NHTSA Complaint #10703006 — 2014 TOYOTA PRIUS

WE FLEW TO SEA TAC (SEATTLE WA ) AIRPORT FROM SLC UT. WE PLANNED ON ATTENDING A FAMILY GATHERING AND RENTED A CAR FROM HERTZ. WE HAVE OWNED A 2006 PRIUS AND ASKED IF THEY MIGHT HAVE A NEW MODEL TO RENT FOR COMPARISON ON OUR PART, WHICH THEY DID, HOWEVER IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PRIUS C, WHICH WAS NOT AT ALL LIKE OUR PRIUS. THE TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY WAS STOP AND GO SLOW ON A MULTI LANE FREEWAY AND WERE ON AN INNER LANE. ( I - 405 NORTH BOUND ) AS I ROLLED UP TO WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A STOPPING SITUATION THE TRAFFIC STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD, AND AS I STEPPED ON THE PEDAL TO MOVE FORWARD, I NOTICED THAT NOTHING WAS HAPPENING AND THE CAR SOON CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CAR WAS ABSENT AND VISIBLE POWER, NO VISUAL INFORMATION ON THE MPH SCREEN, THE EMERGENCY LIGHT WOULD NOT WORK, I WAS NERVOUS AND SCARED AND EVERYTHING HAD GONE DARK, I DID NOT WHAT TO DO, I TRIED TO MOVE THE KEY POSITION THE CARS BEHIND ME STARTED TO HONK, AND THEY WERE ALSO TRYING TO GET AROUND ME, JUST AS I WAS STARTING TO CALL 911 FOR SOME HELP THE CAR POWERED BACK UP WITH A MESSAGE TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND START THE MOTOR I MOVED OUT OF THE SITUATION AND GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND TOOK BACKROADS TO REACH THE MOTEL, WITH THE INTENT TO NEVER DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN, THE NEXT AM I CALLED HERTZ AND THEY MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO TRADE THE CAR OUT AT OUR MOTEL, WHICH THEY DID. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM ON THIS SPECIFIC CAR WAS CAUSED BY ITS SOFTWARE AND HE WAS AWARE OF OTHER DRIVERS FACING THE SAME SITUATION, BUT I SHOULD COUNT MY BLESSING THAT I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT I DO NOT THINK THIS CAR SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED ON OUR ROADS JUST BASED ON THIS EXPERIENCE. FOR YOUR REVIEW AND VALIDATION - HERTZ RENTAL RECORD [XXX] LIC [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR