Fake Prius acceleration

[erpowers]

I am not trying to say that the latest events of Prius/Toyota uncontrollable acceleration are fake. I actually have a question. How is anyone supposed to know if any of the new cases are real or just people trying to get money from Toyota? It seems very possible that some people might try to fake an uncontrollable acceleration in order to have themselves included in any class action lawsuit.

In the case of the guy whose car was stopped by a police officers car I think there is the question of why did he not put the care in neutral and move to the side of the rode. Since the Toyota story broke there have been a number of news reports telling drivers if their car speeds up and cannot be stopped by simply pressing on the brakes put the car in neutral, press on the brakes, and then steer the car to the side of the road. From what I have heard this guy said he was doing everything to stop the car, but when the police officer arrived he told the car driver to deploy the emergency brake and step on the regular brakes. After doing this the car slowed down.

Once again I am not trying to say these latest events are fake. I am wondering why the guy did not do what had been stated so many times on the news. In addition, I wonder if some people are going to fake acceleration in order to be a part of any class actions suits against Toyota.

[Kalyke]

1. He didn't put the car in neutral because he was in an inside lane

surrounded by other cars. If he'd put it in neutral, the car behind him would have hit him before he could coast over.

[Statistical]

4. He was going nearly 100 miles per hour with cops beside him with flashers/siren on.

A car in neutral wouldn't screech to a halt.
Unless the cars following him bumper to bumper at 100 miles per hour it is unlikely they would hit him.

IMHO he likely panicked. Knowing to put car in neutral is not the same thing as doing it under pressure.
I recommend everyone do a little roleplaying behind the wheel with the car parked.
"Ok my car is out of control. What do I do?" Go through motions of putting car into neutral. Build up some muscle memory.

Regardless though Toyota is at fault for putting him in a situation where he needed conduct "emergency procedures" on a daily commute.

[Kalyke]

33. Of course he panicked and didn't think to do those things.

Duh.

My point is that when it started, he was in an inside lane and couldn't coast out. Then he panicked. Then he couldn't think clearly.

I drive a straight-shift; therefore, throwing the car in neutral would be *MY* first reaction, but automatic drivers don't necessarily think of those things.

[Statistical]

36. I drive an automatic and not a toyota but my vehicle has an ETC

Electronic Throttle Control Module so I figure if one brand can fail they all can.

I walked myself through what to do. I think it would be a good idea if more people did.

I guess that is just the old-army in me "Plan to execute. execute the plan".

[CreekDog]

45. He stood on the brakes to the point they smelled and you are still mocking him?

Sheesh.

Just can't get over some people.

[harkadog]

72. If they can't think to "do those things" they shouldn't be driving.

There was a cop telling him to DO THOSE THINGS. Have you heard the audio? He ignored them and admitted on TV later he ignored them. He was faking it and it will come out.

[erpowers]

6. Emergency Blinkers

He could have put on his emergency blinkers. In addition, news reports claim he was weaving through traffic. If he was able to move through traffic he should have been able to position his car in a way that allowed him to put it in neutral.

[Doremus]

31. The 911 dispatcher asked him if he had put his car in neutral.

He answered no. She suggested it again and he said he was too busy weaving in and out of traffic.

Weird response but I guess we never know how we'll respond in an emergency until we're in one.

[CreekDog]

44. Pilots have a checklist that covers all the steps

between the driver and the copilot, they should have been able to follow the checklist to the letter.

no excuses! this is a failure of their training!

:sarcasm:

[leveymg]

47. BS. He would have coasted, as if he took his foot off the gas.

You don't slam to a stop if you put the transmission into neutral.

This whole thing is public hysteria whipped up by psuedo-scandal hungry media encouraged by the U.S. auto industry which see an opportunity to gain market share.

[Supersedeas]

49. you do get that impression-my 15yr old daughter asked why he didn't put it in neutral

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

73. That's absurd. Have you ever driven an automobile?

[jschurchin]

2. Would you buy a Toyota?

No one could GIVE me a Toyota right now. Actually, I am looking in my mirror all the time to see if one is following me so I can get out of his/her way. You know, just in case.

