Toyota Fights 'Runaway Prius' Claim

(March 15) -- After months of apologizing, Toyota is fighting back.

Top U.S. executives for the embattled automaker convened a televised press briefing today to dispute the claim of a California man who said his 2008 Prius sped out of control because of the same accelerator problem that has forced the company to recall millions of its vehicles.

The driver, James Sikes, said his car had reached 94 mph on a San Diego freeway on March 8 and would not stop even when he jammed on the brakes. After he called 911, a California Highway Patrol officer drove up alongside him, instructing him to depress the emergency brake and then turn off the car, which brought it to a stop and left him unharmed. His "runaway Prius" account garnered national news coverage as a gripping illustration of the flawed accelerators that have been discovered in more and more Toyota vehicles.

But the company said an examination of Sikes' car found its accelerator and brakes to be in good condition. Toyota said its investigators could not duplicate the problems Sikes described.

"While a final report is not yet complete, there are strong indications that the driver's account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the preliminary analysis," Toyota said in a summary of its findings posted on its Web site.

Noting that the Prius had not been recalled for a sticky accelerator problem, as have other Toyota models, the summary said the brakes on Sikes' Prius "showed severe wear and damage from overheating." The company also reported no interference from the car floor mat or with a self-protecting "brake override" system built into the car.

"The system was tested under driving conditions and found to be functioning normally, indicating that if the accelerator pedal was stuck, pressing the brake pedal would have resulted in dramatically reduced power to the wheels," Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said at the news conference.

"The assertion that the vehicle could not be stopped with the brakes is fundamentally inconsistent with basic vehicle design and the investigation observations," the company said in a written statement.

Toyota received key backup support from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, which said it had also been reviewing the incident and could not find any evidence to explain the unintended acceleration claims by Sikes, The Associated Press reported. Toyota said NHTSA investigators were present during its two-day examination of the vehicle, as was a congressional staff member.

The automaker has come under intense criticism from Congress over its handling of the repeated recalls. While the company officials spoke calmly at their briefing with reporters, they took on a more combative tone as they assailed what they described as the "sensational" treatment of Sikes' allegations. Michels also noted with more than a trace of suspicion that since the heightened publicity over the recalls, "claims of unintended acceleration have inexplicably skyrocketed."

"This is an issue of complex and great importance," he said, "but rushing to judgment in the absence of facts and balance does the public a disservice. To say this incident was sensationalized would be an enormous understatement. Jumping to conclusions is dangerous, and investigations should be allowed to take their course."

The AP said an attempt to reach a lawyer representing Sikes was unsuccessful.