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.
On Jan. 3, 2018 while moving at a minimum speed (less than 15 mph) I applied the brakes and several warning lights illuminated (brakes, ABS, traction control) along with a warning sound. This was on a city street, driving in a straight line. I was able to brake to a stop. I then attempted to continue to drive at a very low speed but soon lost all ability to brake the vehicle and I coasted to a stop. I had the vehicle towed to a local Toyota dealer. I was told the brake actuator had failed and was charged $3288 plus tax for the repair. I received the car on Jan. 9, 2018 from the dealer. On Jan. 12, 2018 the car failed once again in the exact same manner. The dealer kept the car until Feb. 1, 2018 at which time they returned the car to me at no charge, stating they had changed the same exact part as before. The car has 84,000 miles and I purchased it new. I understand Toyota has issued recalls for this issue on other models but not on my vehicle. I have retained my repair invoices but am unable to upload them at this time.
On Sunday December 17, 2017 at about 3:00 pm I was driving with my family (wife and two kids) in South Florida on us highway 1. the weather was clear and I was traveling about 55 mph. Then without any warning a number of trouble indicator light illuminated on the dash. When the lights came on I was driving in a straight line with just enough gas pedal input to maintain my 55 mph speed. Startled by the lights I lifted my foot off the throttle and attempted to apply the brakes. When I attempted to apply the brake pedal I had little to no brakes and I had to 'stand on the brake pedal' (press it as hard as I could) to get the car to slow and eventually stop while pulling onto the shoulder of the road. I was scared and shocked at the same time. I turned the car off and back on thinking it might fix the problem. It did not. I was able to get the car home and the very next morning took it to South dade Toyota. I was able to get it home and to the dealer by driving very slow keeping a very large space cushion and standing on the brake pedal when I needed to stop. While I did not crash understandably I was scared because you should not just lose brakes out of the blue. At the dealer they informed me that the brake actuator failed and needed replacement costing $5734.94. I did research and found that Toyota issued a warranty extension ZG1 for this exact problem but was told by the dealer that my VIN was not part of the program even though my vehicle experienced the exact problem. I reached out to Toyota cooperate and while they agreed that yes I had the same problem my VIN was not part of the program (they gave me a case # 1712180647). However they did offer $2207.57 as a good will gesture towards the repair. I paid $3527.37. Toyota knows of a life safety problem and has chosen to limit the program. My mileage was 106,451 and under the program would have been covered.
Since I first bought the car in 2012 I noticed that every now and then when I pushed down the brake pedal to slow down for a stop, if the car hit a slight bump in the road, the car would momentarily accelerate instead of braking. It felt like I was losing control of the car. (note: Since I did not record the dates, please note that I have chosen August 1, 2017 as a random date just so I could continue on to the next step but this has happened from time to time since 2012.)
November 4, 2017 - car was parked in our driveway. Put the car in reverse to back out of our driveway. The brakes failed. No matter how many times the brake pedal was repeatedly pushed down, the car just would not stop. It actually felt like the car was accelerating! the car ran over our mailbox at the end of our driveway. The mailbox got dragged under the car and the car rolled out onto the street. Finally, we pushed in the power button and that was how we were able to get the car to stop. Our mailbox got totaled and damage was done to the undercarriage of our car, as there is twisted metal hanging down scraping the ground. The brakes started to work again a few minutes later, as I was able to pull it back into the driveway off of the street. On September 19, 2017 ' car was parked in a parking lot. When reversing out of the parking space, the brakes did not work. After repeatedly pumping the brakes, they finally engaged just before it hit a car parked behind us. We thought this was a freak one-type event, so we didn't report it.
NHTSA recall number 15V449 manufacturer recall: For / hybrid inverter/power module (ipm) crash involving Prius V (owned by another person - my mother was hit and killed by Prius V) occurred on sr 105. Prius V traveling N on outside lane crossed inside lane and 11' grass median bordered by concrete into S bound inside lane and collided my mother driving oncoming vehicle on inside S bound lane. Woman driving Prius V was killed on impact, and my mother died later that day at uf hospital jacksonville. Two witnesses driving behind my mother saw crash and said the Prius V appeared to be accelerating across median. Crash occurred approx. 2 months before Toyota's recall on July 15, 2015 of 109,000 Prius V hybrids. The Prius V that killed my mother was part of this recall. In Feb 2014, there was a recall on the prius ECU. The pruis V had the same ECU, but Toyota chose not to recall the Prius V until almost a year and a half later, 2 and a half months after my mother's fatal crash. If they had recalled the Prius V in 2014, would my mother still be alive?
