NHTSA Complaint #10210426 — 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS

WE HAVE TWO 2005 TOYOTA PRIUSES WHICH HAVE EXHIBITED IDENTICAL STALLING AND SHIFTING PROBLEMS. THE HYBRID SYSTEM WILL STALL OR NOT OPERATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW US TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR PERIODICALLY. ONE TOYOTA DEALER SAYS WE NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSAXLE, AND ANOTHER WAS NOT SURE AND SAID THERE BEST "GUESS" WAS TO REFRESH THE ECU AND HYBRID CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE , HOWEVER AFTER DOING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ONLINE BELIEVE IT TO BE A COMBINATION OF A SOFTWARE GLITCH ATTRIBUTED TO A LEAK IN WATERPROOFING A GASKET NEAR AN ECU. THE PROBLEM WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION ALMOST A YEAR AGO WHILE THE VEHICLES WERE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. ALL THEY DID WAS SIMPLY "FLASH" OR REFRESH THE MEMORY AND DID NOT ACTUALLY RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE PRIUS' HYBRID-RELATED COMPONENTS, INCLUDING THE HYBRID CONTROL MODULE ARE COVERED FOR 8 YEARS/100,000 MILES. WE ALSO MENTIONED TO THE DEALER THE UNUSUAL AND EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR ON BOTH VEHICLES, SOME OF THE TIRES HAD NO TREAD AND WERE ALREADY BALD AFTER ONLY 12,000 MILES. I AM WONDERING IF THIS COULD BE RELATED TO THE STEERING OR TRACTION CONTROL ISSUES PREVALENT WITH THIS MODEL. *TR