[Statistical]

5. I would buy a Toyota on one condition.

If I had no car payment right now and I could get it for a steal I would buy it 10%-20% below invoice and put it in my garage. I would keep driving my current car until I was satisfied the issue was resolved (I think it is electronic throttle module failure/defect).

My current vehicle has car payment and I can't afford two at same time but I thought about it.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. I'll take any Toyota you know of that are being given away, thank you. I'm not afraid.

The chances you or I will be hit by lightning are far greater than the chances any given Toyota will self accelerate.

Have you stopped going outside since you know this fact? I didn't think so.

[Romulox]

63. You're not afraid of taking a *free* car? How about putting your *money* down on your bet?

:hi:

[spoony]

23. No, I don't support slave labour and human trafficking

http://www.nlcnet.org/admin/reports/files/TOYOTA_web.pdf

[liberal N proud]

25. Emphatically NO!

They couldn't give me one at this point.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. Computers are stubborn things, once they get something under

their bonnet it's hard to convince them otherwise. Some could be fake though, others not so much.

[DirkGently]

7. There's no avoiding the bogus reports

That will presently be pouring in. A local story here blithely reported that "a Toyota suddenly accelerated in a parking lot a Fill in the Blank Restaurant." No indication of any fact finding whatsoever. Six months ago, the same headline would have said, "Elderly driver mistakes gas for brake."

With the limited information we have, I'd say the problem is real, and software based. And possibly occuring just in conjunction with cruise control.

But we are most certainly in for an avalanche of Toyota-blaming where driver error is the real root cause.

[Double T]

8. Heard the 911 audio; guy claiming run away car did not seem genuine.

All the guy had to do was turn the car off; it would slowly coast to a stop. I think a fraud may have been committed this time.

[xultar]

12. Well the car is being examined by the Feds and Toyota so we'll know soon.

[Mika]

15. There's no key. Just a start/stop button connected to the car's computer.

Some reports say that the button doesn't respond.

---

[liberal N proud]

27. Cars with push button ignition switches may not turn off at highway speeds

There maybe a safety circuit built in to the switch to keep people from inadvertently turing off the engine going down the highway.

Too many backseat drivers claiming the driver doesn't know what they are doing.

[CreekDog]

41. Whenever someone says "all he had to do was turn the car off" I know they don't know it has no key

and that they are describing a car other than the one we are talking about.

[Double T]

55. A keyless ignition was Toyota's first mistake.

The guy still does not sound credible.

[sylveste]

69. no key so what

so it has no phyisical key so what? you have to be able to shut it off somehow right. when a prius driver gets home from work and pulls in the driveway, i assume he shuts the car off before he heads inside for the night, right?

[TexasObserver]

10. That's your worry? Years of denials by Toyota until now.

And your concern is "are they faking it to get a lawsuit?"

For a case to be worth any money an occupant of the car has to be seriously injured? Do you really think going on a scary ride for a few minutes will result in a big pay day?

It's so bizarre to see people suddenly worrying about "fake" claims regarding Toyota, as if all it takes is driving down the road fast for a few minutes and smoking down one's brakes. Frankly, it seems to be the typical "it wasn't me" theme Toyota has spread for the past four years, while denying any problems.

And who do you suppose pays their car note after the car is ruined and crashed? Do you think they simply tell Toyota, and Toyota picks up the tab? No. That owner still has a note to pay, but no car to drive.

Is there anything about owning a Prius that suggests the owner is a schemer who is looking for ways to generate a plaintiff's case of dubious value?

[xultar]

13. No shit. And that guy who sat in jail for over a year, what about him. I can't believe this thread

[WolverineDG]

57. even the victim's family is saying they should look at that car nt

[erpowers]

62. People Do It

I am not claiming all the claim by individuals who have suggested unintended acceleration are false. I just wonder if the recent claims are false. It is know that some people put forward bogus claims in order to get lawsuits. It is possible that someone might try to fake unintended acceleration in the hope of gaining some amount of money.

