Car was driven from home location at approximately 3 pm on february 4, 2015. after a quarter of a mile an audible warning sounded and the car began to slow. a flashing warning to the effect of "hybrid system failure, stop car immediately" appeared on the instrument panel. car continued to slow to about 1 mph. pulled car to side of road and turned it off. consulted owners manual which suggested trying to restart the car. restarted. the same warning reappeared. tried one more cycle with no success. towed to dealer next day. they were not able to replicate condition. this unexpected condition has grave safety implications. consider driving at highway speed in dense traffic and having the vehicle effectively shut off. *js