- Jacksonville, FL, USA
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When driving on uneven ground, like pot holes, the brakes fail. Literally if you have your foot on brake when driving over a pot hole, you can feel the brakes release and the car won't stop. I've had similar issues on bumpy ground. The car has always had the problem since I purchased it, probably on a weekly basis, and I've wondered about the safety and whether it's just related to ABS. I've also inquired at the dealership. Luckily, I've never been in an accident because of the problem. But, this weekend my friend with a prius had an accident because of the problem, so I decided to report my complaint.
My 2012 Toyota Prius V (mileage: 55155) has had a failure of the rear brake pads and rotors due to excessive rusting. Please note the front brakes are in great shape and show very little wear. The service manager was quick to point out that he was only a franchise store and was not responsible for the design of the rear brakes. He stated that this happens occasionally on the hybrid cars they service and if the manufacturer had coated the brake (I believe he was referring to the slide area of the caliper where the brake pads rides) that the brake pad would not have hung up and worn out along with destroying the rotors. I am a former licensed aircraft mechanic and a licensed engineer with the state of Illinois. Clearly there is no reason for the rear brakes to fail before the front brakes and certainly not the rotors. This car has been serviced by the dealer every 5000 miles, which demonstrates the failure was not due to neglect. This failure mechanism needs to be addressed before it causes an accident.
Brakes sometimes grab very sharply when touched while in motion, causing forward momentum of body to slam on brakes. Almost caused accident when I touched brakes with someone tailgating too closely. Also traction is interrupted when hitting the metal abutment to bridges.
Took car in for service at 40,251. Was told brake pads are at 1mm for both rear brake pads, and that rotors were rusted. Told for safety it should be replaced at this time. There had been no indication that brakes were faulty. No warning lights, no noise, no change in braking sensation. Prior service at 35,397 indicates brakes in good condition with both rear pads at 7mm. Also, no mention of rotor rust. Service done at 30,109 also indicates brakes in good condition with rear pads at 7mm. Multipoint inspection paper for 40K service was not attached to bill. Requested inspection paper for 40,251 service, and all other inspection papers. Car was bought at Warren Ohio Toyota, and was always taken there for service. Was told no inspection papers are kept longer than 6 months, and they could not provide any information about this cars previous inspections results. The most recent inspection paper was mailed to me. It indicates the rear brake pads were at 0mm and 1mm. A 0mm pad. There was nothing that occurred during driving to indicate the pad was down to metal. I have contacted the Warren Ohio Toyota general manager and service manager with my concerns over this rapid decline in the braking system with no warning in less than 5,000 miles of driving. Most of the driving I do weekly is highway miles. I have not received any response from the general manager or service manger despite repeated calls and emails. This rapid decline in my braking system with no warning is a serious safety concern. Either my 2012 Prius V has a faulty braking system, or the brakes were fine and Toyota of Warren Ohio lied about the condition of the brakes.
I owned this vehicle since brand new. It had happened more than a dozen times. When going over bumps or uneven surfaces, with the same pressure applied to the break, the 2012 privus failed to stop and lurched several feet before stopping. We had an incident that we almost ran into pedestrian yesterday when this issue occurs. This is very concerned to my family. We bought this vehical back to the dealer ship where we purchsed it.(expressway dorchester Toyota in masschusettes) they said they could not fix it because they could not reproduced at the dealship. The service of manager claimed this is working as designed from the (tracking control). I feel this is a false statement, this does not happened to my other cars that has traction control. Toyota should really starting fixing it before someone gets killed!
