Are Toyotas Safety Problems Accelerating?
On the same day Toyota was trying to reassure the public of its safety, another driver claimed his Prius was accelerating out of control. The beleaguered automaker called the press to its U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif. Toyota experts offered evidence that the acceleration problems with their cars were mechanical and not electronic. “We have found no signs that electronics have anything to do with unintended accleration,” explained Toyota’s Mike Michaels. Driver Can’t Stop His Prius However, just a short distance south, one Prius was said to be speeding out of control. After the driver called 9-1-1, a California Highway Patrol officer pulled up alongside. “I could tell he was physically trying to break and the vehicle was barely slowing down. And then I noticed it would accelerate again and we were up to 90 miles per hour,” CHP Officer Todd Neibert recalled. “It got down to 55 and I pushed the button and shut it off and it didn’t shut off,” Prius owner/driver James Sikes claimed.
