2015 Toyota Prius

RANDOM ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS STARTED HAPPENING. BLUETOOTH WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO ANSWER INCOMING PHONE. I COULD NOT CALL OUT. UNABLE TO CHANGE RADIO STATION, TURN ON/OFF RADIO. UNABLE TO TURN ON CD, OR EJECT DISK. THEN RADIO WILL START WORKING AND AM ABLE TO USE BLUETOOTH IF I DIAL FROM MY CELL PHONE. ALL WITHIN A WEEK. LAST NIGHT ,I DROVE IN SILENCE. NO RADIO, CD, BLUETOOTH. HAVE MAINTENANCE APPT. TUES., AND STATED PROBLEMS W/ ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. DIDN'T MATTER IF CAR WAS MOVING OR STOPPED.

CAR WAS STATIONARY IN DRIVEWAY CAR WOULD NOT START AND MASTER WARNING LIGHT WAS ON IN ADDITION TO A WARNING SAYING "SHIFT MALFUNCTION. WHEN PARKING, PARK IN FLAT PLACE AND APPLY PARKING BRAKE SECURELY" A BUZZER WAS SOUNDING. THIS INDICATES A SHIFT CONTROL SYSTEM ERROR. THE CAR WOULD NOT START. NOTIFIED DEALER AND THE CAR WAS TOWED. NO ERROR CODES WERE FOUND. THE CAR STARTED FOR THE DEALER.

THIS IS AN UPDATE TO COMPLAINT NUMBER: 10809942. === I FORGOT TO INCLUDE THIS: *** BESIDES THE ROLLING BACKWARD PROBLEM I HAD, IF ONE HAS A GET-INTO-GEAR-AND-GO EMERGENCY, IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THE CAR WILL NOT GET INTO GEAR, YOU WILL NOT REALIZE THAT, AND WHEN YOU STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR TO GO, THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE. THEN YOU HAVE TO REALIZE WHY IT DID NOT GO AND SHIFT AGAIN. IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, THIS DELAY MAY BE CRITICAL.

THE DRIVER CANNOT SEE ANY PART OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR. IN MOST CARS, THE DRIVER CAN SEE ENOUGH OF THE HOOD AND FRONT FENDERS TO JUDGE HOW CLOSE THE CAR IS OTHER OBJECTS (CARS, WALLS, PEDESTRIANS, ETC.), BUT IN THE PRIUS, EVEN THOUGH I AM OVER 6 FEET TALL, I CANNOT SEE ANY PART OF THE HOOD OR FRONT FENDERS. WITH THAT LACK OF PERSPECTIVE, I SCRAPED THE LEFT FENDER AGAINST A PARKING LOT WALL. BUT THAT SAME LACK OF PERSPECTIVE COULD RESULT IN HITTING A PEDESTRIAN.

THE TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFT IS DANGEROUSLY DESIGNED. THE SHIFTER WILL MOVE INTO A GEAR POSITIONS EVEN IF IT TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ACTUALLY SHIFT INTO THE GEAR. WHENEVER THE HANDLE IS RELEASED, IT SPRINGS BACK TO THE CENTRAL POSITION, WHETHER THE TRANSMISSION IS IN GEAR OR NOT, SO THE DRIVER DOES NOT KNOW IF THE TRANSMISSIONS IS ACTUALLY IN GEAR OR NOT--OR IF IN GEAR, WHICH GEAR. THE DRIVER IS EXPECTED TO LOOK AT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SO SEE WHAT GEAR IS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE DISPLAY. I RENTED A PRIUS FOR A WEEK AND NUMEROUS TIMES, I THOUGHT I HAD SHIFTED INTO DRIVE (OR REVERSE), BUT WHEN I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR, NOTHING HAPPENED BECAUSE IT HAD NOT GONE INTO THE SELECTED GEAR, AND I DID NOT KNOW THAT BECAUSE THE SHIFT LEVER ALWAYS SPRINGS BACK TO CENTER POSITION, WHETHER THE TRANSMISSION IS IN GEAR OR NOT. ONE TIME, AT NIGHT, I WAS MAKING A THREE-POINT U-TURN, SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, TURNED THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT, STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR, AND SUDDENLY THE CAR WAS TURNING TO THE RIGHT! PANIC'SLAM ON THE BRAKES. THEN I REALIZED THE TRANSMISSION HAD NOT SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND I WAS ROLLING BACKWARDS. IF THE DRIVER FEELS THE SHIFT LEVER GO INTO A GEAR, THE CAR SHOULD BE IN THAT GEAR; IF IT DOES NOT GO INTO THAT GEAR, THEN THE SHIFT LEVER SHOULD NOT MOVE INTO THE POSITION; AND ONCE IN GEAR, THE SHIFT LEVER SHOULD STAY IN POSITION, NOT SPRING BACK TO CENTER.

I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES SOMETIMES DO NOT APPEAR TO WORK PROPERLY, AND ONCE I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE. ONCE I QUICKLY TRANSITIONED FROM THROTTLE TO FULL BRAKING AND THE CAR DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT WAS APPLYING FULL BRAKING. IT DIDN'T SEEM TO DECELERATE LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE. I REAR ENDED A VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE BRAKING PERFORMANCE. ANOTHER TIME I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES COMING OFF AN INTERSTATE AND THE BRAKES ALSO DIDN'T SEEM POWERFUL ENOUGH. IT'S AS IF THE BRAKES DON'T FULLY "CATCH" UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. BOTH TIMES WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE DRY.

