The difficulties for Toyota don’t seem to be ending. The auto maker had to recall a vast number of its vehicles facing gas pedal and then later brake problems. This time the problem is related to unexpected acceleration of a Toyota vehicle experienced by a Toyota Prius owner. However, a US Government agency and Toyota have failed to find any clue into this alleged incident in San Diego.
On March 7, a Toyota Prius owner, James Sikes, called emergency number 911 to complain that the accelerator in his vehicle got stuck and he experienced sudden acceleration in his vehicle, which sped up to 90 miles per hour, to his surprise.
Initially, the investigators related the incident to mechanical or electronic glitches, because of which Toyota Prius might experience unrestrained acceleration. However, as investigation began, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Toyota technicians failed to replicate the problem on the same car that had experienced unexpected acceleration.
According to investigation report: "Every time the technician placed the gas pedal to the floor and the brake pedal to the floor, the engine shut off and the car immediately started to slow down." .The report added that there was a possibility that James Sikes's gas pedal had been stuck while he was trying to apply the brakes simultaneously.
However, Sikes’ version is different, who, on March 7, said that he "pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny...it jumped and it just stuck there.” Several other cases have been reported in the country when Toyota Prius drivers had experienced unintended acceleration. However, some of them have been associated with electronic anomaly.
While 60-year-old James complains of unintended acceleration in his Toyota Prius, the investigators see nothing wrong with the vehicle, who even add that when they tried to replicate the incident on the same vehicle, James Skies’ Toyota Prius behaved properly, with the help of the backup mechanism that switched the engine off when they applied the brakes.
John Gomez, Sikes' attorney, siding with his client, says that the findings have failed to undermine his client's version. He added: "It's not surprising they couldn't replicate it. They have never been able to replicate an incident of sudden acceleration."
While Sikes continues to elude media, proving the rumors that he is trying to make headlines, false, Toyota faces another test. Let’s see how it fares in this test!
