As I was coming to a stop driving along a side street, I hit a slight bump in the road while braking. The brakes stopped working for about 1 and 1/2 seconds while the vsc light was flashing. Then the brakes started working again and I could stop the car. This has happened 3 additional times since then in different places driving around town, probably after hitting slight bumps or a few pieces of gravel. One of those happened as I was going to the Toyota dealer to have it checked out. The Toyota serviceman could not find any codes that indicated that there was a problem. "no verifiable malfunction occurred." Yesterday, I talked to the Toyota service manager again. He said that there was nothing he could do to fix the car.

- Wheeling, WV, USA

Gear shifted into neutral without use of gear shift control. Happened several times and wasn't able to shift into reverse or drive. Kept going back to neutral. Park also wasn't working. Powered car off which did put in park. Restarted and drove home without issue. Tried to recreate at home and same problem occurred. Was able to manually hold gear shift in drive or reverse to move car into driveway. Have left car at Toyota service center today for inspection. Did not occur when tech tried it day after incident at 7am. Initial incident occurred on hot afternoon at 5pm with 100 degree temperatures. Have read online of similar problems related to hot temp. Have had car for 5 years with no problems like this. Just crossed 50000 miles and am covered under warranty until Oct. I hope it can be repaired. And hope it does not happen while I am driving at faster speeds. So far only happens when parked and recently started. Starter battery was replaced around 2 years ago.

- Sunnyvale, CA, USA

On this date while driving on the interstate 5 near los angeles my Prius made a loud noise and started shutting down as I was driving on the far left lane. The car immediately slowed down and the vsc icon as well as the check engine light icon became visible, however the odometer was blank and I could not tell what speed I was traveling, the car was coming to a complete stop. Once I managed to get to the far right shoulder the car made a stop. I was almost rear ended by a big rig which had to swerve to the left side in order to avoid hitting my car. It wasn't until then that I noticed the red engine light icon displayed on the control panel not the odometer. I have never seen this warning light but after looking at the owner's manual it clearly stated that once this light appears you need to get the vehicle off the road as soon as possible or it will cause an accident. This was the first time I noticed this sign and it appeared after the fact. The car had no engine oil, which was ridiculous since I had not noticed any leaks and I take my car in every 2 months to the dealer for an oil change. The dealer had no explanation other than it did not have any leaks and they were not able to verify when the red engine oil came on. This happened on 5/30/14, my last visit to the dealer was on 4/12/14 and at the time they did not detect any problems with the oil leaking. This clearly makes no sense and they are refusing to take responsibility. Toyota owners should be very cautious as this should have never happened the sensor should have given me a warning prior to the car shutting down. This could have caused many fatalities being in a heavily populated highway.

- Riverdale, CA, USA

On 09/01/10, we took our 2008 Prius in because there were two times the car didn't stop when we used the brakes. I told the service manager, the car was accelerating on its own. It was scary and I feared an accident. After they worked on the car, I was told that it was the floor mats that interfered with the accelerator pedal. It didn't make sense to me because I had to put my foot under the pedal to raise it up since it was stuck. I was angry they completely ignored the fact the car was accelerating on its own and acted as though the problem was handled. On 03/31/12, w. manchester/hindry, before 2:00 P.M., it had drizzled, I stopped at a light, drove ahead and at a fork in the road I tapped my brakes to slow down on a curve. Instead, the car kept accelerating. I stepped on the brakes but the car did not respond. The car kept gaining speed! I was at least 3 car lengths behind other car, plenty of time to stop but the car accelerated no matter how hard I stepped on the brakes. It was terrifying! I realized I was going to crash and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. I rear ended the Mercedes, the airbags failed to deploy. I had 2 boxes of books in the trunk that hit the back of my seat and knocked down the rear seats from the impact. The car was towed. Damages: $5,988.79. Medical: $25,000. Next month, a cracked pump was discovered at firewall, due to the accident. The black box showed impact was at 35 mph, (35-27) mph, 0.02 sec. Injuries: Concussion, whiplash, back spasms, double-crush injury, ptsd, depression, migraines. I couldn't drive or start physical therapy for 4 mos., until 07/27/12. My therapist worked alot to relax my muscles, I had traction, bought a traction device $400. And 6 mos. Of chiropractic for muscle spasms. 12/08/12, I had a nerve-test, it was abnormal for a double-crush injury. Prescribed xanax for ptsd, anxiety.

