Very interesting. I think he owed on the Prius and thought maybe this would get him a new one, comped of something. Perhaps a nice settlement, too.
Between GM, UAW and the trial lawyers, and the fact that Toyota is based mostly in the south, this is starting to look really strange.
BTW, if any of you are in a runaway car, please put it in neutral (N) immediately, and step on the brakes. It’s not that hard.
BAD ADVICE! The key is the THROW THE CAR INTO REVERSE and PUNCH THE ACCELERATOR and YANK THE WHEEL HARD TO THE RIGHT!
Take your seat belt off first, of course.
I think it may not always be as easy as it sounds. If you're on a highway already going fast and the car starts going faster, your first instinct will be to take your foot off the gas pedal and hit the brakes, with the assumption that this will work. When it doesn't work, you may already be having serious trouble maintaining control of the car's direction or weaving around other vehicles whose drivers don't immediately recognize that you're unable to slow down. Taking a hand off the steering wheel to switch gears may be genuinely dangerous. You'll do it eventually, but not necessarily before your brakes are wiped out from being pushed down hard while the car is going 60 or 70 or more mph.
Didn't the guy claim that he tried that and it wouldn't shift?
And he also claimed to have been standing on the brakes and that they didn't do anything. Even tried to use the emergency brake and nothing.
If he had his foot on the brakes a simple inspection of the pads/rotors will tell the truth because one or both would be worn beyond serviceability or show severe glazing, etc.