Did Bankrupt Runaway Prius Driver Fake "Unintended Acceleration?"

[S14DB]

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2010/03/james_sikes_prius.jpg

James Sikes, the San Diego runaway Toyota Prius driver, filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and now has over $700,000 in debt. According to one anonymous tipster, we're also told he hasn't been making payments on his Prius. UPDATE!

We received an email earlier today from an anonymous tipster who claims James (Jim) Sikes, the driver of the runaway Toyota Prius, was in financial trouble and even behind by five months on his payments for the Prius. If that's true, it's potential motivation for wanting to find an out — any out — on paying for the vehicle.

We did some public records searches (thanks to the help of Gawker's John Cook) and found Sikes and his wife Patty found themselves, like many in the California real estate business, on the bursting side of the real estate bubble last year. The two declared bankruptcy in June of 2008 and have a combined liability of over $700,000 dollars in debt.

Among the list of creditors holding secured claims is none other than Toyota Financial Services for a lease on a 2008 Toyota Prius with 7,200 miles on the odometer. Total value of the lease at the time of bankruptcy was $20,494.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2010/03/sikes_prius_bankrupt_1.jpg
So, with almost three-quarter million dollars in debt there's obviously the potential for financial motivation here. But, for his part, when we questioned Mr. Sikes over email earlier today, he denied being behind on his Prius payments.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2010/03/sikes_prius_email_1.jpg
Mr. Sikes also has not shied away from cameras appearing on CNN and numerous other television programs. In each, he's stated numerous times he's not going to sue and isn't looking for any financial remuneration from Toyota other than a new vehicle.

We've asked the law firm representing him to furnish us with an up-to-date copy of his Toyota statement and we'll post that as soon as we receive it — to either debunk this myth or add fuel to any fire.

We'd also like to point out Toyota itself sent out a tweet yesterday showing how a Prius of that generation can easily be stopped if it's accelerating out of control. But, for the moment, we'll ask you to again listen to the full 911 tape and tell us what you think — does that sound like a man faking or genuinely afraid for his life?

But regardless of what happens with the Sikes case, the bigger issue for Toyota will be every cash-strapped 'yota-owner looking for an easy out on their loans and leases potentially thinking about doing just this with their car. That's a lot of potential carnage to wade through.

UPDATE: We're now hearing rumors that Sikes has a history of items in his possession being stolen and him filing for insurance claims. We found at least one case of this in his bankruptcy documents, which we've included below. We're told we should know more about a second incident shortly.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2010/03/500x_sikes_prius_bankrupt_2.jpg
But there's also another, more salacious tidbit we've found which may or may not be irrelevant — we're still trying to fit this piece into the puzzle. Apparently, according to one of the commenters at TTAC, Sikes owned and operated a web site called AdultSwingLife. Interesting.
Did Bankrupt Runaway Prius Driver Fake "Unintended Acceleration?" - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/5491101/did-bankrupt-runaway-prius-driver-fake-unintended-acceleration)
*Not going to link to the adult site article(NWS IMHO). You can find it on Jalopnink if you want to read it.


Kinda wonder why the incidents went up after the media reports came out. I wonder how many people are trying to get out of their leases.

He was driving a 2nd gen Prius. Not the 3rd Gens that are being recalled.

[DataXUnknown]

Just out of curiousity, I heard something like this on the radio on AM 640 or whatever, is this the same guy that was going 90mph on the freeway saying he had both feet on the brakes when the CHP pulled up next to him and told him to use the emergency brake? It was a Prius so I just figured it's probably the same thing.

Seems super fake to me, I mean come on, a prius? They act like this unintended acceleration problem is such a technical issue. I coulda swore it was just the gas pedal getting stuck on the floor mats?

[implayaz9]

seems like now everyone is just finding excuses to get money out of toyota... fail..

[!Zar!]

I knew this was fake the moment I heard the headline. hahaha. Sucks for this guy.

[D.Adams]

This guy heard about the whole gas pedal recall Toyota had and wanted to gain something from it. I watched this on the news and the only thing that crossed my mind is this guy wants money. He had both feet on the brake pedal while the car was going 90mph and it still wouldn’t stop. He thought about shutting the car off but was scared that the wheels would lock up and make him crash and he could get hurt. When they did the interview he was crying like a lil girl.

