TOYOTA AND GLOBAL WARMING – AT 11:42 A.M. ET:  No, that's not the title of a term paper.  It's a thought.  Follow the Toyota story closely, and you'll see a resemblance to the global-warming hysteria.  How much of the Toyota scandal is about engineering, and how much about grabbing a buck?  Consider:

A federal safety investigation of the Toyota Prius that was involved in a dramatic incident on a California highway last week found a particular pattern of wear on the car's brakes that raises questions about the driver's version of the event, three people familiar with the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.

On Monday James Sikes, 61 years old, called 911 and told the operator his blue 2008 Toyota Prius had sped up to more than 90 miles per hour on its own on Interstate 8 near San Diego. He eventually brought the vehicle to a stop after a California Highway patrolman pulled alongside Sikes and offered help.

During and after the incident, Sikes said he was using heavy pressure on his brake pedal at high speeds.

But the investigation of the vehicle, carried out jointly by safety officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Toyota engineers, didn't find signs the brakes had been applied at full force at high speeds over a sustained period of time, the three people familiar with the investigation said.

We reported on this driver just yesterday.  Turns out he has a troubled financial past and a checkered business reputation.

A draft memorandum obtained Saturday by The Associated Press also said investigators were unable to make a Prius speed out of control as Sikes detailed.

During two hours of test drives of Sikes' car Thursday, technicians failed to duplicate the same experience that Sikes described, according to the memo prepared for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

"Every time the technician placed the gas pedal to the floor and the brake pedal to the floor the engine shut off and the car immediately started to slow down," the memo said.

"Unintended acceleration" is a big lawsuit term.  I'm not an engineer.  I don't know if it's real or not.  But don't get carried away.  When there's money available, claims will follow.  As with global warming, look with two eyes. 

March 14, 2010