NHTSA Complaint #10733039 — 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS

SPEEDOMETER & OTHER CONTROL INFORMATION DISPLAY WENT BLANK. PULLED OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD BUT UNABLE TO TURN OFF ENGINE. CONTACTED TOYOTA & WAS TOLD PROBLEM IS KNOWN & WARRANTY EXTEND TO 9 YEARS & UNLIMITED MILES. HOWEVER, MY VEHICLE IS OLDER THAN NINE YEARS, SO I MUST PAY ESTIMATE $1400 TO FIX & CAR WILL BE UNAVAILABLE FOR ESTIMATE 2 WEEKS. THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, PRIOR TO THIS KNOWN PROBLEM OCCURRING CAR WAS OPERATING PERFECTLY ( AVERAGING 50 MPG PER TANK OF GAS, DOCUMENTED). THIS APPEARS TO BE A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT WAS KNOWN BY THE MANUFACTURER, HOWEVER THEY SEEMS TO BE TRYING TO HIDE THIS BY MAKING THE STATISTICAL ESTIMATE THAT BY EXTENDING THE WARRANTY THE MAJORITY OF THESE CARS WOULD BE OFF THE ROAD AND THEIR LAWYERS & LEGAL INSURANCE WOULD COST LESS THAN THE FEW HUMANS KILLS AFTER THIS ARBITRARY 9 YEAR RISK PERIOD. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AS A RESULT OF THIS FAILURE! FORTUNATELY I WAS NOT, HOWEVER I AM LEFT WITH A VEHICLE THAT IS UNDRIVEABLE (WITH NO WARNING!) AND CAN ONLY BE REPAIRED BY TOYOTA AT A COST I AM NOT ABLE TO AFFORD!