WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that it is opening a formal investigation of the Toyota Prius Hybrid model year 2010 to look into allegations of momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump.

The Office of Defects Investigation has received 124 reports from consumers, including four reports alleging that crashes occurred. Investigators have spoken with consumers and conducted pre-investigatory field work.

“Safety is our top priority,” said Secretary Ray LaHood. “That is why in recent weeks NHTSA has also issued a consumer advisory on the recall of several models of Toyota vehicles and the Pontiac Vibe involving pedal entrapment and sticky accelerator pedals. We will continue to monitor these issues closely.”

To be fair, Ray LaHood is the secretary of the Department of Transportation, of which the NHTSA is only a part. Maybe he was speaking on behalf of the entire Department of Transportation, in which case he was just repeating a meaningless platitude. But that's hard to see from the press release.