普锐斯曝突然加速事故 丰田计划召回

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday that the Prius involved in a highly publicized acceleration incident on a California freeway along with hundreds of thousands of others will be recalled to prevent floor mats from pinning down the gas pedal.

But the recall hasn't been issued because Toyota 'hasn't developed the remedy yet,' said Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons.

In November, Toyota recalled several models including the Toyota Camry and Avalon sedans and the Lexus ES sedan to reshape the floor and gas pedals to prevent unsecured or ill-fitting floor mats from entrapping the pedal in an open position.

As part of those recalls, Toyota said Prius hybrids from the 2004 to 2009 model years would be recalled in the future to address the same issue. The company advised owners of those Priuses to remove their floor mats in the meantime to prevent the gas pedal from becoming trapped, said Mr. Lyons.

Toyota sold about 745,000 Priuses from the 2004 to 2009 model years, according to Autodata Corp.

On Monday, James Sikes, 61 years old, called 911 for help after his 2008 Prius raced to more than 90 miles per hour near San Diego and he couldn't slow it down.

'I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny ... it jumped and it just stuck there,' Mr. Sikes said at a news conference, according to the Associated Press. 'I was trying the brakes ... it wasn't stopping, it wasn't doing anything and it just kept speeding up,'' Mr. Sikes said, adding he could smell the brakes burning.

A California Highway Patrol officer caught up to the Prius and advised the driver to apply both the brakes and emergency brake. Eventually, Mr. Sikes was able to shut the engine off and stop the vehicle. The patrolman pulled his car in front of the Prius as a precaution. Mr. Sikes was unhurt.

Toyota is sending engineers look to look at Mr. Sikes's car, the company said Tuesday. The Transportation Department is also sending an investigator to inspect the vehicle and gather information on the incident.

The incident took place a few hours after the auto maker concluded a detailed media presentation intended to rebut critics who suggest electrical problems could be causing its vehicles to speed up without drivers depressing the accelerator.

Reports of unintended acceleration have prompted Toyota to recall more than six million vehicles in the U.S. The recalls fix floor mats and gas pedals that can get stuck-the cause, according to the company, of the sudden-acceleration complaints.

For weeks, Toyota has tried to tamp down concern about the safety of its vehicles and rebut suggestions it did not react quickly enough to reports of sudden acceleration, including some that involved fatalities. But news of new, unrelated recalls and tense testimony by Toyota executives before Congress last month have kept the company on the defense.

'Toyota learned of a report that a California Highway Patrol (CHP) unit was dispatched in response to a 911 call from a motorist driving a Prius on Interstate 8 in San Diego County who said the accelerator pedal was stuck,' the company said in a brief statement.