Flights to San Diego were crowded yesterday as government investigators, Toyota engineers and news reporters flocked to gather details on a runaway Prius, whose driver said the car suddenly took off and accelerated uncontrollably to 90 miles per hour.  James Sikes says he tried to stop the car by using the brakes but they would not bring the car to a stop.  He tried using the handbrake during his 30-mile long sprint, but that didn't work either.  He finally dialed 911 on his mobile phone and reported what was happening to emergency service personnel who, instead of telling him what to do, dispatched a highway patrol officer.  The policeman pulled along side of Mr. Sikes and using a loudspeaker suggested Sikes use the handbrake and foot brake at the same time and turn off the ignition.  The car rolled to a stop.  Amazing, just amazing.

By Tuesday morning, Mr. Sikes was granting interviews to the media, posed in front of the Toyota dealer in El Cajon, Calif.  And federal legislators and the Transportation Department promptly dispatched two NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) personnel to El Cajon where the car is parked.  They will join Toyota engineers, also dispatched yesterday, in trying to determine what happened with the Prius.

One important thing to note is that this Prius model, which is under recall, was not repaired.  Mr. Sikes said he had gone to the dealer to have the vehicle repaired under the recall notice, but the dealer allegedly told him that his Prius wasn't being recalled.  That isn't true, this particular model Prius is part of the Toyota unintended acceleration recall, but there are reports that Toyota dealers have not been able to repair any Prius models because they don't have the appropriate parts.  What was unclear is whether Mr. Sikes or the dealer had removed the floor mats from the vehicle, although Sikes did mention that the floor mat wasn't interfering with the accelerator pedal, which suggests that it was still in the vehicle.  A Toyota spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that dealers were repairing vehicles on a "roll out" basis and they had not yet gotten to Prius models. 

The incident was the second time in four days that a Toyota-made vehicle experienced unintended acceleration.  There are reports that a 2006 Lexus IS 350 sped out of control last Friday on a San Diego freeway.  While the incident was less dramatic, it was reported to federal regulators who ordered the car be held at a dealer until NHTSA inspectors could examine it.  NHTSA said both of the investigators dispatched to San Diego are experienced crash investigators.  The NHTSA finds itself in a difficult position as there have been allegations that it was too palsy-walsy with Toyota officials.  The House Energy and Commerce Committee said it will take the NHTSA's future into consideration at a hearing on Thursday.  The committee noted that the number of investigations the NHTSA has performed dropped from 119 in the 1970s to 57 today.  Despite this drop in investigations, President Obama has proposed adding eight more investigators. 

Finally, both of these incidents occurred in Vista County, Calif., the same county where a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members were killed when a Lexus ES 350 he was driving sped out of control.