At 15k miles the car started to lurch when applying brake. Called dealer and was simply told that is how the prius is. This action continued and every time it happened we called the dealer and got the same answer. At 60k we were on our way to service for regular maintenance and 2 blocks away the car lurched into traffic. That was the most aggressive the car had ever got and it scared us to the core. When we arrived at the dealer we told them about what just occured and the manager said he wanted to go on a test drive and we were happy to hear it. The manager sat in the car and then decided against the test drive. We were then told that they could research the problem but it would be at a cost to us unless we get the service done as well. We were bothered and couldn't understand why we were being treated this way. We left that dealer frustrated and angry. We then took it to another dealer whom inspected the car and said everything looked fine and by the way we show brake and gas being applied at the same time. The tech said "you should stop driving with 2 feet." we left that ridiculousness and called toyota complaint dept. The call was in dec. 2009 and they didn't see out car until feb. 2010. And after inspecting the car was given the exact same diagnosis. We avoid driving the car as much as possible. We told the master tech that our dash board shut down while driving on the frwy at 65mph and has the new added problem of lurching while already in motion and we are afraid of our car and for our safety. The master tech said it was all operator error. That appears to be the end result with toyota and we are highly disappointed. We have been toyota customers since 1992 and now pay for a car we avoid driving whenever possible. We just want to be in a safe car on the road and feel secure not fear.
2008 Toyota Prius acceleration complaints
Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 156, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. After starting the vehicle, the cruise control light was on but did not engage the cruise control system. The contact shut the vehicle off and restarted the vehicle and the cruise control light stayed on. The contact has not taken the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test. No failure occurred while the contact was driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was 9,800. Updated 03/14/10 *bf the cruise control light illuminated. It would not turn off when the consumer depressed the button. However, when he shut the engine off and turned it on again, the cruise control light did not illuminate. The dealer was unable to find any problems. Updated 05/10/10
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. She stated that while the vehicle was parked with her foot on the brake pedal, it accelerated on its own without a warning. She then put the vehicle in neutral, it slowed down, and stopped accelerating. The dealer stated that nothing was wrong with the vehicle and they could not duplicate the failure. This problem has occurred 2 additional times. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 36616 and the current mileage was 37000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. While driving 60 MPH with the vehicle speed control on, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact had to shift into neutral gear in order to slow the vehicle down. The vehicle will be taken to the dealer today. The failure mileage was 23,000.
Accelerator sticking on 2008 toyota prius - 5 to 10 times. I took it to the dealer (beaver toyota - santa fe, nm). The first time they said they did not know what it was since they could not reproduce it. The second time they said it must have been because of the floor mats. The third time I called they said the floor mats even though I had removed them. I am unsure of the first date although it should be in their records. It has not happened in about 6 months. When it happened I would put my left foot on the brake and "pry" up the accelerator with the front of my right foot. The floor mat never seemed to be involved. My dates in this report are approximate.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. She stated that three times she has experienced sudden acceleration. Once while turning left on the highway at 55mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated. She also experienced brake failure when pulling up to a stop sign, or red light, or driving over a bump the brake did not respond immediately. She took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer stated the vehicle is not included in the recall and there was nothing they could do, but they would report the failure to the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 25,000 and the current mileage 33,765.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. While making a u-turn she drove over some tracks under normal road conditions. The vehicle suddenly accelerated and when she applied the brake ,the brake would not respond. The vehicle stopped when she turned the engine off. She took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer stated nothing was wrong with the vehicle and her VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 300 and the current mileage was 5,000. She wrote a letter to the manufacturer but has not received a response. Updated 03/19/10.*lj updated 05/13/10.
