NHTSA Complaint #10195443 — 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS

INDICATOR LIGHTS FLASHED. MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP STAYED ON. AT 2,644 MILES, 12 V. BATTERY DEAD & REPLACED. I WAS TOLD TO KEEP THE GAS TANK HALF OR A QUARTER FULL OR THE RESERVE GAS TANK WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO RUN ON BATTERY. THE BATTERY MIGHT HAVE DIED BECAUSE THE CAR SAT TOO LONG BEFORE IT WAS SOLD/AT 8,879 MILES, I WENT IN. AFTER FILLING THE GAS TANK & TAKING OUT THE NOZZLE, GAS SPEWED & BUBBLED OUT. THE CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY & WHILE IN PARK. INDICATOR LIGHTS FLASHED. THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP AND MASTER WARNING LIGHTS STAYED ON. IT TOOK 5 MIN. TO TURN OFF THE CAR. I STARTED THE CAR. THOSE LIGHTS STAYED ON. I WAS TOLD I LEFT THE "TRUNK DOOR" OPEN & RAN DOWN THE BATTERY. (NOT TRUE.) THERE IS A GASKET AROUND THE ACCESS HOLE AND IF A PERSON "IS A LITTLE BIT OFF," THE GAS WILL REGURGITATE. (I WAS NOT " OFF" & DID NOT TOP OFF THE TANK.) THEY REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER. THE GAS TANK HAD NOT BEEN FILLED SO I KNEW THEY DID NOT FILL THE GAS TANK AND TRY TO RECREATE THE SITUATION AS THEY SAID THEY WOULD. I BOUGHT GAS AT A DIFFERENT PUMP. I STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. I COULD FEEL A LOSS OF POWER IN THE CAR. WHEN I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON 3 TIMES BEFORE IT WOULD MOVE. IT CREPT SLOWLY THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AS THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL TURNED RED. I TOOK THE CAR IN AT 8,936 MILES. I WAS TOLD IF MY PROBLEM IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BATTERY THAT WAS TAKEN OUT OF MY CAR, IT IS NOT AT REPAIR PERSON'S RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE HE DID NOT TOUCH MY BATTERY. WHEN A BATTERY IS DISCONNECTED FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME, IF SOMETHING IS NOT RESET, IT COULD CAUSE PROBLEMS. THEN, HE SAID NO TROUBLE FOUND/MY CAR STALLED AND/OR HAD A LOSS OF POWER. I TOOK IT IN AT 9,014 MILES. NO TROUBLE FOUND. I WAS TOLD THAT MY PROBLEMS COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A FAULTY GAS PUMP OVERFILLING MY TANK. THE GAS STATION IS NEW. THE MANAGER SAID THE PUMPS WERE INSPECTED. IF THERE WERE A FAULTY PUMP, EVERYONE WOULD HAVE PROBLEMS. *TR