Gas Recirculation Valve (egr Valve) problems of the 2005 Toyota Prius

Engine shut off at approximately 8500 feet above sea level (carson pass, highway 88). Driving approximately 35-40mph. Clear day 70 degrees. No warning light for overheating, but aux fan turned on in rear seat. . Towed car approximately 50 miles to carson city. Inspected by Toyota dealer in consultation with Toyota service consultants. Replaced hybrid control ecu. No charge to me and Toyota reimbursed for 2 days expenses. Trip home , aux fan turned on at 8500 feet remained on until approx. 7000 feet elevation. Consulted Toyota, referred me to Toyota dealer near home. They consulted with Toyota hq. Hq recommend another test costing $500. Dealer could find no fault. I asked Toyota for reimbursement of $500 and to investigate engine shut off as a potentially very dangerous situation. Toyota referred me back to local dealer. Maintenance manager there told me they had already performed tests:nothing more to be done. Have not heard back from Toyota about reimbursement or further evaluation of the problem.

Fire and total loss of 2005 Toyota Prius, 19,300 miles after returning from work, the vehicle was parked as usual with engine power cut in the owner's driveway. A few minutes later, smoke was noticed inside the car with flames showing from underneath the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire about 10 minutes after it was first noticed. The main damage is in the rear left (driver's side) of the vehicle, with the cargo compartment completely destroyed, tire completely melted, all plastic in the area melted, door blackened, the rear bench destroyed, the ceiling carpet destroyed and big heat marks on the roof of the car. The vehicle was not modified as a "plug-in hybrid" which have been reported in at least one incident of fire. The external temperature was moderate, around 70-75 degrees. Updated 06/05/jb.

The Prius shut down, stopped using gasoline power, while I was in the passing lane and traveling 70 miles per hour in moderate traffic on interstate 40 in nashville, TN. The red triangle, check engine, vsc and a few other warning signals illuminated. I managed to avoid being rear-ended , pulled to the side of the road using battery power, shut the battery power off, and consulted the owner's manual. Approximately 10-15 minutes prior, the add fuel light illuminated and the fuel indicator displayed a single bar. Having driven the vehicle for the past 8300 miles, my wife informed me that we had about 2 gallons of gas, and could easily travel another fifty miles. The temperature was near 90 degrees. I started the vehicle and chose to drive it off the interstate. We traveled 2. 5 miles and coasted to the side of the road as the battery depleted. I managed to slowly drive the vehicle to a gas station and refueled. The fuel tank could only accommodate 8. 1 gallons of fuel; it holds 11. 7. Once refueled, the warning signals disappeared after 30 seconds, and we drove home. My wife took the car to the dealer, joe heitz Toyota in clarksville, TN, the next day for an evaluation. The mechanic said that the computer indicated that the vehicle ran out of fuel. Since there obviously was fuel in the tank, I pressed the service manager for answers. By the end of the day and after consulting with Prius technical folks in California, the service manager said that the fuel bladder may have collapsed over the sending module thereby signaling the car's computer that it was out of gas, which caused it to shut down. He said Toyota is looking into the problem and provided a lame solution; refuel the vehicle before it gets too low. This is an unacceptable answer and I implore the NHTSA to investigate this potentially deadly anomaly. It is only a matter of time before someone is in a fatal accident because the vehicle shuts down while traveling at interstate speeds.