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.
1. we purchased a 2010 Prius six months ago. We have had four incidents braking where we feel the ABS over-compensates when the wheels are on different surfaces (e.g. gravel/pavement, puddle/pavement, etc.). two of the four incidents are notable because it felt as though I had lost control of braking and I was going to 1. rear-end another car and 2. go off an embankment. I am not an aggressive driver. Today, I was alarmed to learn, --reported in the news--that other drivers are experiencing the same issue. Toyota has checked out my car (at the 5,000 mile oil change), but reports nothing wrong. Something is wrong! if feels as though the ABS over-compensates on all four wheels when the surface under one wheel is "irregular" and causes the ABS to react to slipping/sliding. I've owned six cars with ABS, but none of them gave me the feeling that I'd lost control braking. There is something wrong with this car's ABS and I am concerned that Toyota will not address it in a prompt manner. Your auto-fill form requires that I specify a date of incident. Four times, between November 2009 and January 2010, we feel we've lost control of our ability to brake this car at very reasonable (braking) speeds and distances. It's not just one incident.
I bought at 2010 Prius on new year's eve, and since then, on several occasions (probably about 7-8 times) when hitting a pothole, the car feels like it lunges forward, or almost accelerates. Maybe it's just that the brake goes out completely, but it's always when braking for a pothole or dip that my car goes lunging forward. Luckily no accidents or anything have resulted as of yet, but it concerns me. I've been too busy to mention it to the dealer yet, although I did mention it briefly to my salesperson when he did a follow-up call to see how I was doing with the new car. I've made an appt. At my local dealer for Monday to have it looked at, but given the news this morning, I felt I should report it because I've definitely been experiencing what's being reported.
2010 Prius purchased July 2009. Turning into my driveway while braking (which had a pothole in front of it) my car felt like it was lurching forward out of control after it hit the pothole. I would have thought that the pothole would impede my forward progress not increase it! I was going very slowly so the incident was momentary, but it did scare me. This happened several times before I learned how to avoid the pothole. I thought it was very strange but once I started to avoid the pothole I forgot about it. So I did not pursue it until I read the descriptions of the rough road complaints and realized that was exactly what had happened to me and that I should report it here. The dates, time and mileage are actually unknown because I did not make a note of it at the time.
When applying brakes, to my Prius 2010, on at least 3 occasion the brakes seem to fail. Applying more pressure doesn't seem to work right away, then the brakes grab hard. Only noticed at slower speeds, and rougher roads.
- Richland Center, WI, USA
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Approaching a four way stop sign in my 2010 Prius, I applied the brakes but the car continued for approximately a second before the brakes took effect. There was patchy ice on the road before the stop sign. I went through the intersection, past the stop sign by about 20 feet. I originally thought it was just the ABS braking characteristics however now I realize it was an actual delay in the breaking itself. I drove my previous 2004 Prius for 108,000 miles without ever having this occur.
I purchased a 2010 Prius iv in June 2009. I live in the Kansas City area. Beginning in November when the weather turned cold, usually below freezing, I noticed that when I apply my brakes sometimes they will slip just for a fraction of a second. This usually occurs before the car has a chance to warm up but has occurred when the car is warmed up. The brakes will slip when I go over a portion of the road where the pavement is buckled, or there is a depression such as driving over a manhole cover, pothole or construction cut that was not properly filled. The experience is like braking over a small patch of ice. I notified the dealer of this problem in December but didn't make an appointment to have the car inspected. After reading an ap news release on this topic, which described the exact symptoms I am experiencing, I made an appointment for 12 Feb to have the brakes inspected. I don't consider this to be a serious safety issue as I only experience this problem once every few weeks.
I have a Toyota Prius 2010 and it accelerates while braking on several occasions especially while applying brake during cruise control and breaking on going through uneven surface. I called Toyota and they directed me to Toyota dealer where I purchased my Prius. I contacted bennett Toyota in allentown, pa (that is where I purchased my car) and the service manager drove the car on 12/28/2009 with me and he said he couldn't find any problem; he said, he also tested the car for the specifications and the technicians couldn't find any problem with either cruise control or brake.
I have a 2010 Prius III with brake issues. Sporadically, when driving backwards from a parked position the brakes become incredibly sensitive and I have to turn off the car and turn it back on again for them to function normally. On about 01/17/2010, after a heavy rain, when I was again pulling backwards out of my driveway my brakes made a grinding sound as if the pads were gone. Mind you I have less than 9,000 miles on the car. Again, turned off the car and back on to fix. Has not happened again but it hasn't rained either.
Our 2010 Toyota Prius surges (accelerates) for a fraction of a second whenever the brakes are applied as it hits a small bump or slick spot in the road. This hasn't caused any accidents, but we drive the car primarily at low speeds (40 mph or less) and haven't been involved in any situations (yet) that required evasive action. We are concerned that, at higher speeds, or in a case where someone pulls out in front of us and we have to apply the brakes quickly, the vehicle will not respond appropriately. I have told my Toyota dealer about this problem twice, and they have no response. About what to do about the problem. All they said was that the car has not been recalled, and that I should touch base with them periodically for updates. They took my name only when I pressed them to push the information back to Toyota management.
2010 Prius brakes appear to become inoperable during transition from electromagnetic to hydraulic braking. I've had this occur an three occasions, twice during aggressive braking (near misses). Once this occurred at low speed on a patch of so-so road during light rain. The other two times this happened at 40+mph on very good dry road. I took my car in to my local Toyota dealership yesterday to evaluate this concern and was informed that my brakes are not malfunctioning. The dealer seemed unaware of the issue and the fact that Toyota had corrected this issue in the cars currently coming off of the assembly line. The dealer position seems to be that the Prius brake system is advanced and does not operate like other brake systems. My position is that brake system design should not contribute to driver panic during aggressive braking.
1. slowing down to make a right turn, traveling around 15 mph 2. while traveling over a pothole or uneven road surface, brakes suddenly disengaged and car continued forward 3. brakes reengaged after about a second later.
When driving my 2010 Prius over bumps with my brakes on, the car lunges forward as if the brakes are not working. This occurs each time I hit a bump when I have my foot on the brake pedal.
My 2010 Toyota Prius was a week old. I was exiting on a sloping downward ramp from lake shore drive in Chicago and getting ready to stop and turn right. Road conditions were wet and cold but not icy. I applied the brakes and the car failed to stop. I pumped the brakes several times before they "grabbed." Luckily there was no car in front of me or behind me. If there had been a car in front, I would surely have rear ended it. I thought being a "new" Prius driver I had done something wrong but it definitely caused me some panic. I now have 456 miles on the odometer. The brakes have not slipped since the first incident but I have been very cautious in applying them in similar situations.
The issue with the brakes on the 2010 Prius has occurred several times on our Prius, which was purchased in August of 2009. Coming downhill and going over a speed bump there is a sudden slight acceleration when we apply the brakes. Fortunately, no accident has occurred.
I want to register a complaint that I am experiencing loss of braking in my 2010 Prius when the car hits a bump or pot hole in the road. Have been in conversations with Toyota personnel. No satisfaction to date with possible fix. No accidents have occurred thus far with my vehicle. It has occurred several times, most notably since the roads are getting rougher as a result of winter.
There have been 3 instances where the brakes of my vehicle briefly stopped working effectively. These instances always occurred when I was attempting to brake over rough pavement or potholes. It has not resulted in an accident for me yet, but having just read that this is an issue for the 2010 Prius, I thought it important to report that I too have experienced this problem in my 2010 Prius.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Madison, WI, USA