NHTSA Complaint #10958976 — 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT 65 MPH WHEN THE ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLANK I COULD NO LONGER TELL HOW FAST I WAS GOING, HOW MUCH FUEL I HAD LEFT OR IF ANY OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ( LOW TIRE, LOW OIL, RUNNING HIGH TEMPERATURE, ETC. ) WERE ON. THE DISPLAY ORIGINALLY WENT OUT IN 2010 BUT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TOLD ME HOW TO CORRECT IT. IT HAS HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES SINCE THEN THE LATEST BEING THE THIRD. THIS TIME IT HAS RENDERED THE CAR UNSAFE AND UNDRIVEABLE. I FOUND OUT SEARCHING THE INTERNET THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2009. SITING T-SB-0172-09 COMBINATION METER INTERMITTENT DISPLAY WHICH AFFECTED PRIUS FROM 2004 TO 2009, FOR 3 YEARS 36000 MILES. IN 2012 THEY ISSUED A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM FOR THE SAME PROBLEM COMBINATION METER INTERMITTENT DISPLAY AND THEN BECAME 9 YEARS FROM DATE OF FIRST USE OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER OF 2013 WITH UNLIMITED MILEAGE. SINCE IT WAS A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT INSTEAD OF A RECALL THEY DID NOT SEND NOTICES TO EVERYONE WITH PRIUS ABOUT THIS DEFECT. SINCE NOTICE WAS NOT SUPPLIED I WAS ONE OF I AM SURE QUITE A FEW WHO FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS. I CONTACTED TOYOTA ABOUT THE SITUATION AND WAS INFORMED THAT TOYOTA WOULD DO NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.