Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM | |||
| 09/01/2011 | 1 | ||
| 2010 toyota prius. consumer states when one of the front tires travels over uneven payment specifically an indentation in the road the braking action fails momentarily *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle lunged forward a few feet, before the brakes engaged again. the dealer informed the consumer the issue had to do with the abs/trac system. *jb | |||
| 12/22/2010 | 30000 | ||
| Accident 12/22/10 turned left as i pulled into parking space nearest to handicapped spot. it was very sunny and there was a patch of what looked like ice. as the car went over that spot it started to accelerate. i applied the brake, only to find myself hitting the curb. after hitting the curb the car lurched over the curb and i continued applying the brake. in a fraction of a second my car was on the side walk, just before impact with the wall i took my foot off the brake because the car did not seem to be responding. i didn | |||
| 10/08/2010 | 2500 | ||
| On 2010 prius, brakes seem to release, generally for a moment, at low speeds when going over a bump on passenger side of the car. car seems to accellerate momentarily, until brakes are hit again. this has happened a number of times but is sometimes hard to recreate. car has 3000 miles. dealer says brakes operating as designed and recall adjustment has been made. | |||
| 04/14/2010 | 8400 | ||
| 2010 prius engine accelerates when braking over bumps/gravel. brought car back to toyota dealer for recall modification and problem still exists, in fact, seems worse. | |||
| 04/28/2010 | 11000 | ||
| The problem still exists. the car when going over uneven terrain and braking jumps forward. i can replicate the problem almost 100% of the time on my ride home from work. the problem also happens in random areas where the road is sub-par. took the car to my toyota dealer and they basically said we are going to see if any error codes come up but most likely we cannot help the problem. very very very dissatisfied with this answer. they also could not guarantee my safety if the sudden/abrupt acceleration happens while driving on snow/ice/rain. please advise. | |||
| 03/19/2010 | 1805 | ||
| 2010 prius repeatedly exhibited the braking defect at issue in recent recall (sudden lurch forward upon encountering bump while braking to stop)--recall service performed 5 weeks ago. although the sudden lurching stopped (until today) after the recall service, the braking behavior then had a consistently odd feeling requiring increased pressure to fully stop (though no more sudden lurching forward when encountering bump). then today the old lurch forward suddenly recurred when encountering bump while slowing to a stop. dealership contacted and says they have no further remedy beyond recent computer adjustment performed as part of february, 2010 recall--basically totally disinterested. | |||
| 03/13/2010 | 5 | ||
| My prior prius was repurchased by toyota 09/09 with severe electrical issues which only escalated. i believe the man in ca because that happened to us on the highway, and our car behaved as if it were 'possessed'. now my 2010 is having intermittent issues, including an anti-skid/ braking light that we'd thought was remedied by resetting an abs actuator friday-it was on since test driving the car-but i was told many excuses, and eventually they were aware but did not know how to correct this. (?) i'm concerned about driving this vehicle as my 2007 trapped us in the car twice-911 called in a panic-plus my small daughter's safety was at risk just by owning that crazy car. please see if you can locate that car and inspect it-you will see this is not some chance situation-and now i am extremely concerned about our new car 'performing as designed' when brake warning light comes on when applied! feel free contacting me on this!! | |||
| 01/10/2010 | 3000 | 1 | |
| During braking, my 2010 toyota prius would lunge forward as though the brakes did not work for a few seconds when hitting small bumps in the road. this happened twice. *tr | |||
| 09/05/2009 | 500 | 5 | |
| Approximately five times while driving my 2010 toyota prius i have experienced problems with stopping when one of my tires either is on a manhole cover or on uneven road(one tire in a pothole). when this occurs i am usually going approximately 30 mph. i apply the brake slowly to start to slow down for a stop sign. my right front tire rolls over a manhole cover and while my foot is still on the brake my car accelerates, lunging forward. this lasts for 1-2 seconds when i have no control over the vehicle. after this 1-2 seconds my brakes stop the vehicle. the entire time my foot has been on the brake. i know that if a car was in front of me at the time, i would have rear-ended it. every time this has occurred my traction control light goes on. i have had my car to the dealer 3 times with the same complaint. they even took the car out for a drive with me and