NHTSA Complaint #10535780 — 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS

GEAR POPS BACK TO NEUTRAL FROM DRIVING OR REVERSING AS I STARTED MY TOYOTA PRIUS 2006 CAR FROM MY DRIVEWAY, I PUT IT IN REVERSE AND IT CAME HALFWAY TO THE ROAD AND THEN STOPPED. I NOTICED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER HAD, ON ITS OWN, SHIFTED BACK TO NEUTRAL. I THEN PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE BACK INTO THE DRIVEWAY OF MY HOME. THE CAR'S GEAR SHIFT LEVER AGAIN MOVED TO NEUTRAL. THE ONLY WAY I COULD MOVE THE CAR BACK TO THE DRIVEWAY WAS BY HOLDING THE LEVER IN THE DRIVE POSITION MANUALLY. I TRIED THE CAR ON MY STREET'S SMALL BLOCK, BUT FOUND THAT THE GEAR KEPT SHIFTING BACK TO NEUTRAL, EVERYTIME I LET GO OF THE DRIVE OR REVERSE POSITION. IN OTHER WORDS, I HAD TO KEEP THE GEAR IN D POSITION MANUALLY WITH ONE HAND TO DRIVE AROUND. I FEEL THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE ATTENTION IS DIVERTED FROM THE ROAD TO THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER EVERY FEW SECONDS TO SEE IF THE GEAR IS IN THE DRIVE POSITION. I CALLED TOYOTA TODAY AND INFORMED THEM OF THIS SITUATION. *TR