Your 2010 Toyota Prius may actually be a safe car after all

Toyota has enjoyed a plume of positive publicity ever since its Prius line became popular in the United States, but lately that reputation is under fire by a series of claims regarding sticking accelerators and tangled floor mats. Recently motorist James Sikes claimed his Toyota Prius spun out of control on the highway, accelerating to 94mph before police were able to assist him in slowing down. Toyota has taken the time to refurbish Sike's’ Prius and has some contradicting findings.

The company won’t outright disagree with any of Sikes’ claims but it does say that “. . . the driver's account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the preliminary analysis.” This is a wild race for Toyota to claim back part of its gleaming reputation. Competitors like GM have already noted an increase in sales, most likely due to defecting Toyota customers.

Moving even closer toward the line of calling Sikes a liar but not quite, Toyota also says in its press release:

. . . the brakes were purposely abused by continuous light application in order to overheat them. The vehicle could be safely stopped by means of the brake pedal, even when overheated.

This investigation may have broader implications as consumers make judgments on the relative safety of hybrid cars based on its outcome. Toyota highlights several safety features in its preliminary report, including:

• An engine cut-off if the accelerator is depressed more than 50% at the same time as the brake pedal
• Pushbutton power switch that kills the Toyota Prius motor when held for 3 seconds
• Retention hooks for floor mats
• A series of detailed diagnostics and historical data from the event

The Toyota Prius, with its detailed logs makes deception difficult and it certainly puts the onus on Sikes in this case to explain some of the findings Toyota is discovering.