Quotes of the day
posted at 10:51 pm on March 15, 2010 by Allahpundit
“We’re seeing the same pattern again today. Initial reports of a problem, followed by dozens of new reports ‘coming to light’ as people seek to blame their earlier accidents on sudden acceleration.
“Again, mysterious car components are at issue, this time, speculation of software or electronics going haywire. But if the problem is software, it is manifesting itself a lot like the Audi sudden acceleration did.
“The Los Angeles Times recently did a story detailing all of the NHTSA reports of Toyota ‘sudden acceleration’ fatalities, and, though the Times did not mention it, the ages of the drivers involved were striking.
“In the 24 cases where driver age was reported or readily inferred, the drivers included those of the ages 60, 61, 63, 66, 68, 71, 72, 72, 77, 79, 83, 85, 89—and I’m leaving out the son whose age wasn’t identified, but whose 94-year-old father died as a passenger.
“These ‘electronic defects’ apparently discriminate against the elderly, just as the sudden acceleration of Audis and GM autos did before them.”
***
“Prius owner Jim Sikes made national headlines last week with claims that his car’s accelerator got stuck as he sped up to pass a car while traveling on California’s I-8 highway outside of San Diego, and that he was unable to stop the car.
“‘As I was going, I was trying the brakes … and it just kept speeding up,’ he said.
“Sikes story is at odds with the findings of the investigation, according to Toyota and to a draft congressional memo obtained by CNN.
“‘While a final report is not yet complete, there are strong indications that the driver’s account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the preliminary analysis,’ Toyota said in a prepared statement.”
***
Blowback
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This is exactly what makes Obama’s vision for America politically viable. No dignity. No honor. Always looking for someone else to take clean up their messes. A nation of Julios.
spmat on March 16, 2010 at 1:23 AM
Meanwhile:
Sarah Palin: Obama Has Snookered You Again America!
Seems like remarks on Obama’s Offshore drilling ban, while giving his buddy Soros $10 billion to drill offshore in Brazil, deserves a listen.
Also, my guess is the problem with these Toyotas is a short circuit between the seat and the steering wheel.
If people are to stupid to get control of one of these underpowered little cars, then they should not be allowed to drive.
gary4205 on March 16, 2010 at 1:28 AM
So sayeth Goracle regarding said Jr’s bust for speeding in a Prius while stoned. “The NHSTA science is settled. It wasn’t the weed, but the ghost in the machine that did it.”
AH_C on March 16, 2010 at 1:30 AM
Try plastic cover over styrofoam. Bumpers on todays cars are designed to destruct at the slightest applied force.
docdave on March 16, 2010 at 2:10 AM
Car Talk had one where the car only had a problem after dinner on Sundays when they went to get ice cream. Furthermore, the problem only occurred when they got vanilla ice cream. No other flavor caused the problem.
Turns out the vanilla ice cream was in a special location close to the front of the store. The short time interval caused some problem in the engine starting up again.
pedestrian on March 16, 2010 at 2:52 AM
I assume you are speaking of the Firestone recall in 2000 involving Ford Explorers, not the one in 1978. Both, of course, have ample evidence laying the blame at the feet of Firestone and/or the manufacturers using Firestone.
First, Ford specified incorrect inflation values for Firestone tires in the Ford Explorer owner’s manual. Second was a known (to Ford and Firestone) of the Firestone’s behavior in high temperatures — Firestone deliberately did not recall tire models experiencing incidents of tread separation in Saudi Arabia because they would then have had to notify the NTSB and possibly recall the identical models being sold in the US.
Here’s the rather damning timeline.
Here’s another rather damning timeline.
