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.
I've been monitoring the Toyota recall news because I have experienced similar braking issues with my new 2010 Prius. The best way I can describe it is as if the braking system "hiccups" when the brake is applied while traveling over an uneven road surface. As this was a new vehicle type that I had never driven before I thought it was inherent.
I have a 2010 Prius and had a 2005 Prius with all the safety features. When I had the 2005 Prius, I noticed on some roads that during braking, the brakes would release then reengage, giving the sensation that the car is accelerating. This happens when the road has a series of dips (washboard). The first couple times this happened, it was rather frightening because the car in front of me had stopped, and I felt as if I were accelerating. This is a reproducible event that occurs at a known location that I simply avoid. The road in this particular area is also down slope, which lends to the acceleration feeling. I have driven my 2010 Prius over this same area with very much the same result. My initial assessment was that the traction control took over to regain traction, however I would not thing this is acceptable. The Toyota dealership said this is normal behavior and is not a problem. Please feel free to contact me and I can describe better the conditions for this very reproducible event.
We have been experiencing, intermittently, the exact problem described in recent news accounts about the momentary failure of anti-lock brakes on the 2010 Toyota Prius. When braking on a rough or slick surface, such as thermoplastic lane or crosswalk markings, the car feels like it's surging forward. We believe it is not so much an actual surging as it is the momentary absence of loss of braking, but it feels like the car is a bit out of control, and potentially dangerous. We have experienced this momentary brake failure on perhaps a couple dozen occasions. Fortunately, none of these incidents have resulted in a crash. We contacted the dealership to let them know that we had been experiencing the same issue described in news reports, and were told that they have not yet received instructions from Toyota about a recall or potential fix.
When braking at lower speeds and traveling over a transition (manhole cover, pavement break), the car will act as though the brakes lose grip for a second, then regain stopping power. I haven't hit anything, but it's been unsettling.
Prius 2010 slow braking. I thought it was just me but now I found out the braking is rather slow and a lot of others feel the same way. I have to adjust my braking when I switch cars with my wife and have to extra careful when I switch back to Prius.
- Tracy, CA, USA
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2010 Toyota Prius brake issue. We are experiencing a momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump.
2010 Toyota Prius II--purchased August 2009. On January 23, 2010 I crashed my vehicle into a car that had stopped in front of me. I applied the brakes but was unable to stop the car before it hit the car in front of me. I am contacting you because I believe the brake issues with the 2010 Prius may have been a contributing factor in the crash. In the 5 months that I owned the car I remarked that the brakes did not seem to function like ABS brakes on other cars that I had driven. I chalked it up to the fact that car was new to me and had many features that were different from a traditional car.
2 weeks after purchasing a 2010 Prius (December 2009) I was slowing down to make a turn and while braking I hit a small pothole in the road my car lunged forward. At first I thought I had been rear-ended but looked and saw that the nearest car was a good 20 feet behind me. The same thing happened to me again last week (week of February 1). This time I was braking for a stoplight when the car hit a bump in the road and again lunged forward. The lunging is quick but very noticeable. I have changed my driving habits in the hopes that I won't rear-end someone. I have not called in to the dealership about this but did fill out a satisfaction survey from Toyota yesterday that I got due to the purchase of the car and included these problems in that survey.
2010 Prius when driven over pothole while braking seems to surge forward until the wheels have passed the pothole. Then brakes seems to catch and perform normally.
Prius 2010, purchased July, 2009, dch Toyota, mamaroceck, NY. Braking problems since purchase: Brakes disengage, car jumps, steering wheel needs to be controlled - while going over a bump, pothole or ice. In order to accommodate to this defect I must drive car carefully and slowly. This occurs regularly on routine drives in the metropolitan area.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. While driving at speeds of less than 20 mph in overcast weather conditions and approaching a stop sign at a busy intersection, the brakes failed to engage and the vehicle proceeded with caution through the intersection. The dealer was contacted and stated that they never heard of any similar failures. There were no recalls or repairs made to the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 1,400. Updated 03/18/10 updated 05/12/10.
Several times since I purchased my 2010 Toyota Prius on Dec. 23rd 2009, I've experienced momentary loss of brake control while braking. It happens for like a split second then return to normal. I haven't noticed any connection between when it happens and rough road surfaces.
2010 Toyota Prius purchased April 2009. Reported to dealer shortly after purchase that antilock brake system releases brakes and lunges car forward if tires encounter uneven surface (e.g., pothole) while braking. Occurrence has resulted in missing stop signs, but no accident to date. Toyota dealership reported that this was normal operation despite my calling the dealership on two separate occasions.
While approaching a stop sign at a particular intersection with a bump and pothole just before the stop area at approx 30mph, car momentarily loses braking power when passing over bump and pothole. I can replicate this issue every time I approach this intersection, and it has happened several times since we bought the car in 8/09. Problem was reported to dealer in September, and we were told there was no issue with the brakes on the vehicle.
I own a 2010 Toyota Prius and have experienced several times the braking failure problems recently discussed in the national media on snow and ice and on rough road surfaces. This has happened several times during the winter weather season particularly on snow and ice. I purchased my Prius in July 2009.
I bought a 2010 Prius in October 2009. I brought the Prius back to the dealer, stevenson Toyota, for a problem that would occur when the vehicle brake was completely depressed and the traction control light would come on. I also mentioned that when I would hit a bump or drive on ice, it did not seem that the vehicle would stop properly and that when hitting a bump, the vehicle would seem to "lurch forward". the dealer said this was a safety aspect of the vehicle and was normal operation. A few weeks later, I called the dealer again to reiterate my concerns about the braking problem and the lurching forward when hitting a bump, they again repeated that it was a safety measure new on the 2010 Prius models. Now that the recall is out, I am skeptical on the validity of their statements saying that it was a new 2010 safety feature. My wife who also drives the vehicle does not feel safe driving in the snow because of the feel of the brakes when attempting to stop. I bought the car for her but now drive it more because she does not fee safe in the vehicle.
Brakes are terrible. Vehicle computer causes brakes to unload when going over very rough road or potholes. If stopping just behind traffic, collision is always imminent. Brakes are also extremely sensitive, especially at low speeds. While trying to feather the brakes while backing out of a parking space (for instance) the computer seems to tell the brakes to fully clamp down without applying additional force to the brake pedal. This causes a lurching motion as opposed to a smooth backup at idle speed. Also, when coming to a stop, the slower you go, the more sensitive the braking becomes such that you are trying to not over-apply the already sensitive brakes you inevitably end up stomping on them at the last minute because the amount of travel from zero to full braking is miniscule. I have owned all three generations of Prius. The first had brakes that were unusual due to the regenerative system, but they had acceptable amount of pedal travel and were not a problem. The second generation's brakes were much improved over the first edition and they felt almost like normal brakes. But this third generation's brakes are absolutely hideous! I complained about them to the dealer about a month ago and they said they were normal and that all Prius brakes were like that. That doesn't make it right! I am glad all this publicity has vindicated my assertions.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Los Angeles, CA, USA