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Another runaway Prius???

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JechtShot

JechtShot

Senior member
Feb 18, 2007
326
0
0
AMDZen said:
LOL all of this just cracks me up personally. People are dumb
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I don't know what to think. Seems fishy that all these reports are popping up one by one right after the recall. I'll wait for more evidence/findings before I make a final judgement.
 
videogames101

videogames101

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2005
6,783
27
91
"Reached speeds of 94 MPH" - I know the prius sucks, but surely it could do better with a maxed out throttle.

+

"I was too scared to shift into neutral" - Right, unless your pants on head retarded, you'd know shifting into neutral will not flip your car.

+

"Slowed down to 50 mph after applying parking brake and brakes at the same time." WTF?

=

Scam
 
H

hans007

Lifer
Feb 1, 2000
20,212
18
81
Sea Moose said:
Look at his shifty eyes:hmm:


I got the vibe he is lying. Just the way could talk on the phone and drive the car at the same time. Stupid person
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i read he was a real estate agent, who given the real estate market is probably broke now since no one is buying.

that said, i'm assuming 98% of real estate agents are scumbags so the shifty eyes could just be normal.


i also have to say that unlike the camry the prius is sold world wide and all of them are built in japan and we are not hearing thse stories from japan or canada. they have tons of priuses in japan . Shouldnt people be dying left and right? I think they only sell our american style here and the middle east...
 
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K

KDKPSJ

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2002
3,288
58
91
I don't know. New gen Prius has been sold for a while, not much issue so far. Then Toyota recalls it and boom, problem happens. Is it Sony timer or what?

I just don't get it, honestly. But one thing for sure, people will start to blame their Toyota for everything. "Hey, my son got F on exam! He drives Camry, so it's Toyota's fault!"
 
kalrith

kalrith

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2005
6,628
7
81
bignateyk said:
yeah, ive had this happen on other cars (going just a few mph over what i set it to). In my RAV4, I will be going along at my cruising speed, and the cruise will suddenly just floor it for no apparent reason. It has only happened maybe twice since I bought it. Last time I had it set to 60 and it decided to go to >70 before I disengaged the cruise control.
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This used to happen in my wife's Mazda MX-3. The cruise would be working just fine, and then all of a sudden it would stomp the gas and accelerate 10-15 mph until I disengaged the cruise. It didn't do that for the first couple years we had the car, and then happened more and more the last year we had it.

It sounds to me like there's a problem with your cruise and not a problem with your accelerator getting stuck. If it were the latter, then disengaging the cruise would not stop the car's acceleration.
 
M

M0RPH

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2003
3,302
1
0
Anonemous said:
Yea on the tape, when the operator tells him to put it into neutral, he doesn't comply and just says "I'm just trying to control the car."

Then he says he doesn't want the car to flip.

Then he changes to I don't want it in reverse.
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I really don't see these two as inconsistent. I can see someone thinking that if the car went into reverse the gears would cause the wheels to lock and possibly flip the car. I'm sure many people have scary ideas about what would happen if they threw their shifter into reverse while going at high speeds.
 
H

hans007

Lifer
Feb 1, 2000
20,212
18
81
zoiks said:
Don't know why this is news. He was leasing the Prius so he'd have to give it back anyway.
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according to thetruthaboutcars.com he was also previously owner of an SL55 AMG 2007 model which was repo'd and a member of the corvette owners club and had $700k in debt.

He also had made several false insurance claims before.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/fox-is-sikes-a-balloon-boy/

The fact that he said he couldnt put it in neutral and was part of the corvette owners club (which apparently is disowning him for not being able to drive a prius haha) is pretty telling. Not to mention he apparently knew how to drive several motorcycles and an SL55 amg which has like 500+ hp. He is a fraud.
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
There is a dealer here that caters to minorites, Earl Stewart...he runs spanish commercials and even creole during prime time.

He is selling these cars still...I am sure they are being sold *wink wink* with a free lawsuit option.

We have a ton of toyota owners in our county stirring the lawsuit pot now.
 
Pliablemoose

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
http://jalopnik.com/5492199/exclusive-ex+business-partner-claims-runaway-prius-driver-a-scammer

William Sweet says he went into business with Sikes, together opening up a paralegal services company called "AAA California Aid" in 1997. Sweet operated the main office and Sikes ran one in Los Banos, California. Sweet alleges numerous incidents of fraud and theft involving Sikes led him to dissolve their partnership, including an incident in which Sikes sent an employee to break into the main office to steal payment records.
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Sikes filed for bankruptcy in 2008, and the Prius is his sole remaining car.

He tells USA TODAY that, while he hopes to get a replacement car out of this ordeal, he isn't planning to sue Toyota or otherwise profit. "You had to be there. People can second-guess all they want, but you can't live a life until you've lived it."

Bankruptcy court records show that in 2008, Toyota was listed as a $19,000 creditor, the value of the leased Prius, which has to be returned.

His total debt was $700,000, and he has had a Mercedes, a boat and a motor home repossessed. The bank also took back a 2007 Dodge Ram, leaving him and his wife with just the Prius.

While Sikes is current on his lease payments, he has to give the car back in a few months, which would leave him carless
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Dude is a scammer...
 
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arcenite

arcenite

Lifer
Dec 9, 2001
10,660
7
81
helpme said:
More bogus info about this dude...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/03/13/national/a212256S21.DTL
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It is amazing to me how everyone becomes Pythagoras in threads like these. There are so many different variables.

1.) Just because the cop smelled brakes doesn't mean the driver wasn't on the gas and brake at the same time on his own. This doesn't prove the absence of any foul play.

2.) Just because a technician could get the fail safe to work correctly doesn't mean the software system of the Prius that the driver was driving didn't go hay wire (this term seems awfully appropriate).

3.) Lots of manufacturers (if not all by now) use drive by wire. The technology is not at fault, the implementers are.

4.) Toyota doesn't even seem like they know what the problems are caused by, what makes you arm chair mechanics think you know better than them?

5.) The 'B' on the shifter does not disable anything, it engages the electrical braking.

6.) Friends do not let friends drive Toyotas.
 
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alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
What I think is funny as fuck is many of the toyota bashers were fanboys...it's pretty sad how loyalty to a brand is so fleeting.
 
arcenite

arcenite

Lifer
Dec 9, 2001
10,660
7
81
alkemyst said:
What I think is funny as fuck is many of the toyota bashers were fanboys...it's pretty sad how loyalty to a brand is so fleeting.
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The funny is not found in this one. People are loyal to companies that they have good experience with. Once that experience changes, people look to do better.
 
Pliablemoose

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
arcenite said:
Toyotas.
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http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/12/toyota-autos-hoax-media-opinions-contributors-michael-fumento.html

alkemyst said:
What I think is funny as fuck is many of the toyota bashers were fanboys...it's pretty sad how loyalty to a brand is so fleeting.
Click to expand...

Dude, Toyotas will kill you, particularly if you're over 60 or an immigrant...

While Ive never been a Toyota fan, this knee jerk reaction shit just pisses me off, its just plain stupid now.
 
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