On june 2,2008 my wife brought her new prius into the garage to park it and suddenly it just accelerated and went through the garage door and wall. Damages to the car, house, and insurance increases totaled close to $10,000. Toyota repaired the prius and we told them verbally how the vehicle suddenly accelerated and they shrugged it off. We had been sent at one time a letter that said we may in the future receive a recall notice but never did. Therefore we would hope toyota takes care of these issues so we don't need to take further action seeing it was a manufacturing default. We've sent toyota two complaints already and not even one was acknowledged and being a faithful buyer of toyota's, without action on this issue we may be forced to purchase other make vehicles and we will refuse to further promote toyota unless the issues are remedied to include the home damage and our insurance surcharge. Your assistance in this acceleration manufacturing issue which has cost us almost $10,000 is uncalled for and toyota should have begun the process of recalls quite some time ago. Thanking you in advance for any assistance you may be able to get for us so we don't have to seek further assistance to get these issues taken care of and my wife's suffering with the concern that this issue could happen again. I have advised her that in such situation if it were to occur she is to shut the vehicle off immediately as well as put it in neutral and put on the emergency break. Unfortunately our long standing marriage with toyota may be over with unless we are assisted.
When braking at 10-15 MPH and going over a bumpy road surface or pothole, the vehicle stability control light flashes on and off for 2-3 seconds and I experience what feels like a loss of brake power during that time. This happens every time I am slowing down and going over bumpy roads. So far, my solution to correct this failure is to not brake when slowing down over bumpy roads. No parts have been repaired or replaced.
Driver in toyota prius was stopped at a red light. According to witnesses, for no apparent reason the vehicle accelerated, rolled or drove into intersection where vehicle was struck by another vehicle. Prius driver was killed. Updated 03/14/10 *bf *tr according to the police report, there was only one death and no injuries. Updated 06/15/10. *jb update 9/21/2011
My 2008 toyota prius gas pedal stuck and pushed forward against my control, and I slammed my foot on the brake and gas pedal at same time and it stopped. I am reportint this to the toyota dealer at priority toyota in chesapeake virignia right now and they said because they can not reproduce the incident they can't do anything, but for me to call toyota 1‑800‑331‑4331 and report it, I did, and talked with a representative, and he said all he can do is put it in the case file, and if I wanted to I can report it to the federal safety agency. I will not become a death statistic to prove the problem occurred.
Toyota prius problem - cruise control malfunction: on 2 jan 2010 (about 0600 hrs) I was driving a rented prius (alamo) from palm beach, fl to miami, fl. I was using cruise control and going the listed speed limit for I-95 (65mph). The car seemed to be performing correctly for the first 35 plus miles but then I got into heavy traffic and had to brake. The cruise control released normally and I slowed to about 60 MPH. When the traffic cleared I pushed the cruise control "resume" button and the prius started to accelerate as normal. However, the acceleration did not stop at the original speed I had set and had been driving at (65 MPH) but continued to climb to 70 MPH and higher to near 75 MPH when I had to hit the brakes and shut the cruise control off to slow the car. After that I did not use the cruise control for the remainder of my trip. I just thought there may have been a glitch or operator error and I did not think of it as the problem I recently saw on the news. I live in the republic of panama and did not see anything about the prius problems until recently. As I said the car was a rental and I just mentioned to the check in person that I had a slight problem with the cruise control but I do not know if it was reported.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact was driving approximately between 25-30 MPH on normal road conditions, proceeding to a traffic stop signal. There was pressure applied to the brake pedal however the acceleration increased. The vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into the passenger side rear of an opposing vehicle. The police was called to the scene. There were no personal injuries. The contact's vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for body damage repairs. The cause of failure has not been determined at this time. The failure mileage was 11,000.
