Jim Sikes, driver of the widely reported “runaway Prius” earlier this week, has told his story. However, ToyoLand.com has discovered potential inconsistencies in Mr. Sikes’ story.

The first question- one investigators will be looking at closely- is how the car was able to accelerate while the brake was depressed. The Prius comes with a brake override system that should automatically halt acceleration once the brake is depressed. If the problem was caused by “unintended acceleration,” then the braking system would have had to fail as well.

Second, Mr. Sikes claims to have taken his recall notice to a dealer two weeks ago only to be told that his car was not a part of the recall. Although the 2008 Prius he was driving was involved in a November, 2009 recall for the floormat issue, no recall letters have been sent to Prius drivers yet- those are scheduled to be sent out later this year as part of a “rolling” recall that has begun with other Toyota vehicles. Toyota has, however, sent preliminary notices to Prius owners informing them that a recall notice will be sent. That notification also suggests that drivers remove any floor mats from the driver’s side (Sikes had not removed his floor mats) and details clear instructions as to how to stop a car involved in unintended acceleration (Sikes specifically claims to have done exactly what he shouldn’t have according to these instructions).

Third, Sikes claims that he reached down with his hand and pulled the accelerator hard enough to cause discomfort in his shoulder even after the incident had ended. Perhaps he is particularly flexible or has very long arms, but this is a task that most drivers would find difficult even with the car parked- much less with the car accelerating out of control through traffic.

Fourth, the incident took place at speeds up to 94 mph over a period of 23 minutes. If Mr. Sikes had been “standing” on the brake for that whole time, as he claims, and assuming that the brake override system had simultaneously failed, there is a question as to whether there would be any brakes left at all when the car did come to a stop. The CHP Officer involved does claim to have “smelled the brakes” and to have “seen the brake lights coming on.” (emphasis given by ToyoLand.com)

Finally (for now), if the brakes had failed to stop the car, the emergency brake would have added little to the solution. The emergency brake in the Prius is simply a mechanical means to apply the drum brakes for the rear wheels- the same brakes that were supposedly depressed hard enough to cause an odor.

One final note- Jim Sikes’ story is certainly going to be questioned in coming days. One has to try to anticipate any perceived motive that he might have for fabricating or embellishing his story. To that end, our research indicates that Mr. Sikes had auditioned for a California Lottery TV game show. He is a “longtime lottery player,” who has won $55,000 in the lottery. He is a self-proclaimed, “real estate agent to celebrities.” The agency he runs even has a fleet of– PT Cruisers with the company advertising painted over the entire vehicle.

On Monday, March 8, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) unit was dispatched in response to a 911 call from a motorist driving a Prius on Interstate 8 in San Diego County who said the accelerator pedal was stuck. Toyota has dispatched a field technical specialist to San Diego to investigate the report and offer assistance.

The 61-year-old driver, Jim Sikes, was driving on a hilly section of highway when his accelerator became stuck. The car reached speeds in excess of 90mph. Dispatchers at the 911 call center tried to talk him through stopping the car, but nothing seemed to work. Sikes even claims to have reached down to manually pull the accelerator up, but it remained stuck.

The ordeal lasted just over 20 minutes. Sikes claims that there was nothing wrong with his floor mat at the time of the incident. He says that he had brought his car into a Toyota dealer two weeks ago but had been told that his vehicle was not a part of the recall.

In its statement, Toyota says, “The report states that the CHP unit slowed in front of the vehicle and acted as a brake to bring it to a stop.” However, this appears to be a misunderstanding by Toyota, as the reports actually claim that the vehicles never came in physical contact with each other, either during or following the incident.

CHP Officer Todd Neibert caught up with the Prius and gave instructions through the patrol car’s public address system. He had Sikes simultaneously depress the brake and apply the parking brake. This tactic brought the car’s speed to under 50 mph and Sikes was then able to turn the car off. It then rolled to a stop and Officer Neibert positioned his cruiser in front of the Prius as a precaution.