[LoKnLoD]

11. That thought ran through my head this morning too...

[NYC_SKP]

14. Why didn't he put in neutral, turn the key off, and pull up the emergency brake????

So many people know jack shit about the Prius. It's all fly-by-wire, my friends...

Look at me.

Read my eyes...

Fly.By.Wire.




:donut:

[Stinky The Clown]

17. You're right. I bet he's a real idiot. Thanks for setting him straight.

[NYC_SKP]

34. Check your electronic sarcasm system, sport.

There is no key to turn, there is no emergency brake to "pull up".

It was a joke.

There is, however, a spot called N for neutral, so I can see where that would have made the reply less sarcastic and thrown you system off.

:P

[NashVegas]

58. Yes, Yes, and There's No Neutral, Either?

Sorry, but it just smells like too much idiotic bullshit. The Toyota story has been in the news for a month, and Toyota owners and others have had plenty of time to educate themselves about what to do in such emergencies.

If the guy could weave in and out of traffic, he could make his way to the emergency lane and coast in neutral without shutting down the engine.

[NYC_SKP]

60. There's a neutral position on the shifter that may or may not work under all circumstances.

I'm thinking that under these circumstances the damn thing is worthless, that something is over-riding it's functionality.

OTOH, some suspect LA dude is bullshitting and just got caught speeding and made up this story.

Such is LA.

And, on occasion, Florida.

:P

[Gold Metal Flake]

29. But... but... but... emergency brake has emergency in the name!

Parking brake? What is that?

[NYC_SKP]

32. I checked the manual, it says "Parking Brake". Doesn't work very well anyway. n/t

[Gold Metal Flake]

38. It's simply a mechanical application of the rear brakes.

That's all it is. Good for parking and for making quick 180s.

[EOTE]

40. They have flying Priuses now? My god, Toyota really is ahead of the game. NT.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. Faked acceleration followed by severe injury might net the faker a bigbux settlement

Faked acceleration followed by a safe landing won't get anyone very much. I doubt many people are so desperate as to ride their Toyota very fast into a telephone pole.

[Walk away]

18. If this really is so likely to happen that people are actually afraid to drive...

in front of a Toyota and it affects models going back years, shouldn't there be loads of evidence regarding these accidents through insurance companies?

I know they can get reported as sticking pedals and older drivers but shouldn't even those incidents be hundreds of times that of all the other car companies if five, ten, twenty million Toyotas have this problem? Wouldn't an industry that lives and dies by statistics have some indication that Toyotas are more likely to have accidents that other brands?

[hlthe2b]

19. Panic? Perhaps it was not possible to put the car in neutral?

Fear of losing control if he put the car in neutral. I find it difficult to fathom how you would believe someone would fake a 90+mph run for 20 minutes on a potentially crowded interstate highway, shadowed by state patrol=just to recoup some $$ from Toyota. Sounds rather suicidal to me.

[HughMoran]

20. There are going to be lots of arguments back and forth, but 52 dead is a big number

It's difficult to argue with such a large number of alleged cases.

[Walk away]

21. If they were actually proven it would be a lot harder to argue.

I think that's the point of the O.P.

[HughMoran]

22. Somewhat difficult to ask dead people what happened

Ya know?

Somebody determined that these cases were likely uncontrolled acceleration - perhaps after the fact examining the car. I don't know all the evidence, do you?

[Walk away]

24. That is true but it's somewhat wrong to place blame when you don't..

know if your accusations are all or partly true. That is why they are being investigated.

But who am I to insist on some sort of evidence.

[HughMoran]

26. Dunno

But I feel no particular inclination to defend Toyota.

[CreekDog]

43. If they were proven you wouldn't need to use your head

and weigh the evidence at hand.

is the default to blame the driver? really?

[Walk away]

51. Of course not but you have no idea how many of those deaths were...

caused by driver error or something wrong with the cars. You also don't know what is wrong with any or all of the cars involved.

Over five million cars were recalled. I am not saying that any deaths are acceptable. And I am not saying that if there is a problem with five million cars that they shouldn't all be fixed. I am just saying that you have no idea how many of these cars are defective.

