Electrical problems / No-start

In a letter dated June 7, 2023, Mr. Kimberlyn Hearns (the petitioner) submitted a petition attributing electrical malfunctions of his 2019 Toyota Yaris (subject vehicle) to remote attacks by unknown parties targeting the subject vehicle's CAN Bus. The petitioner requested an Agency investigation of the susceptibility of the subject vehicle to the alleged attacks and for assistance securing a full refund of the vehicle price. The petitioner supported his request with a chronology of events detailing vehicle faults, service history, and a listing of cybersecurity articles over four total submissions from the June 7, 2023 petition to August 2, 2023. Prior to filing the petition, the petitioner sent three pieces of related correspondence to the Agency from late December 2022 to February 2023. On August 30, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition DP23-004 to evaluate the petitioner’s request. In mid-November of 2022, with 46,136 miles accumulated in the subject vehicle, the petitioner reported hearing three beeps while driving at low speed accompanied by engine shut down. After a delay, the petitioner was able to restart the vehicle, but a Check Engine Light (CEL) remained illuminated. The petitioner’s dealer diagnosed the problem as a bad battery and installed a replacement battery. Over the ensuing two weeks / 700 miles, the petitioner reported several instances of engine power loss, warning lights, and head unit malfunctions, leading to service at a different Toyota dealer in early December 2022. That dealer’s invoice reported that no problem was identified after conducting several service checks, inspection of the ECU wiring, and 30 miles of test driving over a two-day period. A vehicle history report indicates that the subject vehicle traveled only 44 miles over the following three months, returning to its regular servicing dealership in late March 2023, about a week after another report from the petitioner of flashing warning lights and repeated horn activation while th