A 56-year-old woman was pulling out of a driveway when her 2005 Prius “shot” across the road, Harrison, N.Y., police said. The driver, who was not immediately named, suffered minor injuries, but the impact sent “some pretty big boulders” fairly far, said Anthony Marraccini, acting police chief.
That Prius is among the 2004-2009 models recalled by Toyota for floor mats that could jam the gas pedal, but Marraccini said the floor mat has been pretty much ruled out since it was tied to the seat base with plastic ties. Police have taken the car for further analysis.
The new Prius incident came as Toyota (TM) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rushed investigators to San Diego to analyze the 2008 Toyota Prius involved in a runaway incident.
James Sikes, 61, dialed 911 Monday evening to report his Prius was accelerating out of his control.
“I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car. … It jumped, and it just stuck there” hitting speeds up to 94 mph, Sikes said. A California Highway Patrol officer responded, pulled alongside and told Spikes by loudspeaker to stand on the brakes and also apply the parking brake. Sikes was able to slow the car while the cruiser drove in front, and eventually he could shut it off.
The incident was just a few miles from where the crash of a runaway Lexus last August killed a CHP officer and his wife, daughter and brother-in-law. That crash, attributed to the floor mat jamming the gas pedal, spurred Toyota to recall 5.3 million vehicles — including Sikes’ Prius.
Sikes said he took his Prius to his dealer and was told it wasn’t on the list. Toyota said in a statement that dealers do not yet have repair parts for the Prius and that it has told owners to remove the driver’s floor mat until repairs are made. Sikes still had that mat in his vehicle. Toyota has said repairing all the recalled vehicles could take several months.
Separately on Tuesday, Toyota’s national dealer council accused General Motors of using its federal loans to offer “predatory” incentives. Shortly after Toyota’s recalls last month, GM launched offers for Toyota owners who buy its vehicles, now including 0% financing and up to $1,000 cash back.
“It is outrageous that GM is using our taxpayer dollars against us,” said council head Paul Atkinson.
“We understand why Toyota dealers would be frustrated, but they know better,” said GM spokesman Kerry Christopher. “Incentives have always been a part of the auto business.”
SOURCE: http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2010-03-10-toyota10_ST_N.htm
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