NHTSA Complaint #11124223 — 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS

ON TWO OCCASIONS, JUNE 22, 2018 AND AUGUST 15, 2018 THIS VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE USING CRUISE CONTROL AND TRAVELING AT SPEED ON GENERALLY FLAT, STRAIGHT, 4 LANE ROAD IN GOOD WEATHER. I HAVE ATTACHED DOCUMENTS WITH SUMMARIES OF EACH EVENT AND MAPS SHOWING ROUTE AND TERRAIN DURING THE EVENTS. HARD BRAKING SLOWED BUT DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE EITHER TIME. BOTH TIMES, AFTER TRAVELING SOME DISTANCE WHILE BRAKING BUT CONTINUING TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE VEHICLE MADE A THUNKING NOISE FELT THROUGH THE FLOOR OF THE CAR AND SUDDENLY STOPPED ACCELERATING. IN THE FIRST INCIDENT THIS WAS AFTER ABOUT 2 MILES, THE SECOND TIME AFTER ABOUT A MILE. AFTER EACH INCIDENT I PHONED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT IF THEY COULD REPLICATE THE EVENT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT. I REPORTED THE EVENTS TO CORPORATE TOYOTA AND AN INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA OF ASHEVILLE WHERE THEY SPENT SEVERAL DAYS WITH THE CAR, INTERACTING WITH TOYOTA, WHO WAS ASKING THEM TO EXPLORE AND TEST VARIOUS THINGS RELATED TO THE DUAL PEDAL FAIL SAFE, THE COMPUTER, SNAPSHOTS OF EVENTS ON THE COMPUTER ETC. THEIR FINAL JUDGEMENT WAS THAT FLOOR MATS MAY HAVE INTERFERED, THOUGH IT WAS THE FIRST THING I CHECKED WHEN I REGAINED CONTROL OF THE CAR.