My 2006 prius also feels like the brakes aren't working correctly when I go over a pothole, similar to what has been described in the 2010 prius in today's news report. I suspect the problem is not confined to just the 2010 prius, but all years.
2006 Toyota Prius brakes complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 210, newest first, as owners wrote them.
You need to broaden the investigation of the 2010 prius braking issue to include at least the gen ii prius (2004-2009). What's been described in the press (since several months ago) regarding reports of braking problems on the 2010 prius has been a problem for me with my 2006 prius since I got it. I checked and posted to priuschat.com on it years ago, and found many others have experienced the same problem. Note that the common wisdom on the site is that the issue is actually "traction control" that aggressively disengages the drivetrain when the wheels spin at a significant differential, in order to protect the drivetrain. This action disengages regenerative braking. The switch to conventional friction braking has a delay, and causes the (quite startling and scary) absence of braking for a brief period. This explanation is consistent with the fact that an analogous problem happens for acceleration, when hitting uneven pavement, potholes, etc. I.e., acceleration is momentarily disengaged. (this, itself, can be quite startling if one is pulling out into traffic, and suddenly loses power.) I marked the incident date as the approximate time I purchased this vehicle. As I said, it has been a problem since the outset. Before I became acclimated to the behavior, I probably experienced a startling loss of braking roughly once per week or so. Once I came to recognize what was happening, I learned to ease off the brake pedal myself, as I approached a problem feature in the road (like a pothole or manhole cover) in order to avoid it. Since then, I only rarely miss something, and experience the loss of braking problem perhaps once every few months. The matter would definitely be perceived as serious by typical drivers -- it's a heart skips a beat, worry that you're going to hit the car in front of you kind of feeling.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. While applying the brakes at speeds of less than 15 MPH, the vehicle performed as if it were temporarily losing braking control. Within moments, the brakes would reset and function normally. The dealer stated that the loss of control and the brake pedal malfunction was caused by the electronic stability control. The dealer also stated that the ABS system was functioning properly for his year, make and model vehicle. The failure was recurred frequently. There were no related recalls or repairs made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 5,000 and the current mileage was 71,423.
Toyota 2006 prius brake problem...I have always had the problem that jessica yellin outlined on cnn. As an engineer myself let me describe what the issue is. The short answer is that the anti-lock brake system conflicts with the traction control system on bumps and slippery surfaces. If you are braking and hit a pot hole or series of bumps (causing a wheel to spin slower than the rest) the anti-lock brake system kicks in and disables the brakes in an unacceptable manner. A yellow "traction" light on the dashboard flashes during this even, which lasts about a second unless further slipping occurs. I understand the goal of anti-lock brakes, the implementation on this car is just plain poor and unsafe. I have tapped other's bumpers in situations that I should have been able to stop in. At first I complained to the dealer, but after driving other's prius cars I found out they all do the same thing. (at least 2005 and 2007 models.) I have driven this car since september 30, 2006...and have over 40,000 miles. I am sure that this issue could be addressed by upgrading the firmware in the vehicle. Or, disable anti-lock brake system so they work when I step on them! I have had no accelerator problems.
My wife and I own a 2006 prius that we purchased new. Our prius has the exact same braking problem that I read about today involving the 2010 prius that you are starting to investigate. Applying the brakes while driving over bumps will cause repeated momentary lose of braking. I never reported it to the dealer. I just thought that was the way it was and was careful about braking on rough roads.
In 10/06, I had an incident where the brakes and steering of my 2006 prius ceased to function briefly, as I tried to brake at an intersection. I took the car in to my toyota dealer shortly after -- they checked it but found nothing wrong, so nothing was done. The day in question was drizzly and the roads wet. It was daytime, and I was driving with my children in boston, approaching the forest hills intersection. There were trolley tracks in the road (since removed), which I try to avoid, since I know they can be slippery. As I approached the intersection, going about 20 MPH, I put my foot to the brake. At that point, it seemed to me that both the brakes and the steering ceased to function or froze up, so that I couldn't stop the car or keep it going straight. Thus the car kept going, veering to the right, with one wheel banging into and up onto a curb, before the car stopped. The whole thing took only a few seconds. I turned the car off and sat there in disbelief, since I'd experienced nothing like this in 30 years of driving. Fortunately, there were no other cars close by, so I didn't cause an accident, and I had been going slow enough so that neither I nor my two boys were hurt. I have come to know the car better, and have learned that often when the road is slippery or rough, yellow warning lights will flash, and the brakes will seem briefly less crisp. It is possible that the wet conditions and the trolley tracks on the day of the incident contributed to what happened. However, I want to emphasize the qualitative difference of the 2006 incident. I'm not a car expert, but it felt to me like the car's electronic system had seized up, not like there was some mechanical problem. It felt as though there was a brief but complete severing of the connection between my actions with my feet and hands and how the car behaved. It was very frightening.
