Owners/service Manual problems of the 2010 Toyota Prius

While returning from work at 5:30 pm, 02/18/14 on highway 90 west to albany, NY, with cruise control set to 50 mph, the accelerator pedal got stuck on my 2010 Toyota Prius. The pedal did not return back to its original position even when I turned off cruise control. I spontaneously tapped the accelerator pedal in the hope of releasing but did not yield any results and the vehicle maintained its speed. Applying brakes made no effect and did not curtail the car. It continued to move with almost the same speed even when brake pedal depressed. I had no control on my car in one of busiest freeways. I continuously applied the brakes and tried to merge to the right most lane with hazard blinkers on. It took more than 5 miles panic ride trying to avoid trucks and other cars to merge to the right lane. Even with the brake fully depressed, the 2010 Prius did not slow down and I managed to reach the shoulder lane which had gravel & snow. Then I pressed park button and switched off the engine by pressing the power button. I could feel the wheels lock up but the Prius continued to move with strong rubber burning smell. Finally, I engaged the parking breaks to stop it from moving into the freeway. After complete stop, with difficulty I manually pulled up the accelerator pedal. This entire ordeal was shocking and an unbelievable narrow escape from a major catastrophic event. I thanked god & called 911 and the highway patrol police came to the spot and promptly helped to move the vehicle and myself from the freeway traffic. The 2010 Toyota Prius was moved to Toyota dealer service center where I purchased the car & performed every scheduled maintenance service punctually. Incidentally the last service and certification was in 12/2013. It is obvious that even regular dealer maintenance service and certification did not help this vehicle. Report filed with Toyota motor customer service.

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).