By JIM FITZGERALD, Associated Press Writer
HARRISON, N.Y. – The crash of a Toyota Prius in New York caught the attention of federal regulators Wednesday after the driver said it accelerated on its own, then lurched down a driveway, across a road and into a stone wall.
A 2005 Toyota Prius, which was in an accident, is seen at a police station in Harrison, New York, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. The driver of the Toyota Prius told police that the car accelerated on its own, then lurched down a driveway, across a road and into a stone wall. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The crash heightens the attention surrounding unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles and a recall involving more than 8 million vehicles to address gas pedals that can become sticky or trapped under floor mats.
The Department of Transportation is looking into the New York crash, spokeswoman Olivia Alair said Wednesday.
Capt. Anthony Marraccini of the police department in Harrison, north of New York City, said that a regional Toyota official asked to collect the Prius involved in the crash but that the police are “not prepared to release it just yet.”
He said he wanted to see first if a federal agency wants to join or take over the investigation. “This involved potentially a great safety hazard and could be something of national interest,” he said. Besides, he said, the damaged car belongs to the owner, not to Toyota.
When police release the Prius, Toyota will evaluate it to determine the cause of the accident, company spokesman Brian Lyons said.
The silver-gray 2005 Prius was taken to a police parking lot. Its front end was severely pushed in, the hood was buckled and the front bumper and one front headlight were broken.
Police believe the vehicle was on Toyota’s recall list for the sticky accelerator problem, but they had no immediate proof that this one had the problem, Marraccini said. The vehicle had been serviced by Toyota for the floor mat problem, he said.
A large hole is seen in a stone wall in Purchase, New York, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. The driver of a 2005 Toyota Prius told police in suburban New York that the car accelerated on its own, then lurched down a driveway, across a road and into the stone wall. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The driver, a 56-year-old housekeeper, was going forward in the car on Tuesday, down a curving driveway several hundred feet long with a putting green next to it, when the accident happened, Marraccini said.
“She said she doesn’t know whether the accelerator stuck,” Marraccini said. “She said she didn’t depress it that much because she was just pulling out of the driveway.”
He said she was lucky to escape serious injury because she could have driven into traffic and the impact with the wall “was pretty substantial.” he said police did not yet know how fast the car was going.
The captain said police would consider the possibility that the driver, whose name was not made public, was at fault. But he added, “She appears to have all her faculties. She didn’t appear to be disoriented in any way. There’s nothing at this particular time that would indicate driver error.”
He said she appeared to be properly licensed.
The air bags deployed when the car hit the stone wall of the estate across the street. On Wednesday, five boulders and smaller filler stones were strewn about, some of them 10 feet from the wall. Broken glass, plastic headlight pieces and metal that looked like part of a window frame were nearby.
A California Highway Patrol vehicle (L), and a Toyota Prius (R) owned by James Sikes are shown stopped on the side of a freeway in San Diego in this video frame grab obtained March 9, 2010. Toyota said its own inspectors are also working to try to find out what caused the 2008 Prius to surge uncontrollably to over 90 miles per hour as it was being driven by owner Sikes. The high-speed incident, which involved a dramatic pursuit by a highway patrol car, has raised new questions about the automaker’s damaging string of recent recalls and whether Toyota has done enough to address consumer complaints about unintended acceleration that have damaged its reputation and sales. REUTERS/NBC/Handout
Toyota is fighting fears that the crashes are caused by faulty electronics rather than by mechanical problems.
On Monday, California police stopped a runaway 2008 Prius going nearly 95 mph after the driver said the pedal jammed. Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating.
All 2004-2009 Priuses are covered by a recall Toyota announced in October over floor-mat entrapment. Toyota has advised drivers of the Prius and other affected vehicles to take out any removable driver’s floor mat until they are repaired.