The prius brake failure has occurred several times since I bought the car in late 06. If I am on a wet road or a gravel road, it seems that when pushing the brakes, they not only fail but the car lurches. When this occurs a light in the dashboard goes off simultaneously. I contacted my dealer about it 2 years ago and was told it was not a brake failure but was just the way the technology for the brakes worked and that the car was fine. I was involved in a 6 car pileup almost one year ago, in which I was the 2nd car in line. The light went off during the accident itself and I believe that the braking might have been the cause of the wreck, now that I am aware of all of this. It felt almost exactly the same. I just assumed the car behind me was pushing me forward, but no at fault party could ever be determined. I called the dealer again today asking (since my car is still under warranty) if this could be repaired since it was now acknowledged and was told that until a recall occurred, toyota corporate had not informed them of a fix so nothing could or would be done. I find this unacceptable, as I am driving a vehicle I am paying a lot (for my income anyway) and it is so unsafe. I carry my newborn around in this thing! Not only are the brakes a concern to me but the prius is also part of the floormat recall so you couple the two issues with brake and acceleration and you are asking for extreme risk when driving. I am very concerned that the car I am paying so much for is so risky to drive and would like to have toyota recall the car and repair this problem.
I experience momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump with an earlier model toyota prius. My prius is a 2006 model (2nd wave). This occurs every time I go over one particular spot in my usual commute, and any other spot where the road is rough.
After going over significant bumps or potholes, occasionally brakes hesitate to catch. Began within a month of purchasing vehicle. Reported to dealer, test drove for approx. 5 minutes and could not repeat so they ignored my complaint. Problem persists, but to date have not had vehicle fail to stop. Have over 80,000 miles on prius.
While driving on a smooth dry road and gently and steadily braking, the braking ceases for a second, resulting in what seems like a surge forward, but it might be a cessation of the deceleration that results from the braking. Feels like a car is pushing my car from behind. This has happened about 10 or 15 times over the last few years. No accidents have occurred, but it's scary. I never reported it to the toyota dealer since I knew I could not reproduce the problem.
I am contacting you to tell you what happened to me in my 2006 prius on september 14, 2007. I drove home and stopped at my mailbox to get the mail. The car shifted off of gas and onto electric. I was going approximately 3 to 4 miles per hour to make a y-turn to back into our driveway and when I pushed down on the brake the car thrusted forward while on electric with great force through the neighbor's six foot wooden fence where the car stopped (I don't know if it stopped on it's own or got hung up in fence and also stuck from hill decline.) I never had a chance to try pushing down on the brake a second time due to the fact it happened that fast and force full. The car was running on electric and barely moving. My gas pedal was not stuck and the mat had nothing to do with it. My husband checked the mat and actually kicked at the mat to see if it would move and it did not. Our mat was not even under the gas pedal. It was suggested that maybe my high heels made the gas pedal stick. I do not wear high heels and my foot was not on the gas pedal. It thrusted forward when I put my foot on the brake. It is clear to me that you have more of an electrical malfunction of some type. We contacted toyota who sent a representative who checked our car out while at the body shop and the repair guy said he was in the car for over an hour the computer appeared to be cleared. Toyota told us there was no problem? We hope that you can figure this out and reassure us that our vehicle is safe. I am thankful that this incident happened at home due to the fact the day this incident took place I was at a local college campus and could of run over a group of young adults. Someone could of been injured or killed that day! It scares me that my car might do this again!
2006 toyota prius. If it encounters bumpy road while turning and braking, then stability indicator will light up and brakes will stop working for about a second. It feels like the car is being driven on ice. It can be reproduced at will. Just bumpy road surface and turning/braking at the same time. Did not take it to a dealer to have it looked at it though. Learned to live with it.
Abs or traction control engages unnecessarily when braking on uneven road surfaces, potholes, bump in road, or on wet surfaces.
