Problems with 2004 Toyota Prius FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

2004 toyota prius. consumer writes regarding recall accelerator pedal interference *tgw the consumer stated he has received two recall letters. he stated he is pleased with his vehicle and is skeptical about letting the dealer work on his vehicle. *jb the consumer stated the gas gauge was inoperative, to the point where gas would leak out after filling the tank. the dealer informed him, they simply did not know how to fix the problem. updated 12/01/11. *jb

2004 toyota prius accelerates due to gas pedal getting stuck in the floor mat. this morning i was driving my toyota prius 2004 that i bought from the original owner who mentioned all recall issues were addressed by toyota dealership. he mentioned the dealer shaved off the gas pedal to make it shorter. but today, while on i 495 going eastwards just before entering the hov lane, i pressed the gas pedal all the way down to over take another slow vehicle. the car engine kept raising noise, and car started to accelerate on its own. i braked, the car slowed a bit but engine kept running fast... i realized this is potentially same issue that people reported on press and with lot of struggle trying to brake and slow down, realized and put the car into n, neutral position. i am lucky to know this from media reports, otherwise i would have been another dead guy on a prius! while i was still on highway, needing to maintain speed i put the car back on drive mode, d and the problem continued. i realized, i can lift the gas pedal with my left foot, and succeeded in untangling the pedal from the floor mat. after i did that it was fine. i arrived at work, but with extreme shock and disappointment. i am wondering how this problem can still remain after a recall repair is done on this vehicle. this is completely unacceptable and my life was in total risk and i survived today purely because of my technical skills and knowledge about this car issue. i am an engineer in profession, a mechanical engineer with a masters degree and i understood how to react. if it was for my other family members in this situation the outcome would have been totally different. i am very very disappointed with toyota corporation and also with you, the nhtsa for not making sure that all prius out there are safety compliant. this is really terrible ! ...because its a known issue, and old issue that should have been corrected. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The fuel tank can not be filled up without spilling large amount of gas, which is a great fire hazard. it seems that the fuel tank gets too much air inside when filling up and the air pushes the gas gashing out. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. while driving between 40-45 mph the gasoline motor would fail, and then cause the vehicle to stall without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer twice. the battery was replaced first, and then the fuel system was flushed. the second repair corrected the problem, but the problem of the vehicle locking in park was not addressed. the current mileage was 32,100. the failure mileage was 31,999. updated 01/12/10 *bf all of the alarm lights on the dashboard had illuminated when accelerating. when the consumer stopped the vehicle and switched to park, he was unable to shift the vehicle into neutral. after about 15 minutes, the consumer was able to shift to neutral. the instrumental panel did not display a clear explanation that the internal combustion engine was not starting and that the vehicle was running on the battery only. updated 01/15/10.*jb

Dt:two weeks ago, the consumer was driving her 2004 toyota prius at 50 mph and it died. luckily it was not during rush hour traffic and occurred near an exit ramp. the consumer was able to maneuver to an exit ramp where she coasted downhill into an off street. the vehicle was towed to a dealer and they have had it for 2 weeks now and they stated the inverter that ties the hybrid to the gas system was the problem. the consumer feel this is a design flaw and feels that she should have been notified by toyota of this problem. *jb *sb

Dt: the consumer owns a 2004 toyota prius. he says that he is having problems with the vehicle because it will shut off while in traffic. also the park mechanism will disengaged and the lock button does not unlock the doors as specified in the owners manual. also the start button does not consistently start the vehicle properly. *jb the vehicle experienced: inoperative brake light, the fuel door spring was replaced, dome light remained on, engine would disengage, lights would remain lit after the vehicle was started, vehicle would not move until the vehicle was shut off and restarted to get the brake light to go out, rattling as if it were going to stall, the alarm sounded on one occasion when the door was opened, fuel door spring malfunctioned and fuel door would not open. the technicians were unable to verify the door lock malfunction. the consumer would like the vehicle replaced with a 2005 model equipped as detailed on the original invoice including aftermarket items paid for. *sc