At a press conference held earlier on Monday, Toyota revealed its preliminary findings in the now-famous case involving James Sikes and his alleged runaway 2008 Toyota Prius. Like the NHTSA investigation, Toyota’s investigation has not uncovered any evidence to support Sikes’ claim of unintended acceleration.
Sikes’ claim of sudden unintended acceleration in his 2008 Prius was made famous by a 911 call to the California Highway Patrol on March 8, but Toyota’s investigation indicates the “driver’s account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the preliminary analysis.â€
Toyota engineers have conducted a thorough investigation of Sikes’ Prius, but have not found any evidence to indicate a case of unintended acceleration. The Prius’ gas pedal was repeatedly tested, but was not found to have any mechanical problems. The vehicle’s floor mat was not properly attached to the corresponding retention hooks, but the mat was not found to be interfering or even touching the vehicle’s accelerator pedal.
An investigation of the vehicle’s brakes revealed the front units had sustained significant damage from overheating, but the Prius’ rear and parking brakes were found to be in good working order. Once the front brakes were replaced, the vehicle’s brake system performed normally.
While in motion, engineers were able to shift the vehicle’s transmission into neutral. The Prius’ pushbutton ignition was also found to be working properly, with a three-second depression shutting the engine down as designed. Sikes was advised to hold the Prius’ pushbutton power switch in for three seconds by the 911 operator, but allegedly dropped the phone before hearing the instructions.
Sikes’ Prius didn’t register any diagnostic trouble codes and no warning lights were found on the vehicle’s dash. However, an evaluation of the system “did show evidence of numerous, rapidly repeated on-and- off applications of both the accelerator and the brake pedals.†While Toyota didn’t blatantly call Sikes’ report a hoax, the automaker did point out that the Prius has a de facto brake override system that cuts engine power if the brakes are applied while the accelerator pedal is depressed approximately 50 percent.
Toyota is continuing its investigation of Sikes’ Prius, but it remains to be seen if any evidence of unintended acceleration will be found.