- Lake View Terrace, CA, USA

On 09/01/10, we took our 2008 Prius in because there were two times the car didn't stop when we used the brakes. I told the service manager, the car was accelerating on its own. It was scary and I feared an accident. After they worked on the car, I was told that it was the floor mats that interfered with the accelerator pedal. It didn't make sense to me because I had to put my foot under the pedal to raise it up since it was stuck. I was angry they completely ignored the fact the car was accelerating on its own and acted as though the problem was handled. On 03/31/12, w. manchester/hindry, before 2:00 P.M., it had drizzled, I stopped at a light, drove ahead and at a fork in the road I tapped my brakes to slow down on a curve. Instead, the car kept accelerating. I stepped on the brakes but the car did not respond. The car kept gaining speed! I was at least 3 car lengths behind other car, plenty of time to stop but the car accelerated no matter how hard I stepped on the brakes. It was terrifying! I realized I was going to crash and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. I rear ended the Mercedes, the airbags failed to deploy. I had 2 boxes of books in the trunk that hit the back of my seat and knocked down the rear seats from the impact. The car was towed. Damages: $5,988.79. Medical: $25,000. Next month, a cracked pump was discovered at firewall, due to the accident. The black box showed impact was at 35 mph, (35-27) mph, 0.02 sec. Injuries: Concussion, whiplash, back spasms, double-crush injury, ptsd, depression, migraines. I couldn't drive or start physical therapy for 4 mos., until 07/27/12. My therapist worked alot to relax my muscles, I had traction, bought a traction device $400. And 6 mos. Of chiropractic for muscle spasms. 12/08/12, I had a nerve-test, it was abnormal for a double-crush injury. Prescribed xanax for ptsd, anxiety.

- Lake View Terrace , CA, USA

It actually happened two times within a month. In one case, I was turning left to take a ramp with a very low speed around 5 mph. Even though some parts of the road was icy, but the car didn't slip. It was exactly a several sudden pushes, unintended acceleration, with my foot on the brake only. I was so scared because I couldn't control the car for few seconds, and I thought I totally lost the control of the car. I tried to steer the car safely and turn on my emergency light. Checked the brake again, it was working after that. The second time, happened to me when I was coming out of school parking and didn't have any speed at all. Again around 5 mph. School is located in residential area. When you get out of the parking, you can only turn right, then there is an intersection with a stop sign almost 50 feet away. On the day of incident, I tried to stop behind the stop sign with no speed at all, but suddenly the car got the same continuous and sudden pushes. It was accelerated unintended. My foot was completely on the brake, but I lost the control again, and I was so lucky that day that there were no cars around the intersection, I tried to steer the car to the left, turned on my emergency light, and tried to push the brake again and again. After few seconds, I found it working. I called the Toyota the same day, and they are in the process of scheduling me for inspection. Again, even though the surface was slick with ice, but I didn't have speed, and it didn't look like ABS is working. I exactly know how ABS works, specially when it is snowy or icy. This is very scary. Please investigate. Thanks.

- Dearborn Heights, MI, USA

I have a Toyota Prius and it is used as a taxi in san francisco. I had noticed a few times that the engine revs up while I was at stop and the battery was fully charged. It was like the engine pulse. Idle to high rev and idle again for a few times and that happened for about 2 weeks while on the road. The vehicle started to accelerate by itself at the first week of Nov 2013 and happen again on highway 101 South in mill valley ca around 8 pm. I have called city Toyota and explained about it but the service department just told me to get appointment to check it up. As I assume myself as well experienced driver with 25 years of driving multi type of vehicles, it is not driver error nor the pedal nor the floor mats. It is mechanical or electrical problem.

- Daly City, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated. In addition, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle and the contact crashed into a wall. A police report was filed. The contact was transported to the hospital as a precaution, but was not injured. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a private mechanic but was not diagnosed to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure and current mileage was 54,000. Updated 11/14/13

- Braintree, MA, USA

While driving, no more gas power, warning lights on, vsc too.throttle response was not working, turned off the car for few minutes and restarted it, it worked for a short while and did it again... Toyota oakland said I needed to replace the engine throttle body.$1600!!! one month after the warranty wore off.

- Emeryville, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle accelerated without manual force. In addition, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle and the contact crashed into the rear bumper of another vehicle. The contact sustained a concussion, whip lash, and injuries to the neck and back. The driver of the second vehicle sustained whip lash. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Sylmar, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle accelerated independently. The failure recurred numerous times. The contact had her husband drove the vehicle and the failure recurred causing them to crash into another vehicle. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed and stored until it could be inspected. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. The manufacturer was notified but no assistance was given. The failure and current mileage was 70,000. Updated 3/22/13

- Anaheim, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while attempting to park the engine revved up. As a result, the vehicle jumped the curve and ran into some bushes. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The failure and current mileage was 87,102...updated 11/14/12 updated 11/15/2012

- Gilroy, CA, USA

On 8/29/12, I got into my 2008 Prius in the parking lot of the easton, md giant food-store to return home. This lot is on a slope just above a parking lot for walmart, with a paved road between the 2 lots. The parking lots were very crowded. I needed to get to the road separating the 2 lots in order to go home. I had just started the Prius and put it into drive when it started to roar loudly, jumped out fast, and accelerated rapidly, even though I brake multiple times. The brakes seemed to make it accelerate faster. I was not touching the gas pedal, only the brake, but the car was roaring and out of control. On the way out of the giant lot, the Prius hit 3 cars. The noise was very loud, and the car was out of control. Pumping the brakes or holding them down did nothing to slow the car, and the noise was terrifying. The brakes did not work, and the Prius continued to make a very loud roaring noise. The speed of the car made steering difficult, if not impossible, and there could have been injuries. The Prius then left the giant parking lot, went down the mulched slope, crossed the street, bumped over the curb, and went up the walmart slope hitting a small tree. The car was probably going at least 40 mph and came to a stop only after it plunged into an unoccupied black car parked in the walmart parking lot. It was severely damaged and towed away. No one knew who the owner was at the time the police ordered it towed away. An occupant would have been severely injured or killed.during the above, the Prius continued to run and the airbag functioned, keeping me uninjured. The brakes and the accelerator failed totally. Four vehicles were damaged, one of which was totaled. But as far as I know, there were no injuries??for which I am grateful. This Prius should not have been on the road despite having only 74,000 miles and its apparent good condition.

