While driving back to home from work in DC traffic when the traffic started going when the signal turned green I pressed accelerator all of a sudden after little sound different warning lights illuminated on the dash along with the large rectangular warning message saying "check hybrid system". the car can go only under 10 mph and I pulled on to curb and towed to near by dealer (ourisman chantilly Toyota). Two days later I got call saying inverter is an issue takes two to three days to get part and will be replaced for free as the car has only 36K miles on it. We have to rent car (Toyota should provide this service as it is their common defective part and the repair is under warranty).

- Ashburn, VA, USA

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 recur. 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 reference#[xxx], and Florida division of consumer services, [xxx]. I have also requested a meeting with the Toyota corporation representative through the dealer service mgr. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Westland, MI, USA

I was on a trip to Arizona and when driving in my 2010 Prius from flagstaff to phoenix during the evening, the batter display's top segment glowed red many times in the descent from flagstaff. It was a very difficult to drive to keep the top segment from turning red as the vehicle was coasting and I did not want to exceed the speed limit so I really did not now what to do. I decided to shift to neutral so the engine was not breaking. However in neutral I was wearing out my vehicles brakes which also worried me because of the possibility of overheating the brakes. I looked in my vehicle manual but nothing as in the booklet about this type of occurrence. So I asked my Toyota service personnel at rudy luther Toyota in golden valley, mn and they had not heard of this problem. He gave me a the telephone number for customer service representatives at Toyota and after discussing this incident with many people in customer service at Toyota, the end result was "that the battery was fully charged and when this occurs the top bar will glow red but this will not effect the battery". I do not know if this is true or Toyota is just putting me off but others at the following Toyota forum have also experienced this problem. Is this a safety problem, I do not know. Is it a battery warranty problem, I do not know. But please look at this forum thread and maybe you can discuss this more fully with Toyota. priuschat.com/forums/gen-III-2010-Prius-main-forum/67994-all-bars-battery-indicator-4.html on the return trip and here in Minnesota I have not had this problem occur as there are not many long descents.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

I own a 2010 Prius. After putting 10K miles on it, I have yet to see the 50+ mpg. I could have easily bought a Honda civic, saved $15,000+ and still gotten 38mpg. I have taken the car to the dealership on a few occasions and they cannot tell me why I have lost almost 20mpg. All they can tell me is that it is probably the gas that I am using. I can see how this might make a slight difference like 3-4mpg, but not 20! I believe the 50mpg benchmark given by Toyota is bogus. I want my money back!

- El Paso, TX, USA

I own a 2010 Toyota Prius, 3rd generation. When I am braking and hit a pothole or a manhole cover, the car surges forward. I took it to the dealership today and they checked the car and said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They also said they had no knowledge of any kind of braking or surging problems with this vehicle. Our dealer was eastern shore Toyota in daphne, al. This has happened approximately 6 different times since we bought the car in 2009. It started to occur approximately in July 2009, with the most recent episode in January 2010.

- Fairhope, AL, USA

2010 Toyota Prius - when braking, if you hit a bump or pot hole in the road, the car lunges forward (accelerates). You have to really pay attention for this occurrence or you will rear end someone. I has happen about 5 times now. This seems to be a electronics issue not a pedal problem.

- Columbia, SC, USA