There are two things that occur with my brakes. One is a consistent and very loud groan with braking after any length of time sitting idle. The other is when the brakes are applied and I may be over a bump in the road or a pot hole or rocks the car lurches forward quickly as if I have lost control of breaking. Almost like hydroplaning without water present. I have taking the car to the deal consistently since the noise began and yet to have a fix for it. They say there is nothing wrong with the brakes. However I specifically had someone sit in my car to hear the groan because they said they were unable to duplicate it. They heard the noise and again could do nothing to make it stop.
On multiple occasions when braking if I hit a bump in the road or pothole the cars speeds forward for a few feet. It feels like the brakes release causing the car to stop slowing down. This is very discomforting. So far I have not been in any accident though I fear that this could contribute to an accident if I had to stop suddenly.
I stated to the dealership on june24,2013 that the car feels like it runaway when I brake and hit a pothole in the road. They road tested my car and couldn't duplicate any abnormal issues with the braking. They visually inspected the brakes and they found nothing. There have been incidents where I brake and hit a pothole and jut forward either almost passing a red light or almost hitting a car in front of me. It is a very scary situation. I would have done this complaint sooner, but I was not aware of this website. I just happen to search to see if anyone else has the same issue with their 2012 Prius V. this scary dangerous situation still continues till this day.
I began experiencing what I described to the dealer as a "hiccup" in my brakes. I complained of this problem the two times I took the car in for routine maintenance (first and next six months), and each time they found "no problem" with the brakes. It was not until this snowy rough winter with all the attendant pot holes in the street that I correlated this braking problem with uneven pavement. I know this happens when my right front tire hits a pot hole, and it may happen when any tire does, but if I'm apply the brakes - especially hitting the brakes at the moment one tire dips into the hole -they do not engage and in fact there's a slight lurch forward, almost an acceleration. The car is going to the service department tomorrow with the hopes that the problem can be located. This truly feels dangerous to drive.
I bought Prius V in February 2012. I've noticed few times issues with brakes. While decelerating with my foot on the brake pedal to slow the car to a stop and if the car goes over a pothole or slight bump on the road then car accelerates forward before coming to a stop. This is safety hazard since it almost led to hitting the other car's rear bumper. Also, I've gotten into an accident in December 2013 where there was another brake issue. I stopped my car in the incline road by putting my foot on the brake pedal. Then, I changed the gear shift to rear and slowly took my foot off the brake pedal so that I can back into the street parking which was only about 4 to 5 feet away. Suddenly, car sped down the road going rear direction to the directly opposite street and hit two parked cars. I had put the foot down on the brake pedal when I noticed the car going rear fast but it would not stop the car from going down the road. I had no control over the car or the speed. This is major safety hazard since someone could have been seriously injured with losing control of the brake and acceleration. I've owned other Toyota car (Camry) before but never had this issue until this Prius V. my car has been in body shop for over a month with repairs. I plan to take the car to the Toyota dealer to check out this brake issue.
The car was parked on a steep incline while I closed a gate behind me to a gated driveway. When I got back in the car and put the car in drive, I took my foot off of the brake and before I could get it to the gas pedal the car immediately rolled back and into the gate. The car released as if it was a standard shift car that needed a clutch and slammed into the gate. I have taken the car to other safe spots that are on hills and found that this car can not hold a stopped position on an incline.
Driver was making a sharp left turn into a parking space at low speed and attempted to brake to a stop. The vehicle did not slow down at all despite hard pressure on brake pedal but instead accelerated, jumped a curb in front of the vehicle and hit a wall which stopped the car. No one was injured but front bumper badly gouged and front door slightly dented. Driver was able to put the car in reverse and get off the sidewalk. Vehicle is now at Toyota dealer for inspection. Upon reflection 2 other incidents occurred where what felt like a momentary speedup occurred again at low speed while turning and braking. But these 2 were while moving forward and not attempting to bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
I was in stop-and-go traffic. I had accelerated to about 25 mph when I needed to slow down, I stepped on the brake and at about the same time hit a bump in the road. The car not only was not braking (I was stepping on the brake at the time) but indeed seemed to accelerate briefly before the brakes re-engaged (I had my foot on the brake--depressing it--the entire time). This has happened from time to time with my vehicle--it has happened when backing out of my garage, and also when breaking while driving over road bumps or potholes. This is a safety hazard that needs to be addressed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Maurice, LA, USA