This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I have a 2010 Prius. If something happens where I need to use my brakes firmly and the road is not 100% smooth the brakes stop working for a few seconds. I thought it was something I was doing, but I am realizing now its not, its something in the car. In wet weather it does it even more. I have had more then 10 instances commuting 50 miles a day where I thought I was going to rear end someone. The brakes don't work or feel like normal brakes even when the roads are smooth. I have brought it up to the dealership I purchased it at right after I got it. They gave me the impression that it was me getting used to a hybrid car. There was no offer to bring it in and let them look at it.
We have a 2010 Prius. My wife hit a pot hole when she was making a right turn. When she stomped on the brake the car didn't stop and it drove into the curb smashing the frp ground effects molding below the passenger door and behind the right front tire. I thought this was her fault but I believe we have a problem with the braking on our car. Can I return this car?
Deceleration, rough road surface, brakes fail for a short time. This has happened 3 or 4 times since purchasing the car. I did mention this to my service person on Tuesday Feb 2 when I was at the dealer for a different issue and he said he hadn't heard of issue on my Prius, after hearing the new on wed that this is a known problem I called dealer back and will have car inspected Monday morning Feb 8.
We have a 2010 Toyota Prius purchased in July 2009. From the start, we noticed an issue with the brakes seeming to skip as you applied pressure at lower speeds. Two calls to the dealer about this were met with the phone equivalent of "blank stares" and we got nowhere. With the recent news reports describing the issue we found, I called two Toyota dealers yesterday in my area about getting it fixed and they were absolutely no help at all. One said they did not know what to do and had received no information from the company and the other seemed not to be even aware of the brake issue, the service supervisor kept speaking about the accelerator issue which is different. We have been limiting how much we drive this car because we are so concerned about the brakes.
When driving on wet surfaces, my 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid will occasionally skid when the brakes are applied. This seems to happen at speeds under 25mph and only on wet surfaces. The first incident occurred when I was approaching a stop sign at a low speed. When I applied the brakes, the car began to slow down when it suddenly accelerated without cause. The acceleration only lasted for a second or two before the brakes started working again. I had my foot on the brake pedal the entire time and applied even pressure. This issue also occurs often when pulling into the underground parking garage of my condominium building. When the ramp is wet, this problem will often occur. To avoid this occurrence when pulling into the garage, I must proceed at a cautious pace, 5-7 mph. This is very disconcerting because I must make a right-hand turn with three feet from the bottom of the ramp to avoid hitting the wall of the garage. The last occurrence was on January 29th at 7pm. The roads were wet. As I approached a stop light to make a left-hand turn, I applied the brakes as I normally would in such conditions. The after the initial deceleration, the brakes felt like they had slipped and I began to accelerate (as described before). I had to turn into the adjacent lane to avoid hitting the car in front of me before the brakes were fully applied. I all, this problem has occurred three times while driving on wet roads, and 8+ times when driving down the wet ramp to my underground garage. I have contacted the Toyota dealership where I purchased my vehicle to make them aware of this problem and was directed to file a report to NHTSA. I also called the Toyota customer service line and was unable to read a representative.
- Palo Alto, CA, USA
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I have a 2010 Toyota Prius. The la times reported 124 reports of brakes failing, I wish to add my experiences. Twice, while I was braking, I experienced a sudden surge, a loss of braking - an increase of power. I was able to stop the car with an automatic slamming on the brakes. No accident, no injury occurred but I now refuse to drive the car. The "what if" factor is too high. I couldn't live with knowledge of possible harm to someone caused by my driving my Prius! Toyota had better set this straight - I'm shocked they haven't recalled the car. I'm perplexed your Agency hasn't insisted!!
Antilock brakes don't seem to work effectively on my 2010 Prius, brought June 2009. I've been driving for 48 yrs in upstate New York; an experienced driver in the snow/ice roads. This 2010 Prius is dangerous to drive on snow/ice roads. I thought maybe the tires were lousy or that I'm not accustomed to antilock brakes. But now that I'm hearing about this very problem with other 2010 Prius, I'm convinced that the problem is with the car's antilock brakes. If there's any snow on the road, I know that I need alot of room to complete a stop and this is not going fast at all. I've had two near crashes so far and at very low speeds.
At 15 mph and braking, brakes disengage for less than one second after hitting a road imperfection (an old metal and rubber sensor placed about 10 or 15 feet from crosswalk) that is perpendicular to driving direction. At 35 mph, brakes disengage when braking and crossing a bridge/overpass connector plate.
When applying the brakes before going over a pothole I noticed that my 2010 Prius appeared to speed up for a split second rather than slow down. This happened when I went over the pothole. I also noted the same sensation when braking behind cars at a stop light. If I hit a bump the car seems to slightly accelerate rather than decelerate. Additionally when driving slowly down a icy hill and applying the brakes, there was a delay in any braking. When applying the brakes harder the car did decelerate eventually. This has happened a number of times, but is hard to replicate on demand.
Prius 2010 owner. I was braking to enter a parking lot from the road. As I entered the lot, the car went over a bump in the pavement and the brakes failed for a very short instance. It didn't put me in danger but it was an immediate scare. (this happened just a few days before the media reports of this issue came out, so I related with the repots when they came out.)