It is interesting that the intersection of the problem involved Firestone and Ford vehicles. The Ford and Firestone families were close partners from the beginning of Ford’s automotive business, and the two families were related by marriage. Ford’s strong attachment to the Firestone brand continued even after the first Firestone recall, which so damaged that company that it was finally purchased at fire-sale prices by Japan’s Bridgestone, which then rebuilt the brand. Such a personal and long-term professional basis of relationship produces a level of protection (and consequent secrecy) which, I think, made both Firestone problems far more serious by the time they were finally surfaced and dealt with.
unclesmrgol on March 16, 2010 at 3:11 AM
fify
CND, A momentary undesirable condition occurred
BDU-33 on March 16, 2010 at 4:13 AM
I’m not up on auto mechanics,but I’ve got a question.
If the brakes on the Prius were unable to stop it,how were the brakes on the police car able to stop both cars?
There probably is a good explanation.I just don’t know it.
DDT on March 16, 2010 at 4:35 AM
Easy explanation DDT, he never tried to actually stop the junk.
No street legal vehicle has an engine powerful enough to over come the brakes. Not one.
Jim708 on March 16, 2010 at 5:25 AM
As a 26+ year Chrysler tech who has actually reverse engineered fuel injection code this whole thing stinks to high heaven.
To those throwing the idea out of “bad wiring” I’ll point out that it is almost impossible. Toyota (and other car makers) use dual hall effect digital circuits (not analog resistance) circuits that MUST agree with each other or they simply shut the party down.
No ifs, ands or buts.
I hate the feel of drive by wire cars but can’t say I have ever found them unsafe.
If a throttle gets stuck while driving you have options- Brakes, ignition key or shifting the car out of drive, hell even low one or low two will slow you down without blowing anything up.
Been there and done that.
gdonovan on March 16, 2010 at 5:55 AM
BURN THE PHONE LINES TODAY!!!!
http://www.redstate.com/california_yankee/2010/03/15/have-the-democrats-got-the-votes/
Today, we are told that four Democrats are changing their votes from “NO” to “YES” on Obamacare:
•Boccieri, OH – (202) 225-3876
•Altmire, PA – (202) 225-2565
•Gordon, TN – (202) 225-4231
•Baird, WA- (202) 225-3536
yoda on March 16, 2010 at 6:20 AM
I trust Toyota more than the media, which is ginning up a witchhunt to attract viewers and satisfy its liberal hatred of big companies.I just bought a Prius, precisely because all this media propaganda is artificially depressing the price below its true value. The Prius is an excellent car, rated excellent in every category by Consumer Reports, and is a very good deal when you examine the five year owner costs compared to regular cars. This phony media flap presents a buying opportunity for Toyota cars and Toyota stock. This \”stuck accelerator\” meme has been done before, twenty years ago, on another model of car. After the media pressed on, the government professionals found it was all user error, confused people stomping on the gas instead of the break. The media periodically whips up these phony stories, just like every three or four years we have a sudden epidemic of teen suicides, when no such epidemic exists.You can not trust the news.
Tantor on March 16, 2010 at 6:40 AM
If this turns out to be the baloon boy of snotty hybrids, I hope Mr. Sikes is prosecuted to the full extent of the law and charged for any damage he did to the police cruiser that “stopped” his runaway Prius. In the meantime, why is a deadbeat five months in arrears still driving a car in the first place?
highhopes on March 16, 2010 at 6:50 AM
Snort.. They also have no clue about shutting the engine off or where that parking brake thingy is.
katy the mean old lady on March 16, 2010 at 7:07 AM
I am surprised that nobody is talking about Sikes’ history, unless I missed it. He is $700,000 in debt, filed bankruptcy, filed a false insurance claim, ran a swingers website, etc.
dave742 on March 16, 2010 at 7:18 AM
In my best liberal lisp….. It’s wrong to be judgemental.
Seriously, those issues have been mentioned and more importanly, I suspect Sikes will eventually be charged with some crime even if it is fraudulent calling to 911. The tell for me was when Sikes wife claimed that he never had any intention of suing Toyota- he just wants to make sure people were safe. A scumbag with nearly 3/4 of $1M in debt would be the first to hire a lawyer to sue for $$$$.
