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.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph on normal road conditions. There was pressure applied to the accelerator pedal, followed by an unintended increase in acceleration. The driver applied pressure to the brake pedal and the vehicle failed to slow down. The gear shift failed to operate in the "neutral" position. In addition, the entire gear indicators illuminated at the same time. The vehicle was driven into a barrier of dirt as a result of the vehicle coming to a complete stop. The failures occurred on four separate occasions. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunctions. The failure mileage was 41,404.
I have a 2006 Toyota Prius. Several times--possibly as many as 20--over the course of owning the car in the last four years, I have had the following experience. When applying the brake after letting my foot off the accelerator, the car will have a sudden surge forward--either as if the break isn't working or the acceleration was actually increasing rather than staying the same or decreasing. Each time it has happened, the car monitor light for "slippery road" flashes on the dashboard. I have twice asked a Toyota dealer about this. They say it is a common feature of the Prius when it switches between the gas and electric components of the engine. This doesn't seem like a satisfactory explanation. It could easily result in an accident if someone happens to be in front of me the next time it occurs. This has occurred even after I removed the driver floor mat, as recommended by Toyota. I do not believe it has anything to do with either the gas pedal or the floor mat. I think it's electrical.
Back in 2009, I experienced runaway acceleration in my 2006 Toyota Prius. The cruise control had been engaged for between 5 and 15 minutes. All of a sudden, the vehicle started to race. I was traveling in the 70's (mph), and it shot up to nearly 100 before I got it under control. The dealer claimed he had no such other complaints and could not replicate my problem. I brought it back again a few months. Later because the cruise control intermittently failed to set. I brought it back a third time, again, a few mos. Later. This time, they had a fix, which was a new cruise control module. The first 2 trips were under warranty. They wanted to charge me the 3rd time because it was then beyond the 3 years of warranty. I fought this because the condition was obviously pre-existing. Yesterday, steve wozniak received television and press attention when he reported the same problem, a problem that Toyota told me they had never experienced before. As far as I am concerned, this company is scamming the public. They are playing with people's lives. It's got to stop. It's more than just brake pedals and carpet; it's apparently a way of life for this company. (I no longer have the vehicle. Dates and mileage are approx.)
I have a 2006 Prius. Twice in 60,000 miles, when in cruise control, driving at highway speeds, and having to brake suddenly, the cruise control disengaged, as it should, . I brake, the car slows, as it should. Then the car starts to surge up to the original cruise control set speed. I am able to brake and stop it, but at highway speeds, and approaching a near emergency stop situation- this has scared me. It has only happened twice...but memorable in the surprise it even happened. I reported it to a local Toyota dealer, who couldn't recreate the problem, then also called the Toyota corporation customer service, which said they had no reports of that happening.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. He stated that he was driving 45 mph when he hit the brake pedal and all of a sudden the vehicle surged forward without a warning while still having his foot on the brake pedal. The failure occurred approximately 15 times over the last couple of years. The dealer has not been contacted yet since they would not be able to duplicate the problem. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 10000 and the current mileage was 60000. Updated 03/09/10. Updated 05/13/10.
- Shaker Heights , OH, USA
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We own a 2006 Toyota Prius. The car was purchased new, has been dealer maintained and is our primary vehicle. On January 26, 2010 at 2:05 pm my wife experience uncontrollable acceleration and despite attempting the strategies recommended by Toyota was involved in a crash causing her and others injury. The weather was clear, the road was dry and straight and my wife was approaching an intersection with plenty of unobstucted visibility. We had followed the initial recall instructions and had been in contact with the local dealer about any follow-up instructions pertaining to our vehicle. After the accident I contact, in person, the service manager at performance Toyota in Lincoln, ne. He stated our vehicle was not part of the most recent recall involving faulty gas pedals. I advised him I understood that however my wife experienced uncontrolled acceleration and despite attempting to employ the recommended strategies was involved in a crash resulting to injuries to her and others. I asked the service manager how to proceed and he advised me to call the "Toyota customer experience line" and speak to them. When I stated I had tried many times and was unable to reach a person he insisted that was the appropriate manner to deal with the situation. I left the dealership feeling extremely frustrated due to the fact the recorded message on the "Toyota customer experience line" advised if you had experienced and accelerator/acceleration problem contact your dealer immediately. We are aware that many Toyota owners have experience this issue with their vehicles and in more models and years than are involved in the latest recall. It is not possible for an individual middle class citizen to challenge a major automaker to first admit and then correct a defect in an automobile they produced and sold. We request you investigate this incident in addition to the many more that have been reported. We will be available and cooperative in any fact finding you may wish to do.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. At low speed brake application, the vehicle had suddenly surged forward without warning. Consequently she struck a ditch at 70 mph. She suffered a broken hand and a concussion. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership. The current and failure mileages were 43000.
While driving my Prius I have experienced brief moments of unexplained acceleration. It was startling when it happened but was also over quickly. I believe it has happened twice. Once was about one week after I had taken the car in for maintenance. I can remember thinking I might have to take the car in again. It felt like the acceleration when using cruise control, however, I don't and wasn't using cruise control. I have only the floor mats that came with the vehicle and do not believe this was caused by the floor mat.
