NHTSA Complaint #10596970 — 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS

FIRST, UNDERSTAND THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, NO ONE GOT HURT, AND IT DIDN'T COST ME A DIME. THE DEALER AND WARRANTY PICKED UP THE FULL TAB. ALL IT COST ME WAS A LITTLE AGGRAVATION. HOWEVER, I FEEL IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. IT STARTED WHEN I HAD A FLAT TIRE. I REMOVED THE FLAT AND PUT ON THE SPARE, NO PROBLEM. THE TIRE HAD A SIDEWALL PUNCTURE SO FIRST THING MONDAY I TOOK IT TO GK TIRE & AUTO FOR REPLACEMENT. THEY MOUNTED A NEW TIRE AND PUT THE SPARE BACK IN THE TRUNK. THAT IS WHERE THINGS WENT WRONG. MY PRIUS WOULD NOT START. I CALLED THE DEALER. THE DEALER SENT A TOW TRUCK AND HAULED THE PRIUS OFF. THE NEXT DAY THEY CALLED TO SAY IT WAS FIXED. THE SERVICE TICKET SAID "PULLED CODE P0A0D...CLEARED CODES, AND CHECKED SERVICE PLUG. FOUND PARTIALLY PULLED OUT." ... "INSTALLED SERVICE PLUG ALL THE WAY AND TEST DROVE VEHICLE. GOOD, DONE". BECAUSE GK TIRE HAD NO REASON TO BE ANYWHERE BUT IN THE TRUNK I ASSUME THAT IS WHERE THE 'SERVICE PLUG' IS AND THEY KNOCKED IT OUT OF PLACE WHEN THEY RE STOWED THE SPARE. MY PROBLEM IS THAT IF THE TIRE PEOPLE COULD DO THAT, THEN I MIGHT HAVE DONE THAT. AND, IF I HAD DONE THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE, OR EVEN WORSE, THE CROSS BRONX EXPRESSWAY. I WOULD NOT EXPECT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TREAT THE TIRE COMPARTMENT OF A TRUNK LIKE A FINE SWISS WATCH. IF THAT WAS THE PROBLEM, I CONSIDER IT A DESIGN DEFICIENCY. WHEN GK TIRE PUT IT ON THE LIFT? STILL A DESIGN DEFICIENCY. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. *TR