The sad part- Congress bought this fraud hook, line, and sinker.
highhopes on March 16, 2010 at 7:38 AM
Runaway, speeding Priuses?
“…next thing he knew -well,no, it was more like thirty minutes later- Mr. Sikes was doing ninety miles an hour.”
Doorgunner on March 16, 2010 at 7:41 AM
Tell you what! I’ll do the media a service here and just report it as it is, based on the facts.
Jim Sikes is a lying sack of monkeycrap who has an extensive history of financial problems, and he is taking advantage of the current problems that Toyota is having by making up a bullsh*t story about the accelerator on his Prius going haywire so he can collect some nice fat setlement from the car manufacturer, even going as far as getting the police involved in the whole mess. The fact is that his story is not jiving with the evidence and it is just a matter of time before he finally caves and admits the whole thing is a hoax and a scam, meaning he will most likely be facing charges here, a potential defamation suit filed by Toyota, and jail time to boot.
Now what is there not to understand about all of this?
pilamaye on March 16, 2010 at 7:49 AM
dave742 on March 16, 2010 at 7:18 AM
YUP! The things that aren’t spoken about…
How about the Prius history????
At least it was enviromentally friendly. And he had some good, suburban kid dope on him, too.
IlikedAUH2O on March 16, 2010 at 7:49 AM
If your Prius is trying to kill you,and in your moment
of sheer terror,
has anyone thought of slipping the gearshift,into neutral?
canopfor on March 16, 2010 at 7:59 AM
In the recording of the Sikes’ 911 call, the operator several times instructed him to do exactly that. He later explained his unwillingness to do so as a result of fear that he would lose control if he took “one hand” off the steering wheel. Of course, one hand was holding his cell phone throughout his ‘ordeal’.
ProfessorMiao on March 16, 2010 at 8:14 AM
I am not going to buy anything made by Toyota.
kanda on March 16, 2010 at 8:17 AM
Obama needs to step in and nationalize all US based Toyota opera rations including the dealer networks.
Do it for the children Mr. President….for the children.
angryed on March 16, 2010 at 8:31 AM
In the hardware that I’m familiar with, valid sensor range is between X and Y ohm. A short or open is outside the valid range. When the software detects a reading outside the range it starts the emergency procedure, which would vary depending on what the sensor was measuring.
For safety critical sensors, there are usually two sensors that are constantly being compared against each other. A mismatch is treated as a sensor fail.
MarkTheGreat on March 16, 2010 at 9:02 AM
Don’t worry. I’ll cover for you. I’m going to buy a Ford F-250 AND a Toyota Tundra. I might even buy a Prius for my spare, in case one of those accelerators gets stuck.
Proud Texan on March 16, 2010 at 9:10 AM
That’s a shame. Good luck with your POS Obamamotor’s car….or whatever other vehicle you choose. I’ll continue with my support of Toyota’s. Love our Highlander and 4runner.
anniekc on March 16, 2010 at 9:21 AM
…and in the hardware that I’m familiar with, there is a couple of levers and a cable that runs from the gas pedal to a large CARBURETOR. I prefer this cheap and simple stuff, and I’m even an engineer and a member of an SAE committee. Runaway? Turn off the key and throw it in neutral…duh. I was taught this, and forced to practice it, while on my learner’s permit in 1971.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go change the oil on my pristine 1979 F-150 4wd truck.
SteelGuy on March 16, 2010 at 9:27 AM
Leaving the turn signal blinking for more than three days will be found to be a contributing factor.
Lily on March 16, 2010 at 9:34 AM
Oh, and my 2c-worth on the Explorer tire thing. Yeah Ford specified the wrong tire pressures, and drivers didn’t exactly act responsibly overall. Even though the Explorer has been through at least one complete redesign of body and chassis since then, the bad taste is still unnecessarily in alot of mouths. U-Haul refuses to rent a trailer to you if you tell them you will tow it with an Explorer / Mountaineer / Aviator.