1. I bought my 2010 Prius new from a Toyota dealer in early December of 2009. 2. when I am applying the brakes to slow down, if I hit a pothole, bump, or speed bump the brakes will stop working and the car will lurch forward. I have experienced this brake failure at least 20 times, with varying severity. It can happen any time I am trying to slow down and hit a bump or pothole (e.g.. trying to slow down because the car in front of me is stopping, or because I am approaching a stop sign or red light, or because I am turning or going into a curve). So far, this brake failure has not caused an accident but it has caused me to come very close to hitting the car in front of me on one occasion. I have come to no longer feel safe driving my Prius because I cannot trust the brakes when there are bumps or potholes in the road. 3. I brought my Prius to the service center of the dealership where I purchased the car. I brought the car in on 2/4/2010. That evening when I spoke to the mechanic, he told me that the brakes are normal and that he did not do anything to fix my car and that I could pick my car up. I then spoke with the manager and told him that I did not feel safe driving the car until they fixed the braking problem. My car is still at the dealership and has not been fixed because they are refusing to acknowledge that the brakes are not functioning safely.
My 2010 Toyota Prius slips when the brakes are applied over manholes, potholes, and uneven surfaces (differences in pavement, etc), at which time I have no control over the vehicle. This occurs several times a week, and at low speeds - since I'm applying the brakes, the speeds have been 30 mph or less. I took the car in for a test drive 2/4/10, however, no potholes were available during the test drive, and the diagnostic check via computer indicated no error messages have occurred within the system. I was told there were no problems, and that the brakes are working correctly.
2010 Prius brakes grab abruptly coming to a complete stop going through an intersection at about 20 mph. I was almost rear-ended and SUV behind me had to pull aside to keep from hitting me. Also, when backing the brakes will grab repeatedly making vehicle jerk - and makes driver look like we cannot drive. See 'Prius chat' site for many other like incidents by other drivers and speculative solutions. This also happens when pulling forward from parking and hit brakes in order to make a 3-point turn (example) etc. This happened the very first time I got into the car with the salesman sitting beside me, and he remarked what good brakes they were. I thought it was just an annoying trait of the car (being a hybrid) until the intersection incident last week - and the new brake news on the Prius. This needs to be addressed as part of the defect before a pile-up collision is caused. It almost seems as if there is no 'power' to the brakes in a 'gliding' type mode.
I am copying below an incident with my Prius' brakes that reported to Toyota earlier this week (confirmation of receipt from Toyota and then my description of event): _____________ thank you for contacting Toyota motor sales, U.S.a., Inc. We appreciate your consideration and hope to have your email addressed as quickly as possible. Our current office hours are Monday through Friday from 5 am to 6 pm and Saturday 7 am to 4 pm pacific time. If you need immediate assistance, we recommend you contact the customer relations manager at your local Toyota dealership. Discussion thread customer 02/03/2010 01:04 pm I have heard/read of a few instances of braking issues with Prius'. I would like to let you know I experienced this problem the other day. I was approaching a stop light at a slow rate of speed (~20) and braking lightly when I went over a small bump across the road. The brakes/pedal immediately felt useless. I quickly let up on the petal and hit the brakes much harder and I was able to safety come to a stop without any danger or locking the brakes. I wanted to be sure to let you know and be on record of this issue with my new Prius which I love so far short of this incidence. Is there a known issue or fix that I can have my dealership look into?
Own a 2010 Prius. Have experience intermittent brake issues. The brakes seem to not function properly when they applied over uneven surfaces. The car feels like it is "sliding" or "hydroplaning" for a brief moment, then the brakes "catch" again. I was involved in an accident on September 24, 2009 and never thought about the issue with the brakes.
2010 Toyota Prius. There is a problem with the brakes when I am on a bumpy road and want to come to a complete stop. The problem doesn't seem to happen when slowing over a bumpy road, only when coming to a complete stop. The car almost seems to skid a bit and I definitely do not feel as if I have control of the car when this happens. While it's only a split second, it's not a very comfortable split second. Thankfully I have not been in this situation with another car in front of me.
When initially starting the car (Prius 2010) to back out of a parking spot and applying the brakes, I have noticed a loss of braking (I have pressed the brake pedal to the floor with no noticeable braking). When the brakes are reapplied, the brakes "grab" and cause sudden, jerky stopping. This has occurred twice.
2010 Toyota Prius. When first starting the car before the gasoline engine engages, the brakes grab suddenly when applied (e.g. backing out of the garage or leaving a parking space), and continue to do so until the gas engine starts. Also, there is momentary loss of braking when going over bumps (like speed bumps.)
I own a driving school in livingston NJ, I purchased a 2010 Prius in July 2009. I also notice a delay in the braking system while driving down a hill one day. This occurred while I applied the brakes. I went over a bump or pothole. It seemed like the car actually accelerated momentarily and I had to keep applying the brakes to the floor and hoped that there was enough distance to stop. I remember going down a hill, applying the brakes and the car was slowing down, then I went over the bump or pothole in the road and the car took off like I was accelerating. I felt like I had lost control of the vehicle for at least 2 seconds or 20feet but fortunately no other vehicles were near by. I now make sure that I brake sooner, and allow more following distance. Especially in bad weather. Anti-lock brakes seem to have their own unique problems in that the wheels don't lock but those on the Prius seem a bit more noticeable because they are electric and the pads don't slow the car like normal brakes. (at least that what my salesman told me.) he said that the pads will last over 200,000 miles. Hopefully I'll be able to drive it that long without an incident. But the problem now iis that parents may not want their kids to learn with my driving school, even though there have been no real problems with training teenagers yet.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- San Diego, CA, USA