of course we could never recreate what has happened to me. i was never told that other people were experiencing the same problems. however, in talking to people at the dealership, they said it may be the traction control because it is supposed to make your tires spin slower if you loose traction. it seems as if it does the opposite and speeds the tire up. i asked if there was any way they could check my traction control system to make sure it was working properly, but was told there is no way to check it. i am not sure if anyone has thought about the traction control system. it seems like everyone is pointing fingers to the braking system. it might be worthwhile to check into the traction control as well. it seems like a short amount of time to not be in control. but for that 1-2 seconds my heart always drops because i have no control over my vehicle. *tr | |||
| 02/09/2010 | 8189 | 1 | |
| While applying moderate pressure to the brakes on my 2010 prius and while driving over a bumpy road, the brakes seem to momentarily, but completely fail. then the car seems to briefly accelerate (or at least free-wheel) before the brakes feel like they're starting engage and work again. this has happened with this new car since the day i purchased it in july of 2009. it does it every single day, as i drive over the speed bump while driving out of the parking garage near my work. *tr | |||
| 08/06/2009 | 30 | 1 | |
| I bought a 2010 toyota prius in august 2009. in addition to the braking problem i describe below, i also have an acceleration problem. i questioned my toyota dealership about the fact that when i am braking over metal (manhole cover, repair lids, etc.) the car is quickly pushed forward about 3 to 4 feet. several other new owners said they had the same experience. the dealer said that when they checked with toyota, they were told that the hybrid battery motor used a magnet and the braking system to recharge it. and that the push forward was from the repelling action of the magnet. my sisters own a 2008 camry hybrid and 2008 prius, and they both have experienced this propelling motion when on metal surfaces also. the problem with the dealers advice to not brake on metal surfaces doesn't help in snow or water situations. will this problem be fixed by the abs brakes software change?? i also had several instances where the brake pedal would suddenly go to the floor and produce very little braking power. the problem was intermittent and the dealer said they found nothing wrong. since then i have had several other instances where the brakes didn't work well and i almost hit the car in front of me. so i now drive with a lot of distance between me and other cars because i don't know when it will happen. i should say that i've had other cars with abs brakes and this car does not feel like i have them. on slippery surfaces (snow, water) the brakes do not pump themselves like other abs cars that i have driven. i have dropped it into low gear to help brake. these things have happened many times since i bought the car. i have been very careful and not had an accident yet. *tr | |||
| 01/28/2010 | 400 | ||
| New 2010 toyota prius brakes fail briefly when car passes over bumpy surfaces at low speed. this feels like a surging forward, or sometimes as if the car has been bumped from behind. no corrective measures yet being offered. car purchased 1/7/10. | |||
| 02/06/2010 | 870 | 1 | |
| While driving 2010 prius iii today, as approaching stop sign at about 10mph, with right foot depressing brake pedal for gradual stop, car made sudden lurch as passed over slight depression in pavement. there was no ice, but the sensation was like sudden slide on ice spot. same thing occurred three weeks ago while approaching stop sign. vehicle has 870 miles and is three weeks old. *cn | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 5000 | 3 | |
| I have noticed on a few occasions that my 2010 prius lurches forward for a brief second in the middle of braking at a stop sign. i have noticed this happen occasionally, but was more frequent in the last month, about 3 times. i made a written complaint to toyota service a week ago, but was told it was not unusual. however, i just read in the news about the issue with braking in this model car and am alarmed and thought i should make a note of my observation to nhtsa. i will call toyota service again to have them take a second look at my car. thanks *tr | |||
| 12/10/2009 | 1000 | 3 | |
| Bought a 2010 prius in october 2009. it currently has 3500 miles on it. at least three times the car felt as if it slipped on ice when applying the brakes (weather conditions were perfect - no ice, snow or rain). their is difficulty in clearing fog from the windows and one time i had trouble setting the cruise control. *tr | |||
| 10/15/2009 | 5000 | 1 | 06/15/2009 |