Toyota Prius 2006. I pressed accelerator all the way down to accelerate and got stuck there. I was able to stop the car with the brake. It happens twice in July 2009. Once I stopped the car I checked if the floor mats have done so. The floor mats were not the cause. The accelerator was stuck all the way down even with the engine off.... and only after a minute or two of the car stopped and engine off did came the accelerator back. I brought the car to the dealers and they told me that it was the mat. I told them that was not the case. The dealer put some grease in the accelerator and did a few more things (cleaning around and the fuel injection I think). Since then I have avoided pressing the accelerator all the way down even when I need the power to accelerate at the entrance of highways and has not happened again. But there is definitely something wrong with either the mechanics of the accelerator or the electronics that somehow gets the accelerator stuck when you press all the way down. This should not happen and needs to be repaired.
Regarding the problem with Toyota. I bought a 2006 Prius earlier this year. What I have noticed periodically is that when I step on the brake if I have had cruise control on, the car surges forward for a second. My heart always skips a beat, but then the car returns to normal. I'm wondering if the cruise control might be part of the problem that Toyota is supposedly looking in to.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius purchased February 2006. When utilizing the cruise control switch, the engine would begin to accelerate rapidly and race. Once the cruise control was canceled, the acceleration would cease. He stated the floor mats did not cause rapid acceleration. The failure would only occur when cruise control was utilized. The manufacturer was notified, and he was advised to discontinue usage of the vehicle speed control. No repairs had been made to correct the failure. The failure and current mileages were under 15,000. Updated 11/23/09. Updated 11/24/09
I have a 2007 Prius and I have had a problem with acceleration 3 times. I read that it was thought to be a case of the gas pedal being caught on the floor mats. I took out the carpet mat and I currently have only the plastic all weather mat (I took out the carpet mat) which is secured with the two plastic hooks. My daughter gets her drivers license next Monday and I was going to have her drive the Prius. I'm afraid to have her drive it now. Are you absolutely sure that the acceleration problem is just the floor mats and that there is no possibility that there is a problem with the electrical systems? because if it is just the mat issue then I have taken care of that. If it could be electric than I won't let her drive it.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle accelerated when the brake pedal was depressed. The brake pedal required greater force to slow down the vehicle. In addition, the stopping distance was increased. There were no warnings and the failures occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing, but they could not duplicate the failures. On three separate occasions, the vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer for identical failures, but there were no resolutions. The manufacturer inspected the vehicle, but was unable to detect the failures. The failure mileage was 44,000 and current mileage was 49,000. Updated 08/21/09. Updated 08/26/09.
I own a 2006 Toyota pruis. I experienced two different times unintended acceleration. I can't tell exactly what was going on at the time. I hit the brake & shut off the cruise control. Engine returned back to normal. I would guess it would pertain to some malfunction in the cruise. Any other same complaints?
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. While stopped at a traffic light, the contact proceeded to accelerate and noticed that the engine engaged before the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact was still depressing the brake pedal when the vehicle began to take off. He had to apply more pressure to the brakes in order to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure could not be duplicated and no repairs were made. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 33,700 and current mileage was 33,720.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle began to accelerate on its owns and the speed increased to 90 mph. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle began to slow down, but failed to come to a complete stop. The contact was able to safely maneuver the vehicle to the shoulder and turned off the ignition. Upon exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the brakes where smoking. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they determined that the floormat was pinned down to the accelerator pedal when he applied the brakes. The brakes were completely destroyed and the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $1,600. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 73,000 and current mileage was 76,000. Updated 04-14-09 updated 04/15/09.
Car accelerated without pressing on the gas pedal. Had to apply the brakes so hard that they were left smoking to stop the car. Towed it to mark miller Toyota. They ran tests, and claim the gas pedal and brake were applied at the same time, implying that the problem was human caused. We disagree. Have been driving for 30 years plus. No tickets in decades. The idea that we were applying the accelerator while braking hard is ludicrous. The computer registered that the pressure was applied to the pedal, but the computer applied the pressure. We also experienced this occurring on at least two other occasions.
I came to a stop and the car actually came to a stop and then suddenly started creeping towards the other car. I thought I was accidentally pressing the gas pedal as well but I wasn't so I started pressing hard on the brake and nothing! I started pumping the brakes and the car stopped. Then I continued my drive as usual without it happening again. No lights came on, nothing unusual. Just weird. Car has almost 36K miles 06 model.
I've a 2006 Toyota Prius. Traffic stopped for a red light and I was behind a cement truck. I slowed to a complete stop about 5 ft. Behind this truck. All of sudden I noticed my car started moving forward with my foot still on the brake. I stood on my brake and couldn't stop the Prius. It contacted the cement truck causing a dent on the right side of the hood and a crack windshield. The consumer stated as traffic began to stop for a red light, he began braking from about 25 mph which seemed normal. He continued to gradually slow the vehicle down at a distance of about 5 to 10 feet, the consumer estimated his speed was about 3-5 mph. The brakes locked up and failed to stop the vehicle, consequently the consumer rear ended another vehicle. The brakes felt hard, not spongy and not pulsating. The vehicle lost all braking completely. Updated 01/10/07.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Studio City , CA, USA