NHTSA Complaint #10474289 — 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS

DRIVING 70 MPH CAR BEGAN TO GO INTO HIGH RPM, THEN ACCELERATED TO 74 FROM 70 MPH. I TRIED TO DECREASE SPEED THEN VEHICLE SHUT OFF GOT A LONG BEEP AND MESSAGE ON DISPLAY "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY" ALL LIGHTS ON DASH WERE INDICATING FAILURES. COASTED TO SAFETY WITH 5 PASSENGERS IN VEHICLE ACROSS TRAFFIC AT 9:30 PM TO SHOULDER. TRIED TO RESTART SEVERAL TIMES THEN VEHICLE WENT INTO HIGH RPM THEN ENGINE KNOCKED LOUDLY AND WAS COMPLETELY DISABLED. LOST BRAKES, PEDAL WAS HARD, LOST POWER STEERING, DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. I STILL HAD 2 BARS INDICATING PLENTY OF FUEL IN CAR. PRIOR FILLUP WAS 7.6 GALLONS AT PUMP, USUALLY GET OVER 500 MILES PER TANK, TRIP METER ONLY SHOWED UNDER 400 MILES SINCE FILL UP SO HAD PLENTY OF FUEL AND THERE WAS NO LOW FUEL INDICATOR. REPORTED ALL PROBLEMS TO DEALER. THEY ONLY NOTED THE CAR SHUT DOWN BUT TOLD ME THEY CONFIRMED EVERYTHING I SAID AND THAT TOYOTA ENGINEERS ARE TRYING TO RESOLVE THIS SINCE THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. SO FAR DEALER AND TOYOTA HAVE NOT ADDRESSED THE HIGH RPM, THE ACCELERATION, LOSS OF ELECTRONICS AND HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE AND TOLD ME THEY HAVENEVER HEARD OF ANY TOYOTA EVER HAVING A REPORT OF A HIGH RPM OR ACCELERATION WITHOUT INTENT TO ACCELERATE FORM THE DRIVER. VEHICLE IS UNSAFE, HAS 4944 MILES AND THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED ABOUT A MONTH AFTER PURCHASE. TOYOTA STILL DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE AND IN POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE. *TR *JS