| I purchased a 2010 toyota prius in mid-june. i am writing to report that i have also experienced the loss of brakes while traveling over uneven surfaces three separate times. it is quite unnerving when you are in mid-brake and it momentarily stops working. i am a very safe driver, keeping a good distance between my vehicle and the cars ahead of me; however, sometimes you do need to stop suddenly and i am concerned that if there is a pot hole between me and the car, the prius will not be able to stop in time. this problem has not resulted in any crashes but i hope that toyota takes these complaints seriously and does everything possible to fix the 2010 vehicles manufactured before january 2010. on that note, i was extremely surprised to hear that toyota knew of this issue and fixed it mid-year but did nothing to notify the owners of the initial 2010 model of their findings or offer a fix. that is bad business practice, something i did not expect from toyota. *jb | |||
| 02/04/2010 | 1 | 1 | |
| I have a 2010 prius and had a 2005 prius with all the safety features. when i had the 2005 prius, i noticed on some roads that during braking, the brakes would release then reengage, giving the sensation that the car is accelerating. this happens when the road has a series of dips (washboard). the first couple times this happened, it was rather frightening because the car in front of me had stopped, and i felt as if i were accelerating. this is a reproducible event that occurs at a known location that i simply avoid. the road in this particular area is also down slope, which lends to the acceleration feeling. i have driven my 2010 prius over this same area with very much the same result. my initial assessment was that the traction control took over to regain traction, however i would not thing this is acceptable. the toyota dealership said this is normal behavior and is not a problem. please feel free to contact me and i can describe better the conditions for this very reproducible event. *tr | |||
| 10/30/2009 | 500 | 1 | |
| I bought a 2010 prius in october 2009. i brought the prius back to the dealer, stevenson toyota, for a problem that would occur when the vehicle brake was completely depressed and the traction control light would come on. i also mentioned that when i would hit a bump or drive on ice, it did not seem that the vehicle would stop properly and that when hitting a bump, the vehicle would seem to lurch forward. the dealer said this was a safety aspect of the vehicle and was normal operation. a few weeks later, i called the dealer again to reiterate my concerns about the braking problem and the lurching forward when hitting a bump, they again repeated that it was a safety measure new on the 2010 prius models. now that the recall is out, i am skeptical on the validity of their statements saying that it was a new 2010 safety feature. my wife who also drives the vehicle does not feel safe driving in the snow because of the feel of the brakes when attempting to stop. i bought the car for her but now drive it more because she does not fee safe in the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2009 | 1000 | 1 | |
| Our 2010 prius has a problem with the brakes when going over bumpy roads. *tr | |||
| 10/20/2009 | 3000 | 4 | |
| Upon applying the brakes when i hit rough road, pot hole, debris, unlevel pavement, they seem to slip. i don't slow down like i want the car to, i fishtail a little and the stability control comes on. this has happened 3 or 4 times since i purchased the car. 2010 toyota prius. *tr | |||
| 07/31/2009 | 200 | 1 | |
| My brakes quit working if a brake on loose gravel or when i hit a bump at low speeds. seems like the abs is trying to work but fails to kick on. *tr | |||
| 01/31/2010 | 5280 | 1 | |
| February 4, 2010 i own a 2010 prius purchased 09/01/09 brand new from a toyota dealership. on sunday, january 31, 2010 i was in my neighborhood approaching a t intersection at a stop sign. the main roads had been cleared of ice but there was some ice remaining on our street. i was traveling very slowly, put on my brakes and nothing happened. then i tried pumping the brakes since i got no response otherwise. i slid through the stop sign, tried to turn my tires to the left to avoid the curb and ended up jumping the curb with both front tires. on inspection when i got home (4 houses down from the incident) i noticed the rim of the right tire had been cracked and the tire had some damage. i had to work on mon & tues and did not drive the car on those days. yesterday, 02/03/10 i took the car to hibdon tires (2 blocks away) since the dealership is over 30 miles away and i was afraid to drive it on the highway. they put on the spare tire and determined that the passenger rim was not repairable, the driver rim was intact and both tires were intact and reusable. they indicated the axle did not appear damaged. i ordered another toyota rim to match ($411.20) and with an alignment ($65.00) i was quoted a total price of $512.26. i called the toyota dealer today (02/05/10) after reading the media reports about complaints by other prius owners describing the very situation that happened to me. i canceled my order with hibdon and hope to have my car repaired at the toyota dealership. i have received a call from the toyota customer service representative (henry siegler at fowler toyota in norman, ok; 321-1301) and will be taking my car in for service this morning. i would like to log my experience for the record. thank you. *tr | |||