Most recent failure was a few days ago but this has been a problem since I purchased the 2008 prius in march of 08--- I thought it was a quirk in the car --- something that just naturally happened when I would go over a pot hole or bumps in the road --- the car would lurch forward --- I had no control over the car --- no brakes --- I didn't realize that this was not a "natural" response until I heard the description on a news broadcast a couple weeks ago. Model years prior to 2010 should be included in the investigation. I am going to make an appointment with my dealer. Thank you
I own a toy.pri.2008,on 02/03/10 I was leaving driveway applied gas,car took off across st. Into tidalflow of at. Ocean at high tide,the car would not shift. Brake or turn off. The police pic's noteded gas pedal was not visible, floor mat was over it, the salt water was in car and upon leaving car it was waist deep. The car was serviced 1/4/10 at toyota dealer for state inspetion and usual mt. Never mentioned recall of mats which I now find was a well known fact in sept.09. They are insisting it will dry out and be fine,salt water on any car is deadly buti hybrid. The hour it sat in water prior to tow,the car still would not shut off. I called toyota that day as tow took car to it,they insisted that there was no issues with 2008 prius. The car was moving much faster than my 10mph of origin and would not brake,shift or shut off. Water was pouring out stereo speakers and up under hood on/or under engine block,the engine ran for the hour the car sat in salt water. Toyota hsa been absolutely no help and still insists despite an offical recall that there were troubles with 2008 prius. The police photos say it all.
Toyota prius, 2008, involved in accident , august 13, 2009 when it accelerated rapidly out of control after being at a stop sign for 4 minutes stopped in a line of traffic, hitting car in front and being very difficult to bring to a stop. Went from 0 to 45 MPH very quickly and hard to stop .toyota has not responded to complaint or my insistence that it be fixed. Was deemed by judge who heard the appeal of ticket to be a mechanical failure. First accident for me in 48.5 years of driving. Initially I thought it was brake failure, but after the info came out, it matches exactly the accelerator sticking that has been described. Filed complaint with toyota in october and have not heard back. Haven was the contact, claim number at toyota is #0910145720. Also notified dealer where it was purchased and have not heard from them. Was assured I'd hear in january and got a letter indicating that I should take the floor mat out. It happened again in november of 2009, although I immediately recognized it and got the car stopped quickly. I'm now afraid to drive it but need my car to work.
I was driving slowing to park my car into a lot, my car suddenly took itself. I slammed the brakes so hard, it was hard enough to drop my bag which was on the passenger's seat. Today, 9th of feb. Nothing was wrong according to dealer shop.
There are two issues with my 2008 toyota prius. When trying to accelerate rapidly, the engine cuts out and hesitates. I think it's related to the traction control, but this happens way too easily. I have new tires and it happens on dry pavement. The second issue is related to the brakes. When braking and encountering small bumps in the road, the car appears to leap forward. There is a sensation of accelerating when this happens, although I'm certain it is just the ABS system. It is a very uneasy feeling.
2008 toyota prius. On 11/18/09. 1) I was parked and ready to leave the parking spot when suddenly the car had an acceleration backwards. I couldnt stop the car but luckily I was in a tight parking spot and the car hit the object behind (like a tree) under the 45 degree angle which left the deep rear corner bumper dent. (still there). I called in and complained to brooklyn toyota and drove in for service the same day ( including to do the tire inspection). Toyota dealer didnt find any problems with the car's acceleration or tires but as a result of the dealer incompetence that was unable to detect a nail in the tire -I had a flat tire just 20 min after I left the dealer. I called aaa for assistance incident # 2181 on 11/18/09. I also called advantage toyota in lynbrook , li to inspect and possibly fix the acceleration and the bumper. They also said they didnt have any recall notices to fix and couldnt fix the bumper unless taken to a paid collision shop. 2) I also had the car in the advantage toyota service on 11/4/09 for oil, filter, check up and the brakes and tires. I told them I experience loosing traction / brakes after hitting the bumps or the pothole or man holes.
My mother has a 2008 toyota prius and was pulling into my driveway. The approach to the driveway is uphill and the driveway is more of a parking area with an access apron. For some unknown reason, the car's engine revved (very high rpms - I could hear it from the basement). The car grazed the side of the house, went through a short wall (brick - about 1 foot tall, 1 foot thick and 5 feet long) and an iron deck gate. The car ended up on the deck after breaking off two 6x6 support posts. The deck has horizontal stainless steel cables instead of pickets, and I believe that these are what kept the car from going over the edge - a 25 foot drop.