- Easton, MD, USA

Around 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon, we opened the car door to run some errands and were startled by a piercing noise. The dashboard was lighting up (ABS & vsc) and although the car started, the dashboard remained lit and the beeping continued. When driving the car to the dealership, the brakes did not brake fully. After a $58 diagnostic test, we were told that acc pressure sensor needed to be cleared and if we returned with the same problem, we may need to replace a "brake actuator part" (cost = $2,560). Before this incident, on Saturday afternoon, we drove the car on the interstate for about 150 miles. For the last 15 minutes of our trip, we were driving through heavy rains on the interstate and on side roads. We did not experience any problems when driving the car in the rain, but are wondering whether or not the water affected the brakes.

- Nashville, TN, USA

While entering a highway onramp in my company's 2008 Toyota Prius, the car suddenly began accelerating out of control without application of the gas pedal. I had to press hard on the brake just to hold the car at 65 mph. The car was surging and lunging forward, and I worried I wouldn't be able to find a place to pull over before losing control completely. For the next 5-10 minutes, as I approached traffic in front of me, the car continued to accelerate, even though I had my foot on the brake the entire time. At one point I noticed the car was reaching speeds in excess of 95 mph. A loud rattling noise ensued and an electrical smell filled the car. Eventually, the brake completely failed to have any effect, and, barreling down the highway at 90 mph, I put the car in neutral, but it continued to accelerate. At this point I had my right foot on the brake pedal and depressed the parking break all the way to the floor with my left foot, this slowed the car slightly, but not enough to regain control. Finally, I turned the car off completely, and with my hazard lights on, managed to pull the car away from traffic and off on the shoulder of the highway, where I coasted for a long distance, speeds decreasing gradually until eventually it stopped. Smoke and a burning electrical smell filled the car. I filed a police report with an officer who happened to also be on the shoulder, giving someone a speeding ticket. My company towed the car to a dealership, and an investigation is supposedly underway, though I'm not optimistic about any sort of resolution based on the testimonies I have read from others who have experienced the same thing. Luckily, in my case, this didn't result in an accident, and noone was killed.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. While the contact was driving less than 20 mph when he attempted to park the vehicle and it unexpectedly accelerated upon engaging the brake pedal. The vehicle failed to stop and crashed into a cement garage wall. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The frame and front end of the vehicle were severely damaged. The contact was able to drive the vehicle from the scene. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for body damage and to be repaired. The cause of failure was not determined. There was a prior recall repair performed that was related to the defect under NHTSA campaign id number 09V388000 (vehicle speed control: Accelerator pedal). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000. Updated 08/31/11 updated 2/9/12

- Pleasant Hill, CA, USA

My 2008 Prius has been accelerating forward after I go over amy bumps in the road. It has almost caused several accidents. I asked my sealskin about it and they said my Prius was operating normally. My husband says this is incorrect and it has happened to him too. I drive in heavy traffic and I am scared this will end in am accident or someone getting hurt.

- Pearland, TX, USA

The contact owned a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while attempting a left turn and depressing the accelerator, the vehicle would not respond. The contact was in the process of making the turn when another vehicle crashed into the driver side of the contacts vehicle. The vehicle spun twice and came to a stop. A police report was filed and two passengers were reported injured. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact called the manufacturer who took a complaint and stated that someone would contact her later. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages were unknown.

- Victorville, CA, USA

2008 Toyota Prius. Consumer states two problems with vehicle, the ABS release momentarily causes a brief surge forward any time there is a small bump in the road when braking and consumer also states he nearly rear ended another vehicle at a stop light when he almost couldn't stop, even by putting his entire weight on the vehicle. The consumer also believed the pedals were designed too close together.

- Washington, DC, USA

I was driving my 2008 Prius about 20 to 30 mph down a straight road, a slight descending grade and coasting, when it accelerated with my foot off the accelerator pedal. This happened for about 4-5 seconds and a speed gain of approximately 5-10 mph. It startled me, if a car had been in front of me, there would have been a serious problem. A light flashed on the dash but it happened so fast that I could not tell which light. I called Toyota of longview and was told if it was not acting up they could not do anything about it. We had bad weather so I parked the car until we could carry it in. Feb 9th, 2011, we had the dealer check it and they found nothing wrong. I would sell it but it what if someone else got in an accident? something needs to be done.

- White Oak, TX, USA