| 02/04/2010 | 390 | 1 | |
| When slowing to a red light on md 212 at us rt 1 in beltsville, md, my 2010 toyota prius rolled over a bumpy stretch of road and the regenerative brakes stopped braking. the car rolled forward in free wheel fashion until i stomped on the brakes hard at which point the friction brakes kicked in and stopped the vehicle in time to avoid an accident with the vehicle in front of me. the traction control indicator lamp lit, and remained lit until i released the brakes to accelerate when the light turned green. seems to be the same problem everyone is reporting in the news this morning. i've had the car 1.5 weeks, and this is the first time i've noticed the problem, although my wife claims it happened to her during our test drive. *tr | |||
| 02/04/2010 | 5500 | 1 | |
| I have experienced multiple incidents of loss of braking control in my 2010 prius. today i went to put on my brakes and the system locked up on me and then, luckily, released and i regained control of my brakes before hitting the car in front of me. *tr | |||
| 07/22/2009 | 600 | 1 | |
| 2010 toyota prius. car seems to surge forward when braking on rough pavement such as potholes. also happened once on a wet day when a front wheel slipped on the painted stop line before an intersection. we took delivery of the car in june 2009 and the first incident was in july 2009. *tr | |||
| 01/13/2010 | 1 | 1 | |
| 01/13/2010 - i went to the service dept at toyota of wallingford to complain about the loss of brakes in a new 2010 toyota prius while driving over uneven ground. i had owned the car one month with 1500 miles on the odometer. the loss of control of the car is terrifying because the car seems to accelerate forward. the service attendant was aware of the issue and described the situation. he took the car on a test drive. he assured me it was not a safety issue. *tr | |||
| 10/02/2009 | 500 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2010 prius in august 2009. it shows no evidence of an anti-lock braking system. i reported this to the taylor toyota of alexandria in october who told me that they had not heard of the problem and they did nothing. additionally, the avid factory tires on the car are not effective on wet pavement; they skid. again, i reported this to the dealer and again they told me they had not heard of a problem but referred me to their parts department to buy new tires. finally, when i engage cruise control, the car surges forward in speed until i depress the brake. i stopped using the cruise control. *tr | |||
| 11/17/2009 | 5000 | 1 | |
| We have had several instances of brake malfunction in our 2010 prius. when backing out of our garage, on 3 occasions, when my foot was just resting gently over the brake, it felt as though i was stomping on the brake. it did this 4-5 times where it lurched to a stop when i wasn't applying it but just resting my foot on it as i backed up. i had an incident where i was entering a car wash and when i went over a bump into the car wash stall, the car lurched uncontrollably forward. i tried to put the car into neutral and it wouldn't stay in neutral but kept popping back into drive an lurching forward.. also, we have 3 incidents in inclement weather where the anti-lock brakes did not work at all or did not work correctly. on a snowy day, i slid right through an intersection and the anti lock brakes did not kick in nor did the anti-lock brake indicator light come on. my husband had an incident where if felt as though the anti-lock brakes functioned only on one side of the car, propelling him straight sideways upon braking. we feel very strongly that there is a problem with this model of prius that poses a significant risk to our safety. *tr | |||
| 01/27/2010 | 10000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2010 toyota prius. since purchasing it in august, i have been aware of odd, completely reproducible braking behavior. i have not reported the complaint until now because i assumed it was something normal within the operation of the prius, but with the report in the new york times that japan is investigating the prius braking system, i thought i should file a report. i live near train tracks that have a grade crossing in the middle of a block. the crossing itself is in ann arbor, mi, on w. william st. between s. ashley st and s. 1st st. when driving westbound on william st, one travels downhill and encounters the grade crossing near the bottom of the hill, about 20-30 feet before an intersection. every time i cross the train tracks at this grade crossing--regardless of weather conditions--i notice an alarming loss