NHTSA Complaint #11588095 — 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS

I had begun to notice a slight shimmy at highway speed for a few days, but it wasn't pronounced enough to cause concern, especially since the weather was very windy and already subjecting the car to heavy crosswinds. On Monday, [XXX], the shimmy became suddenly more pronounced, so I pulled off the highway ([XXX]) and parallel-parked on street in Cambridge, MA. While parking, I heard a loud creaking and grinding sound, and the car no longer responded to steering inputs. I exited the car and noticed the rear driver's side wheel protruding at a strange angle from the wheel well. I called AAA and the tow truck driver discovered that, behind the wheel, where the wheel meets the rear axle, the arm had rusted clean through. In other words, the wheel had completely fallen off, and was being held to the car only by the brake line. I was towed to a mechanic in Salem, MA. Both the Salem mechanic and the AAA tow truck driver said that they had never seen anything like this in all the years they'd been servicing cars. I told them that the car had never been in a flood or otherwise involved in the kind of extraordinary event that would cause more than typical rust exposure. Had the wheel come off at highway speed, I could have been seriously injured or killed. The issue did not seem to have been caused by driver/owner oversight or normal wear and tear. It seems highly unusual and potentially indicative of a defect or manufacturing error. I hope other 2010 Prius owners are aware of the vehicle's susceptibility to this issue. And I would like Toyota to take some responsibility for the high cost of repair. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)