I have now had three separate incidents of the brake failing on my car: march 15, 2007; december 4, 2008; and january 16, 2010. On march 15, 2007: 'I was in stop and go traffic on the freeway, traveling about 15 MPH. 'I was rolling, with my foot off the brake and accelerator. 'the car in front of me (about 3 car lengths) put on brakes. 'I applied my brake, and it felt normal, but the car did not stop. 'I kept my foot on the brake and tried to press harder (pressing on the brake and getting no response was very disorienting; I actually checked to see if my foot was on the brake.) 'it was the car in front of me that stopped me, not my brakes. 'after I was stopped by the collision, my brakes worked again. I filed an accident report with my insurance company, and I had the car towed to the service department of the toyota dealership in carlsbad ca where I bought the car. The car was 'quarantined' by your company. I was without a car for several days until a toyota inspector came to the dealership to inspect my car. The inspector found nothing wrong and the car was returned to me. On december 4, 2008, similar circumstances: 'I was in stop and go traffic, traveling about 10-15 MPH. 'I was coming to a rolling stop as I approached a red light. There was one car in front of me. 'I applied the brake, but the car did not stop. 'I took my foot completely off the brake and slammed it back down onto the brake.the car stopped, but I very nearly bumped into the car in front of me. 'I took the car to the toyota carlsbad service department again. 'they inspected the brake system and checked the codes, and couldn't find anything wrong. The third brake failure happened on january 16, 2010. The brake failed when I was parallel parking. I took my foot all the way off the brake and pressed down again. The brake worked on the 2nd attempt. Luckily, I did not hit the car in front of me. I did not take the car back to the dealership svc dept; I knew it would do no good.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. Whenever the contact would attempt to apply the brakes while driving approximately 15 MPH over a slippery road surface, the brakes would not fully engage which also increased the stopping distance. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The contact has noticed the failure since the day the vehicle was purchased. The current and failure mileages were 50000. Updated 03/09/10. *lj updated 05/13/10.
I would like to make the agency aware of my experience with the traction control system on my 2006 toyota prius. I understand that it is being investigated for the 2010 model but I have very similar issues with my 2006. This is an ongoing issue and occurs regularly from time to time (and has since I purchased the vehicle new). When passing over road surfaces that cause the traction control system on the vehicle to activate (wet road, gravel, pot hole, snow, etc.), braking and acceleration control is temporarily lost. This loss of control persists for 1-5 seconds when braking, and indefinitely when trying to accelerate (I.e. When on snow). Braking distance is clearly increased, as the vehicle does not apply the brakes at all. I have had several incidents where I had maintained a safe following distance, but nearly ran into cars stopping in front of me (due to my vehicle not braking appropriately). Merging is also an issue at times, as is accelerating (into traffic or out of a hazardous situation on snowy/wet roads). I feel that the best solution would be the ability to deactivate the traction control system. Unfortunately toyota is not currently offering a way to do this.
1) toyota prius, 15mph, engaged brakes, hit small bump in road and anti-locking mechanism disengaged brakes. 2) failure is braking mechanism in toyota prius will disengage. Seems to be due to how the antilock system works. It causes the brakes to quit functioning. 3) nothing. Toyota would not admit to issue with braking. On 02/03/2010 toyota admitted to brake issues with toyota prius from my year. This is the reason for my complaint.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. The contact stated while driving up and down a hill at 3 to 5 MPH in the snow the vehicle begins to fish-tail and the vsc (vehicle speed control) light would flash and the brakes would lock-up. The contact stated this almost caused 5 crashes while the contact was driving home. The contact had to have the vehicle towed home because the contact felt the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact has not taken the vehicle to a dealer at this time but saw the news story televised and felt this was a safety issue. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Loss of braking capability when slowing over potholes and loose pavement. This has been reported in the 2010 prius - I'm here to tell you, it's not a new problem. I have a 2006 prius and it's done this since I bought it new. At first it alarmed me, now I'm used to it - hasn't bothered me enough to quit driving it or take it back to the dealer for this. Happens 5-10 times per week.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. Whenever the contact attempted to apply the brakes while driving 30 MPH, she noticed that the vehicle suddenly surged forward causing the contact to increase braking pressure in order to stop the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was working properly. The contact noticed the failure immediately after the vehicle was purchased. The current and failure mileages were 14000.
