NHTSA Complaint #10476635 — 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS

I HAD BEEN DRIVING THE CAR FOR LESS THAN 10 MINUTES WHEN THE "RED TRIANGLE" RED PROBLEM LIGHT CAME ON THE SCREEN. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED FOR A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER WHEN THE CAR MADE A SERIES OF SHORT DINGING SOUNDS AND THE CAR WAS AUTOMATICALLY PUT IN NEUTRAL AND THE BRAKE ENGAGED--IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION! I WAS FORCED TO FLEE THE VEHICLE AS THERE WERE ONCOMING CARS THAT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO STOP. WHEN THE SIGNAL CHANGED, I WENT BACK TO THE CAR AND PUT ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. THEN I TRIED TO PUT THE CAR BACK IN DRIVE AND IT WOULD NOT BUDGE FROM NEUTRAL. I THEN SWITCHED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT OUT OF THE INTERSECTION SAFELY. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED EVEN 5 MINUTES LATER, MY 9-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACT AS QUICKLY AS I DID. THE CAR HAS BEEN TOWED TO MY PERSONAL MECHANIC BY AAA FOR DIAGNOSIS, BUT AT THIS TIME IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT THIS WAS AN ERROR, BUT A DESIGN FLAW THAT PUT MY SAFETY IN CRITICAL DANGER. *TR