Toyota engineers dispute case of runaway Prius

Mar 16, 2010, 0:44 GMT

Washington - US carmaker Toyota said Monday that its engineers could find no fault with a Prius model whose driver last week said the petrol-electric hybrid accelerated out of control.

Toyota said a government-monitored examination of the car exposed 'significant inconsistencies' with the story of 61-year-old James Sikes, who claimed that his accelerator pedal become stuck on March 8 while he was driving at high speeds on a California freeway.

Sikes told reporters his car reached speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour as he slammed on the brakes. It finally came to a stop more than 50 kilometres from where he originally dialled emergency services.

Toyota said its engineers were unable to replicate the incident reported by Sikes. They found the brakes had only been lightly applied, suggesting Sikes may have intentionally pressed down on the brakes and caused them to overheat.

'Toyota believes there are significant inconsistencies between the account of the event March 8, and the findings of this investigation,' spokesman Mike Michels said.

Sikes' lawyer stood by the original story, questioning Toyota's investigation and noting the Japanese carmaker has so far been unable to replicate unintended acceleration in any of its models.

Toyota has recalled more than 8 million cars in recent months over safety problems with loose floor mats and sticking accelerator pedals. The incidents have dealt a massive blow to the carmaker's reputation for quality and reliability.

Michels slammed the news media for picking up Sikes' accusations, the latest in a string of bad publicity for the world's largest carmaker: 'To say this incident was sensationalized would be an enormous understatement.'