NHTSA Complaint #11067011 — 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS

MY CAR IS A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH NEARLY 100K MILES. I WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT APPROX 65 MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS TRYING TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY. I USUALLY MAINTAIN MY SPEED BUT IN THIS SITUATION OF TRAFFIC I SLOWED SLIGHTLY AND FLASHED MY HEADLIGHTS FOR THE DRIVER TO GO AHEAD OF ME. THE DRIVER SEEMED TO BE UNSURE OF MERGING SAFETY AND PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. IN THAT PROCESS I BRAKED TO SLOW AND THEN ACCELERATED IN AN EFFORT TO MAINTAIN SPEED WITH ONGOING TRAFFIC. THEN ODDLY THE ACCELERATION WENT FROM UNDER FOOT AS IF A 'GHOST' WAS PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. AT FIRST I THOUGHT PERHAPS THE FLOOR MAT WAS IMPROPERLY PRESSING IT. I PRESSED THE BRAKE A BIT A FEW TIMES AND LOOKED TO THE HAZARDS TO ALERT OTHER VEHICLES BUT NEVER PRESSED THEM INSTEAD INTUITIVELY TRYING TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR. THE PROCESS OF PRESSING THE BRAKES AND ACCELERATOR GENTLY SEEMED TO RESET THINGS. HARD TO SAY AS MOST OF MY ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON TRYING THINGS TO STOP THE ACCELERATOR. I JUST GOT LUCKY I THINK. I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR WITHIN A SHORT TIME THAT FELT LIKE A LONG TIME IN RETROSPECT. PERHAPS A MOMENT OR TWO THAT FELT LIKE LONGER. I DID NOT SEE INDICATING LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD AND THEY MAY HAVE LIT UP- I WAS DOING MY BEST TO NOTICE CARS AROUND ME AND MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. MY CAR HAS BEEN 'FINE' SINCE BUT I HAVE NOT GONE BACK ON THE FREEWAY. I HAVE NOT RETURNED TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP BUT THOUGHT ABOUT GOING TODAY. I'LL WAIT TO HEAR BACK IN CASE THERE ARE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS I SHOULD FOLLOW FOR THAT TO HELP. I LOOKED ONCE STOPPED AND THE FLOOR MAT IS NOWHERE NEAR ANYTHING THAT COULD CATCH A PETAL. WEATHER CLEAR ON THE EVENING OF FEB 1 APPROX 6 PM MEDFORD OREGON ON NORTHBOUND I-5