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2005 Toyota Prius brakes complaints

Page 9 of 11: complaints 221 to 250 of 282, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2005 Toyota Prius brakes problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 5,000 miles · CA

Brakes stopped working.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · TX

When braking on bumpy roads or potholes my prius lurches forward before the brake finally engages. I put today's date as the "incident date" but this has happened numerous times since I've owned the car. There is a bumpy road near my home where I frequently experience this.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 40,000 miles · MN

Just heard a report about brake issues with the 2010 prius. My 2005 prius does the exact same thing - sometimes accelerates when pushing the brake pedal on bumpy roads or streets with potholes. This is an ongoing issue that has happened on numerous occasions.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 91,000 miles · KS

My 2005 prius has the same braking problem that has been identified in the news as only occurring in the 2010 model. Anytime I am braking and hit an uneven road surface I feel a loss of my ability to brake. It seems like the car stops braking if you hit a pothole or bump while you are pressing the brake. It only lasts for a few seconds then the car starts to brake again.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 5 miles · CO

My toyota prius 2005 has the same braking issue as described in the media today for the 2010 model. In addition, the skid control causes a sudden power loss during acceleration in similar situations to the problems described with braking failures in the 2010 model (potholes, even small bumps in the road, rapid acceleration around curves, in addition to when there is ice on the road) that reportedly has been fixed. Although the complete power loss lasts less than a second recovery of power is slow enough to have stranded me in front of oncoming traffic waiting for acceleration in a number situations where there was no risk associated with loss of traction. I contacted toyota several years ago and tried filed a complaint (I was really persistent), but they refused to recognize this as a design flaw saying only that the vehicle was functioning as designed. When I pointed out that the vehicle, as designed, was dangerous, they only reiterated that it was functioning properly and refused to take further action. It felt to me that they were concerned that admitting the problem could avalanche into a problem similar to what they have now. Please note that this is a recurring and persistent issue that has occurred numerous times since I have owned the car (four plus years).

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · PA

Please be advised that the braking problem in the toyota prius is not a 2010 model problem only. I complained to my dealer at least 3 years ago that my 2005 prius lurched forward when braking on bump or even a manhole cover. They did not consider it a serious problem at the time. Your investigation needs to go back to earlier models!

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 25,000 miles · CA · crash

I have a 2005 toyota prius. While driving my prius at a low rate of speed, under 5 miles per hour, in the rain, I was unable to stop the vehicle. The brakes ceased to work. I glided into the back of a very large SUV. While his car was not damage and neither of us were injured my car crumpled. There was no reason for this accident to occur other than the brakes not engaging. I am very very concerned about driving my car in the rain in stop and go traffic. The dealership has told me repeatedly there is nothing wrong with the prius braking system. I have seen discussion boards were many people were complaining about this exact same issue.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 70,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. While driving 50 MPH he was going over a ridged roads with her foot on the brake pedal the would vehicle accelerated on its own. The failure has occurred everyday for approximately 2 years . The dealer has not been contacted. No repairs have been made. The failure mileage was 70,000. The current mileage was 99,000.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Acceleration, Brakes · RI

2005 toyota prius - when applying brake lightly in the phase of slowing down, as I go over a defect in the road, the car speeds up immediately until I put heavy pressure on the brake and the car stops. This has happened several times. The dealer has test driven the car and has not been able to reconstruct the defect which is intermittent. Their response is disbelief! Approximate incident date is latest date but problem has been there all along.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 45,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. While driving 15 MPH over rail road tracks the vehicle accelerated while his foot was on the brake pedal. The failure occurred approximately 12 times last year. The dealer was not contacted. No repairs have been made. The failure mileage was 45000. The current mileage was 56000. Updated 3/8/10 *cn updated 06/04/10.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · CA

I own a 2005 toyota prius and I want to report that there is a problem with the anti-lock brake system in that model as well. During the 4 1/2/ years that I have owned the car there have been three incidents where the ABS system took too long to kick in. In two of those incidents, if there had been one more second before the brakes worked, I would have been in an accident. All these incidents occurred on smoothly paved freeways. I want it to be known that the ABS failure is occurring in 2005 models and on smooth pavement. During my ownership of the car the brake pads have been replaced but this did not prevent the ABS failure from happening again. The incident date I am including is the most recent time this happened on the north 5 freeway in los angeles in december 2009.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 80,000 miles · NJ

Temporary loss of speed control when hitting uneven surface (pothole) during braking. Has occurred on at least two or three occasions recently (based on my recollection following announcement of braking issue with 2010 toyota prius). I was able to regain control of the car with no other consequences (stayed on road; didn't hit another car or pedestrian).

