Toyota: Runaway Prius accounts ‘inconsistent' with testing

Toyota is challenging the accounts of a motorist whose Prius sped out of control last week in San Diego, calling his reports of the incident “inconsistent” with the initial findings of the company.

Toyota released the results after two days of testing on a 2008 Prius hybrid that sped out of control last week in California, and it maintained that the car's brakes and throttle functioned properly.

The now-infamous incident occurred on March 8, when a Prius driven by James Sikes was reported in a 911 call to be speeding uncontrollably. The car was brought to a halt when a California patrolman had Sikes brake hard, use the parking brake and turn off the engine.

The sensational incident drew national coverage and again threw into question the safety of Toyota's cars. Though 8.5 million of its vehicles are being recalled, the Prius in the incident is not included.

Earlier on Monday, NHTSA released a statement saying it couldn't explain why that Prius sped out of control.

Toyota's findings also said the floor mats did not interfere with the pedals--as has been a case with some of its other vehicles--the engine power switch worked properly and the car could be shifted into neutral. The front brakes “showed severe wear and damage from overheating” during the incident, while the rear and parking brakes where in good condition and functional.

An attorney for Sikes told the Associated Press on Sunday that failure to replicate the incident is not significant, and that Sikes did not have any problems with his Prius in three years of owning it.

By Greg Migliore