I have nothing against California but it seams to me that 75% of the people are looking for an easy way out by suing someone

[bl3ujay07]

I knew something was up. when i saw him on the news, clearly did not look like he was scared for his life.

[drift_limo]

damm I need to buy a toyota.
maybe i can get my car done faster lol..

seems fishy . its could be... maybe its not ..

one thing i dont get is what do you expect from cars which are pretty much all computer control'd?
seriously i know old school cars has problems with the throttle cable getting stuck. but you can notice and feel that..sometimes.. ...

toyota or any new cars, if you have lookd at the TB no cable. it has a switch and a plug (sensor) ... here is my thing if these cars are running out of control y cant you just throw it to neutral? when toyota did some test about the problem they couldnt put them in neutral( again this was jsut some stuff i was readin on toyota's testin) I get the fact you may panic or react a certain way if you were in that situation. Im just sayin....
its not the car it the companys they contract for those taiwan parts. I could be wrong...
hmmmm....

[I LUV MY S13]

This guy heard about the whole gas pedal recall Toyota had and wanted to gain something from it. I watched this on the news and the only thing that crossed my mind is this guy wants money. He had both feet on the brake pedal while the car was going 90mph and it still wouldn’t stop. He thought about shutting the car off but was scared that the wheels would lock up and make him crash and he could get hurt. When they did the interview he was crying like a lil girl.

I have nothing against California but it seams to me that 75% of the people are looking for an easy way out by suing someone



its totally true, you can sue anyone for anything these days

[Enna]

I didn't hear about this one, but I would seriously call bullshit. Besides if he was on the brakes the entire time there is no physical way he could be doing 90. The brakes are still hydraulic which would stop the car no matter what, atleast slow it down.

[TheWolf]

maybe it was like a bad suicide that he pussied out on... Kill myself in a toyota.. life insurance/law suits pay everything off... then he wussed out and it blew up on him...


would have been funny though if toyota cam out to the highway and repo'd it on live tv.

[SimpleS14]

This whole thing did look sketch to me from the start.

I didn't hear about this one, but I would seriously call bullshit. Besides if he was on the brakes the entire time there is no physical way he could be doing 90. The brakes are still hydraulic which would stop the car no matter what, atleast slow it down.

The brake fluid would cook to unbearable temperatures causing drastic brake fade and in turn....no more brakes.

[driftsilvias13]

Fucking Liar.

[tricky_ab]

This is funny to me as I was talking to my fiance about this when we were watching the news...If anything he could have pulled aside, drop it in neutral, and coast to a stop (he was having break issues)...I told her that it sounds like a cash grab and now here we are...Some people are all shades of stupid...

EDIT:

This video is for him...

lZ4PtafRB9c

[BustedS13]

real or not
it should be harder to get a license in the US.

[TUnity2]

Are people THAT stupid they dont know to put the car in neutral and pull to the side????

[ryguy]

This video is for him...


lol that was god damn hilarious

[Daniel.]

This is funny to me as I was talking to my fiance about this when we were watching the news...If anything he could have pulled aside, drop it in neutral, and coast to a stop (he was having break issues)...I told her that it sounds like a cash grab and now here we are...Some people are all shades of stupid...

EDIT:

This video is for him...

lZ4PtafRB9c

I'd buy this guy a beer any day.

[adrians_s13]

I LOLed at that vid...

[secondtonone317]

I wish I had a toyota

[RiversideS13]

I'd buy this guy a beer any day.

+1 ..... i really don't understand since when emergency brake and natural gear does not work anymore on newer cars.

[Matej]

Now is a great time to drive your Toyota at excessive speeds on the highway.


This incident seemed shady from the beginning.

Here is an interesting test.
How To Deal With Unintended Acceleration - Tech Dept. - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver (http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/how_to_deal_with_unintended_acceleration-tech_dept)

All the Toyota media attention is starting to feel like a big smear campaign.


The throttle body on my friend's 240 got stuck open while I was riding with him a few months ago. He stopped the car within seconds.

[BustedS13]

one time i was on the highway and my glovebox was locked, so i took the keys out of the ignition to unlock it. the steering wheel locked and it was a great scare.
i should sue Nissan

[ESmorz]

All the Toyota media attention is starting to feel like a big smear campaign.

