The brakes on my 2005 prius appear not to grab immediately when I am driving over a rough surface. This has happened since I have owned the car but on an irregular basis. Since it occurred generally when I was moving very slowly I didn't view it as a safety problem but a couple of times recently I have been driving over a very rough road at higher speed and the same lack of braking occurred. It is as if there is a pause before the braking system kicks in.
2005 Toyota Prius brakes complaints
Page 5 of 11: complaints 101 to 130 of 282, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I first reported this to toyota march 10, 2010. I did so after talking with a coworker who had a 2010 prius. I have a 2005 prius. We both experienced the same thing. Therefore, I figured I should take it more serious. The toyota's safety incident number is [xxx] . When going over bumps and hitting the breaks I notice that instead of immediately slowing the car down, the car seems to either not slow at all and seems to accelerate. Knowing that going over bumps can cause a tire to temporarily loose contact with the road surface and that cars can electronically transfer drive from a tire that looses contact with the surface to the other wheel, there may be mixed signals happening. The brakes telling the car to stop, the traction control telling the acceleration to transfer. It seems the acceleration is taking precedence. Regardless, this seems that it could cause a problem if on a bumpy road surface or a pot hole or something and a car stops infront of me or a kid runs into the street or for some other reason I need to stop. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact was driving 20 MPH and applying the brakes when the skid control warning light illuminated. The vehicle began to slide uncontrollably. The contact was able to gain control. The failure would occur during braking in low gear; traveling uneven roads or gravel. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired at the time of the complaint. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
August 4, 2010 around 8:36pm I was on i4 heading eastbound about 13 miles from my house going around 66mph. The driving conditions were hot with no rain. When my emergency light, explanation mark light and the vsc light all came on at the same time and my car experience a jerking liking motion. I called my father immediately told him what's happening, he told me to turn around and get the car home. I turned around and as I was on my way home after exiting i4 on sand lake rd my brake light came on with a loud continuous beeping noise that lasted about 20 seconds every 2 minutes. When this loud beeping noise occurred the brakes would stop working for about 10 seconds than start again. I made it home at 8:52pm and parked the car in the garage.
2005 prius with ABS/vsc and caution light on. Reduced braking power traced to bad anti-skid computer. Ordered part and was cautioned to limit driving. Later that day, exited fast-food drive-thru and sailed into street. No braking power whatsoever even with standing on pedal. Stopped vehicle by plowing into curb. Vehicle then towed to shop awaiting parts.
With less than 45,000 miles of easy driving (and all maintenance performed on a timely basis at the dealership) on a single-owner toyota 2005 prius, the warning lights on the car's dashboard suddenly illuminated, which an out-of-town dealership interpreted to mean failure of the "skid control ecu". This part controls all major braking functions, including conventional brake control, regenerative brake cooperative control, ABS, enhanced vsc and handles sensor information eps ecu and hv ecu. If occurring on a major ca highway, like us highway 5 and the "grapevine", this warning and failure can be a very serious and unexpected driving hazard. Repairs costs nearly $2,000 and this part must be "ordered" by a dealership and take 4 -5 hours to repair once the part is delivered overnight or longer. Toyota already is recalling this "skid control ecu" part on all 2002 -2003 sequoia passenger vehicles. Toyota does not consider this a defect on the prius, and offers no recall or help to any of its prius customers; to them it is simply a "(bad) luck of the draw" situation, tough luck for the prius driver-owner with this defect.
2005 toyota prius. Consumer states brake problems *tgw the consumer stated within a month of purchasing the vehicle, she noticed the brakes would engage, then fail, then engage again. The vehicle was taken to the service department, but they were unable to duplicate the problem.
2005 prius: when I brake as I drive over any kind of variation in the road (which is quite often), my vehicle lurches forward and I am unable to come to a stop right away. I have to depress the brake quite hard to make it stop and it is very dangerous. I have taken my vehicle to the dealership for this issue twice and they have not been able to duplicate the issue. I have also called toyota and opened a case with them which they closed without inspecting my vehicle.
