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2008 Toyota Prius brakes complaints

Page 9 of 14: complaints 221 to 250 of 391, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2008 Toyota Prius brakes problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Feb 17, 2010 · Brakes · 34,000 miles · KY

The brakes cut out any time I hit a rough place on the road while braking. I have encountered this issue approximately once per week. It depends on where I am driving. For example: there is a road close to my work where I need to brake for a stop light right at a place where a rough bridge junction exist. When I drive on this road, the brakes cut out every time. Toyota has announced they have this issue with the 2010 prius. My car is a 2008 prius. I kept waiting for them to include my car, but so far they have not.

Filed Feb 17, 2010 · Brakes · 2,000 miles · PA

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that during inclement weather the brakes locked. The contact states while driving 5 miles per hour the contact applied the brakes and went through the intersection while applying the brakes. The contact states that the vehicle was having problems when it was purchased. The contact states that he has taken the vehicle in for inspection and was told nothing was wrong and since the issues could not be duplicated they were not willing to fix the problem. The contact states he spoke with toyota and was advised that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. The contact states that while going over a pothole or a railroad track the brakes would not engage and the anti skid light on the dashboard comes on. The contact states that the brakes interlock three to four seconds later. The failure miles were 2000 miles. The current miles were 24500. The VIN was not available.

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Brakes · 47,000 miles · TX

I own a 2008 toyota prius and since I received the car. I noticed that the anti skid system is set way to sensitive. Driving over rough road or loose road and applying brakes to stop the anti skid usually kicks in and the car just continues to go forward. This is the only car I have ever drove that acts this way. My brother has the same make, year , and model and has the same problem. I do think toyota has a problem with older prius to not just 2010 models. From what I understand the braking system on the 2010 and 2008 prius's are the same so if 2010's are recalled 2008's should be to. Luckily this problem has not caused me to be involved in a accident as of yet.

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Brakes · 26,000 miles · MI

Even when new, only when braking on a bumpy surface, my 2008 toyota prius will reduce braking power all by itself, when I need them the most. When I press into the brake pedal, it will brake again, but by this time I will have lost 1 second of braking time. Recently on jan 20th, I almost hit the person in front of me when I had to panic-brake, and the road became bumpy as I was braking. By pressing the brake harder after 1 second lost, I barely stopped in time. I never brought this to the dealer's attention, until two weeks ago, because I know this car has hyper-active wheel-slip sensors, and I just thought it was part of that design flaw. That problem comes up whenever I try to accelerate hard and make a right turn. Even on dry pavement (and no wheel slip) the engine cuts out for about 3 seconds and the traction control light comes on. When it was new, the dealer said that's just the way it's designed. But that's not what I'm complaining about. That's just why I didn't report it until now. Back to the brakes, two weeks ago, when I heard the 2010 prius has a software update to fix this problem, I thought they might be able to fix mine also. But when I went to the dealer, they said they couldn't do anything with it unless there was a recall, and there isn't for the 2008. They gave me the number to report it to toyota. I did that on 02/10/2010. Then when I heard the toyota president (2 days ago) say that earlier prius' don't have the problem, I thought I should report it to you also. Ps...I am an analyst by trade, I am highly mechanically inclined, and have even done my own brake jobs. I know how brake systems work and have had many cars with ABS and traction control systems. This is the first car I have had that does this on a bumpy road surface.

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Brakes · 22,474 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. Whenever the contact drives the vehicle at a low speed and travels over a bump or pot hole while attempting to brake the contact noticed that the vehicles brakes would momentarily disengage and then correct itself. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating normaly. There were no prior warnings and the current and failure mileages were 22474.

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Brakes · 50,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. Whenever the contact drives her vehicle at any speed and attempst to brake over a rough terrain the contact noticed that the vehicles brakes will disengage for a short period and then correct itself. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 50000.

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Brakes · 20 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that when driving over a bump at low speeds, when she depressed the brake pedal, the brakes would not engage. It would slow down eventually but not in the normal time it should. When depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle would jerk forward as if the contact made a sudden stop. She took the vehicle to the dealership twice. The first time she was told by the dealer that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and after the second visit, she was told they repaired the vehicle, however they did not tell her what repairs were made. She still noticed the same problems. She had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. The current mileage was approximately 18,000. The failure mileage was approximately 20.

