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.
While traveling over a speed bump and applying brakes, brakes malfunction for a period of time. While traveling to car dealership and coming to a stop to make a turn, the road was uneven, and the brakes again did not function immediately. On both occasions, no cars were directly in front of may car.
Halfway down a hill in this Vermont village is a right turn that goes uphill. I have driven this is in winter weather in many different vehicles for over 40 years. On this day there was snow on the road so I was driving slowly going down the hill and was going to make the right hand turn but when I applied the brakes they reacted unlike any other car I have driven in those conditions and just seemed to cause me to slide instead of slowing down. At that point I decided not to turn and continued carefully down the hill. Fortunately there were no vehicles in front of me or I felt I might have slid into them. Later that week I called and talked to the Toyota service manager where I had bought the car. He said he wasn't aware of any problem with brakes, that he had a Prius, although an older model, and hadn't had any problem. He had heard from one other person with a braking complaint on the 2010 model. I asked him to inform me if he found out anything but I never heard from him. The condition was serious enough from my point of view that since I have a second car I have not used the Prius in inclement weather. I would consider this, in light of recent disclosures, to be a very serious and unsafe condition to put me, me family and others on the highway at risk and would hope that a recall and resolution to this problem would be quick and forthcoming.
On several occasions my 2010 Prius has failed to stop immediately when I have applied the brake at slow speeds. This has occurred while on ice surfaces as well as clear surfaces. There is just a fraction of a second delay before the brakes take hold. Fortunately there has not yet been an accident but if I were to have had less space between me and the car ahead, there would have been a crash.
Momentary brake loss. 2010 Prius, mfg. Date 12/09. Purchase date 2/1/10. Low speed slowing down with light braking for stop light. Happened over a man hole cover (I think). When it felt like the brakes quite momentarly.
Toyota Prius 2010 - breaks failed to stop car on 3 separate occasions during the past month. Each occurrence was at an intersection (roads each time were plowed for snow, but still a bit slick). The car eventually stopped due to the vehicle slowing down, but still not breaking. One occurrence was at an intersection where the car did not break at a red light and I quickly turned the wheel to the right to proceed onto a side road. I have called the service department at the Toyota dealership (where the car was purchased last fall), and have not received a response.
- Sheffield, MA, USA
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2010 Prius. Have a number of incidents that at first thought the stability system but now understand that is not so. Has happened a few times. When going around a corner on wet road and applied brake had this lurch forward movement. Happened again once on ice and again when going from asphalt to slightly raised brick road and was applying brakes. Was applying brakes in all incidents. In addition on numerous occassions have started car with the brake recessed. Placed car in reverse and now the brake peddle becomes tight and then no longer smooth braking and jerky. Turned off the car and restarted and it corrected itself to normal. This has happened in many different months but twice in the month of February. Once with turning the car on and tight abnormal brake and once with the lurch while driving and applying brake on change of pavement
The brakes on my 2010 Prius have a problem when going slowly over uneven, bumpy road conditions. The car seems to lurch forward during the braking sequence. It is very startling. Luckily no one has been in fornt of me, close enough to make contact. It has happened 5 times. I cannot predict when it will occur. When I first told the service dept at dealership, within 2 weeks of owning car, they siad it's just something to get used to with the braking sensor or somethiong and it isn't actually accelerating forward. I mentioned it again last week after the issues with the other cars accelerators, and the service dept said I have to replicate it with them, to address it. I called them after info was broadcast on the radio, and they said they had not heard anything. Now I hear in the news that they knew of this problem and almost exactly describe it as I experience it. I drive over this type of road daily, and am trying to avoid as much as possible.
Toyota Prius 2010 braking problem turning left in to parking structure or on to highway ramp. Sudden surge and loss of braking for a few moments. Always able to control car.
