NHTSA Complaint #10124796 — 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS

TOYOTA PRIUS GAS ENGINE STALLED AFTER TOYOTA SERVICE PATCH WAS DOWNLOADED TO CORRECT PROBLEM. BOUGHT CAR MARCH 1, 2004. CAR STALLED MAY 13 AND JUNE 1- SEE REPORT FILED UNDER MAY 13 DATE. JULY 31, 2004 TOYOTA DOWNLOADED PATCH TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS FINE. CAR WAS OK FOR ALMOST A YEAR. THEN, JUST 2 WEEKS AGO ON JUNE 2, 2005 I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY (LUCKILY IN A LOT OF SLOW TRAFFIC SO ONLY GOING ABOUT 40 MPH) AND THE GAS ENGINE DIED AGAIN SO THE CAR DROPPED TO 20MPH ON THE ELECTRIC ENGINE. ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. THIS TIME I STOPPED AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE ENGINE (GAS AND ELECTRIC) CAME BACK ON. THIS IS WHAT THE DEALER HAD SAID THAT THE OTHER CUSTOMERS HAVING THE PROBLEM HAD FOUND- IF YOU STOP AND TURN IT BACK ON AFTER A STALL EVERYTHING WORKS. SO SINCE MY KIDS WERE NOT IN THE CAR I DID THIS AND DROVE IT TO A PARKING LOT. THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE STILL ON AND NOW I AM REALLY SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR. IN ALL THREE SITUATIONS I FEEL LIKE I WAS JUST LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT GOING FASTER AND ESPECIALLY INTHE SECOND CASE THAT THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS AWARE ENOUGH TO AVOID MY SUDDENLY POWERLESS CAR. I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO REPORT THIS BECAUSE WE THOUGHT TOYOTA'S SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD PUT IN IN JULY 2004 WORKED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BUT IT CLEARLY IS STILL HAPPENING. I WILL NOT DRIVE THE CAR NOW WITH MY CHILDREN IN IT AND AM CONSIDERING GETTING RID OF IT. IF IT WERE ANY OTHER CAR IT WOULD BE GONE BY NOW, BUT WE ARE BIG BELIEVERS IN THE HYBRID TECHNOLOGY AND REALLY WAITED TO REPORT THIS TO GIVE TOYOTA A CHANCE TO FIX IT. I THINK THIS IS HAPPENING A LOT MORE THAN IS BEING REPORTED BECAUSE A LOT OF THE CUSTOMERS FEEL AS WE DO THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO REPORT ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE HYBRID. HOWEVER, THIS IS TOO SCARY NOW AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. WITH A THIRD BABY ON THE WAY WE WERE SIGNED UP FOR THE HYBRID HIGHLANDER BUT UNFORTUNATELY WILL WAIT UNTIL WE KNOW THIS PROBLEM IS SOLVED.