SteelGuy on March 16, 2010 at 9:35 AM
Is this another “Jesus take the wheel” moment?
Electrongod on March 16, 2010 at 9:40 AM
In the recording of the Sikes’ 911 call, the operator several times instructed him to do exactly that. He later explained his unwillingness to do so as a result of fear that he would lose control if he took “one hand” off the steering wheel. Of course, one hand was holding his cell phone throughout his ‘ordeal’.
ProfessorMiao on March 16, 2010 at 8:14 AM
ProfessorMiao: Ugh,the otherhand on the phone.
I had a frozen throttle on my Ski-doo
when I was a kid,no neutral,but I re
membered to choke the carb,as I was
scream’n across the field!:)
canopfor on March 16, 2010 at 9:56 AM
If there existed two cars which were unable to stop themselves with their breaks when running at full throttle, placing one with it’s engine not engaged in front of one with its engine engaged at full throttle might stop the latter if both cars applied their brakes. Basically, same driving force, double the braking force.
…but it is doubtful that was the issue here.
Count to 10 on March 16, 2010 at 11:07 AM
Police cruiser was driven by a Republican. They have been accused of being able to stop anything. The Prius is “Green” and Republicans are now stopping anything that is green.
seven on March 16, 2010 at 11:17 AM
Mr. Sikes also has money problems. Several thousands of dollars in debt, and late on his car payments. We have motive. The prior hearings, and recalls, I think, he thought would help with his credibility. It does not!
And I’d still buy a toyota over any government owned car. Why are we hearing so much about Toyota recalls, and nothing about recent recalls by GM?
capejasmine on March 16, 2010 at 11:54 AM
Does anyone here NOT know that you can put your car in NEUTRAL going down the road. No matter how hard you push on the gas, it will roll to a stop.
This guy is an IDIOT!
PappaMac on March 16, 2010 at 12:08 PM
I also want to know his political affiliation. However, that is probably evident, since he purchased a F’ing Prius.
PappaMac on March 16, 2010 at 12:09 PM
Yeah, that 700k debt and previous history of rampant fraud didn’t really sway me at all, but that… swingers website (oh the horror!) really tipped me into the skeptics’ corner!
/
Nice to have known you man, look us up on the other side!
/
Seriously, ;) kudos for acting on the opportunity. I wonder what the nationwide average price reduction is on the Prius in the wake of this little blip -
RD on March 16, 2010 at 1:05 PM
The explanation is that this didn’t happen. No other vehicle, police or otherwise, actually came into contact with Sikes’ vehicle. His vehicle eventually came to a stop because he complied with the order shouted to him from a police vehicle beside his, to apply both the brake and the emergency brake at the same time.
Sikes stopped his own vehicle. I believe he could have done so at any time, if he really wanted to… but that wasn’t his goal. Getting a jackpot from Toyota to escape his financial problems was the likely goal.
That’s why, when Federal investigators and Toyota engineers checked the records from the onboard computers in that exact car, they saw evidence that he was alternating applications of brakes and gas, and that he did not fully depress the brakes at all… doing so would have engaged the verified working system in that exact car which cuts off the gas to the engine when the brakes are depressed at over 40% of maximum application.
The Federal investigators working in conjunction with Toyota engineers confirmed that there appears to be no defect at all in that exact car, and they were completely unable to create responses in the vehicle which would be consistent with Sikes’ story.
That is unsurprising, if Sikes is not telling the truth about what happened.
VekTor on March 16, 2010 at 1:22 PM
Of course it’s a hoax — the idea that a Prius could go 94mph is pure fantasy :)
Spitfire9 on March 16, 2010 at 2:30 PM
RD:
I added that for the benefit of the average HA poster – it certainly does not matter to me. I believe that most conservatives frown upon swinging, and the fact would be relevant to them. You certainly don’t meet a lot of conservatives and swingers parties.
dave742 on March 16, 2010 at 2:36 PM
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