2008 Toyota Prius: sudden unintended acceleration

Filed Jul 2, 2025 · Acceleration, Brakes · CA · crash

My name is [XXX] ,i am filing this report on behalf of My daughter [XXX] the driver of the vehicle that involved with the unintended acceleration on the 2009 Toyota Prius .On a good clear morning on [XXX] . My daughter drove the 2009 Toyota Prius to work- when she enter to the parking lot at the speed round 5 mile/hour . Just when she was making a left turn on to the entrance gate with her left foot on the brake pedal . On a sudden the vehicle RPM unintended rev up too high and the vehicle had an unintended accelerating to move forward aggressively causing lose control of the steering . Also she could not brake even though her left foot was on the brake pedal and pressing hard to try to stop the vehicle . . This dangerous incident causing her Prius to bumped into the electrical gate panel control box . The accident caused some damages to her Prius and to the entrance gate control box though no body was hurt . But it got us through the terrible experience because it could kill some one for sure . My daughter been driving this commute car daily in the past 5 years and she has the skill of 20 year driving with good record . This Prius of her still have all OEM equipments with no add- on parts-,no modifying part on any systems what so ever- and NO extra floor mat cause we been warned before about the possible of unintended acceleration causing by aftermarket floor mat to any vehicles. . We feel unsafe after the mystery accelerating problem on Toyota Vehicle that could take people lives . So the mystery unintended accelerating on car is REAL . I am currently checked and find out her Prius has 2 incomplete recalls (un-notice to us ) but none of them related to the unintended acceleration problem . We would like the federal safety agency to take this problem seriously to save people life . I will included photos of this incidents and willing to provide all information if needed to address this problem, again to save lives . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 5

Filed Sep 26, 2016 · Body, Brakes · 82,000 miles · MA · crash

I was in a parking lot and turned my car into a parking space. As I slowed my car to bring it to a stop, applying the brake, the car accelerated on its own and crashed into a railing at the head of the parking space. Although I pushed the brake all the way to to floor, I could not stop the car. The car hit at such a speed that it broke a solid wood railing at the front of the parking space. My car was declared a total loss by my insurance company because of the damage. It seemed to me the car accelerated on its own and the brake was nonfunctional. I could not stop the car. I had two related incidents prior to this crash. The first, I rear-ended another vehicle when applying the brake to stop at a traffic light. Again, the car accelerated and the brake would not stop it. Even with the brake fully pressed, the car hit the other vehicle, bounced backward, continued to accelerate and hit the car again before coming to a stop. Secondly, one time I noticed when applying the brake to make a sharp right turn, the car lurched forward. This did not result in a crash.

Filed Oct 29, 2014 · Acceleration · 80,000 miles · WI · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle accelerated independently and surged forward. As a result, the contact crashed into a rocked landscaping. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. Updated 8/31/2017

Filed Mar 19, 2014 · Acceleration, Brakes · 78,000 miles · MI

It actually happened two times within a month. In one case, I was turning left to take a ramp with a very low speed around 5 MPH. Even though some parts of the road was icy, but the car didn't slip. It was exactly a several sudden pushes, unintended acceleration, with my foot on the brake only. I was so scared because I couldn't control the car for few seconds, and I thought I totally lost the control of the car. I tried to steer the car safely and turn on my emergency light. Checked the brake again, it was working after that. The second time, happened to me when I was coming out of school parking and didn't have any speed at all. Again around 5 MPH. School is located in residential area. When you get out of the parking, you can only turn right, then there is an intersection with a stop sign almost 50 feet away. On the day of incident, I tried to stop behind the stop sign with no speed at all, but suddenly the car got the same continuous and sudden pushes. It was accelerated unintended. My foot was completely on the brake, but I lost the control again, and I was so lucky that day that there were no cars around the intersection, I tried to steer the car to the left, turned on my emergency light, and tried to push the brake again and again. After few seconds, I found it working. I called the toyota the same day, and they are in the process of scheduling me for inspection. Again, even though the surface was slick with ice, but I didn't have speed, and it didn't look like ABS is working. I exactly know how ABS works, specially when it is snowy or icy. This is very scary. Please investigate. Thanks.