I think if five million cars had this problem there would be a lot more incidents. It just seems odd to me. I am not surprised this is a big blogger topic and subject to all kinds of wild speculation. I am more interested in what the government investigation turns up.

My father had an accelerator pedal problem in his Honda Accord eight months ago. In order to stop the car he had to side swipe a police car and run into a brick wall. The car was totaled, the airbags deployed and he walked away. No one has mentioned Honda having problems and there is no proof as to whether it was his age or the car at fault. You can decide for yourself but your guess is as good as mine. It's just a guess.

[frazzled]

37. That number is over 10 years (and you're right, they're "alleged"

That's about 5 per year. And not yet confirmed what the cause really was. I don't find that an alarming number in the least, especially given the huge number of Toyotas on the roads. As well as the number of fatal accidents that occur every year. I mean, the Camry was the number one selling car in America for quite some time. Odd we didn't notice them veering out of control all over the place.

I'm not saying there aren't some odd problems, but this story is being hyped to an unusual degree.

[Walk away]

53. I agree. Maybe Michael Jackson could die again and pick up..

some of the "blame" slack.

[erpowers]

61. Not What I am Talking About

I am not questioning the first cases that came out. I am willing to accept that something happened in that cases. I am questioning the recent cases. I wonder if certain people, realizing that Toyota may have to pay out large sums of money, might try to claim their car accelerated so they can be included in the class action suits.

[hlthe2b]

28. The premise of this thread reminds me of the reaction

we constantly hear--the drumbeats--from the RW on medical malpractice lawsuits and the obsessive fixation on liability reform, when it has been shown to comprise only about 2% or so of rising health care costs. Their immediate assumption that a signficant proportion of these lawsuits are unwarranted and based on grifters gaming the system (despite published data on the major problem of increasing medical errors) is behind their attitudes.


The ongoing investigation of 52 deaths linked to one of these (now recalled) vehicles along with initial law enforcement accident reports that suggest they may be related is pretty compelling--ultimately enough so to force Toyota to instigate these recalls after refusing for so long.

I have constantly heard from people who reflect back to cars of years ago, in terms of how to handle an out of control acceleration issue. They harken back to cars that were not even computerized. Some of these current cars don't even have keyed ignition systems. So, to assume that all these drivers in various models of Toyotas are just fools or grifters out for the money is just amazing to me. Maybe if they were low speed, I might wonder, but who--beyond a stunt driver--wants to run at speeds exceeding 90 mph on a crowded freeway? That is beyond insane.

[sufrommich]

30. +1 . There are an amazing number of posters bending over

backwards to defend this non union, multi national corporation as if it were the Peace Corps.

[erpowers]

67. Reply To Actual Post

It would have been nice if you would have replied to the actual post that I wrote. Nowhere in my post did I claim that the first cases were fake cases. Nowhere in my post did I claim all the people suing Toyota were "grifters gaming the system". I did not even bring up the first cases. My whole post was about the latest incidences of unintended acceleration. The whole point of my post was whether are not the most recent cases, showcased by the guy in California, were faking unintended acceleration in an effort to be a part of any class action lawsuit.

As to your second point noone is harkening back the the yester years of cars. It has been proven on numerous occasions that even in computerized Toyotas putting the car into neutral will cause the car to slow down and eventually stop moving. One of my points was why did this guy, after probably hearing information about putting his car into neutral, not put the car into neutral, especially since he supposedly said he was trying to do everything to stop the car.

[Renew Deal]

35. The cop stated that the guy was standing on the break and that he could smell the breaks.

Also, you figure this whole thing out while doing 90+ in traffic.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

39. Just yesterday "Toyota Prius Mishap Stuns Harrison, N.Y."

Just seems suspicious to me that there seems to be such convenient timing with these recent events.


HARRISON, N.Y. (CBS) ―

It was another day, another problem for Toyota -- the latest incident involved its line of Prius cars an unintended acceleration. One of the incidents happened here in New York, the other on the West Coast. CBS 2 HD heard the local driver's anguished 911 call as he tried to slow his speeding car.

