Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL | |||
| 06/28/2012 | 60938 | ||
| I am the first owner of this 2005 prius and have kept up with all maintenance and recall issues. this is my first complaint. on a perfectly fine weather day, i was driving my usual route home coming to a line of stopped cars in the left turn lane on a relatively flat, unbumpy surface street and was about 1 car length from the stopped car in front of me when i applied my brake. to my astonishment, with the brake fully engaged, my car kept going forward as if i had no brakes and rear ended the car ahead of me. luckily neither of us were hurt as i had already slowed down for the stop. there was no damage to my car (my license plate holder hit her bumper and caused a couple of paint chips on hers, which will probably cost me thousands of dollars to repair) but i can tell you i was thoroughly shaken up. no emergency lights or code lights went on inside the car. from reading other complaints on this site, i see this is not a new problem. i will be reporting this to my toyota dealer and to toyota. | |||
| 11/21/2010 | 50000 | ||
| We have noticed repeatedly (a dozen or more times) over three years of owning this car and 100k miles, that as we brake going over a bumpy section of road, the braking system fails and the car actually accelerates for one or two seconds. this is especially alarming when we need to brake suddenly in a curve on a bumpy road as it seems we will lose control of the car. i always brake with my right foot and my right foot remains off the accelerator and on the brake throughout these episodes. our car is equipped with the vehicle stability system and the passenger notices that the stability system warning light comes on during these episodes. it is not simply that the car coasts when the braking fails, the engine actually sounds like it is revving up and the car noticeably speeds up. once the bumpy section has been passed, normal braking resumes. this has nothing to do with the floor mat. this situation should be reproducible thru testing. | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 135000 | ||
| I first reported this to toyota march 10, 2010. i did so after talking with a coworker who had a 2010 prius. i have a 2005 prius. we both experienced the same thing. therefore, i figured i should take it more serious. the toyota's safety incident number is 100310-000322. when going over bumps and hitting the breaks i notice that instead of immediately slowing the car down, the car seems to either not slow at all and seems to accelerate. knowing that going over bumps can cause a tire to temporarily loose contact with the road surface and that cars can electronically transfer drive from a tire that looses contact with the surface to the other wheel, there may be mixed signals happening. the brakes telling the car to stop, the traction control telling the the acceleration to transfer. it seems the acceleration is taking precedence. regardles, this seems that it could cause a problem if on a bumpy road surface or a pot hole or something and a car stops infront of me or a kid runs into the street or for some other reason i need to stop. | |||
| 05/03/2010 | 70522 | ||
| I have this problem ever since i bought the car in 2004. the skid light comes on everytime i hit an uneven road surface feeling like i | |||
| 04/17/2010 | 90000 | ||
| 48 mph traveling north on or 217; without cause and simultaneously brake warning light on abs warning light on vsc warning light on audible alarm steady tone then try to stop: brake pedal up high, brake pedal unresponsive and hard to press, immediately pulled of on allen exit; brakes still unresponsive, pressed maximum force on brake pedal brakes locked up the wheels skidding and burning rubber. | |||
| 03/03/2010 | 81000 | 1 | |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) 2005 toyota prius [xxx] when braking on uneven/bumpy road (even freeway lane divider bumps), skid light come on and braking force is reduced. has happened at both low and high speeds. no issue on smooth roads. has occured several times, over several years, have never had the brakes serviced. last occured 3/3/2010. *tr | |||
| 02/28/2010 | 1 | ||
| 1 - my right headlight keeps going on and off while i am driving. i received a ticket that i now have to pay for. the los angeles times mentioned that other cars have this problem. it should be easy for the manufacturer to fix at their expense. 2 - since i purchased my 2005 prius in 2004, when i go over bumps, sometimes the light for the stability comes on and the brakes do not work for a second or two. i had asked when the car was serviced and was told there was nothing wrong. i guess we know better now. 3 - sometimes the two front tires lose traction and make a noise while spinning, before the car moves. 4 - if my car was under the carpet recall, why is it that it is not listed under the recall for the gas pedal? 5 - two of my locks are not working. one is the front passenger an one in the back. *tr | |||
| 12/12/2009 | 67000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2005 toyota prius and my brakes slip whenever a front tire drops onto an uneven surface. it seems to be the exact problem described as happening to the 2010 models. i have had it happen several times as i live on a gravel road and when i turn onto my road it is an uneven surface. it has happened numerous times, to the point that i anticipate the occurrence when on an uneven surface. i think that i could recreate the occurrence if needed. (the date listed below is just one of several) also, the light showing that vehicle stabilization is on lights up whenever this happens. *tr | |||
| 01/24/2005 | 100 | 1 | |
| Braking on 2005 toyota prius. when slowing to a stop and you hit a bumpy surface or manhole cover the antilock brakes go off and the brakes release for approximately 1-2 seconds and you feel as if you are skidding on ice. *tr | |||
| 02/05/2010 | 100 | 1 | |
| This is an ongoing problem with a 2005 prius. if you hit a bump or pothole while braking from a normal speed, the car will briefly accelerate on its own. this causes additional braking pressure to be needed and precise steering. many prius owners since 2004 have indicated this problem. *tr | |||
| 02/02/2010 | 85200 | 12 | |
| I bought a new toyota prius in 2005. when the vehicle rides over uneven pavement the stability control makes the car quickly lurch forward. this has happened dozens of times over the past five years. recently, i have had a problem with my brakes in icy conditions. i was cruising at about 15 mph to a stop sign, not on snow, it was just below freezing that day, when i applied the foot brake i felt no resistance in the pedal. i could feel the abs system disengage for about 3 seconds. i could not stop the car using the brakes so i rolled to a stop. this happened again a few minutes later. *tr | |||
| 04/06/2008 | 1 | ||
| Abs & stability control lights stay on. dealer says that systems are faulty. not a warranty repair!!??!!! n.b.: it would help consumers if your complaint-search function would allow simultaneous searches for model of multiple years; and, for keywords so that results would appear regardless of whether complainant has chosen a different--or, even, an incorrect--category of equipment. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 1 | ||
| '05 toyota prius. chronic failure of antilock brakes and of vehicle stability control. toyota dealers repair shop claims that this is to be fixed at my expense. seems to me that important safety defects should be repaired for free. how many like-complaints have you rec'd.? *tr | |||