Automobile maker Toyota has been receiving some immense criticism in recent months for failing to address stacking concerns that it’s automobiles, including models like the ever-so-popular Toyota Camry and Toyota Prius, may accelerate unexpectedly causing harm to the car’s drivers and passengers, and to those in other vehicles nearby. The company first claimed that floor mats found in the cars were somehow pinning down the gas pedal. It wasn’t until a highly publicized accident involving a Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand of car, with a CHP officer at the wheel and members of his family as passengers that federal investigators began asking more questions. The recent recall of millions of vehicles to fix a malfunction in the gas pedal mechanism has got Toyota customers less on edge, however, there is still concern that even the proposed fix may not work. Some Toyota drivers have reported continued problems with unintended acceleration despite having their cars repaired per the recall.
The most recent reported incident happened Monday, when 61 year old James Sikes driving a Prius in San Diego county watched his car speed up to 90 mph. Luckily, a CHP officer spotted him, and attempted to instruct him to put the car in neutral or apply the emergency brake. This advice should have supposedly stopped the car. Although many claim that a car’s brakes should overpower the engine in the event of unintended acceleration, more and more reports have revealed otherwise. Sometimes, a tactic as simple as shifting the car into neutral is nearly impossible due to the design of the car’s shifter. Fortunately, the man managed to turn off the engine before any harm was done. In the midst of yet another instance of bad publicity, Toyota has decided to send its investigators to inspect the car. It continues to deny that an electrical problem is the source of any of the problems observed in its popular line of automobiles.