NHTSA Complaint #10978840 — 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS

WHEN VEHICLE IS TURNED ON, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ALSO KNOWN AS THE COMBINATION METER, FAIL TO TURN ON. THIS ISSUE IS VERY CONCERNING DUE TO THE OVERALL COMPUTER CONTROLLED FUNCTIONS OF THIS VEHICLE. THE SPEEDOMETER, TRIP METER, ODOMETER AND OTHER FUNCTIONS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE COMBINATION METER. FUNCTIONS THAT ARE CONSIDERED SAFETY ITEMS SUCH AS THE POWER BRAKES, POWER STEERING, ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM, SPEEDOMETER, LIGHTS, ETC. THERE IS AN ISSUED WARRANTY COVERING THE ISSUE UP TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME HOWEVER SINCE IT IS NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM IT SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER REGARDLESS. AFTER VEHICLE IS EVENTUALLY IGNITED, COMBINATION METER DOES NOT ILLUMINATE AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE, IT FAILS TO DO SO WHICH ALSO INCLUDES NOT BEING ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY. I WAS ADVISED BY A TOYOTA MECHANIC TO ACCESS THE SAFETY OVERRIDE BY HOLDING THE POWER BUTTON HOWEVER THAT PROCEDURE DOES NOT WORK ALL OF THE TIME. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE DUE TO MY SAFETY AND DRIVERS AROUND ME AND THEIR SAFETY AND HOPEFULLY THIS ISSUE CAN BE AVOIDED BEFORE A POSSIBLE A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT HAPPENS.