Sikes does state that he was unable to hold the phone during his 911 call because he was concentrating on driving. He also states that he had initially been reluctant to try switching the car into neutral or turning it off out of fear that he would be hit from behind. It wasn’t until he received instructions from the CHP officer next to him that he tried to actually power down the car. At that point, he states that he hit the power button several times before it responded.

In a situation where a vehicle is involved in unintended acceleration, it should respond if the driver shifts to neutral, allowing the car to be stopped with the brakes. To power down a vehicle that, like the Prius, has a “power” button, you must depress the button for at least three seconds before it will respond.

Remember that any vehicle may have unintended acceleration issues for a variety of reasons, the problem is not limited to Toyota. If your vehicle is equipped with a “key-on” starter system, be sure that you do not turn the key all the way to off- this may cause the steering wheel to lock among other problems.

The NHTSA is investigating at least ten reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles that have already been serviced as part of recall efforts by Toyota. No details are available regarding the incidents at this time, but NHTSA is actively reaching out to Toyota owners whose cars have been serviced as a part of the recall.

If the investigation indicates a continued problem with sudden acceleration, it would be an indication that there remains an underlying problem with the design- perhaps, as some have suggested, with the electronic throttle control.

Such a problem could spark further recalls and more damage to Toyota’s battered reputation.

Toyota reported February sales of 100,027 vehicles. With equal selling days in February 2009 and 2010, sales were down 8.7 percent from the year-ago month on a daily selling rate and unadjusted raw volume basis.

The Toyota Division posted February sales of 86,240 units, a decrease of 10.6 percent from the same period last year. The Lexus Division reported February sales of 13,787 units, an increase of 5.2 percent over the year-ago month.

Toyota Division
Toyota Division passenger cars recorded sales of 52,827 units, a decrease of 10.3 percent from last February. Passenger car sales were led by Corolla with sales of 16,996 units for the month. Camry and Camry Hybrid posted combined February sales of 16,552 units. The Prius mid-size gas-electric hybrid posted February sales of 7,968 units, up 10.2 percent over the year-ago month. Venza reported sales of 3,414 units for the month.

Toyota Division light trucks posted sales of 33,413 units in February. Light truck sales were led by the Tacoma mid-size pickup, which reported sales of 8,325 units for the month, up 5.7 percent over last February. The RAV4 compact SUV recorded monthly sales of 6,799 units. Highlander and Highlander Hybrid posted combined sales of 3,615 units for the month. The all-new 4Runner reported February sales of 2,973 units, up 54.7 percent over the year-ago month. The Tundra full-size pickup recorded sales of 5,468 units.

Scion posted February sales of 3,027 units. The xB urban utility vehicle led the way with sales of 1,539 units. The tC sports coupe posted February sales of 860 units. The xD reported sales of 628 units for the month.

Lexus Division
Lexus reported passenger car sales of 6,366 units, up 4.5 percent over the year-ago month. Lexus passenger car sales were led by the recently revised ES 350 entry luxury sedan which posted sales of 2,349 units. The IS luxury sports sedan reported combined sales of 1,991 units. The HS 250h luxury hybrid sedan recorded February sales of 712 units.

Lexus light trucks recorded sales of 7,421 units, up 5.8 percent over last February. Lexus sales were led by the RX, which posted combined February sales of 5,694 units. The all-new GX mid-size luxury utility vehicle reported sales of 1,473 units.

TMS Hybrids
TMS posted February sales of 10,957 hybrid vehicles. Toyota Division posted sales of 9,318 hybrids for the month. Lexus Division reported sales 1,639 hybrids in February.

There were 24 selling days this month and last February.

Toyota has committed $250 million to its contracted manufacturer New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) to fund transition support for NUMMI’s salaried and hourly team members. Toyota’s financial support is enabling NUMMI to offer bonuses to salaried and hourly team members who continue to produce quality vehicles for Toyota through April 1, 2010, when Toyota’s production contract with NUMMI will end. This funding is subject to ongoing negotiations between NUMMI and the United Auto Workers with respect to those hourly team members represented by the union.

