agent Entrepreneur logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Report Fails to Shed Light on Runaway Prius in California

March 18, 2010
2 min to read


EL CAJON, Calif. - A California Highway Patrol officer responding to a report of a runway Toyota Prius last week arrived to find a Border Patrol agent near the driver with emergency lights on. The Border Patrol presence raises the prospect that there were other witnesses. It is one of the few new details in a report released Wednesday by the CHP that is consistent with what the CHP and the driver, James Sikes, have previously said, The Detroit News reported. But the seven-page CHP report sheds no new light on wildly divergent explanations from Toyota Motor Corp. and Sikes about what happened when the driver called 911 on March 8 to report that his gas pedal was stuck on a California freeway, sending him to speeds topping 90 mph. Toyota has dismissed Sikes' account, saying its tests show he pressed the gas and brakes rapidly 250 times, the maximum amount of data that the car's self-diagnostic system captures. The report revisits the harrowing ride that Sikes and CHP Officer Todd Neibert described to reporters shortly after the episode on Interstate 8, east of San Diego. Neibert wrote that he approached the Prius from behind to find a Border Patrol agent in an unmarked Chevrolet Tahoe with emergency lights illuminated from the rear window. "It was staying ahead of us and it was later determined that the agent driving the Chevrolet Tahoe was aware of the situation," Neibert wrote. The Prius brake lights were on "for a period of time and would turn off, indicating the driver was possibly pumping the brakes," Neibert wrote. "I was within 1/4 mile of the vehicle and could smell the heated brakes, which indicated they had been used extensively." Neibert told Sikes to shift to neutral but the driver shook his head from side to side, indicating to the officer that it didn't work or he couldn't do it. Sikes later told reporters he didn't shift to neutral because he worried he might go into reverse or flip.

More Industry

Hyundai logo and 40 Years in America in front of a starry background
Industryby Lauren LawrenceMarch 5, 2026

Hyundai Celebrates U.S. Milestone

The South Korean automaker said it supports 570,000 jobs in the U.S. with a planned investment of $26 billion between 2025 and 2028, according to President and CEO José Muñoz.

Read More →
Showroomby Lauren LawrenceMarch 4, 2026

Used-Vehicle Program Aims to Draw More Buyers

GM says more than 750 dealers across the U.S. are enrolled in CarBravo and that in January CarBravo dealers sold over two times the certified volume of Chevrolet, Buick and GMC dealers using traditional CPO.

Read More →
Industryby Hannah MitchellMarch 2, 2026

Meet the Editor: Hannah Mitchell

A longtime newspaper journalist, Bobit Dealer Group's editor was raised on news back in the South. Now she brings that news-hound ethic to our four auto retail magazines.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Summit Updatesby StaffMarch 2, 2026

Enhance Your Dealer's F&I Workflow at Agent Summit

This session is designed to equip general agents with actionable strategies that can help their dealers enhance the efficiency of financial services managers.

Read More →
Industryby Hannah MitchellMarch 2, 2026

Auto Brands Hold the Line on Retention

A flat national rate despite inflation and other financial challenges shows industry loyalty stability, annual Reynolds and Reynolds research finds.

Read More →
F&Iby Lauren LawrenceFebruary 27, 2026

Price Driving Insurance Churn

Over half of insurance holders ages 18 to 29 reported to be 'somewhat' likely to change providers in the next 90 days, according to CivicScience, which found that interest was lower among older age groups.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Industryby Lauren LawrenceFebruary 26, 2026

AI Drives Dealer Website Traffic

Total visits to dealer websites from generative artificial intelligence platforms grew more than 15 times year-over-year, signaling a shift in how many consumers shop for cars online.

Read More →
Industryby Hannah MitchellFebruary 26, 2026

Automakers Tops in Fuel Economy

In the U.S., Honda has the most efficient gas-electrified combo lineup while Tesla beats all automakers in annual EPA ranking as brands built their alternative-fuel offerings.

Read More →
Industryby Lauren LawrenceFebruary 25, 2026

Report Finds Year-End F&I Strength

Deal volume ebbed and flowed throughout 2025, but product performance remained steady, according to automotive technology and data intelligence solutions provider StoneEagle.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Industryby Hannah MitchellFebruary 24, 2026

Overall Consumer Confidence Up

Americans’ view of present business conditions, the labor market and family finances, though, are still in the dumps, and if they plan to buy cars, many target used units.

Read More →