這個Sikes肯定是豐田花錢買的托了

日本鬼子大大的狡猾。



Investigators raise questions in Prius incident
Issa aide: Doubt cast on man’s story
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.

Investigators with Toyota Motor Corp. and the federal government were unable to make a Toyota Prius speed out of control as its owner said it did on a San Diego County freeway, according to a draft memorandum obtained yesterday by The Associated Press that casts doubt on the driver’s story.

James Sikes, 61, who was on his way home to Jacumba Monday on Interstate 8, called 911 to report losing control of his Prius as the hybrid reached speeds of 94 mph. A California Highway Patrol officer helped Sikes bring the vehicle to a safe stop in East County. Sikes said afterward that he hit the brakes hard and kept the pedal down as the car sped.

During two hours of test drives of Sikes’ car Thursday, technicians with Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration failed to duplicate the same experience that Sikes described, according to the memo prepared for the House Oversight Committee and Government Reform.

“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 memo said. “… It does not appear to be feasibly possible, both electronically and mechanically that his gas pedal was stuck to the floor and he was slamming on the brake at the same time.”

The findings raise questions about “the credibility of Mr. Sikes’ reporting of events,” said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for state Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista, the top Republican on the House committee, which is looking into the incident.

Sikes, a real estate agent, filed for bankruptcy in San Diego County in 2008. “I’m in real estate, and most Realtors file bankruptcy. I’m human, I’ve had conflicts with my past business partner and I’ve had things happen in my life. But I’m not making up this story,” he told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Wednesday.

Sikes could not be reached to comment yesterday. However, his wife, Patty Sikes, said he stands by his story.

“Jim didn’t get hurt. There’s no intent at all to sue Toyota. If any good can come out of this, maybe they can find out what happened so other people don’t get killed,” she told AP, adding that they are getting death threats.

The brakes on the Prius also did not show wear consistent with having been applied at full force at high speeds for a long period, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing three people familiar with the probe, whom it did not name. The newspaper said the brakes may have been applied intermittently.

Toyota Corp. spokesman Mike Michels declined to confirm the Journal report and said the investigation was continuing.

Toyota has had to fend off intense public backlash over safety after recalls of some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide — more than 6 million in the United States — because of acceleration and floor mat problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius. Regulators have linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems.

In August, CHP Officer Mark Saylor and three family members died in a crash in Santee. A floor mat in the Lexus that Saylor was driving may have jammed the accelerator.

所有跟帖： 

• 美國的法律流氓多得是 -biglow- ♂ (56 bytes) () 03/14/2010 postreply 09:17:21

• the most trusted in Asia are Chinese and China. -jingwei-wang- ♂ (0 bytes) () 03/14/2010 postreply 11:26:38

• Agree. The most trusted in Asia are Chinese and China -jingwei-wang- ♂ (0 bytes) () 03/14/2010 postreply 11:36:02