momentarily was mechanically forced to over 10,800 rpms.

So when we told the dad and kid the car had data logging and we could "see" he speed shifted from second back to first......... .probably by mistake and the engine was forced to over-rev. No warranty.......................

The estimate was @$23K to fix it..

AG, not all manufacturers have that data access from scanners. GM Tech II does, VAG does, most Germans do. I don't think the Japanese do. Ford EEC-V/VI doesn't. Most Mazdas do. Not sure of others.

But, yes, some mfrs allow the dealers or at least the field-warranty reps to read the data for warranty claims and to aid in puzzling driveability issues.

The problem is that it is not in one computer, but multiple multiple computers which "talk" to each other.

The Braking is handled by the skid control ECU. Throttle is handled by the power management computer. Braking has to talk to power management, since it has to activate the regenerative braking. The regerative braking uses the power motors as generators.

My "assumption" would be that the brake and throttle are never depressed at the same time, since you are supposed to drive with only one foot. I would design the system to "assume" a zero accellerator input anytime the brake pedal is pressed. What happens if this signal, for whatever reason, does work?

If this guy pressed the brake and the accellerator alternatively 250 times over 25 minutes, that would be 10 times per minute, or once every 6 seconds. This is physically possible. But if the guy were just a schemer and looking for money, why would he have been on the brake at all?

Like I've said, something smells here. I think this guy is a slimeball, but he is also being smeared.