Toyota dismisses account of runaway Prius

[TheQueen]

Toyota Motor Corp. dismissed the story of a man who claimed his Prius sped out of control on the California freeway, saying Monday that its own tests found the car's gas pedal and backup safety system were working just fine.

The automaker stopped short of saying James Sikes had staged a hoax last week but said his account did not square with a series of tests it conducted on the gas-electric hybrid.

"We have no opinion on his account, what he's been saying, other than that the scenario is not consistent with the technical findings," spokesman Mike Michels told a press conference.

Continue reading: http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2010/03/15/D9EFB34O0_us_runaway_prius/index.html

[Computer Magic]

Toyota is going to be digging out of this hole for a long time.

[figmentmom]

Is it just me, or is anyone else having a hard time believing ANYTHING Toyota says? :rollseyes After all, this is the company that spent a LOT of time and money trying to block any initial investigation into reports of these incidents. :goofy

[erika]

Is it just me, or is anyone else having a hard time believing ANYTHING Toyota says? :rollseyes After all, this is the company that spent a LOT of time and money trying to block any initial investigation into reports of these incidents. :goofy

I am right there with you!

My parents have been Toyota owners for years. After all this my mom said she will never buy another one.

And what do you think about stories like this one? http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6242320-504083.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

[Garyhoov]

My first, gut response to this story was: "That guy's faking it."

But even so, Toyota's response is pretty weak. Not being able to reproduce a rare occurence doesn't prove it didn't happen. Over the past several years, I've probably bought HUNDREDS of lottery tickets yet I haven't had one winning ticket.

Does that mean everybody who says they were somehow able to buy winning ones were lying?

[Christy]

Weird how this all started happening after the government bought damn near everybody else out :lookaroun

[erika]

Weird how this all started happening after the government bought damn near everybody else out :lookaroun

:rotfl

[figmentmom]

I am right there with you!

My parents have been Toyota owners for years. After all this my mom said she will never buy another one.

And what do you think about stories like this one? http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6242320-504083.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

That's a HUGE story in Minneapolis right now. Even the relatives of the dead feel he's innocent:

"The model Lee was driving, a 1996 Camry, has not been recalled by Toyota, but Lee's accident is among a growing number of cases, some long resolved, that are getting new attention since Toyota admitted its problems with sudden acceleration were more extensive than originally believed.

The family members of those killed in the accident, who condemned Lee at his sentencing, now believe he is innocent and are preparing a lawsuit against Toyota. Phil Carruthers, who prosecuted Lee, says that if Lee's car was defective, "We don't want an innocent man sitting in prison." Toyota had no comment on Lee's case."

[figmentmom]

My first, gut response to this story was: "That guy's faking it."

But even so, Toyota's response is pretty weak. Not being able to reproduce a rare occurence doesn't prove it didn't happen. Over the past several years, I've probably bought HUNDREDS of lottery tickets yet I haven't had one winning ticket.

Does that mean everybody who says they were somehow able to buy winning ones were lying?

OK, here's my OWN car story. I drove a little Pontiac back in the mid-90's that I bought new. I was driving down the Northway one day when the car suddenly shifted into neutral. I was able to brake and get off the road safely. I shut it off, re-started it, and drove it directly to the dealership. The mechanic and I went for a nice long drive, during which he told me that if they couldn't re-create the incident, he couldn't help me. Basically, I was SOL. I insisted that it be documented in the car's history, and kept a copy. It happened twice more during the next year, once when I had a tractor-trailer on my rear bumper. Both times I went back to the dealership, and got the same story. When it happened a fourth time, I took it back to the dealership to get rid of it. That time, the NEW manager of the repair department looked it up on line, and discovered that a LOT of owners of that model were reporting similar problems, all caused by a faulty seal in the transmission. The kept the car overnight, replaced the seal, and it was fine from then on.

Last Pontiac I ever bought, though.

So, am I ready to believe Toyota when they insist the car was working properly? Nope.

[figmentmom]

I'm not willing to automatically give Toyota the benefit of the doubt. They haven't earned it.