Last week, it was reported that Jim Sikes was driving his Toyota Prius when it suddenly accelerated and wouldn’t slow down through the use of its brakes. A California Highway Patrol officer showed up and gave him instructions on how to get the car back under control. Now, through some research and testing, many facets of his story are starting to unravel.
Toyota ran some tests on the allegedly faulty Prius, and found that it passed with flying colors. Not to mention that the automaker says Sikes’ Prius was already equipped with a “brake override system,” which negates any gas pedal input (real or otherwise) when the brake pedal is pressed. On top of all that, it seems that the engineers looking at the brakes found that the wear patterns were consistent with periodic but only moderate pressure, meaning Sikes didn’t even slam on the brakes – he may have pumped them slightly.
Next up on the list is his debt. According to automotive web site Jalopnik, Sikes is up to his eyeballs in debt, to the tune of $700,000. Moreover, he’s behind on his lease payments on the very Prius he claims got away from him. Suspicious? I think so. Furthermore, Sikes has apparently retained counsel, but according to him, he has no plans to sue Toyota.
This story just gets better and better, and I am quite interested in the outcome, and I’ll of course share it with you when it becomes available.
by John Suit
Source: Jalopnik, CNN