When I go over a bump or hit a pothole in my 2005 prius and I am braking it feels like my brakes disengage for just a second and the car seems to go faster. I have never felt comfortable with this situation but since I don't know a while lot about cars I thought it might be normal until I saw an article in the newspaper from another prius owner with the same complaint. This article suggested a complaint be filed with the federal safety agency. I am filing this with the date of the newspaper article although the strange braking feeling has been ongoing since I purchased the vehicle in june 2005.
I drove a 2005 toyota prius VIN#[xxx] until 5/13/2010. At around 10am I was driving on the hwy in the lft lane. With cruise control on going 75mph. I had a GPS on and navigating. And I had my blue tooth earpiece on. Then all at the same time my blue tooth shut down. My GPS shut down. And every warning lite came up in the car. Even the display that usually shows how the hybrid systems works was blinking problem!! Problem!! So I let off the gas and started to move to the rt side of the road. Thats when I realized that I had no power steering. There was an exit coming up so I let the car slow down to about 50mph. As I started to exit I put my ft on the brakes. Thats when I noticed that the pedal was very stiff and vibrating. I was coming to a blind intersection and I had the red lite. So I pushed on my brakes. Instantly I could hear screaching tires. So I looked in my side mirror. And to my suprise im looking at a large amount of smoke coming from me! My rear tires had locked up and my front tires werent doing anything. So I started fishtail back and forth like I had my ebrake on. I put all my wt on the pedal cause the intersection was really getting close. And without power steering it was very hard to keep the car from crashing. I came to a stop just before the light. Then drove my car to the nearest dealer at in berkeley ca at 10mph. I told them everything. Even about my blue tooth and garmin. They got me a rental car then 4day later they said if I give them $2000 for a part and $1000 in labor it might fix it but there not sure cause they never saw this problem before. And they werent going to pay for my rental cause the part was out of warrenty after 36000miles. I have had every svc done at toyota. And if theres a computer pt that toyota knows can brake easily. Which they do. Thats why its only warrenty to 36000miles. It shouldnt result in the loss of your brakes and power steering. Very dangerous!! I could of died. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
Momentary loss of brakes when lightly braking over a bumpy surface. It has happened throughout the 3 years I've owned this car.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle would intermittently experience braking failures. When the brakes were applied, the vehicle would surge forward before the brakes would engage. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The failure continued to occur intermittently. The vehicle was again taken to an authorized dealership where the vehicle was serviced accordinging to remedy associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 10v039000. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 115,039.
I drive a 2005 toyota prius. I am concerned with how the brakes operate. When I apply the brakes and hit a bump at the same time, there is what feels like a lag or "release" if you will in the braking of the car. It's only for about a second but is very frightening. To put it another way, when trying to brake the car and hitting a bump in the road, the brakes :"fail" momentarily and then re-engage. This happens for about 1/2 of a second although it feels longer. I have read other complaints about this issue and toyota responded to these complaints saying the "lag" is caused by the ABS system kicking in. I don't understand the lag time though, it seems excessive to me not to mention dangerous. I believe the newer prius' have been recalled for a similar problem and am wondering if the 2005's will be as well.
I drive a 2005 toyota prius. My car has 26,000 miles on it; which is very low mileages. While I was on the highway, my car`s lights on the dashboard starts to flash. The brake system warning light and buzzer comes on along with the ABS warning light and the malfunction indicator lamp. I had nowhere to pull aside. After two minutes the warning signs shut off so I kept driving. Five minutes later, all the warning lights come on so I decide to get off the highway to take it to the knoxville toyota dealer. As I`m exiting the highway, I immediately realized that I had no breaks (when I pressed the brake pedal with my foot it automatically touched the ground)! I remembered that my dad always told me that in case of a brake emergency to pump the paddle until the breaks work. I almost crashed into another car; the exit ramp was very steep. I was going about 50 miles per hr by then; luckily I managed to stop while I kept pumping my breaks. I took it to the dealer right away. They checked my car and replaced: pump assy. Water, super long life c, inverter coolant pump, sliding yoke, reflashed engine and hv ecu and shaft kit. Steeri. I found my case very dangerous and my life was at risk. Not only was my life at risk but as well as other individuals. I would hate for this to happen to someone else! It was scary and I felt like my life might have been over.
