Toyota safety tests 'cast doubt on runaway story'

Date: 16/3/2010

Toyota claims that the safety tests it has carried out on a car that seemingly sped out of control earlier this month have failed to replicate the event.

The motor manufacturer believes the car is working as it should be, although Toyota is not accusing the driver of lying about the events.

Earlier this month, Toyota Prius driver James Sikes was unable to slow his car down while he was travelling on a San Diego freeway. A highway patrol officer helped to slow the car down and guided him to safety following the incident.

But after carrying out tests on the vehicle, both Toyota and the US government's national highway traffic safety administration said they have been unable to find anything wrong with the car.

"So far, we have not been able to find anything to explain the incident that Mr Sikes reported. We would caution people that our work continues and we may never know exactly what happened with this car," the administration said.

There have been growing safety concerns for Toyota in recent months, with the company recalling millions of vehicles in countries across the world to fix issues with the accelerator and brake pedals.