Just reinforcing what has already been reported about the 2010 model Prius. I have a 2010 Prius that was purchased in November 2009, and I have on numerous occasions had issues when braking at slower speeds and driving over potholes or dips. The brakes seem to give out for a moment and the car accelerates, resulting in the need to slam down the brake harder immediately. The incident usually only lasts for a second or two, and I am trying to drive extra carefully to compensate. But the delay in braking could absolutely result in a traffic accident due to the increased time to decelerate.
I own a Toyota Prius 2010 and I live in a snowy city. I have experienced "unusual" problems with brakes three times in month of January. First time I was taking my two children to school and as I was approaching stop sign, I slowed down as usual and applied brake. When I was almost at the stop sign, I realized that car wasn't stopping, so I panicked and pressed brake pedal hard and then I noticed the ABS started to work and I passed the stop sign about three meters, road was covered with snow. Second time I was going to work on a wet road and not icy. I was approaching a traffic light and as I slowed down I also changed lane and applied brake. Before the traffic light I noticed that as if I was not braking, so I pressed hard on the brakes and it stopped. Third time I dropped my children to school and started to go to work and I experienced similar problem with brakes, wet road and not icy, but this time I panicked because of some cars on the road, I pressed hard on the brake and it stopped in front of the stop sign and I had to back up. So I called my husband at his work as I was very nervous about this situation. He said it is probably because of the weather and may be because I am very careful about the new car. So he said that he would test drive the car to see if there is any problem. He drove the car to work for two weeks, 700 miles, and he told me that he had only once "unusual" problem with brakes similar to what I had. Two days ago I heard about Prius brake problems and I took my car to the dealer. Dealer said that inspection has found no problem. And here I am driving this car again.
My 2010 Toyota Prius accelerates suddenly coming to a stop and going over a bump. It has happened several times since I bought the car last July (twice today). Also, it handles terribly in the snow, skidding through turns and when braking. I have been driving in the snow for 30 years and have never had a car that handles so poorly.
I have a 2010 Toyota Prius, purchased on 7/24/09. On several occasions, the first being 12/05/09, the Prius has reversed in a "jerky" fashion. I keep my foot on the brake, ease up on the pedal with the car in reverse, and the car lurches backwards at a surprising speed, and a speed which is unwarranted by the amount of pressure on the brake. This has happened 4-6 times in the last two months. I have never had this experience with any other car, and my fiance has experienced the problem when he drives my Prius. It seems to occur on inclines and uneven surfaces. It has not yet caused an accident or injury, but I find this issue concerning.
Before the news about the 2010 Prius brake problem became national, I had experienced several instances with my 2010 Prius (purchased Nov., 2009) during which I would brake at low speed over bumps or rough roads and experience a sliding or brakes-not-working sensation. This continues to happen with this car. I have only experienced it at very low speeds.
I own 2010 Toyota Prius purchased in January 2010. Twice I have encountered braking problem. In braking from 40 miles an hour for traffic congestion, I had to resort to last second additional foot pressure to avoid hitting the car in front of me. Unlike the complains I have read in the media, my problem did not occur due to slippery road or any kind of bump. Simply put, stopping required unusual foot pressure that I have never encountered in any previous vehicle.
I was approaching a traffic signal, hit a small pot hole, and applied the brakes on my 2010 Toyota Prius. The pedal went all the way to the floor and the car did not slow. I released the pedal and stepped on it a second time and this time the brakes worked.
Toyota Prius 2010. On three occasions on ice and/or snowy roads the brakes failed to stop the car safely. On two occasions the car came down the brick street and into the cross street. Fortunately no accident occurred. First time in Dec. 2009, twice in Jan. 2010.
I bought my 2010 Prius in July 2009. Over the course of the first 3-4 months, there were 3 or 4 instances when I felt momentarily that I had no braking control, all while traveling at low speed over bumpy terrain., and at least twice while in reverse. I didn't identify it as being a real problem until the braking problem surfaced. I am eager to have my car fixed, so that there isn't a crash in the future.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Tampa, FL, USA