That couldn't possibly be it. Our media isn't influenced or muscled by corporations.

The best competition, is no competition.

[S14DB]

Is Jim Sikes The New "Balloon Boy?" - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/5492096/is-jim-sikes-the-new-balloon-boy)

[ILoveMyRHS13]

This is funny to me as I was talking to my fiance about this when we were watching the news...If anything he could have pulled aside, drop it in neutral, and coast to a stop (he was having break issues)...I told her that it sounds like a cash grab and now here we are...Some people are all shades of stupid...

EDIT:

This video is for him...

lZ4PtafRB9c
LMFAO

I haven't laughed that hard in WEEKS.

[ronmcdon]

Well a lot of the info out there is bit washy & vague.

Is he, or is he not behind his payments?
That info is important and determines Sikes' credibility.
It has to be confirmed, & not from some 'anonymous tip'.
Another part of the article says he's been making payments.

It's also mentioned Sikes has 700k in debt.
Ok, seems like a lot, but doesn't mean much unless you break it down.
Could be the dude is financing a house & has been making payments.
Could be the dude is making more than enough to sustain that.

The only thing we know for certain is that he filed for bankrupcy 2 yrs ago.
That's not good, but it doesn't mean they can't necessarily afford a home and/or car.

So the guy owned an Adult website.
How is that relevant?

Interesting thing with Sikes is, he does NOT intend to sue.
He says he wants another car.
Maybe it was done for attention, but it doesn't seem to be for financial gain.

The info out there just isn't conclusive enough right now imo.

[Taniguchi_Is_#1]

This is funny to me as I was talking to my fiance about this when we were watching the news...If anything he could have pulled aside, drop it in neutral, and coast to a stop (he was having break issues)...I told her that it sounds like a cash grab and now here we are...Some people are all shades of stupid...

EDIT:

This video is for him...


i like this.

[tricky_ab]

Is Jim Sikes The New "Balloon Boy?" - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/5492096/is-jim-sikes-the-new-balloon-boy)


I was just going to post this...I hope to god that this blows up in his face...:drama:

[Tantwoforty]

This is funny to me as I was talking to my fiance about this when we were watching the news...If anything he could have pulled aside, drop it in neutral, and coast to a stop (he was having break issues)...I told her that it sounds like a cash grab and now here we are...Some people are all shades of stupid...

EDIT:

This video is for him...

lZ4PtafRB9c
so.... much..... win...
i almost peed myself...
thank you sir lololol:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:: rofl:

[highwaystar22]

It's simple.... just dump the key into ACC. Friends 95 M3 went WOT when the pedal randomly broke in half. He just popped the clutch in, the car redlined like hell for a quick second, and shut the key off. Problem solved.....

I hope this guy gets roasted.

[HyperTek]

reminds me of that one dude that popped up recently, he carelessly killed somebody in his 96 camry or something, and just now decided to say the car was defective lol

Technical driving and basic automotive principle class/tests should be required for license renewel so we dont have dumbfucks.

Remember that fat women who raised hell on Kia because her car leaned to the side and she refused to think its because of her weight?

[singlecamslam]

This Toyota shit is all made up, the government is just trying to bring toyota down because GM sucks dick. And seriously? IS IT THAT HARD TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL?!
My throttle got stuck wide open on the freeway twice, oh hey neutral how you doing, oh hey brakes work, awesome.

[tricky_ab]

reminds me of that one dude that popped up recently, he carelessly killed somebody in his 96 camry or something, and just now decided to say the car was defective lol


WOW really? There's a certain place in hell waiting for that guy...

[Matej]

Wonder how many Lexus LF-A throttles will 'get stuck.'


Also, this bro seems quite shady.
http://jalopnik.com/5491543/bankrupt-runaway-prius-driver-owns-adult-swinger-site

[HyperTek]

WOW really? There's a certain place in hell waiting for that guy...

here we go, it was this guy
Koua Fong Lee Claims Faulty Toyota Brakes Caused Deadly Accident - AOL News (http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/koua-fong-lee-claims-faulty-toyota-brakes-caused-deadly-accident/19380139)

[SimpleS14]

That vid is too funny cause of the cusing and especially at the part he was switching the camera back and forth lol

[RiversideS13]

there were million of 96 camry rolling around and i personally knew few reached 300k miles still runs without problem. I highly doubt it was vehicle defect...it is most likely is his unsafe driving or he should be responsible for not have the car maintained well

[D.Adams]

this is so fucking funny..

