NHTSA Complaint #11089911 — 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS V

I AM CONCERNED AS THE OWNER OF THE IDENTIFIED VEHICLE IN THIS COMPLAINT OF SERIOUS SAFETY AND VEHICLE FUEL EFFICIENCY ISSUES REGARDING THIS VEHICLE. IT HAS BEEN WIDELY CIRCULATED IN NATIONAL MEDIA THAT CERTAIN TOYOTA PRIUS VEHICLES, HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN CATASTROPHIC POWER INVERTER FAILURES THAT HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THESE VEHICLES AND OFTEN SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING BODILY INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THESE VEHICLES. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT MY PRIUS WAS PART OF A RECALL CAMPAIGN THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO ADDRESS THIS INVERTER ISSUE BUT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN NOTHING MORE THAN A BAND-AID SOFTWARE FIX TO A PROBLEM THAT IS ACTUALLY THE RESULT OF DEFECTIVE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS. THIS CATASTROPHIC POWER INVERTER FAILURE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM THAT IS FAR BEYOND THE SCOPE OF A SIMPLE SOFTWARE SOLUTION. MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE ALSO COMPLAINING OF UP TO A 15% OR MORE DROP IN FUEL EFFICIENCY SINCE THIS SO-CALLED SOFTWARE FIX WAS INITIATED. I PERSONALLY HAVE EXPERIENCED A DROP IN FUEL EFFICIENCY OF MY PRIUS V FROM A CONSISTENT 42 MPG SINCE 2013 TO 35 MPG OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS. MY CONCERN THAT THIS DROP IN FUEL EFFICIENCY IS CONNECTED TO THE POWER INVERTER PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS VEHICLE. I RECENTLY COMMUNICATED MY CONCERNS RELATING TO THE POWER INVERTER PROBLEMS TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF SOME ISSUES REGARDING THE INVERTERS AND THAT AS A RESULT TOYOTA INCREASED THE WARRANTY OF THIS COMPONENT FROM 8 YRS./100K MILES TO 15 YRS./UNLIMITED MILES! THIS WOULD SEEM TO INDICATE THAT TOYOTA IS FULLY AWARE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. I AM CONCERNED THAT TOYOTA IS NOT ADDRESSING THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY SAFETY ISSUE.