Runaway Toyota Prius stopped on I-8 by CHP patrol car
By Staff, SDNN
Monday, March 8, 2010
A Toyota Prius, which was apparently speeding out of control due to a stuck accelerator, had to be slowed and stopped by a California Highway Patrol vehicle Monday, according to a CHP officer spokersperson.
James Sikes, 61, was heading east in the hybrid-electric sedan on I-8 in the Lakeside area about 1:30 p.m. when he noticed that the vehicle seemed to be accelerating on its own, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Sikes tried in vain to slow down, then made a 911 call after the Prius reached speeds over 90 mph, CHP public affairs Officer Brian Pennings said.
Highway Patrol personnel caught up with the blue car near Kitchen Creek Road, and one officer pulled up alongside and used his loudspeaker to talk Sikes through the process of slowing down by using his emergency brake and then turning off the engine.
The officer pulled in front of the car as it decelerated and rolled to a stop and put the rear bumper of the squad car against the front end of the
Prius.
?The vehicles did not touch until after they came to a stop,? Pennings said.
Radio traffic indicated the driver was unable to turn off the engine or shift the car into neutral.
The CHP considered using a spike strip to help slow the car, but was concerned it would cause the driver to lose control and crash. The car was finally stopped successfully near Descanso without injury.
U.S. transport regulators have linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by sudden, unintended acceleration in Toyota cars.
Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. said Thursday it was following up information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that Toyota drivers have experienced unintended acceleration even after receiving the repair involved in the accelerator pedal recall.
The NHTSA has received more than 60 complaints from Toyota drivers who say their cars have sped up by themselves after being fixed to correct the problem. Toyota said most of these reports have yet to be verified but it is committed to investigating them.
An executive vice president, Takeshi Uchiyamada, said the Toyota brand was in ?a serious crisis,? acknowledging the company must improve monitoring of consumer complaints and respond more quickly during crises.
Toyota has been widely criticized, especially in the U.S., where most of the recalls have happened, as slow and unresponsive, and doubts are growing it may not be transparent or forthright about defects.
?The path to regaining trust remains tremendously difficult,? Uchiyamada said. ?But I would like to work with all of you.?
Toyota?s recalls have received widespread media attention in Japan, but loyalty to the company remains relatively strong.
The only models being recalled in Japan are hybrids, including the popular Prius, the nation?s top-selling car for 10 straight months, which is being repaired for an anti-lock braking glitch.
But Toyoda has repeatedly said the company?s rapid growth abroad may have gotten in the way of maintaining the highest standards of quality control.
Tearful and his voice catching with emotion, Toyoda thanked workers for their support and promised that Toyota would rise again if the ranks stood together.
?I thought I was protecting everyone, but I realized I had merely been protected by everyone,? he said.
Mitsuru Kawai, 62, a plant worker for more than 40 years, said Toyota will pull through the crisis, although he has never seen anything quite like it before.
?We went through the oil shock, the burst of the ?bubble? economy, and we?ve had recalls. But we?ve gone through all those hardships,? he said. ?Overcoming all that has helped make Japan stronger, and I am going to keep working.?
