10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
20 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,694 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2010 Toyota Prius brakes problems

brakes problem

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2010 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 15 of 26)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #222

Sep 012009

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

So this is regarding the 2010 Prius I recently purchased. I bought the car in August of 2009. The only problem I have is with the brakes. Sometimes when I hit a bump or pothole in the road, and I'm stepping on the brakes, I feel a sudden acceleration even though I do not step on the gas pedal. If I keep my foot on the pedal I will stop eventually, but the sudden onset of acceleration is quite scary. This happens from time to time and I can never predict it.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #221

Sep 012009

Prius

  • 1 miles
Brakes on 2010 Toyota Prius do not work properly when backing up. Dealer checked brakes and could not find a problem.

- Goldsboro, NC, USA

problem #220

Jan 152010

Prius

  • 500 miles
We purchased our Toyota 2010 Prius V model in January 9, 2010. During the first week of driving we noticed that if we apply brake while turning left it will skit forward just missing the ditch in our drive way or off shooting in the traffic light crossing the median. These incidents were reported to the local Toyota dealer and the dealer tech informed us that Prius is not in recall and when they test drive they do not find anything wrong. Well, we said that it does not appear every time but it does very often. Their explanation was that it may be because of the snow as it is winter and being Michigan roads not cleared on time.

- West Bloomfield, MI, USA

problem #219

Jan 012010

Prius

  • 250 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Braking failure on 2010 Prius on rough or uneven driving surfaces. No fix has been attempted or made. This is another example of the widely reported problem in the 2010 Prius.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

problem #218

Dec 122009

Prius

  • 4,900 miles
On December 12, at approximately 6:15 pm while traveling East bound on I-30 near downtown dallas, I rear ended the car in front of me. I was traveling at approximately 12 mph and the roads were dry. I was not tail gating the car in front of me. The car in front of me was cut off and he immediately hit his brakes. I did the same. My car began to buck and jump and I hit the car in front of me causing over $10,000 worth of damage to my 2010 Toyota Prius. My car was towed and repaired by Toyota of dallas. I reported the incident to the dealership as well as to state farm. The dealership has told me over and over again that there are no problems with the brakes in my vehicle. They claim I must have been traveling too fast or too close to the vehicle in front of me. I was not issued a citation by the sheriff. My air bags did not deploy as I was traveling at approximately 12 mph. I continued to complain to Toyota about the brakes and they sent an engineer to examine my vehicle on Tuesday, February 2 who again told me that there were no issues with my brakes. The very next day, the ntsb began an investigation into the brakes, and this morning, February 4 (2 days after the engineer inspected my vehicle) Toyota announces that there are issues with the braking system in my vehicle. I continue to experience the same issues with my brakes. I am afraid to continue to drive the vehicle.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #217

Jan 282010

Prius

  • 4,200 miles
I have a 2010 Prius V vehicle. Every time I approach a stop sign that has a fairly deep transverse rut in the pavement in front of it, my head snaps back as the car lurches forward. This appears to be the momentary loss of braking that is in the news for the 3rd generation Prius. It is extremely repeatable...it happens every time. The date below is only the most recent time I've driven on that road. I have not had an accident.

- Pewaukee, WI, USA

problem #216

Jan 152010

Prius

  • 1,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Toyota Prius 2010 - I have experienced irregularities with my brakes since I purchased this car on December 28, 2009. I attributed it to my lack of experience driving a car with anti-lock brakes. However, I now believe that these problems are related to the current investigation of Prius brakes. Two things happen: (1) several times when I place my foot on brake too hard, the car propels forward, (2) under slick conditions and I press the brakes, the brakes take too long to respond and the car continues to move.

- Allentown, PA, USA

problem #215

Sep 042009

Prius

  • 800 miles
I have a 2010 Prius, which I purchased in August 2009. I noticed when I apply the brakes if I am at a pothole, or uneven road, there is a "slight" pause before the brakes engage and stop the car. This has occurred at least 50 times since I purchased the car.

- Chino Hills, CA, USA

problem #214

Jan 262010

Prius

  • 475 miles
Braking system. I notice that as I pull up to a stop sign while driving, I apply the brakes lightly to slow down gradually. I have noticed multiple times that when I hit a bumpy spot or a pothole, the car loses it braking capacity. I mash the brake down harder to slow down if necessary and then it works fine. I don't know if it is related to the car's ability to absorb kinetic energy and recharge the hybrid battery or what. I also noticed one day when it began to snow heavily, the roads were very slippery and I almost skidded off the road as I applied the brakes.

