Another run-away Prius

KendtEklund · **Joined:** Tue Mar 27, 2007 7:29 pm **Posts:** 1204

Well, I just experienced this in my 87 Prelude.

I need to check if the carpet or throttle linkage was the culprit, but I went WOT on a lane-change pass and noticed 'hey - I'm still accelerating right at that car in front of me'
The brakes easily overpowered the acceleration, and gave me a sec to hook my toe under the gas pedal and pull up.

No 911 call required!

Can I sue Honda now?

Michael Westerfield · **Posted:** Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:01 pm

KendtEklund wrote:

Well, I just experienced this in my 87 Prelude.

I need to check if the carpet or throttle linkage was the culprit, but I went WOT on a lane-change pass and noticed 'hey - I'm still accelerating right at that car in front of me'
The brakes easily overpowered the acceleration, and gave me a sec to hook my toe under the gas pedal and pull up.

No 911 call required!

Can I sue Honda now?

Good thing yours didn't have vtaks... It would have been unstopable like Chuck Norris.

Kevin Hoff · **Posted:** Sat Mar 13, 2010 12:37 am

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

Todd Breakey wrote:

A report that I saw last night said that Mr. Soles might just be looming for a little cash. Turns out he filed for bankruptcy recently and is somewhere in the neighorborhood of $700,000 in debt.

My question about his situation though is this...He claims to have "yanked up on the parking brake.". I know what happens when I have yanked the parking brake in a front wheel drive car at speed. The rear brakes locked up. Every time. But I didn't see any skid marks behind his Prius. Curious, no?

Sounds like it's all taken from the Audi-shakedown-playbook circa 1985. I guess 25 years is long enough to recycle the idea for round 2.

Japolnik (of all places) is gathering all sorts of circumstantial evidence that this guy is a scammer; trying at the least to get a free car out of the deal. Having driven a prius, it's a SERIOUSLY gutless car. There is NO way the engine+motor is more powerful than the brakes. Not having seen the Japolnik article, I mentioned to a co-worker a few days ago that I thought the guy was busted for speeding and started making up the story to try to get out of a $$$$$ ticket. Looks like I might have been more right than I thought...

Bernie Baake · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:41 am

two years ago at laurinburg my throttle jammed wide open after entering the "P". I'm not quite sure but it felt like the miata was still accelerating untill I switched it off. I do know there was a hell of a lot of smoke from locked wheels (fronts). Les Davis and I inspected the car and found the after market rug to be the culprit. I cured that with a knife. I was able to stop the car in about seventy feet from where the turn in was. I was 66 years old at the time of the run away so the age thing is BS....how ever the litigious california AH in the prius has a lot of explaining to do now.

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:48 am

I suppose the guy wasn't keen to the built-in data recording in cars these days? Now that memory is dirt cheap and shakedown crap like this is happening, I suppose we can expect 8Gig of memory in these systems in the future to store tons of data.

Quote:

The automaker said Monday that it found Sikes rapidly pressed the gas and brakes back and forth 250 times, the maximum amount of data that the car's self-diagnostic system can collect. That account appears to contradict Sikes' statements — backed by the California Highway Patrol — that he slammed the brakes, even lifting his buttocks off the seat.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100316/ap_on_bi_ge/us_runaway_prius_60

Matt McGrain · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 9:55 am

Sounds like this guy is going to be joining the ranks of the hot air balloon dad, Milli Vanili, Madoff, Keyser Soze, etc...

$700k in debt? Good god!

Jason Mauldin · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 9:57 am

Matt McGrain wrote:

$700k in debt?

Isn't that a typical house value in California?

steve remchak · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 10:22 am

Matt McGrain wrote:

Sounds like this guy is going to be joining the ranks of the hot air balloon dad, Milli Vanili, Madoff, Keyser Soze, etc...

$700k in debt? Good god!

i know custom home builders looking at $2M these days. sleep is highly over-rated.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:36 pm

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100316/ap_on_bi_ge/us_runaway_prius_60

Quote:

The company had no explanation for discrepancies with Sikes' account but confirmed the brakes were overheated and the pads worn.

I have an explanation! When you want to fake a run away Toyota, you have to ride the brakes some so those around you see the brake lights on. It also helps if you destroy the pads and rotors by riding them for 30 miles so you can claim you pushed the brakes hard.

It's all another example of how most criminals are stupid (didn't think the car's ECU would track his actions).

So while Toyota will not say it, I will. The guy is a fraud.

Aaron Buckley · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 7:52 pm

Richard Casto wrote:

So while Toyota will not say it, I will. The guy is a fraud.

I agree. - AB

steve remchak · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:18 pm

steve remchak wrote:

if it were anywhere other than the greater LA area.................... Pelosi probably is behind this.

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Another run-away Prius

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