Prius Rapid Acceleration Terrifies Driver
James Sikes had a terrifying ride in his 2008 Toyota Prius yesterday at speeds reaching 94 mph, reports ABC news. The California Highway Patrol fortunately rescued the 61-year-old driver after his car accelerated suddenly. According to Sikes, he sensed his Prius was accelerating on its own as he travelled on a California interstate. He attempted to control his auto but when it exceeded 90 mph, he called 911 on his cell phone.
After a 20 mile ride of a lifetime, a California Highway Patrol car arrived next to the Prius and instructed Sikes,over his public address system, to apply the brakes and emergency brake, said ABC News. Finally, the car slowed to 55 mph and Sikes was eventually able to turn it off using the ignition button. The hero patrolman told ABC News he “could smell his brakes” when he pulled along side the Prius.
This particular 2008 Prius model was included in the floor mat recall, but Sikes claims there was no problem with his mats. He told ABC News that he had received a recall notice but when he arrived at his dealer, he was told his Prius was not on the call back list.
Since last fall, Toyota has recalled over 8 million vehicles worldwide for situations involving unintended acceleration. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received more than 2,000 complaints of sudden, unintended acceleration with Toyota and Lexus vehicles, resulting in more than 50 deaths and hundreds of accidents since 2000. Toyota has blamed the problems on faulty floor mats and defective accelerator pedals, but many contend a defective electronic throttle control system is the culprit.
Posted on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 5:11 pm under 