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 57,000 miles · CA

I was driving approximately 35 MPH and braking upon approaching a curve and a metal plate on the road about 40 feet before a stop sign. The car accelerated momentarily (surged) on the uneven surface, for less than 1 second. As I drove this stretch of road once per week, I then approached it more slowly. At lower speeds, the braking problem did not occur, but weeks when I forgot to drive more slowly, the braking problem recurred (not sure of the hit rate - perhaps 40% of the time at ~35 MPH). I am uncertain of the dates: very roughly, april 2009 - september 2009, while the metal plate was in place. // I have experienced a braking problem on one other occasion on a straight stretch of uneven road, going about 35 MPH and over a pothole. This was approximately january 1, 2010. Once again, the car accelerated/surged for less than 1 second.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 500 miles · CA

The prius braking problem is not limited to 2010 models. I have a 2005 prius and have noticed that after applying the brakes, if the car moves over an uneven or slick surface, the brakes seem to disengage for a moment. An example is applying the brakes while traveling over a crosswalk stripe that has been moistened by fog or rain. The car seems to lurch forward as the brakes seem to disengage and the slip indicator light comes on. Then the brakes come back on. This can be somewhat disconcerting and could be hazardous if there were an obstacle or pedestrian immediately ahead.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 85,200 miles · NY

I bought a new toyota prius in 2005. When the vehicle rides over uneven pavement the stability control makes the car quickly lurch forward. This has happened dozens of times over the past five years. Recently, I have had a problem with my brakes in icy conditions. I was cruising at about 15 MPH to a stop sign, not on snow, it was just below freezing that day, when I applied the foot brake I felt no resistance in the pedal. I could feel the ABS system disengage for about 3 seconds. I could not stop the car using the brakes so I rolled to a stop. This happened again a few minutes later.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 24,000 miles · MO

Pulling away from the curb, on a slope, my 2005 prius did not respond to the brake pedal and the engine continued to accelerate. At the bottom of the slope (hundreds of feet), the brake stopped the car just at a very busy, fast moving intersection. I told this to the floor mat recall desk (as my floor mat was fine) and they insisted I call a different number, which I neglected to do.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 47,000 miles · NE

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. Whenever the contact attempted to apply the brakes while driving approximately 25 MPH over a bump in the road, the brakes did not fully engage which increased the stopping distance. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer and the contact has noticed the failure since the day the vehicle was purchased. The current and failure mileages were 47000.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 1,000 miles · MD

This morning's ap story about the federal safety agency looking into allegations of momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over uneven road surfaces, potholes or bumps in 2010 priuses jogged my memory about this having happened several times to me in my 2005 prius. I can't state dates, but I'd say that every 3 months or so, I will brake where the road is uneven, the slip indicator lights up on the dashboard, and I feel a loss of control just for a moment until I feel the car regain control. Maybe that's just the antilock brakes kicking in, but it is an uneasy feeling.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · OH

I just read about the 2010 prius braking complaints. I have a 2005 prius and constantly experience what is being described. Every time I hit a bump or a pot hole, the prius lunges forward especially if I'm braking at the time. Also, when I brake on slick roads I often experience the prius' brakes not engaging as they should. Once I tried to make a right hand turn, going a proper rate of speed, on a snow covered road. The prius' brakes did not engage enough to slow the vehicle in order to make the turn. I was forced to go straight through the intersection in order to avoid a collision. This "problem" has been present since we purchased the vehicle in 2005. I knew it was the computer system causing the anomaly, but I figured that I just needed to get used to it. Now, after reading the media reports, I believe this is infact a problem with my vehicles sensors and software.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 83,000 miles · VA · crash

Toyota prius braking issues - pre 2010 models. On jan 18th, while approaching a traffic light on wet pavement, I applied the brakes on my 2005 prius and felt what appeared to be a slight delay in the brakes engaging. I firmly believe this contributed to my sliding out into the intersection and hitting another vehicle. Had I stopped an inch or two earlier I would not have hit the other vehicle. Toyota has admitted to its dealers that there are braking issues with its 2010 model and I believe these issues may go back to previous models also. The hybrid system has not changed significantly in the past 5 to 6 years. Toyota should be required to thoroughly test this system on all prius models.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 112,000 miles · NH · crash

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact was driving between 5-19 MPH on an icy road surface when the brakes were applied and the anti-lock brake system was inactivation and failed to deactivate. The vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into a vehicle on the front driver side. The failure occurred whenever encountering abnormal roads including icy road surfaces. There were no injures. The police was not called to the scene. Both vehicles were damaged. The vehicle was not inspected for the malfunction. The failure mileage was 112,000.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 1,000 miles · FL

