2001 Toyota Prius

EXPERIENCE: DRIVING A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS BETWEEN 60 AND 65 MPH ON I-494 IN EAGAN MINNESOTA. THE SENSOR ON THE VEHICLE'S ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY FAILED I.E. THE ABILITY TO GET GAS TO THE ENGINE STOPPED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED REPAIR DEALER AND THE PART, WHICH FAILED, WAS REPLACED. MY COMPLAINT HAS TWO PARTS: (1) TOYOTA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE A CRITICAL PART LIKE THE SENSOR ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY AS A PART OF MAJOR SIGNIFICANCE. I BELIEVE IT IS MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND MUST BE CORRECTED BY TOYOTA. I WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER THE PART WAS NOT DEFECTIVE AND IT FAILED BECAUSE NORMAL USE. I AM APPALLED TO LEARN THAT A 6 YEAR OLD CAR WITH 50,226 MILES IS EQUIPPED WITH ACCELERATOR UNIT WHICH CAN FAIL WHEN THE AVERAGE USE IS 8,371 MILES PER YEAR. I AM ALSO AMAZED THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER IS NOT INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THIS PERFORMANCE AS A MAJOR DEFECT. THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD NO RECORD OF OTHER INCIDENTS WITH THIS PART. YET WHEN I TALKED TO THE PRIUS SERVICE TEAM SUPERVISOR AT TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, I WAS INFORMED BY EACH ONE THEY HAD REPLACED 4 TO 5 OF THEM. IF MY SMALL SURVEY REVEALED THAT NUMBER I CAN ONLY GUESS WHAT A NATIONWIDE SURVEY WOULD REVEAL. 2) IN RESPONSE TO MY ASKING TOYOTA TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE $810.41 BILL THEIR RESPONSE WAS I SHOULD SUBMIT MY REQUEST FOR REIMBURSEMENT TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY OR TO THE FIRM WHICH OWNS THE CAR. CLEARLY, A SITUATION OF SHIFTING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAKING QUALITY OEM PARTS TO A THIRD PARTY TO ABSORB THE COST AND IGNORING THE MAJOR SAFETY IMPLICATIONS CREATED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR STOPS FUNCTIONING IN A VEHICLE DRIVEN LESS THAN THE AVERAGE CAR. *JB

ON JUNE 6, 2006 I TOOK OUR 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING. THE PRIUS MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT IT WAS "NORMAL" AND THAT THERE WAS "NOTHING WRONG." I RESPONDED THAT I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. ON JUNE 15, 2006 ON THE WAY INTO WORK, THE CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OVER AT A RELATIVELY SAFE SPOT. HAD IT STALLED IN HEAVIER TRAFFIC OR IN A DIFFERENT LANE, WE COULD HAVE DIED THERE. THE SCREEN SHOWED "MAIN BATTERY FAILURE," AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN TESTED IT AND THE ONLY CODE SHOWN WAS AN "ACCELERATOR ASSEMBLY PEDAL." NEITHER I NOR THE TECHNICIAN FELT THAT THIS WAS THE PROBLEM; THE TECHNICIAN FELT THAT THE PROBLEM IS IN THE INVERTER--THE PART THAT CYCLES POWER BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN GAS AND ELECTRIC. HOWEVER, TOYOTA REGIONAL REFUSED TO REPLACE THE INVERTER, SAYING "WE ARE NOT JUST GOING TO THROW PARTS AT THE PROBLEM TRYING TO SOLVE IT." I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR ASSEMBLY PEDAL AT MY EXPENSE, EVEN THOUGH THAT WILL LIKELY NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, BECAUSE TOYOTA "WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE UNLESS YOU DO." THIS TYPE OF POWERING DOWN AND STOPPING IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH TOYOTA PRIUS CARS, MORE SO WITH 2004-05 (FOR WHICH AN NHTSA INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN OPENED), BUT ALSO WITH 2001-03. THERE WERE FEWER OF THE 2001-03 CARS ON THE ROAD, SO THE NUMBER OF REPORTED INSTANCES IS LESS, BUT THE INTERNET CONTAINS MANY COMPLAINTS FROM TOYOTA PRIUS OWNERS REGARDING THIS ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. AS PRIUS CARS AGE, THIS SAFETY DEFECT WILL BECOME INCREASING APPARENT AND HAZARDOUS. *JB

1. I WAS DRIVING AT SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF 55 TO 65 MPH ON AN US ROUTE 101 FOR APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES IN MY 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. 2. THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED OPERATING, LEAVING ONLY THE ELECTRIC MOTOR OPERATING. THIS CAUSED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND DECELERATION. 3. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE.

CONSUMER STATES HE CAN NOT SEE ANY OF THE INSTRUMENTS ON THE PANEL IN THE DAYLIGHT FROM THE CRUISE CONTOL LIGHT, TO THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL, AS WELL AS NOT BEING ABLE TO HEAR THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS, AND THE SPEEDOMETER READING CAN'T BE READ AS WELL, CONSUMER CAN'T NOT SEE THE PRE SET READING FOR THE RADIO UNLESS IT IS NIGHT TIME, ALSO THE GAS LEVEL BAR NO LONGER LIGHTS UP TO WARN THE CONSUMER THAT THE FUEL IS LOW.*JB