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.
Car did not brake properly and slightly surged forward on many occasions when I drove over a manhole cover and speed bumps at lower speeds. In one occasion, I rear ended a car and cracked my license plate frame but since there was no further damage on any of the cars involved, we agreed to drive away.
I have a 2010 Prius bought in September. I have experienced the surge while braking about 4 or 5 times in 5,000 miles of driving. I didn't connect it with braking as it was a surge. I think that the roads were wet each time this happened. I stepped down hard each time and the surge disappeared after about a second or so.
I was reading a story today about some reported brake problems with the 2010 Prius. I bought mine back in September 2009. I have not noticed any brake problems during the winter on slippery surfaces, but just in the last week(January 30-February 2, 2010) I have had two instances on rough roads(from melting ice creating some small potholes) while braking where it feels like the car either accelerates for a brief moment or the wheels slip. The first time it happened I looked back to see if there had been any ice in that section of the road and there was none. The other time it happened as I was nearly stopped and the sensation was more like I had been bumped from behind by another car. I remember immediately looking up to see if a car had hit me and there was not a car close at all.
I have a 2010 Prius I purchased in October of 2009. Two different times I was driving on ice and was sliding while applying the brakes. While braking the brakes completely stopped working for a second or two, then began working again. The second time it happened I almost crashed into cars at an intersection because I could not stop at the intersection. Both times this happened I was going at a very slow rate of speed because of the road conditions. My husband had thought I was just crazy or not understanding ABS but this is not the feeling of ABS. I could feel the ABS brakes and then a moment of nothing, then brakes again.
Brake failure on my 2010 Prius; three times on snowy/icy roads in Jan. 2010. Causing me to run two stop signs and narrowly avoiding a collision with a stopped vehicle.
- Athens, OH, USA
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I have had two instances when I lost at least half of my braking power when going over a slight bump in the road. The first instance was about two months ago and the second was on Feb. 2nd. In both cases I was coming up to a freeway on ramp stop light and went over a bump in the road. I went beyond the light both times and fortunately there were no other cars in my way. I also have a problem with the brakes grabbing so severely that my seat belt engages when I have just feather touched the brakes. This has occurred after starting the car and releasing the brake to move forward or backward, but not yet stepped on the gas. I have had the car into the dealership five times since purchasing it in September for these issues and have repeatedly been told this was normal. I even requested that a regional mechanic check it out and he did so. He told me he was able to have the car respond as I described and it was in normal range. I disagree. There has been three other people who have been with me when this has occurred and not one of them has considered this anywhere "normal". I only yesterday learned of this avenue of complaint or I would have notified you of this problem earlier. Thank you for your consideration and efforts to hold Toyota accountable for this issue. So far I have had absolutely no success.
In two separate incidents, I have experienced a situation similar to those problems reported with the 2010 Prius brakes. When traveling over a bump in the road and on another occasion over train tracks, I felt the engine rev or accelerate. My brakes were already engaged, so I just pressed on them harder.
I purchased a Prius 2010 in November 2009 and have twice experienced a problem where the skid warning lights up on the dashboard even though the car is not skidding and at the same time I've felt the car accelerate even though my foot is on the brake. The first time I thought I would lose control of the car but kept my foot on the brake and the car eventually stopped. The second time it happened when I was doing a U-turn in an unleveled part of the road and since it had happened before I just applied the brake until the skid warning light turned off. I am now scared about the safety of the braking system in this car.
I understand Toyota knew about the anti-lock brake issue on Prius build before January 2010. I own a 2010 Prius, purchased in October 2009. I have had one instance of momentary brake loss while driving over a bump. It was a bit frightening at the time, but the problem has not re-occurred. So I have not reported the incident until today. I assume many other Prius owners may have experienced the same problem, but did not complain, since the occurrence is so infrequent. If Toyota cares about safety, they will do the right thing and say "safety is Toyota's number one priority. Our engineers are working on a fix for the Prius's with the anti-lock brake issue and rest assured, Toyota will fix those vehicles." I am very disappointed that Toyota knew about this problem and has not taken care of it. Hasn't Toyota learned enough from the sticky gas pedal problem. Toyota needs to be proactive in maintaining its image as a reliable car company that cares about safety.
2010 Prius brake problem--I too have had a few occurrences of the brakes on my 2010 Prius briefly failing. It happens if I brake while going over a pothole while braking. Most, but not all of the time this happens on a wet road. The brake pedal feels "mushy" and then in less than a second the regular brakes take over. I have never had the ABS system kick in--at least I have never felt the characteristic "shudder" of the brake pedal. So far, not even a close call, but it is very disconcerting. Date below is approximate first date. There have been 8-10 episodes. The car has about 9500 miles on it.
I own a 2010 Prius since August 2009. In the past month or so, I noticed that when I made a slow right turn or stop on a drainage grill, I suddenly lost brake power. The car lunges forward for a foot or two before it stops upon hard stepping on the brake pedal. I had a near accident on Feb 2, 2010 as I stopped at a red light under a bridge. This anomaly happens primarily around corners and bumpy roads. The problem did not happen at the beginning so I suspect that with time, the problem will get progressively worse.
I have a 2010 Prius. If braking while going over a pothole or bump, the brakes seem to release, causing the vehicle to accelerate momentarily. Consistently happens in these circumstances.
I have experienced the identical problem that is being described with the brakes on my 2010 Prius. When braking, if a pothole or bump in the road is hit, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second. I thought this was a "normal" oddity that was occurring as a result of the ABS, but now realize that this is a systemic problem.
I own a 2010 Prius. When I apply the brake to stop the car, sometimes the brake stops working. If I then quickly take my foot off the brake and reapply, it works again and the car stops. This has occurred on several occasions since December 2009.
My 2010 Prius is experiencing the brake problem as explained by others, I.e., hit a bump in the road while applying brakes and an unexpected but momentary increase in speed. This happened 3 times so far and I have owned the Prius for 6 months.
2010 Toyota Prius purchased July 2009 I've had the braking problem that's been described in the news recently on a number of occasions. When I first reported it to Toyota during my first oil change at the dealership, they told me "that it was normal". -- not!
At least 4 times while braking as I turn onto another road in my 2010 Prius, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second. It is very jarring and frightening and there is clearly something wrong.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- St. Paul, MN, USA