nthach

Go watch Eraser, when Ahnold parks the limo full of crooked cops into the train tracks and tells them when the train is about to take them out "you've just been erased."

LexFather

Love that movie. Vanessa Williams ftw!

TRDFantasy

How can you be so sure this is actually "a problem"? The "problem" could simply be an idiot driver who put himself into a dangerous situation due to driver error.

Media is being influenced by the govt and Obama Motors. Obama Motors and Chrysler being partly owned by the govt makes it a direct conflict of interest for them to be involved here, for example holding the Congressional hearings with Toyota executives.

It's in the interest of Obama Motors and Chrysler for Toyota to struggle.

This also distracts much of the public in the US from other issues/situations the govt may be involved in, like the health care reform, or ethics controversy Democrats are facing, with several Democrats resigning or giving up their Congress seats due to scandals.

IS350jet

What a total nonsense 911 call. The guy is clearly a bumbling IDIOT!!!!!!

GS69

Toyota Dealer Group Peeved Over Tax $ Use for GM Incentives Targeted @ Toyota Dealers

Recently, General Motors has been offering special buying incentives specifically tailored to steer people away from Toyota and Lexus dealerships, and even get current Toyota owners out of their cars. And while most people look at this as just a clever marketing technique to promote other automakers in the wake of Toyota's recall wound, a group of dealers are none too happy about the marketing campaign. What's more, because the U.S. government currently owns a 60 percent stake in GM, Toyota dealers have made accusations that American taxpayer dollars are being used to fund these incentives.

The Toyota National Dealer Council, which represents approximately 1,250 Toyota dealers across the United States, claims that using taxpayer dollars for this purpose is "reckless, unfair and detrimental to the entire auto industry." And while we believe it's a potentially rational argument for the TNDC to make, we must remember that no specific evidence has been presented to completely prove their point. GM may be mostly owned by the U.S. government, but it's still an autonomous company, and no one can say for sure if its marketing decisions are, in any way, influenced by the officials in Washington, D.C. Hit the jump to read the entire TNDC press release.

spwolf

as if that matters at all... media reports only part of it... WSJ article posted right now said how "officer told him to put the car to neutral or turn it off but driver made move with his head indicating that he could not turn off the car or put it into the neutral"

yet same driver on press conference said that he did NOT WANT to put it into neutral or turn it off.

so media is still doing their thing intentionally.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Another stuck accelerator Prius in NY.
No doubt there will be more reports.

Second runaway Prius

Last Update: 7:22 am

NEW YORK, NY -- The very day after a man in a runaway Prius had to enlist the help of the California Highway Patrol to stop his vehicle, a woman in New York says she smashed into a stone wall because of a stuck accelerator in her Toyota Prius.

The woman says she was pulling out of her her driveway, facing forward when the accelerator stuck.

The car "shot" across the street, smashing into a stone wall and sent some stone boulders falling and flying, according to a police report.

The acting police chief said the floor mat has been pretty much ruled out as a cause, because it was tied to the seat base with plastic ties.

The police chief says the woman's story seems to be accurate.

"The circumstances that involve this particular case ..as she was exiting a long, windy driveway. It doesn't appear that she would have been accelerating to the point where she could make the turns in the driveway..you know a windy exit. it just seems to been consistent with what she says. If another vehicle was coming, or other vehicles were on purchase street-- and she hit them- the result could have been devastating," said acting police chief.

The 56-year old driver was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

REPORTED BY NBC






http://www.wptv.com/content/news/top...HvFHBEe6w.cspx

LexFather

This guy needs to have his license revoked FOREVER.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

How hard is it to understand that if you step on the "brake" and the card goes FORWARD it isn't the brake?

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

driver is the weakest link no mater how technologically advanced a car is. A stupid driver will always find a way to negate or bypass safety features and emergency manuevers: like not wanting to shift to neutral because they are scared the car will flip over or they will get rear ended. Grats at defeating the primary emergency maneuver. There is no solution to this other than driver training. Good freaking luck with that.

Part of Sikes 911 call:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IdJqG07orA

IS-SV

Agreed, I watched 2 clips on 2 different local tv stations as he was interviewed and he mentioned that he was "afraid to put the car in neutral because he might put it into reverse". But he had time to make a 911 call and do who knows what else.

*Batman*

Another one today in New York. Prius. Low speed impact.

I think this is going to happen every day now. If I was a desperate poor person, laid off due to the recession, and if I didn't have any savings and was unable to make car or mortgage payments, and if I have a Toyota, I might start seeing $$$ signs.

This is a free for all for the poor, the bankrupt or the opportunist.

-J-P-L-

It's true. They all see lucrative lawsuits. This guy in Cali yesterday made news a few years ago by winning the lottery and he had said that he played heavily before the win. These are the very people who are in a constant search for a quick fix. Nevermind that he was in real estate which historically is the quickest way to achieve wealth (outside of the entertainment industry).

nthach

Or selling yourself on the corner...

flipside909

Here's a demonstration done by a Prius owner shortly after the stupid San Diego incident. This demo shows that Sikes guy a complete fraud:

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/9...video/11407344

This gives me an idea...I should do this on the RX450h sometime soon.