NHTSA complaint: 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WE HAVE A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS THAT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF THE CAR TAKING OFF ON IT'S OWN AND THE BRAKES NOT WORKING. THE PRIUS ONLY STOPPED WHEN IT HIT ANOTHER CAR AND THEN WE WERE UNABLE TO GET THE CAR TURNED OFF. THIS WAS NOT DUE TO THE FLOOR MAT RECALL. THE CAR WAS IN PARK AND TOOK OFF, WOULD NOT STOP EVEN WITH BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES, IT STOPPED ONLY UPON IMPACT. LITERALLY WAS SECONDS AWAY FROM PINNING A PERSON INBETWEEN THE TWO VEHICLES. THIS COULD HAVE LED TO A DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. SINCE THEN THE CAR WAS REPAIRED BUT TOYOTA ENGINEERS TEST DROVE IT FOR ABOUT 10 MILES AND OF COURSE IT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO THEM SO THEY INDICATED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. WE HAD 51,000 MILES ON THE CAR BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. CURRENTLY THE CAR SITS IN THE DRIVEWAY NOT BEING USED BECAUSE OF THE DEFECT. THIS MODEL IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL YET BUT OBVIOUSLY IS DEFECTIVE. WE HAVE TWO ADDITIONAL 2007 PRIUS MODELS IN THE FAMILY THAT ARE OF CONCERN. THIS IS OF MAJOR CONCERN AS NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO CORRECT OR ADDRESS THESE MODELS, ONLY THE NEWER PRIUS MODELS. WE SEE TOYOTA AS IGNORING THE CONCERNS ON THIS MODEL. IT IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD AS WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND ON THE ROADS, MANY OF THESE VEHICLES ARE STILL IN USE. *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation