NHTSA Complaint #10308484 — 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS

2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. WE HAD A TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID GAS/ELECTRIC CAR THE FIRST THAT CAME INTO THE USA. THE CAR WOULD REACH A CERTAIN MILEAGE AND THE COMPUTER WHICH CONTROLLED EVERYTHING IN THE CAR WOULD GO BAD. WE WOULD GET A FEW MILES FROM HOME AND THE CAR WOULD NOT WORK. IT WOULD SHUT OFF. WE WOULD HAVE TO SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THAN THE CAR WOULD ONLY GO 35 MILES AN HOUR OR LESS AND WE WOULD HAVE TO TURN AROUND AND GO HOME. ON ONE TRIP TO CALIFORNIA, WHEN WE GOT TO COLORADO THE SCREEN SAID THE GO TO A SERVICE DEALER. WE HAD TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN NORTHGLENN COLORADO AND WENT TO THE DEALER . WE HAD TO TAKE THE CAR INTO THE DEALER SO MANY TIMES. THEY WOULD REPLACE THE COMPUTER AND ALL THE PARTS, EVEN THE GAS TANK. THE CAR WOULD ALSO LOCK YOU INSIDE AND YOU COULD NOT GET OUT. THE COMPUTER AND THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN OF THIS MODEL ARE ALL BAD. THEY REACH A CERTAIN MILEAGE AND BAD. THEY WERE DOING ALL THE RECALLS FROM OUR CAR. THEY PROMISED US A NEW PRIUS SIGNATURE TOYOTA IN BENTON HARBOR MI, AND NEVER GOT IT. FINALLY IN 2005 THEY SAID THEY WOULD TRADE OUR PRIUS CAR FOR ANOTHER CAR COROLLA, BUT THEY CHARGED US $8,000.00 MORE. PLEASE HELP US GET OUR MONEY BACK. NO LAWYER WILL TAKE IT SINCE COMES FROM JAPAN. WE HAD TRIED EVERYTHING AND COULD GET NO HELP. WROTE TOYOTA AND NEVER GOT THEM TO REPLY TO US. TRIED THEIR MEDIATION AND THEY HELD THE PAPERS UNTIL THE TIME RAN OUT THAN SENT US A PAPER SAYING NOT VALID ANY MORE. HELP US GET OUR MONEY BACK. LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT PRIUS CARS ARE BAD. DO NOT BUY. *TR THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE GAS PEDAL WOULD BECOME STUCK AT TIMES, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO INCREASE IN SPEED. UPDATED 04/27/10 UPDATED 10/29/10