This is about my prius 2008 model. When it goes over bumps or uneven road surfaces, the car tends to surge forward suddenly and unexpectedly. It doesn't occur all the time, but more than enough times for me to notice. Usually, it is when I'm going between 35 and 45 miles an hour over a bump or uneven surface. I correct the surging by applying the breaks gently. I have not yet made the dealer aware of the issue. The approximate incident date I'm reporting is the date at which I noticed it started happening, about one year from when I purchased the car. But since then, it has occurred more.
On january 22, 2010, I was pulling into a handicap parking place outside a local restaurant when my 2008 prius suddenly accelerated while my foot was firmly on the brakes. My car went over the handicap barrier and the curb and finally stopped when my car hit the restaurant landscaping. The next morning I called the dealership, talked to three separate people and they wanted me to drive my car in. I told them I didn't feel the car was safe to drive and they should tow it in. They told me they wouldn't do it. Next I called my insurance agent and made them aware of the problem because I was afraid to drive the car in fear of injuries that could occur if the car didn't stop again. They arranged to have my car towed in and repaired. The dealership said they checked the car and found nothing wrong with my car.
While braking at slow speed, my prius 08 suddenly accelerated making the car lung forward after going over a bump/pothole...vsc light went on nd then turned off. This has happened numerous times. Brought the car into my toyota dealer on 2/5/10. They experienced the vsc light going on and said that was normal for the ABS system. They also checked all modules and said no codes came up. They also said this was normal for the ABS system on a hybrid. I have never experienced this in my previous honda accord that also had ABS.
I was driving my 2008 prius at approximately 35 MPH and it began to accelerate. I took my foot off of the accelerator, but it didn't stop. I pumped the brake, but it had no effect. It stopped suddenly, and the car operated normally. The incident didn't last long, and hasn't happened again. Until I read about the other, more serious incidents with the accelerator I didn't even know how to describe it - I'd never heard of such a thing happening. I would have felt foolish talking to the guys at the service center, so I decided to wait to see if it happened again.
The brakes fail to work immediately and/or the car speed surges temporarily when braking on a bumpy or surface, such as going over a pot hole. This started happening soon after I started driving the car and happens on a regular basis - the most recent being yesterday. At first, the short loss of control of vehicle speed concerned me, but I have come to expect it now when going over rough road. I started to think it was associated with the ABS system and thought maybe it was supposed to work that way. But now, after hearing about the problems with the 2010 prius, I thought you should know the same problem exists in earlier prius models.
I am experiencing temporary loss of brakes while braking on uneven surfaces, bumpy streets, potholes, railroad tracks. This is not the same as normal ABS activating, but longer and complete loss of braking for a few seconds. Dealer informed me this is by design. All my other cars (with ABS) do not experience this in the same conditions. Incident repeated daily during my commute. I have to drive much slower because of this and I want this fixed since if it's by design then its a bad design!!! Note this is on a gen2 prius, 2008 model.
I wanted to include my voice in the recent complaints about the toyota prius brakes. I have a 2008 prius and have experienced the same issue several times- the brakes seem to stop working and the slick-road warning light comes on when I go over a big bump or pothole while braking. Braking comes right back, but I can imagine this might be a bigger issue if there was a vehicle right in front of me, in inclement weather, etc. I have heard people only mention the 2010 prius model year, so I wanted to let someone know that the 2008 prius also seems to be affected... Thank you.
Please include prius 2008 as well in your investigation. We have a 2008 prius. About once a week, sometimes more, we drive over a pothole, our car jerks forward/accelerates for a split second just like the 2010 prius that is being reported. We didn't think about it until the issue with the 2010 prius news came out.
I drive a 2008 toyota prius and have experienced two recurring problems with the vehicle. First, when I make sharp right turns, the engine cuts out. Second, on uneven roads, the hydroplane feature activates and makes it difficult to steer and the car accelerates suddenly. This has happened on many occasions.
2008 prius: temporary surge in acceleration when you drive over a pothole or a bump in the road. "traction" light comes on at the same time. Happens frequently but not daily. Same experience as is being described in the news today (2-3-10) in relation to the 2010 prius. Toyota reports that they have not heard of this problem in previous years' models, but we have experienced this problem many times.
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