I have a 2005 toyota prius and have concerns about its braking system. This has been a constant occurrence that, to date has not caused a crash. When braking on a bumpy road it feels like the braking system does not engage for about a second and the car surges forward. This is only when there is a bump in the road and does not occur when braking on a smooth surface. Even when I apply my brakes slowly this occurs when there is a bump in the road.
1. While driving over rr tracks, a lack of brake response (or feel) - happened once in 2008. Mentioned to dealer, but I did not know if this was a typical problem. 2. While driving downhill on a slippery road, the vehicle would not stop. There was no feel of braking. The vehicle finally stopped when it hit a curb. Happened jan/2010. Mentioned to dealer, but I did not know if this was a typical problem. 3. While driving uphill on slippery roads, the vehicle would slow down to a stop, or not go at a s&g light. This happened repeatedly in 2010. Mentioned to dealer, and was told this was a function of the traction control that prevented tires from spinning.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. While driving at 30 MPH and attempting to stop, the brakes failed to engage for about three seconds. On one occasion, while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle did not stop and crashed into another vehicle in front. The driver in the other vehicle sustained injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and repaired. The contact called the dealership and the manufacturer but was told that they could not assist because there was no failure with the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 35,235.
Vehicle type: toyota prius 2005 [uncorrected by recalls] problem: was driving at approximately 45 MPH, attempted to brake in preparation for a turn and brake pedal would not depress. Examined brake pedal and discovered floor mat had crept under the pedal preventing braking. Shifted vehicle to neutral. Attempted to retrieve mat but unable to by hand. Used foot to pull mat from under brake pedal and was able to brake. Removed mats to prevent future problems. Resolution: none. Toyota's recent floor mat recall doesn't address this problem. Contact with toyota has left me with the feeling that they are unaware of the problem [or worse, have misdiagnosed this problem as being a stuck accelerator problem which is also related to the floor mat].
Braking momentarily fails after hitting a bump, pothole, or other road irregularity. This article describes the issue perfectly. Http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2009/12/the federal safety agency-tracking-braking-loss-on-prius-hybrids/#more-17003 dealers since day of purchase have said there was "nothing wrong".
I have made complaints to the dealership since I purchased my 2005 toyota prius regarding a momentary brake failure when driving over a bump or hitting a pothole. I have been told everything from "it is just how ABS works" to "you need to hit the brake harder when you come to a stop" (I.e. Rather than a slow and careful stop, a quick and sharp stop). There are too many incidents to name but one that occurs routinely is about 30 yards away from a stop sign leading into the parking lot at my place employment. I now have to coast very carefully and prepare myself for brake failure. Should there be cars around, this becomes a dangerous matter. Again, this happens routinely and none of my complaints have been taken seriously by the dealership.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the brakes would not engage when depressed. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated the failure would occur intermittently for years. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 427 and the current mileage was 50,000.
48 MPH traveling north on or 217; without cause and simultaneously brake warning light on ABS warning light on vsc warning light on audible alarm steady tone then try to stop: brake pedal up high, brake pedal unresponsive and hard to press, immediately pulled of on allen exit; brakes still unresponsive, pressed maximum force on brake pedal brakes locked up the wheels skidding and burning rubber.
2005 toyota prius--experiences braking and handling failures when braking on uneven or wet surfaces. When we are braking and hit a pothole, gravel, railroad tracks or wet surfaces, the car feels as if we are losing control of it, and braking seems to temporarily stop. The "skid danger" light comes on, even at very low speeds. This happens nearly every time we brake under these conditions. Also, at idle (ie. Stoplights), the car will frequently lurch forward slightly, even with the brake pedal fully depressed, especially when engine transfers from electric to gas. We were told early in our ownership that this is normal "dieseling". These have been on-going problems, since we purchased the car in 2005 (new), that we thought we were "imagining" until hearing all of the reports of similar problems.toyota claims that the prius braking issues only affect the 2010 prius, but we see it firsthand on an on-going basis.
