NHTSA Complaint #10807960 — 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS

ONGOING PROBLEM SHOULD HAVE REPORTED MUCH EARLIER. BODY PARTS ARE PLASTIC--LIKELY TO REDUCE WEIGHT--COUPLED WITH UNDERSURFACES TO IMPROVE AERODYNAMICS AND MPG. THE FRONT "SPOILER" IS SET TOO LOW AND SNAGS WHEEL CHOCKS WHEN PARKING. THIS SNAGGING TEARS CONNECTORS IN A "CASCADE" TO LOOSEN OR TEAR FROM OTHER PARTS. AT ABOUT 35 MPHTHE LOOSENED PASSENGER-SIDE INNER FENDER TORE LOOSE ON A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE (FORTUNATELY LOW-TRAFFICED AT THE TIME). IT WAS RUN OVER AND RECOVERED. I ASKED LOCAL DEALERABOUT REPAIR/REPLACEMENT BUT COULDN'T GET SPECIFICS AND LET IT SLIDE. THIS INNER FENDER PROVIDES STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AS WELL AS SHIELDING THE WASHER TANK AND PARTS OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT'S INNARDS. LACKING THAT INTEGRITY, AND WITH SOME CONNECTOR HOLES TORN, WIND GUSTING AT ROAD SPEEDS (AND FURTHER SNAGGING) OFTEN CAUSES THE WRAP-AROUND PART OF THE FRONT BUMPER TO PULL LOOSE FROM ITS "LEGO-LIKE SNAPS" INTO THE FENDER. WERE THINGS TO TEAR LOOSE AT ROAD SPEEDS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY THE "SHRAPNEL" COULD CAUSE MAJOR ACCIDENTS. SPECIFIC DATES UNKNOWN-HAS BEEN A CONTINUING ISSUE. --SO DATE BELOW IS, THEREFORE, ARBITRARY.