When pulling into a parking space in a parking garage, my car surged forward and crashed into the concrete wall causing over $8,000.00 worth of damage and hurting my neck. A few months ago, I got a letter from toyota stating that the floor mat was the problem, so I removed the mat. However, last week while I was pulling into a driveway the car surged forward again. I was going slow and pushed on the brake hard and was able to stop before I hit anything. The car actually feels and sounds like it is accelerating. Also, about 3 years ago when I first brought the prius in for routine maintenance I informed the toyota dealer at 5727 s 27th st. Milwaukee wisconsin, that the car feels like it is skidding when I apply the brakes while driving on a bumpy road. The skid light in the dash actually comes on. They said that there was no recall for this problem so they didn't even look at it. This is an ongoing occurrence. I haven't had an accident yet from this problem but I think that you should look into this also since I see that they are saying that only the 2010 priuses have this problem. My car is a 2006 toyota prius .
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. While driving at slow speeds including 10 MPH over potholes and making a left or right turn, the brakes lost traction. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The dealer also stated that the failure was not related to the floor mats. The failure mileage was 99 and the current mileage was 50,000. Updated 04/01/10 *bf the consumer stated it felt as though the vehicle was accelerating when making a turn at a slow speed or driving over rough pavement. Updated 06/28/10
Brake failure in prius 2006 model. Car did not stop near a signal light, and would have hit another car infront of mine. Finally ended up driving into another lane fortunately there was no opposition traffic. In the second incident car did not stop for 15 ft near a stop sign, where there was a little snow until ABS acted. In both cases we got lucky. This needs to be investigated not only for 2010 model prius but also for previous models.
I own a 2006 toyota prius. I read today's news about prius brake issues and I would like to point out that the same has happened to me several times in the past. I never thought this would be a defect, and did not file a complaint. When I brake, and there is a bump or pothole on the road, the cars tires seem to skid for a second or two. The vehicle skid indicator light comes on a while the car jerks forward.
This is in response to what I read in the nytimes: "in the united states, the federal safety agency has logged at least 136 complaints about the brakes on the 2010 prius. Many are from drivers who say the vehicle surged forward or temporarily lost braking after driving over a pothole or other uneven surface, and many say it is a recurring problem." until I read this, I thought that it had been my imagination, because it was temporary, mildly disturbing, but didn't result in any damage. I own a 2006 toyota prius and my husband and I have experienced this sporadically since we bought the car march 15, 2006, probably no more than a dozen times in more than 100,000 miles logged.
When my 2006 toyota prius hits a bump or hole in the road while braking the car will surge forward. I have on many occasions almost collided with vehicles that have stopped in front of me after these "surge" episodes. It occurs at least once a day from or to work.
Momentary brake slippage at slow speeds when we hit something slippery like a wet manhole--much as has been described elsewhere. It has *not* yet been a major problem.
I read news coverage of prius brakes problems. I own a 2006 prius, and have noticed this problem throughout the last 4 years that we've owned it. So it is not only a 2010 problem. I did not report it in the past, because it never put me in danger (yet). However, whenever the car goes over a pothole or an uneven surface or a slippery patch, it seems to accelerate momentarily - it's sort of a "flying" sensation - not very pleasant, but short enough, so that control is quickly regained. I am not positive if my foot is on the brake every time it happens. I can follow up and pay more attention if there is follow-up with this complaining. Thanks.
Tl* 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.
This is a complaint about the brakes and/or traction control system on my 2006 toyota prius. This is an ongoing issue and has been ongoing as long as I have owned the vehicle. I am the first owner. The fault is as follows: when passing over road surfaces that cause the traction control system on the vehicle to activate (gravel, pot hole, snow, standing water, etc.), braking and acceleration control is temporarily lost. This loss of control persists for 1-3 seconds. Of particular concern are instances in which a yielding situation accompanying a merging or turning maneuver present themselves. In these situations, if the car passes over a road surface which causes an activation of the traction control system, I am unable to stop the car or to accelerate out of danger. I fear that I will find myself in the situation where I am trying to slow down to yield to a vehicle while making a right turn on a red light and will be able to do so due to the loss of braking/acceleration control accompanying the activation of the traction control system. In such a situation, I would be unable to avoid a high-speed collision on the driver's side of the vehicle. I have lived with this danger for the last 4+ years, but in the light of recent developments, I feel it is appropriate to raise this issue through this complaint system.
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