prius recall new

may be that driver wasn't as dumb as you all figured even without knowing him. Just maybe Toyota has problem its running in the high 3000 occurrences now.

He is still dumb. I don't doubt there is a Toyota caused problem, but after

19 minutes he should have slipped the lever to the "N" position and easily stop the car. He did not do that even after the 911 dispatcher asked him about it. He should be riding the bus.

Ed, I agree with you that the driver probably had issues with his driving skills, but that does not minimize the problems that the Toyotas have, if what we are being told is true.

What if one of these Toyotas suddenly accelerated at a school crossing with dozens on kids in the cross-walk?

What if one of these Toyotas brakes failed when a driver was trying to stop at a gas station with dozens of people around gasoline pumps??????

I know it hasn't happened yet, but the possibility exists that it COULD happen, in light of the fact that there are apparent documented cases where Toyotas HAVE suddenly accelerated fully. Even a skilled, prepared driver might not be able to stop a car soon enough under certain circumstances.

When one buys a new car, he just logically assumes it will not fly out of control suddenly, or it will stop when he wants it to.

I don't really think that is asking too much.

"jr92" wrote What if one of these Toyotas suddenly accelerated at a school crossing with dozens on kids in the cross-walk?

What if one of these Toyotas brakes failed when a driver was trying to stop at a gas station with dozens of people around gasoline pumps??????

I know it hasn't happened yet, but the possibility exists that it COULD happen, in light of the fact that there are apparent documented cases where Toyotas HAVE suddenly accelerated fully. Even a skilled, prepared driver might not be able to stop a car soon enough under certain circumstances.

When one buys a new car, he just logically assumes it will not fly out of control suddenly, or it will stop when he wants it to.

I don't really think that is asking too much.

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Not asking too much at all, you do expect a car will behave in a certain manner. Fact is, many things in life go way out of whack. Those that prepared ahead of time can handle them better than those that don't.

The Toyota problem has been very well publicized and how to cope with it ha also been demonstrated. If I was a Toyota owner, I'd certainly pay attention so I'd know what works and what does not. Toyota is 100% to blame for the problem, but an untrained, unknowledgeable driver is to blame for what happens after a 19 minute ride that could have been halted by a bump of the shift lever.

A few seconds of panic? Sure it will happen. 19 minutes? Sorry, that is dumb.

Especially when the 911 operator asked the man if he had shifted to neutral. His reply to the operator was that he was too busy trying to control the car.

The man's explanation afterward was that he was afraid that traffic behind him would have problems if he were to slow down or stop (like - having a police car get in front of you and physically stop you - that won't cause traffic issues!). What!! I usually don't say stuff like this, but that *particular* individual should never be allowed behind the wheel of a car again.

I can sort of understand him not thinking of throwing it into neutral on his own, but when the 911 operator suggests *the* solution that should cause the light to go off in the head of anyone with an IQ above 30, there is no excuse. Makes me suspicious that he created the problem intentionally to make his 15 minutes of fame. 15 minutes of fame as an idiot if you ask me.

Coincidentally, within an hour after posting the above, I heard on the radio of speculation about the driver, James Sikes, and the legitimacy of his predicament that other day. Not that it proves anything, but he does seem to be a shady character with problems:

But again, the fact that he refused to put the car in neutral when that obviously would have immediately solved the problem and then made very lame excuses for not doing so makes it difficult for the story to pass the smell test.

"Bill Putney" wrote

What a character I'd not be surprised if he does some jail time by the time this is all over.

Great link, the Fox40 news team did a good job too... Everything they did to stop the car worked fine. Including the brakes, which are not computer controlled (perhaps (computer/power) assisted, but DOT requires physical brakes sufficient to stop the car).

The guy's a scammer looking for a bit of fame, and a new car. Face it, he was days away from repossession being five months behind in his payments! He even says "All I want is a new car...".

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I fell over laughing when I read "all he wants is a new car"...

Pretty obvious what he was up too.