Hulu - Saturday Night Live: Weekend Getaway (http://www.hulu.com/watch/134733/saturday-night-live-weekend-getaway)

[S14DB]

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Business Partner Claims Runaway Prius Driver A "Scammer" - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/5492199/exclusive-ex+business-partner-claims-runaway-prius-driver-a-scammer)

This Memo Proves The Runaway Prius Was A Hoax - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/5493011/this-memo-proves-the-runaway-prius-was-a-hoax)

Every time the technician placed the gas pedal to the floor and the brake pedal to the floor the engine shut off and the car immediately started to slow down. NHTSA and Toyota field representatives reported the same results with the 2008 Prius owned by Mr. Sikes.


According to Mr. David Justo, Toyota Motor Sales HQ, I was informed that he is Toyota's residential Hybrid expert, he stats "that if MG2 (gas pedal is to the floor, creating positive force) and the driver puts the brake MG1 (creating negative force) then the engine would shut down. If the engine does not shut down then the gears would be spinning pat their maximum revolutions per minute and completely seize the engine. So, in this case, knowing that we are able to push the car around the shop, it does not appear to be feasibly possible, both electronically and mechanically that his gas pedal was stuck to the floor and he was slamming on the brake at the same time".

[tricky_ab]

here we go, it was this guy
Koua Fong Lee Claims Faulty Toyota Brakes Caused Deadly Accident - AOL News (http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/koua-fong-lee-claims-faulty-toyota-brakes-caused-deadly-accident/19380139)

Fuck this guy...seriously...

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Business Partner Claims Runaway Prius Driver A "Scammer" - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/5492199/exclusive-ex+business-partner-claims-runaway-prius-driver-a-scammer)

This Memo Proves The Runaway Prius Was A Hoax - Toyota Recall - Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/5493011/this-memo-proves-the-runaway-prius-was-a-hoax)

I hope this guy gets some sort of punishment for this...

[SimpleS14]

Wow...this guy is about to go to prison.

[diomedes]

one time i was on the highway and my glovebox was locked, so i took the keys out of the ignition to unlock it. the steering wheel locked and it was a great scare.
i should sue Nissan

LoL... You should.

But that Sikes dude is faking it. I guess people will do anything to get money.

[drift freaq]

This Toyota shit is all made up, the government is just trying to bring toyota down because GM sucks dick. And seriously? IS IT THAT HARD TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL?!
My throttle got stuck wide open on the freeway twice, oh hey neutral how you doing, oh hey brakes work, awesome.

This incident is definitely a hoax. Lumping everything else that has happened a hoax is shear ignorance on your part.

Blaming it on the Government trying to bring down Toyota is the stupidest conspiracy theory bullshit I have heard yet.

Is Congress grandstanding with the issue? Of course Congress and the House of late have gone out of their way to grandstand issues for publicity sake.

They all want legacies.

There is a problem and its been noted in Internal Toyota engineering memos going back to 2006. The upper management tried to cover it up with big payoffs.

What else is new? Mitsubishi was doing the same thing in Japan and got caught by the Japanese government 2 years ago.

[DALAZ_68]

Blaming it on the Government trying to bring down Toyota is the stupidest conspiracy theory bullshit I have heard yet.




i thought it was the chemicals sprayed over L.A. that was the stupidest thing u heard of lately... :p





LOL

[tricky_ab]

I was watching the news last night and they had played the 9-1-1 call, and the dispatcher had asked/told him over and over to put the car in neutral. He would either not reply or say that "He's busy concentrating keeping the car on the road and not crashing". What a bloody twat!

Well the state and Toyota have found no fault with the car so he was told that "He can pick up his car from the dealership, as no problems were found". I guess he could catch up on those payments as well.

[murda-c]

Apparently at full throttle the car will stay in gear if the shift lever is moved to neutral...i should go test that out on my moms camry.

[driftsilvias13]

I knew this was going to happen, just a matter of time. I hate fuckers like that. Only in America..

[BustedS13]

Only in America..

Yeah, right.