2005 toyota prius brake failure *gr the consumer stated she drove into a parking lot, made a sharp left turn, and then a sharp right turn into a parking space and experienced complete brake failure. The only thing that stopped her was an elevated median between parking rows and the fact that she was going very slowly. After several days of the vehicle being at the dealer, they were unable to find a problem. The consumer has since traded the vehicle, because she did not feel comfortable driving the vehicle any longer.
2005 prius no problems except water pump until now. 69,000 miles. Went to start the care and while in neutral idleing the brake pedal pumped up and down and the ps light came on. The red triangle danger message came on. I did not drive it but toyota told me to tow it in. They say the computer is shot and needs a new skid control ecu. I was not in an accident
The parking brake light in my 2005 toyota prius came on and shortly after that, the ABS light came on too. I checked to make shure the brake was released and it was because I was driving the car at the time of the incident. As a result of the problem, the car is only giving me an average of 32 mpg, previously I was getting and average of 48 mpg, the battery also seems to be draining its energy faster than usual. I took my car to the penske toyota dealership in downey, ca. 90241, and the service advisor told me that this car was not included in a recall that toyota is conducting on some cars, therefore if I wanted them to inspect the car to locate the problem they would need to charge me for the inspection plus whatever repairs are needed. I feel that because of all the brake problems that toyota is having with their cars, they should at least inspect the car for free. The problem happened all of a sudden while driving. I felt the car was getting a bit sluguish after the lights came on and then noticed the mpg started to go down. Right now the car only gives me an average of 32 mpg.
My 2005 toyota prius arbitrarily lost braking ability as I approached a ramp to enter another highway. Many lights went on including the red triangle with an exclamation point. I used the emergency brake to stop the car. I have been told that the skid control unit is broken and needs to be replaced. I will need to replace this part at a cost of $2200. Is this unit a safety threat?
About 6 months ago, I was on I-95 in ft. Lauderdale, just exiting: I touched the brakes to slow -- and they firmly locked. I touched them again and, fortunately they worked normally. Had this happened while I was still on I-95, there would have been a horrible accident. I reported this to toyota, at their nyc headquarters, when their other problems became public. This has not happened again, however, I no longer take any passengers, and I drive much more cautiously!
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. While driving at speeds of 45 MPH, the ABS warning light and master warning light indicator illuminated on the warning panel. The driver experienced total brake failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for possible repairs. The dealer replaced the battery in an attempt to correct the failure. The vehicle exhibited the same issue again after the repairs were performed. The current mileage is 71,000 and the failure mileage was 67,079. Updated 05/11/10. *lj updated 06/03/10*bf updated 06/04/10.
I have been routinely bringing my 2005 prius to a toyota dealership every 5k miles according to manufacturers suggested maintenance schedule and never had a problem reported to me. (one time the software needed to be reloaded.) on the evening of the incident that I am reporting, I had traveled on the mass turnpike and rte 495 (~38 mi) home from work (~9:30 pm) and successfully slowed and stopped my 2005 toyota prius as needed. As I got into on local roads, I suddenly lost my braking ability. Fortunately I was going slowly and was able to roll to a stop. There was a really shrill alarm and a red light showing ABS (antilock brake problem)--I'll say. I tested to see if there was any braking power so that I could get the car home. If you pressed the brake to the floor--there was some residual slowing--so I crept home. Aaa towed my car to toyota the next day and toyota ultimately identified the problem as a computer problem. They replaced the 1 89540-47130 computer assembly, skid. Aside from the cost ($2250), its the possibility that I could have lost my brakes on either of the two highways that I take on the way home, exit ramps, toll booths, and that I or some others could have been seriously hurt, really upsets me. And how do I know that this will not fail again? Regular service does not check computer status. I think that you should look into computer problems with toyota and also what toyota includes in regular service. They say that they haven't seen this before, and that may be true: I have a 5 yr old prius with more than 110k miles on it and I'll bet that is a lot of mileage for a prius. As more people drive prius's for longer times and accrue higher mileage, I would bet that toyota will see a lot more of these incidents. I think that you should be proactive and deal with this before people get hurt.
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