“Although NUMMI is an independent company, Toyota has made a significant financial commitment to help ensure that production continues as smoothly as possible and that team members receive transition support. We hope that NUMMI and the United Auto Workers will reach an agreement soon, so that NUMMI’s UAW team members can benefit from the transition support that we have committed to funding,” said Jim Wiseman, Group Vice President, Toyota Motor North America.

“Toyota appreciates all federal, state and local efforts to help NUMMI team members, who have shown great dedication over many years,” said Mr. Wiseman. “The support we are providing to NUMMI underscores our commitment to do our part. It is unfortunate that neither GM – NUMMI’s other 50 percent shareholder and customer for 25 years – nor Motors Liquidation Company, its current shareholder, has indicated that it will do the same, despite the fact that NUMMI team members have produced more than one million vehicles for GM.”

Mr. Wiseman continued: “Toyota’s decision to end its production contract with NUMMI as of April 1 was difficult but necessary, given GM’s abandonment of NUMMI, which severely undermined the economic viability of the plant. Regrettably, our decision is final. Looking ahead, Toyota remains strongly committed to maintaining a substantial manufacturing presence in the U.S. and will continue to employ thousands of people in California.”

Timeline of Recent NUMMI Events
NUMMI, based in Fremont, California, was established in 1984 as an independent, 50-50 joint venture of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and General Motors to produce cars on contract for both companies. In May 2009, GM abruptly announced its decision to end its production contract for the Pontiac Vibe at NUMMI, and this production ceased on August 17, 2009. In June 2009, as part of GM’s bankruptcy reorganization, GM’s 50 percent share in NUMMI was left among the assets to be liquidated of the Motors Liquidation Company (or “old GM”).

GM’s actions compelled Toyota to conduct an extensive review of its contracted manufacturing relationship with NUMMI as well as its capacity and production needs in light of current and anticipated market conditions. Based on this careful and thorough review, Toyota determined that continuing contract manufacturing with NUMMI is not economically feasible, which resulted in Toyota’s decision in August 2009 to end its production contract with NUMMI on April 1, 2010.

Rather than halting production orders from NUMMI abruptly last August, Toyota made a significant commitment to take production for seven additional months, enabling NUMMI to provide continued employment to team members, as well as career counseling and other services to help with their planning and transition.

Toyota also expects to continue using some of NUMMI’s suppliers to support Toyota’s wholly-owned U.S. plants, which will further mitigate the economic impact of the closure.

Despite the end of its production contract with NUMMI, Toyota’s operations in the U.S. remain substantial and include manufacturing facilities in Alabama, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Toyota will continue to provide an uninterrupted supply of vehicles to dealers and customers in North America.

Toyota has launched the company’s most far-reaching sales program in its history.

Through April 5, 2010, the national marketing program includes financing, leasing and customer loyalty offers. Highlights of the program include:

• 0% APR financing for up to 60 months on 2010 Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Tundra and Yaris, for qualifying buyers.
• Low lease rates on 2010 Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, Prius, RAV4, Tundra and Venza, for qualifying buyers. Examples include a Corolla lease for $179 a month and a Camry lease for $199 a month, although offers may vary regionally.
• Complimentary two-year premium maintenance program for customers who purchase or lease a new vehicle and provide proof of a Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicle already registered in household, with applicable conditions.

“We launched this program to expand the focus on our customers, and thank them for their loyalty by adding value to our products,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of Toyota Division for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “We are standing behind our customers and our vehicles. It’s a great time to buy a Toyota.”

The marketing program will be supported by a television ad campaign from Toyota’s advertising agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and Conill LA.

The March Sales Event television ads will highlight the special 0% financing for 60 months offer. In addition, the ads will feature discussions with customers who recently purchased Toyota vehicles and reflect their feedback. Other commercials feature Toyota dealership associates, including salespeople, customer service representatives, technicians and others, thanking customers for their support and loyalty to Toyota.