Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | |||
| 03/09/2013 | 33950 | ||
| The incident occurred when i attempted to accelerate onto a two-lane highway. because of a slow and sharp u-turn which precedes the short on-ramp, i disabled the eco mode for better acceleration. when i pressed down on the gas, the car immediately emitted a loud sound, became unresponsive and was unable to gain additional speed. even so, there was no other option but to merge onto the roadway while doing no more than 30 mph. in the meantime, the instrument panel showed a check hybrid system message along with several warning lights. i managed to avoid oncoming traffic (from behind) and safely pulled onto the grass. attempts to restart the vehicle were unsuccessful with the previous message reappearing each time. the car required a tow to the nearest toyota dealer. i received a call from them the next business day, and they explained the cause to be a defective inverter based on the diagnostic code. fortunately, the repair will be covered under toyota's hybrid warranty. it remains to be seen and i am hopeful this repair will fully resolve the issue. | |||
| 02/19/2013 | 38978 | ||
| Starting my vehicle and leaving my garage at 2 mph the master warning light, check hybrid system light, and malfunction indicator/check engine light were all lit up. with a terrible smell electrical/fuel. i immediately shut the car off and let it sit. after a few seconds i tried again with the same result. the owners manual says to not drive and contact toyota dealer immediately. when the tow truck arrived i again tried to start the vehicle and the warnings were not present. the dealer investigated and said it was over ethanol in the fuel. the fuel has been tested and found to be 6-8%, which is acceptable. the dealer at the time of the repair wanted $450 to drop and clean the tank. instead i chose to go with the phillips toyota (leesburg florida, phone 352-728-2030) dealer service manager, david newton to the closest gas station and fill up. since then there has not been a problem, but i am concerned for my safety in now driving the vehicle. as this is a hybrid which i purchased to help our country with energy security (56 mpg) but am afraid as a retiree with my wife that this could have ended differently if we were on the interstate traveling. with the reputation of toyota and the unexpected acceleration we are concerned that the initial problem has not been found and will recurr. this could happen on the interstate highway with a much different outcome. i am reporting this to go on record with this problem just in case an accident or fatality is involved the next time, if it happens again. thank-you and i can email my file which has been sent to shellcustomercare@shell.com under their refernece#3194131065, and florida division of consumer services, maxwell.gray@freshfromflorida.com. i have also requested a meeting with the toyota corporation representative through the dealer service mgr. mr. john semuchko, cell phone 313-600-3325 | |||