I read lots of news reports yesterday that the 2010 prius has a braking issue when run over speed bumps. My 2005 prius has a similar behavior which semi-known cause which might explain this, while being slightly dangerous in another way. When one drives a 2005 prius too fast over a speed bump, or through another situation which causes the car to think one of its wheels is slipping or spinning at a different rate than the others, the car temporarily (as I believe is in the instruction manual) flashes a briefly appearing indicator light on the front panel indicating it is slipping, and temporarily cuts back on engine power. Avoiding this requires knowing the driving behavior of the prius, and I wonder if this is the behavior certain 2010 prius owners may be noting. {if one is looking at the road and scared by the sudden drop in engine power, one may never look down at the dash to see the indicator flash for 1-2 seconds either.} normally this is might seem like reasonable, but this becomes potentially extremely hazardous should one try to make a sharp right turn onto a higher-speed main road (40 MPH+) from a dead stop on a side road with a high rate of acceleration to attempt merge into high-volume, fast-moving traffic. In such cases (especially if water is present, but even if the road is dry), I have had the anti-skid feature kick in and cut back on engine power for a half-second or so, which risks stalling the car temporarily in front of an oncoming vehicle. As a result, I try not to do any maneuvers like this, even though other cars often can "burn rubber" a bit and do this. Nothing has been done to attempt to correct the issue, as it is presumed to be normal behavior for the car, and I never had a car with anti-skid abilities before. Seeing this was common for me at first, but is now somewhat rare (less than once/month) due to changing my driving habits. (my2005 prius lacks vehicle stability control; but has the standard anti-skid safety feature.)

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · 38,000 miles · CA

I drive a 2005 toyota prius. I recently heard about toyota admitting there is a problem with the braking system. I have experienced this problem in my driving. When I either begin braking or have been braking and hit a pothole or rough pavement, it feels like the prius stops braking momentarily and then quickly resumes. The duration is maybe a second, but a lot can happen in a second. Luckily this lapse in braking hasn't happened when there has been a car right in front of me. I think if it did, I would hit the car because I have no control of this braking lapse. I am concerned about this and if this is a defect that could be fixed, why wouldn't it be fixed. This has been an ongoing issue from when I first bought the prius in 2008. I didn't think about complaining until I just read the news article recently.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Brakes · NY

Temporary loss of braking when going over a pothole or rippled surface. I have reported this twice to the toyota dealer, but was told this is just the way ABS works. The new york times reports today this is a problem with the 2010 prius, but this has been happening in my 2005 prius since the beginning.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Brakes · MA

I have a 2005 prius that has an extra option of stability control. The car does as others are reporting in the 2010 models. If I hit a bump or icy patch while applying the brake or as I am applying the brake the car lurches forward and the brake does not engage. Thus far I am able to hit harder and hold the brake a second time and the car then behaves as expected and stops.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 50 miles · MA

Applying brakes when going over slight road disturbances causes complete loss of braking temporarily, followed by a brief surge (acceleration). No other vehicle I've owned has had this problem. Additionally slight road disturbances (mild bumps) cause traction control to turn on inappropriately. No other vehicle I've owned has had this problem. The dealer (specifically the sales person) was initially contacted in 2005 about these issues and it was reported back to me that this was normal. Now I am finding out that many other owners are complaining about this problem, some of them in brand new 2010 vehicles. The initial incident date is aug 2005, but the problem continues to this day.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Acceleration, Airbags · 61,000 miles · MO · crash

My daughter was driving our 2005 prius at about 30 miles an hour at approximately 3pm when she saw a truck stop approximately 300 feet ahead of her. She applied the brakes but the prius did not stop and collided with the truck causing a total loss of the prius. The road surface was wet from snow and the temperature was approximately 34 degrees. Although the car was heavily damaged the air bags did not deploy. This crash could have resulted from a brake problem or unintended acceleration.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Brakes · 80,000 miles · MD

I have a 2005 toyota prius with about 80k miles. When braking, the car jerked forward into an intersection almost hitting another car. There were no special weather conditions to report when this happened and I was driving at a normal speed before braking. This has happened about three times.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Brakes · 70,000 miles · ME

Our 2005 toyota prius surges when we are braking, coming to a stop and pass over a mound or pothole, that is, any irregularity in the road's surface. This has happened many times, and luckily, no collision has yet occurred.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Brakes · 53,000 miles · CA

I was driving my 2005 prius on a residential street going approximately 20 MPH approaching a stop sign. There were no other cars on the street. As I touched the brake pedal I felt a big thump like I was hit from behind but no other car was present. The weather was clear and the street was dry and smooth. I've owned the car about 7 months and have had no other similar problem. I am unsure what caused the incident.

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