The potential Prius problem happened in Harrison, when a housekeeper left her driveway Tuesday morning.

"She came out of the car, and started accelerating and she couldn't stop it," homeowner Joseph Leff said.

The 2005 model shot across the street and smashed into a stone wall, ruining the front end.

"It's hard for us to determine whether it was a stuck accelerator or whether or not the vehicle accelerated for some other reason," Harrison Police Capt. Anthony Marracini said.

continued here

http://wcbstv.com/local/toyota.prius.stuck.2.1549412.html

[CreekDog]

42. The dead family faked it so well, I'm sure their estate will win millions

it's just that...:wtf:

[erpowers]

65. Not What I Said

I was refering to the recent cases of unintended acceleration. I am not questioning the first cases. I am questioning the recent cases that have come up after it was announced that Toyota most likely will have to deal with a major class action lawsuit.

As I said in this recent case the guy said he was doing everything to stop the car, but when the police officer told him to pull up the emergency brake the driver did and the car slowed down. If the guy was doing everything to stop the car why did he not pull up the emergency brake or put the car into neutral. I did not mention any of the older cases. It is easy to believe that before this story broke people did not know that putting your car into neutral would eventually bring the car to a stop. I did not learn that fact until the Toyota story broke. However, since the story broke I have heard that piece of information many times. So, I wonder how or if there are really any individuals who are not aware of the fact that they can put the car into neutral.

[CreekDog]

46. If you don't quit this, I'm gonna say that word "Nazis"

I'm warning you. :evilgrin:

[Omaha Steve]

48. A few could be fakes after $

But also consider once the news hit, people started to report past problems. Marta and I used to own a 1970 Ford LTD wagon. We experienced a problem many others had. It popped out of park and into reverse while idling in the driveway. I almost was injured. So was the neighbor across the street. We never did report the problem even though I believe Ford did a recall for it.

Since the reports have grown, some could be fakes. I really doubt the majority are. People are just aware and reporting. And the news services know a hot story and are reporting on the events more often.

Again several could be fakes. I just doubt by numbers it is a large percentage.

OS

[tammywammy]

68. +1

That's exactly what I think. It's just that people didn't report it before and NOW realize they should.

[bridgit]

50. Oh, perhaps, but that is a paper thin distinction - you need to have crushed...

your Prius and self enough to wheel a bloody drool stained hospital gurney into the courtroom, but not so fast you slap your head so hard on something even harder so that you're no longer able to count, or more importantly: enjoy the money from your settlement

[MicaelS]

52. FUCK NO! and Unrecommended too! n/t

[WolverineDG]

54. yeah, this guy was so fake he got a cop to be his accomplice

it was the cop who saw him STAND on his brakes to get the car to stop, ffs.

:eyes:

Toyota is taking a well-deserved beating for this.

dg

[Bluerthanblue]

70. it's been reported that Sikes is an ex-cop himself,

he also has been accused of some questionable business dealings.

He's purported to be a Corvette owner, and we're supposed to believe he's stupid enough to think putting a runaway car in neutral would make it 'flip'- WTF?

the guy is either incredibly ignorant, or thinks we are.

:shrug:

(curious how this incident happened on the same road that an ACTUAL 'run-away' (due to floor mats) killed a fellow Policeman....

[Hepburn]

71. Links??? n/t

[Therellas]

56. it really seems like a repub wet dream huh....

oh the latte spilling implications.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

59. I wonder what would happen if I were on the freeway and

then stepped on the Parking Brakes and at the same time step on the gas? I'll bet their would be A LOT of smoke.

Of course since I like my car, I won't be doing this.

[Romulox]

64. What precisely do you think doing this would accomplish?

(Be specific--don't just say "cash in on the Toyota sudden acceleration problems!) :shrug:

[conscious evolution]

66. Fake meme more likely

All those frivolous lawsuits against fine upstanding corporations who never consider their bottom line when peoples safety is a concern should never see the light of day.