[axiomatik]

This case is probably fraud. He drove for 24 minutes, and when a cop showed up, he suddenly was able to stop it? However, for those saying just put it in neutral, it may not be that simple in these cars. Remember, they are not maunal transmissions, they are automatic transmissions controlled by the ecu. The ecu programming may not allow the car to shift into neutral at wide-open throttle.

Also, Prius's and many other Toyota cars now have pushbutton ignition, meaning turning the key doesn't shut off the car. The pushbutton must be pressed and held for 3 seconds, something a driver may not realize in the panic of an emergency.

Finally, in the case of a stuck throttle, just hitting the brakes may not work. If you are not fighting the engine, you would obviously slow down to a stop. But when you are fighting the engine, you will slow down much more gradually. Eventually, the brakes will overheat, the brake fluid will boil, and you will lose braking power. The question is whether or not you will come to a stop before that happens or not.

[PRADOgy]

They just about are all fake. Small percentage genuine. Can we say up sales in domestics? Its a great low ball pitch. "Help our economy?" lol. We out source anyway lol.

[racepar1]

This is funny to me as I was talking to my fiance about this when we were watching the news...If anything he could have pulled aside, drop it in neutral, and coast to a stop (he was having break issues)...I told her that it sounds like a cash grab and now here we are...Some people are all shades of stupid...

This is what gets me about the whole "uncontrollable" acceleration thing. I understand that some of these cars may have electronic steering or brakes so completely shutting the car off may not be what you want to do. You can ALWAYS just shift the damn thing into neutral and stop though. Hell, let the motor rev the fuck out and (hopefully) blow up. Who cares? The prius does have a weird electronic shifter though. The cop that had time to call 911 and have a long conversation with the god damn operator is absolutely unbelievable to me. Fuck that guy was a trained police offcer, trained in high stress driving situations...

[ryguy]

However, for those saying just put it in neutral, it may not be that simple in these cars.

It is, watch that video. Neutral kills the engine.


Finally, in the case of a stuck throttle, just hitting the brakes may not work. If you are not fighting the engine, you would obviously slow down to a stop.

Look at the test Car and Driver did.
http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/braking-results/3141454-1-eng-US/braking-results.jpg

Don't tell me the Prius couldnt stop itself.

[RiversideS13]

I was watching the news last night and they had played the 9-1-1 call, and the dispatcher had asked/told him over and over to put the car in neutral. He would either not reply or say that "He's busy concentrating keeping the car on the road and not crashing". What a bloody twat!

Well the state and Toyota have found no fault with the car so he was told that "He can pick up his car from the dealership, as no problems were found". I guess he could catch up on those payments as well.

the gear shifter is like 5 inch away to the steering wheel on the prius. or he can just hit "P" button NEXT TO STEERING WHEEL and it will shift in neutral too.

[EDT007]

Just to clear some things up, whether a car has a traditional automatic transmission or electronic (bmw, toyota, etc..) you will always be able to put the car into neutral. It is designed that way for these exact instances in mind. As for morons like that guy Sikes, I hope he gets whats coming to him. As posted before if your too stupid to know what to do in a situation like that, you shouldn't have a license. /rant

[Matej]

Bump.

Whatever happened to Toyotas accelerating?
It seems that all Toyotas were suddenly acting up for the first few weeks when the corporation was taken to court, and now everyone's Toyota is acting normal.

What is going on with this, is the catastrophe over?
Is it because the oil spill made people want to save gas and not speed?
Are the sales of 'domestic' automobiles back up, so the smear campaign is not necessary anymore?
Can I feel safe again riding in a Toyota vehicle?

Who has the answers?

[S14DB]

CNN moved on to better stories like the oil spill.

[slider2828]

You mean like this?

2AAa0gd7ClM

[godrifttoday]

^
haha very funny

[VNG704]

It's simple.... just dump the key into ACC. Friends 95 M3 went WOT when the pedal randomly broke in half. He just popped the clutch in, the car redlined like hell for a quick second, and shut the key off. Problem solved.....

I hope this guy gets roasted.
The BMW, or e36 atleast, has retareded gas pedals. I previously owned an e36 m3, the plastic part where the gas pedal is mounted to the floor broke on me and the gas pedal got stuck while driving. I was confused for a bit but I simply gave it clutch then threw it into neutral. The engine rev'd really high until I moved the gas pedal loose.