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Brakes · VA

My 2008 prius has the same loss of traction when going over uneven surfaces as the 2010 cas. There are two sections of road that I drive over everyday to and from work. Everyday, when I go over these surfaces my anti-lock brake light turns on indicating that it is momentarily not working. It then feels like I am sliding on ice until I get to even road. Please expand the investigation to the at least the 2008 models.

Filed Feb 15, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 14,640 miles · PA · crash

As the traffic began to accelerate after stopping at a traffic light the brakes on my 2008 prius, which I had for less than a day, apparently failed. I had plenty of room ( 3 to 4 car lengths) when the van in front of me stopped short. I slammed on the brakes, but the vehicle failed to stop (the highway was wet and I assumed the anti-lock brakes activated causing the stopping distance to be extended, but there was no evidence of the ABS engaging). The resulting accident caused over $ 4,000 in front end damage. Also, the ESC appear to "skip" while traveling over a railroad track near my home.

Filed Feb 15, 2010 · Acceleration, Brakes · 1,000 miles · VA

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

Filed Feb 15, 2010 · Brakes · 50 miles · MA

Our 2008 toyota prius has a brake hesitation. This hesitation occurs when going over a rough road surface while braking or slowing. This problem happens often. I have learned that if I keep pressing on the brake when this happens I am able to stop and/or slow down.

Filed Feb 15, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 50 miles · NV

I have a 2008 toyota prius. From day one, I have had a problem with braking over uneven terrain. When the vehicle goes over the uneven terrain, and you are braking, the stability control light goes on the dash and the brakes stop working until the vehicle is past the uneven road. This also happens on icy roads when the vehicle starts to slip, the brakes fail. I did not think there was anything wrong until I heard of similar complaints. I am taking the vehicle in to the dealer this week for it's service and will be reporting the problem to them at that time.

Filed Feb 15, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 12,000 miles · IL

2008 toyota prius with anti-slip rear-wiggle upon hitting small bumps in road. The anti-slip electronic system is way too sensitive as it is responding to small bumps in the road. I can understand how this may be helpful at high speeds or icy conditions, but at slow speeds the blinking yellow skid-control dashboard light and rearend wiggle as the system tries to recover does seem annoying. The system is overly sensitive.

Filed Feb 15, 2010 · Acceleration, Brakes · 40,000 miles · NH · crash

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.

Filed Feb 15, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · IL

My 2008 toyota prius has the same problem as reported in the 2010 recall. When approaching an intersection (or doing anything), if my car hits a bump or pothole, the skid control takes over and I can not manually brake. Why is this not being addressed? The date in question I was approaching an intersection and hit a pothole and even though I was hitting the brakes, not until the skid control was finished could the brakes actually fire, and that didn't happen until my car was halfway in the intersection!

Filed Feb 14, 2010 · Brakes · 62,800 miles · 00 · crash

Hello, I live in israel, software expert, m.sc. In mechanical engineering. On feb 5th 2010 my prius 2008 crashed into the car driving ahead due to the brakes problem. Crash pre-conditions: low speed - 28km/hour (17.4mph), slippery road during the rain, more than sufficient distance to the car ahead. The car ahead started braking sharply, instantly strong braking has been applied to prius with no response for a few tenths of sec, there was a feeling of sliding which resulted in crash. During two years disproportionally low brakes response happened to me twice in similar low speed conditions; when coming to roundabouts at 15-20km/hour while applying significant pressure on brakes I came 2-3m further than expected with the feeling of very weak brakes response. Attempts to reproduce this condition didn't succeed, it happens in very specific circumstances. The crash resulted in no injuries, but significant damage to both cars (about $4000).

Filed Feb 14, 2010 · Brakes · 14,000 miles · IL

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. While driving approximately 6 MPH on an icy road surface; proceeding to make a right turn with pressure applied to brake pedal, there was a three second delay power response. The driver exerted excessive force to the brake pedal and suddenly, the vehicle slowed down. The vehicle was able to resume normal operation. The failure occurred whenever making a right turn on any type of road surface conditions. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the technician refused to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 14,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Feb 14, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · OH

Traction control issues with 2008 toyota prius. The traction control makes the car almost undriveable on snow covered roads due to power being removed from driving wheels. Suggest adding a switch to disable the traction control.

Filed Feb 12, 2010 · Brakes · 15,000 miles · MD · crash

On my 2008 prius I applied the brakes over anything other than perfectly smooth dry pavement and the "traction control" light comes on and the car stops all braking force momentarily for approximately a second or so. While this is usually just an annoyance I was driving on the washington capital beltway I-495 east near the route 50 the car ahead of me slammed on the brakes, I looked away briefly then hit the brakes and the brakes did not apply pressure consistently causing my car to run into the back of a larger truck which should have a far greater braking distance than my prius. I should have been able to brake in time.

