10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
49 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 1
Average Mileage:
5,881 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 29 of 38)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #185

Feb 032010

Prius

  • 6,432 miles

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

Braking problem on 2010 Toyota Prius. Vehicle surges while applying the brakes on a bumpy road. I have experienced this on several occasions since purchasing the vehicle new this year. The vehicle has not been taken back to the dealership at this point in time.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #184

Dec 202009

Prius

  • 3,000 miles
I own a new 2010 Toyota Prius. I have always suspected the brake has problem. It happened several times that the vehicle will surge forward on slippery, uneven surface or pot holes when I hit the brake.

- West Windsor, NJ, USA

problem #183

Jan 232010

Prius

  • 4,121 miles
2010 Prius brakes do not work properly when hitting a slick manhole cover - car actually lunges forward. Seems to be a software glitch when regenerative braking is taking place and one or more wheels can slip on the road surface.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #182

Jan 282010

Prius

  • 2,000 miles

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

I own a 2010 Toyota Prius. During the five months I've had it, I had 3 to 4 encounters with brake problem. Twice I was driving around 20mph and was braking and preparing to make a turn, but the brake failed to work, and I felt that the car was accelerating out of control. This lasted for only about a second, and I eventually was able to slow the car down and make the turn. In one case the road was very bumpy, in the other case the car hit a pothole right around the time I braked. On a third incidence, the brake didn't work for a second on a slightly icy, slippery highway, when I was going at around 30mph. This may suggest that the brake function poorly on slippery road, although I haven't had another chance to experience this again.

- Fort Lee, NJ, USA

problem #181

Feb 032010

Prius

  • 1,000 miles
I bought a 2010 Prius on 7/25/09 and shortly thereafter noticed something a bit unusual with my brakes at sporadic times. I just now read the description someone gave in an article about trouble with 2010 Prius brakes and it fits my experience to a T: "when braking, if a pothole or bump in the road is hit, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second." In addition, on sporadic occasions when backing up the brakes will grab sharply when relatively light pressure is applied. As for a date below I have listed today's date as it occurred today, but has done so intermittently since I have owned the car.

- Richardson, TX, USA

problem #180

Jan 102010

Prius

  • 12,300 miles
2010 Prius - braking effectiveness is lost on rough surfaces. The car gives the sensation of lurching ahead. In addition, we have experienced surging problems when using the cruise control. Rather than accelerations to the preset speed, the acceleration continues past the setting until the cruise control is canceled by tapping the brakes.

- North Canton, OH, USA

problem #179

Jan 042010

Prius

  • 9,110 miles

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

My vehicle surged forward or temporarily lost braking after driving over a pothole or other uneven surface, and this is a recurring problem.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #178

Jan 182010

Prius

  • 10,000 miles
Brakes did not work on ice. Car went forward about 15 feet with no brake action.

- Plymouth, MN, USA

problem #177

Dec 232009

Prius

  • 2,272 miles
Brake not responding when applied.

- Columbai, MD, USA

problem #176

Jan 302010

Prius

  • miles
My 2010 Prius has twice had a brief momentary loss of braking in slow speed. Both times this occurred when trying to stop for a stop sign in a residential area with low speed and on icy/snowy surface. The vehicle stopped 5 feet or so past the originally intended point of stopping.

- Ham Lake, MN, USA

problem #175

Dec 282009

Prius

  • 5,000 miles

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

Brakes locked up when gently pushing on pedal at low speeds in forward and reverse, anti lock brakes engage while stopped if your foot wiggles on brake pedal, brakes do not engage strong if you hit a small bump while braking causing you to not stop on target and anti lock brake symbol briefly flashes on at the same time.

- Galveston, TX, USA

problem #174

Feb 032010

Prius

  • 6,000 miles
I thought that it was just me but when I heard others complaining about the brakes on the new 2010 Prius I confirmed what I have been experiencing. Whenever I begin to brake and either (a) hit a bump or (B) begin a turn, the car jumps or lurches as if losing traction for an overly excessive amount of time leading to a short but significant loss of control.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #173

Feb 032010

Prius

  • 5,580 miles
2010 Toyota Prius - odd braking behavior. On a number of occasions, when the vehicle is completely stopped and the wheels are not turning, when I press on the brake pedal, the orange "skid warning" indicator on the instrument cluster turns on. Something is wrong when I get such a warning, as the vehicle is not moving, and certainly not skidding.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #172

Nov 152009

Prius

  • 5,600 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. Whenever the contact attempts to brake traveling over a rough terrain at a low speed the contact noticed that the brakes will suddenly disengage and then correct itself. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 5600.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #171

Jan 282010

Prius

  • 250 miles
I bought a 2010 Toyota Prius on Dec. On 12/21/2009, and have noticed on at least 4 occasions that when I brake on top of a bump in the road, the car actually lurches forward, instead of slowing down and stopping. I thought it was just me, but then I heard a story about it on npr, and now feel that this problem has been confirmed by others. I have been lucky that on the occasions when it has happened, there has not been a car in front of me, or I might have hit them from behind.

- Coconut Grove, FL, USA

problem #170

Jan 212010

Prius

  • 3,200 miles
I was driving my 2010 Prius and approached a stop sign at an intersection on a local road. (as I approached the intersection I was probably driving about 20 mph or less). After I hit the brakes and had been decelerating for a very brief period, I went over a pothole or some similar protrusion. At that point, my car lurched forward, almost hitting another car. That car had been about half car length in front of me when I hit the pothole.

- Bethesda, MD, USA

problem #169

Sep 012009

Prius

  • 1,500 miles
While I was driving in city traffic and braking firmly as traffic slowed, one or both of my right-side tires passed over a manhole cover or hit a shallow pothole (this has happened several times). Braking effort completely stopped for a second or two -- the car felt as if it were surging forward, but this was probably just the change from deceleration to coasting. Braking resumed, either automatically or following increased pressure by me on the brake pedal, I'm not sure which. No collision resulted, but one easily could have if I had been following another car even a few feet closer than I was.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #168

Dec 152009

Prius

  • 1,000 miles
Braking power suddenly gave out momentarily. This occurred at low speed. However, I was approaching a crosswalk with a pedestrian in it. If felt like the car lurched forward. I read the article in the nyt this morning which noted this problem with the Prius and this definitely fits my situation. It does not happen frequently (3 or 4 times at most), but it is obviously a safety issue. I purchased my 2010 Prius new on Nov. 3, 2009 from Toyota of seattle. I contacted the dealer about this issue a few days ago, but have received no response.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #167

Feb 032010

Prius

  • miles
2010 Toyota Prius frequently accelerates briefly when braking after hitting pothole or going over a bump. In addition, frequently at start up, the brake pressure is extremely high, and the slightest release of the brake causes the car to lurch rapidly either forward or back, depending upon whether in drive or reverse.

- Santa Monica, CA, USA

problem #166

Feb 032010

Prius

  • 8,550 miles
I have been driving my 2010 Prius for 4 months and everyday I drive over this road near my work that's not a total flat surface with a bump, my Prius just jerks and slides forward and accelerates for a split second. This happens every single day I drive to work over this bumpy road. It worries me if a pedestrian is walking in front of me I am not sure if I can pull to a complete stop in time.

- West Covina, CA, USA

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