Feds: Runaway N.Y. Prius Did Not Have Brakes Applied
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2010/...rakes-applied/

NHTSA statement indicates 'runaway' Prius had open throttle, but driver was not stepping on the brakes.

A day after technicians from Toyota and the National Highway and Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) were in Harrison, N.Y., collecting data from a Toyota Prius that allegedly crashed due to sudden unintended acceleration, a statement from the federal agency indicates that their findings contradict the driver's version of events, but does not necessarily rule out a mechanical malfunction.

According to NHTSA, "information retrieved from the vehicle's onboard computer systems indicated there was no application of the brakes and the throttle was fully open." A spokesperson from NHTSA would not elaborate on the statement.

In interviews with the Harrison Police Department after the crash, the driver said that she believed she stepped on the brakes after the car lurched forward as she was pulling out of a driveway, sending her across two lanes of traffic into a stone wall at an estimated 40 mph. The car was damaged, but the woman escaped serious injury.

The black box data recorder in the 2005 model year Prius involved in the incident stores information on the position of the brake and throttle pedals at the time of an impact and just after, but not before as newer versions of the technology do. While the NHTSA findings could mean that the driver was pressing the accelerator instead of the brakes as reported, they do not rule out the possibility that that the brakes were applied in the split second before the crash happened, or that the accelerator pedal itself was stuck.

When reached for comment, a Toyota spokesperson responded via e-mail that "the Harrison Police Dept. has jurisdiction in this case. We will await their official report."

Captain Anthony Marraccini, acting police chief of Harrison, told Foxnews.com that "it is premature and irresponsible to release any information until the investigation is complete."

Prior to the NHTSA announcement, Marraccini told Fox News that, due to media pressure, he his hoping to release the police department's analysis of the data by Monday.

同省によると、２００７年１月から０９年１２月末までに、利用者から寄せられた全車種の不具合情報のうち、「急発進・急加速・暴走」に関する情報は１３４件で、トヨタ車は３８件（２８．３％）あった。すべての乗用・貨物車に占めるトヨタ車のシェアは２７．８％（０８年度）で、前原国交相は「保有台数に見合った割合。特にクレームが多いということではない」ともみている。

Have you driven a Toyota lately?

I have owned or driven a few Toyota. All of them are really good and reliable cars. However, the experiences of buying these cars are different stories. Each time I walked into a Toyota dealer I was always greeted by an arrogant car salesman who told me Toyota built the best car on the planet and to take what's been offered or go somewhere else. These experiences and attitudes have driven me away from Toyota dealers recently.

Yesterday, amid the bad publicity Toyota received due to problems related to UAS (Un-attended Acceleration Syndrom) and car mats, I decided to pay the Toyota dealer a visit just as an after thought after already visited Lexus, Infinity, Acura, Nissan, Caddilac, and Honda dealers. Oh my! how the tide has turned. The moment we (my other half) walked thru the show room door, we were greeted with a big smile and received a royal treatment during the entire visit that includes picking the car we want, test drive it, and immediately receiving an offer sheet just too good to pass. An after-thought became a reality when we walked out the dealer last night with the car. Here is the deal: $5K below the MSRP and 0% financing for 60 months to boot for a Venza.

The 0% interest will be expired on April 5, so anyone who needs to shop for a car right now, don't forget to include Toyota on your short list.