of braking power that occurs exclusively when crossing the train tracks. at first i thought this was normal, that perhaps the car was just slipping, but now it seems as if this represents the conditions that are under investigation in japan. the problem is 100% reproducible. typical travel speeds are 15-30 miles per hour. the braking action is only interrupted while traveling over the bumpy surface of the rail tracks, and then braking action is restored. however, if there are cars queued up at the bottom of the hill at the intersection, it often leads to short braking times and has caused concern regarding the effectiveness of the brakes. i have not spoken to my dealership regarding the problem, nor had any service performed on the vehicle regarding the problem. again, i believed this to be more of a design issue than a performance problem, but it is alarming, nonetheless. thank you for your hard work keeping america's cars safe. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 4233 | 1 | |
| 2010 prius. car lurches everyday when braking at stop signs. car drifts forward and does not immediately respond to brake pedal being pushed down. often happens in the middle of the stop. brakes will start working but then slip in the middle at very low speeds. doubt the anti-lock brake system could be the problem as speed are very low. has been occurring since the car was purchase in the summer of 2009. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2009 | 500 | 1 | |
| 2010 toyota prius brake failure. everytime while braking if there is a bump or on even a slight bit of ice on 1 wheel only, the brakes will release completely and go back to accelerating rather than braking. it happens when i exit the highway and there is a change in surfaces from tar to concrete. it happens very often and can happen anytime. this occurs at any speed from 10mph up and i have experienced it from 10mph and as high as 55mph. the problem first occurred around 500 miles on the car and i now have over 8500 miles. this started in august around the 15th. i have a 2007 hummer h3 and i have compared the braking with the same conditions and speeds and the prius is not responding correctly. the hummer brakes even with the changes. i have also compared on a 2006 volvo s60. these brakes are failing and it will eventually result in a crash or a pedestrian being struck. there is no pulsing of the breaks there is only releasing for ice or for any surface other than perfect. there should be some type of repair or recall immediately. i have noticed this but thought it was only me until i saw the msnbc article. i will not let my wife drive this car since she is pregnant. it is not safe. while sitting at traffic lights the traction control light keeps turning on and blinking and will lock the brakes until the gas pedal is pressed. i have never had an anti-lock or any type of breaking issue in 15 years of driving various vehicles. *tr | |||
| 11/25/2009 | 3000 | 1 | |
| Unexpected total loss of propulsion after driving on wet road conditions at approx 35 mph. . 2010 toyota prius with enhanced stability control. no response from gas pedal. needed to come to a complete stop and restart vehicle to obtain power. lights and dash display remained on but vehicle had no power to move. had to coast several hundred feet avoiding traffic to come to a complete stop and restarting vehicle. esc/trac squiggly symbol appeared on dash momentarily. on other occasions i have noticed when stopping on loose surface materials or stopping when driving over uneven pavement that the vehicle unexpectedly lurches forward in a most unpredictable and unnatural way almost as if there were no brakes and the vehicle momentarily attempts to accelerate. the first condition could easily cause an accident in heavy traffic or on a busy freeway since control of the vehicle was not returned to the operator until the vehicle was totally stopped and then shut down and restarted. my sense is that the enhanced stability control and trac system is overly responsive to road conditions and is slow or inhibits the return of control of the vehicle to the operator. i took the vehicle to a toyota service center. they report no error codes or technical service bulletins on the issue. no corrective action taken. my confidence in this vehicle has been severely damaged. i can't imagine the danger of loss of propulsion when driving at a high speed on a high traffic/speed highway. *tr | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 750 | 1 | |
| On my 2010 prius iv which i took delivery of in august, 2009, every time i brake, going over a pothole or large bump, the car lurches forward even though i am stepping on the brake. a few times i almost hit the car ahead of me. this is an extremely dangerous situation, and could result in a crash or possibly hitting a pedestrian. i hope this situation can be resolved immediately, before fatalities result. i k now other people are experiencing the same problem. *tr | |||