NHTSA Complaint #10955664 — 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS

IN SEPTEMBER 2014 I TURNED ON THE IGNITION AND THE DASH DID NOT COME ON. THE CAR WOULD DRIVE BUT IT DID NOT INDICATE SPEED, GEAR SELECTOR ETC. UPON PARKING THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN OFF. BY MOVING FORWARD AND BACKWARD AND TRYING TO TURN IT OFF REPEATEDLY IT EVENTUALLY TURNED OFF. THIS DID NOT REOCCUR UNTIL THE FOLLOWING YEAR WHEN THE WEATHER GOT WET IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. IT WOULD HAPPEN OCCASIONALLY ON COLD DAMP MORNINGS AND THEN EVERYTHING WOULD BE FUNCTIONAL THE NEXT TIME I DROVE IT. IT STARTED HAPPENING OFTEN AND FOR MULTIPLE DAYS IN 2016. IT BECAME SO DIFFICULT TO TURN THE CAR OFF (AND IF THE CAR DOES TURN OFF THERE IS LITTLE INDICATION SO I HAD A CLOSE CALL WHEN I EXITED THE VEHICLE AND IT BEGAN TO ROLL AWAY) THAT I WENT ONLINE TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAD HAD THIS PROBLEM. APPARENTLY IT IS VERY COMMON AND TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE DESIGN FLAW, SO THEY WILL REPAIR IT UNDER WARRANTY FOR 9 YEARS FROM THE NEW VEHICLE PURCHASE DATE. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID THAT THE CAR WAS 9 YEARS AND 4 MONTHS OLD AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT AND IT WOULD BE ~$1500 TO FIX. I EXPLAINED THAT IT HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR 2+ YEARS AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I ASKED WHY THEY HAD NOT NOTIFIED OWNERS AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOT A "RECALL" SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND AN ACKNOWLEDGED DESIGN FLAW THAT POSES A SAFETY HAZARD TO THE PUBLIC. WHEN THE PRIUS "COMBINATION METER" IS NOT FUNCTIONING THE VEHICLE CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF QUICKLY AND THE VEHICLE MAY DRIVE OFF IF THE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE ENGINE. PLEASE COMPEL TOYOTA TO AT LEAST NOTIFY OWNERS OF VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS DESIGN FLAW. EVEN BETTER, COMPEL THEM TO FIX DEFECTIVE VEHICLES OR ISSUE A RECALL FOR ALL VEHICLES TO HEAD OF THIS POTENTIAL PUBLIC SAFETY THREAT.