2014 Toyota Prius V

My wife opened the tailgate and the right side lift support exploded. A person standing across the parking lot thought it sounded like a gun shot. Small metal pieces flew about the cargo area in the car. When my wife then tried to close the tailgate the lift support bent. She was then able to disconnect it and close the tailgate. I included a picture of the remaining left side support plus the broken right side and where it was mounted.

I was parked in my driveway and put my 2014 Toyota Prius in reverse to back up and park in front of my late husband’s workshop about 15 ft. away,on Oct. 10, 2022. The car sped up so fast I could not brake fast enough (no warning).It stopped when it hit the large door of the workshop, and damaged it and the back of my car, costing about $2,000 to the car. I contacted my insurance agent right away, and the person above him at the company the next day, as well as the service manager at the Toyota dealer where we bought the car at the end of 2014. I expect an increase in my premium from my insurance company. I’ll take it to Toyota when it’s done at the auto body shop, but I don’t expect any flaw to be found b/c that is what happened when I had the same kind of accident with this car in Jan., 2022, when I put the car in reverse to back down my long driveway, (which I’d done many times before),and it sped up so fast (SUA) that I couldn’t stop it (no warning). It hit a maple tree in my yard, and it cost about $12,000 to fix the back of my car. I was not injured in either accident, but this flawed accelerator could have caused serious injury to me or others, as it has in many documented accidents in the last 20 years. From the reports I’ve read since my accident last week, thousands of people have experienced similar or worse accidents from a Sudden Unintended Acceleration in their Toyota vehicle. Also, I read in an excellent well-researched and independent report that NHTSA has not researched the accelerator problem thoroughly and has remained noncommittal as to its possible flaws. Toyota wanted to take the “black box” from my Prius in 2022 after my accident, but I didn’t trust them to take it, and tried hard to find an independent engineering group with advanced degrees to study it and identify the flaw in it. I will try again to find such a group. The floor mat was NOT an issue at all—it’s the original one, stuck to the floor about 4” from the accelerator.

UNKNOWN. I WAS BASICALLY DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, WHEN MY CAR'S ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED RUNNING. THE CAR WAS AUTOMATICALLY PUT INTO NEUTRAL AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTROL THE SPEED OF THE CAR, SO I HAD TO MOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. AS I WAS SITTING IN THE CAR, I STARTED SMELLING BURNED WIRE AND INTERIOR STARTED TO FILL WITH SMOKE. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF AND GOT OIT. AS I WAS STANDING FAR AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE, FLUID STARTED LEAKING AND IT HAD CAUGHT INTO FIRE. THE FRONT BUMPER WAS COMPLETELY BURNED OFF, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL PARTS WERE AFFECTED AS WELL.