Toyota is causing other manufacturers to up their qaulity. It's a good thing. I wish good luck to Toyota with this mess.

[MikeC]

Bump.

Whatever happened to Toyotas accelerating?
It seems that all Toyotas were suddenly acting up for the first few weeks when the corporation was taken to court, and now everyone's Toyota is acting normal.

What is going on with this, is the catastrophe over?
Is it because the oil spill made people want to save gas and not speed?
Are the sales of 'domestic' automobiles back up, so the smear campaign is not necessary anymore?
Can I feel safe again riding in a Toyota vehicle?

Who has the answers?

A family friend works for toyota corporate. He told me the reason that people were thinking some of the cars (mostly the prius) were having a acceleration problem was because the cars are designed with a sensor up front, so if you are in cruise control and you come up behind someone driving slower, the car slows itself done. Now, like most people would do, you get the fuck out of the way of the slow ass driver, merging into the next lane and the sensor knows there is no one in front of you anymore, therefore it accelerates back to your "set speed". This is why people were thinking that they were having the same "problem" as the first fucktard. He basically said after that, he really couldn't "explain" how they "fixed" the problem. /story

[bardabe]

so it wasn't really a problem to being with, it was people's stupidity?>

[exitspeed]

so it wasn't really a problem to being with, it was people's stupidity?>

This was the exact same conclusion that Audi came up with after their debacle in the 80s. That is why we have cars that can't be pulled out of park without your foot being on the brake.

Another funny statistic with this is they found out that UA was almost exclusive to the US. Fuckin shitty American drives damn near ruining a good company and the media going right along with it.

Even more funny is the Camry is still the best selling car this year so far.

[MikeC]

I love how it only "happened" in the US, trying to make the American car companies look like the better choice for a new car. That is why I feel like it was an "inside job". With the economy the way it is, if an american company sells more cars there will be new jobs in the US (and Mexico ha!). I see the first case (dumbass white haired guy) as a way for the US to go to a huge company like Toyota and say "your product is not safe and if you don't fix it, we will stop importing your cars to America". Taking time out of sales of there product to have to fix the "problem", giving a negative image of the company and their product. It had a potential to "weed out" some companies from the thoughts of the consumers due to a "problem" that COULD cause an accident or death (if you're an idiot).There is no "hard evidence", but these are just my thoughts. Anyone else have any?

[axiomatik]

Just because the media isn't reporting it, doesn't mean nothing is happening. I just read an article the other day that stated that Toyota is still receiving 150 UA complaints a week, down from a peak of 800 a week.

Also, for the 'US only' complaint. For cases of UA were tied to the 'sticky' throttle pedal (as Toyota has asserted), Toyota had already issued recalls for the pedal assemblies in Europe and Japan, and had done nothing in the US. There is obviously more to the story than just driver error if Toyota identified a serious enough issue with their pedal design to issue a recall in Europe *before* the shit hit the fan in the US. The fact that they issued a recall in Europe but not the US was the basis of the NHTSA fine. Automakers are required by law to report to the NHTSA within 5 days of identifying a safety issue. Toyota knew of the issue for months before issuing a recall.

[cdlong]

I love how it only "happened" in the US, trying to make the American car companies look like the better choice for a new car... ...It had a potential to "weed out" some companies from the thoughts of the consumers due to a "problem" that COULD cause an accident or death (if you're an idiot).There is no "hard evidence", but these are just my thoughts. Anyone else have any?

Don't you think Toyota had an unfair advantage due to the public perception of 'toyota is perfect, American cars are shit'? I see it as leveling the playing field a bit and a reminder that toyotas are made by people too (i.e., they're not perfect).

Toyota dropped from 7th to 21st on JD Power & Assoc. initial quality survey (third to 12th for non luxury brands). I can't imagine such a big drop is only from stuck accelerators, more likely from people no longer consciously or sub-consciously overlooking issues with their cars ('my Toyota's a Toyota, that wheel that fell off is my fault'). I can see being more realistic, but not making stuff up.

[cdlong]

Toyota is causing other manufacturers to up their qaulity. It's a good thing. I wish good luck to Toyota with this mess.

true, but...

http://beckyland.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/quality.jpg

They don't make them like they used to. You can buy virtually any car and drive it across the country twice and stop only for gas. I think we're at a point of "good enough".