NHTSA Complaint #11240501 — 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS V

TWO WEEKS AGO I WAS DRIVING 50MPH ON A STREET IN MY TOWN WITH MY 3 GRANDSONS WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR JOLTED ME FORWARD AND THE SPEED DROPPED TO 20MPH .I IMMEDIATELY TOOK EVASIVE ACTION AND MOVED TO THE CURB AND PUT MY EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON. THE CHECK ENGINE ,CHECK HYBRID SYS. ,CK BRAKING SYSTEM,AND THE ANTI SKID LIGHT ALL CAME ON. I STARTED TO DRIVE BUT THE ENGINE SPEED WOULD ONLY GO 20MPH SO I STAYED CLOSE TO THE CURB AND DROVE TO MY SON'S HOME WHICH WAS LESS THE A MILE AWAY WITH MY FLASHERS GOING. NEEDLESS TO SAY MY GRANDSONS WERE VERY SCARED WITH THE ABRUPT JOLT THAT OCURRED WHEN THE CAR SPEED DROPPED SUDDENLY.THANKS HEAVENS THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS NOT TOO CLOSE AND WAS ABLE TO AVOID HITTING ME. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO SAID IT WAS A HYBRID ISSUE SO I HAD MY CAR TOWED AGAIN TO AN INDEPENDENT TOYOTA HYBRID SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS A INVERTER FAILURE. I HAD PREVIOUSLY TAKEN MY CAR TO A CERTIFIED TOYOTA DEALER FOR 2 DIFFERENT SOFTWARE UPDATE RECALLS WITH THE 2ND ONE COMING THREE MONTHS AGO FOR THE NHTSA RECALL NO.18 V-684 HYBRID SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE. THIS FAILURE IS A VERY DANGEROUS FAILURE THAT COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS OR DEADLY ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENED ON AN EXPRESSWAY ETC. GOING 70MPH AND THEN SUDDENLY DROPPING TO 20MPH COULD RESULT IN ANOTHER CAR OR TRUCK FOLLOWING BEHIND TO RUN RIGHT OVER YOUR CAR. I AM SURPRISED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT TAKEN STEPS TO REPLACE THESE INVERTERS. IF I WASN'T RETIRED I WOULD IMMEDIATELY SELL THIS CAR AND BUY ANOTHER AS I NOW HAVE A CONCERN THAT THIS FAILURE COULD OCCUR AGAIN AND I MIGHT NOT BE SO LUCKY. MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS THERE IS NO ENGINE LIGHT WARNING PRIOR TO THE FAILURE WHICH WOULD GIVE YOU TIME TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED OUT.