http://www.10news.com/news/22804088/detail.html This is a San Diego story from yesterday about Mr Sikes financial problems. The information is already covered in another thread. I tried to delete the topic but was unable to do so , sorry. Here is a couple more up to date links on the same subject. http://jalopnik.com/5491101/did-bankrupt-runaway-prius-driver-fake-unintended-acceleration http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2010-03-12-prius12_ST_N.htm
This is 'fair use' with references to the original source. Well done! The quote I like is: Plus nearly 800,000 USA Prius owners and over 1,000,000 Toyota hybrid owners. This also clears up ownership of the leased car. He doesn't own it, Toyota does, and he reported it 'broke.' I suspect the lease agreement, at most, allows Toyota to give him a substitute vehicle while the leased vehicle is being 'repaired.' Bob Wilson
It's called attack the messenger. Discredit Mr. Sikes, and there really is no problem, right? Seeing what has been bandied about on Mr. Sikes I tend to think that Toyota has deployed its PR attack dogs on the man. I'm not Mr. Sikes defender, but I've seen some pretty heinous things written about him that have nothing to do with Toyota's earlier decision to not follow NHTSA recommendations and to avoid responsibility. So, this looks perhaps like another avoidance technique. Unfortunately, in this scenario, I don't think it's a Hollywood problem where any news is good news; I think Toyota should let this go away ASAP to get rid of the bad publicity.
That statement assumes that the messenger is telling the truth. In this case, that has not been proven due to many question he raised.
I do not like the attacks that have been launched against Mr. Sikes. In this case, however, I do not believe it is an attempt to prove that there is no problem with any Toyota vehicles. I believe that the attacks are meant to prove that there isn't a problem with HIS Toyota vehicle.
Here's my issue: I read where he reached down to pull back the accelerator pedal and it wouldn't budge. Without a floor mat issue, what else prevents the pedal from moving? I thought it was just a switch that moves up and down sending a signal to the computer that controls acceleration, and there were no other parts that could get stuck. Is there some other way for that specific pedal to hang up while driving fast then return to normal operation when someone else wants to reproduce the incident???...
A Messenger is a person or thing that carries a message. What message is Mr Sikes carrying? Attempting to evade your debts by fraudulently implying defects in a product is not carrying a message, it is generating that message. We are accusing Mr Sikes of not being a messenger, but a dead beat verging on an extortionist. If we were attacking his lawyer, we would be attacking the messenger. The ultimate truth of Toyota's possible equipment defects is independent of efforts to game the system by Mr. Sikes.
As a retired law enforcement officer, I must inject that the source of any information(messinger) must be, and is always examined. There are too many instances where the "informant" spouse committed the crime; a volunteer firefighter set and reported the fire; how many times is embezzled money reported as stolen? In most instances, there is more to the story than first reported..... little omitted details that put an entirely different perspective on the issue. The extent of tort litigation in the US always causes one to question the motives. Every day we see adds on TV ... attorney asking ... have you suffered this or that? you may be due money. I could easily believe that Mr. Sikes, reportedly in financial distress, saw this as a way to join a class-action suit. In my mind, the media is the greater culprit. They ran with an uninvestigated report and convicted the manufacturer on the spot. The most damaging aspect is that media retractions are not "good press" and if they occur at all, they are back page news.
And if the accelerator pedal was already in the fully "relaxed" idle position..? As well as it might be if it was the cruise control system that was in "runaway" mode, thought the "set/accel" function was active. Anyone yet seen the latest report, more detailed report, from the CHP officer involved in the Sikes incident...? Very telling, that.
From Associated Press: The Associated Press: Authorities: Prius seen with flashing brake lights The article quotes CHP Officer Neibert's official report that he saw Sikes' Prius brake lights come on and off like he was pumping the brakes.
I knew he was full of crap the minute I saw it, but then again I owe him a steak dinner, he made me famous on youtube.
That's interesting...b/c the article Malorn posted in another thread says the report supported Sikes' story...but that article didn't mention the pumping of the brakes like this one does. Quote from the above article: Malorn's referenced article: No mention of flashing lights. Would like to see the full 7 page report text.