- Roslindale, MA, USA

problem #213

Jan 152010

Prius

  • 2,000 miles
2010 Toyota Prius loosing braking power for short period over a bump. Can repeat it consistently over the same area on the street very close to my working place.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #212

Jun 102009

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2010 Prius, which was purchased in may has had the very brake issues that are being reported. When a bump is hit, the car jerks forward quite unexpectedly when the brakes are applied. I thought it was just my imagination or that I hit a slick spot, but it has happened many times. The fact that Toyota knew about this and hid it from the first Prius owners is unbelievable. Since they have been fixing it on newer models and did not tell owners of the first ones off the production line T, I think a class action law suit should be undertaken. I am very angry and would like some mechanisms for getting rid of this car, given Toyota's deception.

- Idaho Falls, ID, USA

problem #211

Feb 042010

Prius

  • 10,514 miles
I currently own a 2010 Toyota Prius and over the past few month I've noticed a momentary loss in my braking when turning corners or coming to a stop. I'm alittle concern that this might be a degenerative issue that may cause a serious accident at high speeds.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #210

Dec 132009

Prius

  • 400 miles
Brief braking interruption on wet, uneven pavement. 5 - 6 incidents from Nov through Jan - 2010 Prius bought at the end of Oct 2009.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #209

Jan 012010

Prius

  • miles
Confirmation of brake issue with Prius. Car briefly accelerates on rough patches or going over potholes when using brake. No accidents.

- Stony Brook, NY, USA

problem #208

Nov 282009

Prius

  • 800 miles
While driving my 2010 Toyota Prius, I notice that at times the car fails to brake adequately. This happens when braking over uneven pavement. The feeling is as if the car speeds up a little. It's disconcerting.

- Augusta, GA, USA

problem #207

Oct 202009

Prius

  • miles
My 2010 Prius has trouble braking when I'm traveling at slow speeds over uneven or slippery surfaces. It's as if the brakes lose traction/slip. I first reported this problem to Toyota in October 2009. I sent emails and placed phone calls and brought it to the dealership repeatedly. They say they were unable to replicate the problem and can't fix it till they replicate it. They have no solutions for me. I called Toyota today and they said they did not refer my complaint to NHTSA...even though I filed it with Toyota months ago. They say its not their responsibility to share my complaint with the government.

- Washington , DC, USA

problem #206

Jul 152009

Prius

  • 300 miles
I have a 2010 Toyota Prius. On a daily basis I drive over two separate speed bumps on the steep downhill-incline entrance to my office parking garage, at a low speed (always less than 10 mph). Upon going over each bump, my brakes (which are engaged due to the steep downhill incline) disengage briefly and then re-engage. Sometimes the brakes also momentarily disengage when I am continuing down the ramp in the parking garage, even in the absence of a speed bump. This seems to happen most often when I am turning. Each time the brakes disengage, the car slips and I feel it is not under control. I have tried to avoid these symptoms by keeping my speed extremely low in the parking garage (5 mph), but that only works sometimes. The "date of incident" is really on a daily basis every day I drive into work. This symptom has occurred consistently since I purchased the car in June, 2009 and continues to this day. The brake system I am referring to is the brakes that are activated when I depress the brake pedal while driving.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #205

Jan 042010

Prius

  • 4,000 miles
I want to complain about the braking problem with my Toyota Prius 2010 which I purchased in November of 2009. On several occasions, about 4 or 5, the brakes don't work when going over a bump hitting a pothole and the car slides forward. This has happened while slowing down at lights and intersections.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #204

Dec 282009

Prius

  • 3,000 miles
2010 Toyota Prius (bought in 10/2009). When going over a recessed manhole cover or pothole while breaking, it feels as if the brake is slipping and the car jerks for a moment. Continued pressure on the brake brings the car to a stop. It has never happened except when going over some obstruction and only when traveling over 20 mph. Going over speedbumps in a parking lot is fine.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #203

Nov 052009

Prius

  • 50 miles
While driving with cruise control engaged and a situation occurs that requires braking; normal brake pedal pressure does nothing. I have to hit the brakes extra hard which significantly slows reaction time. This problem occurs randomly. When I took the car to the dealer I could not get the problem to repeat.

- Auburn, WA, USA

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