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[RedDevil]

I was an update on that story this morning.  The guy had taped instructions on his dash on how to shut the car down in case of an emergency, and yet miracle of miracles his car accelerated in the one spot where he wouldn't be likely to het hurt and where there wouldn't be time to stop the car.

To me, it really looks like this guy is just trying to set up for a lawsuit to make some money off of Toyota.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

This is going to become more and more common now that it is pointing to an electrical/electronic programming glitch.  Because it's intermitant, it's one of the hardest things find and prove.  So any DS move on a driver's part can now be attributed to Toyota and the legitimate one's will get caught up in the frenzy.  Toyota, unfortunately, is doing nothing different than the MoCo (or any other big manufacturer, for that matter) in trying to solve this.  They are going with all the cheap fixes first (floor mat, throttle pedal linkage, etc.), because finding, and then fixing, if it's a firmware and not just a software fix, is going to cost them hundreds of millions of dollars to fix over 8,000,000 vehicles, (not to mention the lawsuits).  So the cost of economics/profits always outweighs doing the "right thing" the first time.

[J-Carr]

This is going to become more and more common now that it is pointing to an electrical/electronic programming glitch.  Because it's intermitant, it's one of the hardest things find and prove.  So any DS move on a driver's part can now be attributed to Toyota and the legitimate one's will get caught up in the frenzy.  Toyota, unfortunately, is doing nothing different than the MoCo (or any other big manufacturer, for that matter) in trying to solve this.  They are going with all the cheap fixes first (floor mat, throttle pedal linkage, etc.), because finding, and then fixing, if it's a firmware and not just a software fix, is going to cost them hundreds of millions of dollars to fix over 8,000,000 vehicles, (not to mention the lawsuits).  So the cost of economics/profits always outweighs doing the "right thing" the first time.

Yep Charlie, I see the sharks circling in the waters, wearing their three piece suits and brief cases.  (I know racial insulting isn't allowed here, but we are allowed to pick on lawyers, right?)  My guess is this is more then just a flash update,  and is probably a sensor that sends bad info intermintantly as well as the software that says what to do with it.  If it was just one item, I think they'd have it fixed by now.  I do however find it very suspect that the numbers seem to be increasing.  I guess it could be the fact the press has always ignored any quality issues with the Jap vehicles and sudenly is forced to report it, but it's gonn abe a nightmare trying to sort out the legit from the sue happy jerks.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

[tazmun]

I'm sure there will be opportunists who will try to profit from this issue....which will only make it harder on those who have legitimate problems.  Seems like no matter what or where - some level of scum will rise to the occasion to try and take advantage and get something for nothing.

Oh you mean like BLOOD SUCKING lawyers, who can't create websites fast enough???
I just saw a lawsuit against MB, where a guys SEL500 or something was a lemon,
and it took 5 years to settle. He got the value of the car x 2 ($116,000)
and the lawyers got $ 356,000!

 Now who do you really think wants this to keep going?

[DavidB]

Found this by Michael Zak, Sounds like somthing stinks

"Did the driver of a runaway Toyota Prius in San Diego tell the truth when he said his accelerator pedal stuck earlier this week? New evidence is calling the driver's credibility into question, although the real answer will not be entirely clear until Toyota and the NHTSA announce the results of their investigation. Details about the driver, James Sikes, leave many wondering if he had ulterior motives for his claims.

USA Today and Jalopnik.com are directly asking the question as to whether or not he faked the incident, citing previous issues with debt and repeated insurance claims as reason for their doubts.

The reports indicate that prior to his unintended acceleration incident, James Sikes and his wife -- both realtors -- found themselves grappling with California's notorious housing bubble and filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Reports show they have $700,000 in debt to their names. He already had a motor home, Mercedes-Benz automobile and Dodge Truck repossessed in the proceedings with creditors.

Among the creditors to whom he owes payments is Toyota Financial Services. Various reports indicate that Sikes is either current with his payments or behind by five months on the 2008 Toyota Prius involved in this week's incident, which has 7,200 miles on it and is valued at $20,494."

[grc]

How to respond to a stuck accelerator, from Toyota:

http://www.toyota.com/recall/videos/stopping-procedure.html



Jerry

[kraut]

I'm outing myself now: I'm a lawyer too, president of the saxonian law society atually. Ambulance chasing is an urban legend. Will you please consider the fact that 99 percent of the international law-society are hard working people whose only and single interest is the benefit of their clients.

I disgust this lawyer-bashing.

Honestly and sincerely.

May you never need someone to speek up for you 

[spydglide]

'that 1% makes us all look bad'........AMA in the early 60's.    har.  spyder

[Zinister]

Did anyone else notice that he was wearing a Corvette club jacket?




Hmmmm......you would think he would have some knowledge of how to handle a sticking accelerator!!! I think there are definitely people out there to make money of Toyota.


BTW, I'm a buy American made if possible guy. I hate what the greedy bastards at the top have done to our manufacturing in this country. We teach all these other countries ie India and China how to make things and buy them new machinery to make parts with.


If we don't start making things here soon, we will not be able to compete. The short term profit to please the stock market has been our undoing.

[BillH]

Criminal and civil law

Kraut - If  this type of activity was not an issue, it would not have been assigned the label---

Barratry, in criminal and civil law, is the act or practice of bringing repeated legal actions solely to harass. Usually, the actions brought lack merit. This action has been declared a crime in some jurisdictions. For example, in the U.S. states of California, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, barratry is a misdemeanor,[1] while in Texas, it is a felony.[2]

In England and Wales the offence was abolished in 1967. The term has also fallen into disuse in Australia.[3]

Barratry also refers to the act of soliciting legal business from potential clients based on a particular event not just solely to harass. For example, an attorney who stops at the scene of a car accident or follows an ambulance to an emergency room in hopes of finding and soliciting business from an injured and aggrieved person might be accused of barratry. The lawyer who practices this sort of barratry is called, pejoratively, an ambulance chaser.