WITHIN A 6 DAY PERIOD, THE MAIN 12 VOLT BATTERY DIED AND THE CAR WHICH WAS ONLY 3 WEEKS OLD WOULD NOT START. ALSO THE CABLE USED TO CHARGE THE HYBRID BATTERY TRIPS THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IN MY HOUSE EACH TIME EVEN THOUGH IT IS A GROUND FAULT OUTLET AND A 20 AMP BREAKER. I HAD TO CALL OUT A TOW TRUCK TO JUMPSTART THE BATTERY BOTH TIMES. CAR WAS PARKED AND DIRECTIONS WERE FOLLOWED EXACTLY FOR CHARGING IT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO FOUND NOTHING WRONG AND WAS TOLD I SHOULD HAVE A DEDICATED LINE TO CHARGE THE CAR, EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T TOLD THIS BY THE SALESMAN. THE ELECTRIC SERVICE IN MY GARAGE IN BRAND NEW. THIS IS RIDICULOUS TO GO TO THIS EXPENSE AND NOT BE TOLD IN ADVANCE, AND TO HAVE A NEW BATTERY NEED CHARGING. IT HAD TO BE CHARGED BEFORE I COULD EVEN TEST DRIVE THE CAR BUT THAT DID NOT MATTER. I WAS TOLD I COULD NOT GET A NEW BATTERY AS IT TESTED "GOOD".

THE NAVIGATION AND AUDIO SCREENS ARE MOSTLY UNREADABLE IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. IN ORDER TO ATTEMPT TO SEE THE SCREENS IN THESE CONDITIONS SOME OPERATORS MAY BE DISTRACTED FROM THE ROADWAY IN ORDER TO READ THE SCREEN INFORMATION. THESE DISTRACTIONS MAY INCLUDE MOVING HEADS AWAY FROM THE WHEEL AREA IN ORDER TO GET A BETTER VIEW OF THE SCREEN OR ATTEMPTING TO HOLD OBJECTS ABOVE THE SCREEN IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE THE GLARE FROM THE SUNLIGHT. COMPLAINANT HAS OWNED PREVIOUS MODELS OF TOYOTA PRIUS WHICH DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM.

I WAS INCHING INTO A GROCERY STORE PARKING SPOT IN MY NEW, PERFECTLY MAINTAINED 2015 TOYOTA PRIUS WHEN I EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. MY VEHICLE SHOT FORWARD AND IN A SECOND HAD CRASHED OVER A CEMENT CURB, THROUGH A FLOWER BED, AND WAS STOPPED - DESPITE MY DESPERATELY JAMMING THE BRAKE - ONLY BY SMASHING INTO A BRICK WALL. THE SUSPENSION AND STEERING ON THE CAR IS NOW SEVERELY DAMAGED, AND THE CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN. I AM HORRIFIED: I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED AND WORSE, HIT/HURT ANOTHER PERSON (OR AT THE VERY LEAST SEVERELY DAMAGED PROPERTY). WHAT IF I HAD CHOSEN A PARKING SPOT IN FRONT OF A GROUP OF CHILDREN?!! THEY CLOUD HAVE BEEN KILLED! THE CAR IS NOW AT A TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER WAITING FOR TOYOTA CORPORATE TO "DECIDE" IF A CAR ACCELERATING INTO A BRICK WALL OF ITS ACCORD IS A "DESIGN FLAW" THAT IT WILL PAY TO FIX. I BELIEVE THAT WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED IS THAT THE COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT CONTROLS THE THROTTLE/ACCELERATION EXPERIENCED A SOFTWARE BUG WHICH THREW THE CAR FORWARD. IN FACT, TOYOTA WAS FORCED PAY OUT OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN FINES LAST YEAR (2014) BY THE US GOVERNMENT FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE - BUT APPARENTLY IT DIDN'T FIX ITS 2015 LINE B/F LETTING IT GO TO MARKET. I PURCHASED THE TOYOTA PRIUS BECAUSE IT WAS RECEIVED TOP SAFETY AND RELIABILITY RATINGS. ONLY NOW DO I LEARN TOYOTA HAS A HISTORY OF HIDING UNINTENDED ACCELERATION BUGS IN ITS CAR DESIGNS FOR YEARS - AND BLAMING OWNERS FOR ITS RECKLESSLY UNSAFE AND THEREBY UNETHICAL AUTO DESIGNS (NO, THIS WASN'T CAUSED BY A STUCK FLOOR MAT). I AM FURIOUS. NO ONE CAN AFFORD TO BE BLAMED FOR VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER DUE TO MANUFACTURER NEGLIGENCE. EVEN IF TOYOTA CLAIMS TO HAVE FIXED MY PRIUS, ITS WORD CLEARLY MEANS NOTHING AND I DO NOT TRUST THE COMPANY. I WILL BE GETTING RID OF THE CAR ASAP AND SEARCHING FOR A SAFER MODEL.