Filed Oct 25, 2013 · Acceleration · 54,000 miles · MA · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated. In addition, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle and the contact crashed into a wall. A police report was filed. The contact was transported to the hospital as a precaution, but was not injured. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a private mechanic but was not diagnosed to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure and current mileage was 54,000. Updated 11/14/13

Filed Aug 15, 2013 · Acceleration · 50,000 miles · CA · crash · 2 injuries

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle accelerated without manual force. In addition, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle and the contact crashed into the rear bumper of another vehicle. The contact sustained a concussion, whip lash, and injuries to the neck and back. The driver of the second vehicle sustained whip lash. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

Filed Apr 22, 2011 · Acceleration · 30,000 miles · MA · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. In addition, while shifting into reverse, the vehicle would not respond. The vehicle was then shifted into drive and the vehicle rapidly accelerated and crashed into a tree. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was awaiting a diagnosis of the failure. The manufacturer was then contacted who referred him back to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 30,000. Updated 05/24/11*lj updated 05/25/11 updated 06/16/11

Filed Feb 15, 2011 · Acceleration, Brakes · DC

2008 toyota prius. Consumer states two problems with vehicle, the ABS release momentarily causes a brief surge forward any time there is a small bump in the road when braking and consumer also states he nearly rear ended another vehicle at a stop light when he almost couldn't stop, even by putting his entire weight on the vehicle. *tgw the consumer also believed the pedals were designed too close together.

Filed Feb 9, 2011 · Brakes · 21,000 miles · VA

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated while applying the brakes after driving over a bump, the vehicle lunged forward. The anti-skid light turned on and then off. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who could not duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 21,000.

Filed Oct 8, 2010 · Acceleration · RI · crash

2008 toyota prius. Consumer states unintended acceleration *tgw the consumer stated as she was coming to a complete stop with her foot on the brake, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. Within about 1/10th of a second, it was moving at a very high rate of speed. The vehicle did not increase speed gradually, but was almost instantly moving very fast. The consumer stated she could hear the engine revving quite loudly. The vehicle crossed a grassy area about 20 feet wide and then hit a post which was about 6 inches in diameter. It demolished the post and then plowed through some small trees and large shrubbery. The vehicle finally came to rest about 10 inches from the corner of a house. The consumer stated prior to the accident, she received a recall letter in the mail, and complied with the recall. However, since the recall was performed, she noticed that when the cruise control was activated and going up a rise in the road, the engine would start to audibly rev and the vehicle would gain 2, 3,4 MPH over what was set for the cruise control speed. It also gained a few miles when on a downward slope. As soon as the road leveled out, it would go back to what the cruise control setting was. The consumer took the vehicle back to the dealer, but they dismissed it as not important and said it was a normal occurrence and it had nothing to do with the recall work they performed.

Filed Sep 23, 2010 · Brakes · 25,000 miles · NJ

1. In the k-mart level parking lot when starting to press on the brake pedal the car shot forward about 6 feet. Note that the driver's side has never had a floor mat. 2. Brakes were tested at the dealership where the preowned car was purchased and the dealer said that there was no problem with the brakes. 3. This problem recurred four other times, the most recent of which was on the way to the car dealership where the toyota gas pedal recall work was done. After the gas pedal recall service was completed the service manager road tested the car and then had the brakes checked and informed me that the brakes were okay and told me that I didn't know what anti-lock brakes felt like in a hybrid, although I had owned three other cars with anti-lock brakes.

Filed Sep 16, 2010 · Driver assistance · 30,050 miles · FL

I own a 2008 toyota prius and have experienced braking problems since I purchased the vehicle. Any time I go over a bump/pothole, while turning, results in a floating sensation, surge forward, and momentary loss of steering. I almost had an accident 2 weeks ago at an intersection when this occurred. Serviced my vehicle yesterday and they claim the skid control system is working as it was designed. There is definitely a fatal flaw in this system and likely a chip issue. Toyota is not doing anything.