Filed Feb 12, 2010 · Brakes · 500 miles · PA

I have a 2008 toyota prius and have had brake problems with this car since it was new been back to dealers at least 6 times only to be told "we cannot duplicate the problem". When it is raining and I first start out with the car the brakes will slam on and the tires will skid. My wife had the car out one time while I was in the hospital and she hurt her breast with the seatbelt when this happened to her. Also when I am stepping on the brakes when going over some bumps the right front wheel will lock up and the anti skid light comes on. This car is dangerous to drive and the last time I spoke to toyota tues of this week the person I spoke to said what would I like for toyota to do for me and I told him toyota should buy this car back from me and all he said was that is not going to happen. Just want to be heard at this point that is why I am making a complaint with the federal safety agency. We need to be heard.

Filed Feb 11, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 200 miles · NJ

We own two (2) prius cars. One is a 2008 touring model prius; the other is a 2010 prius v purchased in december 2009. Both cars have the braking issue when the antilock brakes are used on rough roads such as potholes. I have made this known to caldwell toyota - I was told both cars operate within specifications. Both cars "jump and lurch forward" when the brake pedal is "slammed on". I know that the 2010 prius should be recalled and repaired. My concern is that the same issue exists in the 2008 prius. Why is the 2008 year not being recalled?

Filed Feb 11, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 50,000 miles · MS

2008 prius which experiences momentary loss of braking on rough roads or surfaces which cause the feeling of a loss of braking momentarily.

Filed Feb 10, 2010 · Brakes · 5,000 miles · OH

When applying the brakes , over rough road the car will vault forward before stopping.

Filed Feb 10, 2010 · Brakes · 1,800 miles · AZ · crash

I was in williams, az on may 27, 2009. At the railroad rv park. Got into my 2008 prius to return to conress and immediately smashed into a post about 50 feet from my starting point. It happend so fast I don't know how it happened. Didn't even have a chance to apply the brake. Filed an accident report report with the williams police department since there was property damage to the rv post and my prius. Had moderate damage but was able to limp back home. Repaired my prius at a local collision shop. Drove down to the phoenix, az, area (almost 55 miles from home) about two months ago. After about the last 20 freeway miles I saw traffic stopped ahead at a stop sign. Started to apply the brakes and noticed that I didn't slow immediately. Finally ended up only about 50 feet from the car ahead. Had to aggressively apply the brakes when I saw I wasn't stopping as soon as I thought. Was relieved when I didn't plow into that car ahead this same occurance happened at least once earlier but was not as fightening. Sometimes, while stopped at a light, I have a feeling that someone bumped me in the rear, but I have never been bumped. This identical problem even occurred when I had my 2002 prius. Most service managers say "it is nothing to be worried about". Was hoping to have been able to wait until they produced a "plug-in" prius but I probably won't ever buy a toyota product again. I am really worried about a future accident in my prius and hate to drive it. My 2008 prius.

Filed Feb 10, 2010 · Brakes · 17,500 miles · VA

I have a 2008 prius. I have had several incidents of while traveling on bumpy roads, over potholes, loss of braking power. My speed has been on average between 20 and 35 miles per hour the brakes will not catch for 1 or 2 seconds. I have come close to having an accident on three separate occasions because of inability to stop within. This only appears to occur over bumpy roads and the traction control light flashes in each incident. One incident occurred about september 2009 and the latest incident I have noted below.

Filed Feb 9, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 18 miles · OH

I own a 2008 toyota prius and I have been experiencing the same braking as the issues as the recent 2010 recall since I have owned the car brand new. When coming to a stop on a semi rough road (all the time) the cars brakes stutter and the antilock engages and dis-engages creating the car to not have proper braking control. Nothing has been done to correct the issue.

Filed Feb 9, 2010 · Brakes · OH

My 2008 toyota prius has experienced multiple incidents in which the brakes do not kick in for a second or so when trying to brake going over rough roads. The anti-lock brake light comes on the dashboard, but the brakes themselves do not begin to slow down the car for a second or so.

Filed Feb 9, 2010 · Brakes · 22,000 miles · CA

I own a 2008 prius and have experienced a loss of braking sensation numerous times while driving on winding, or uneven road at slow speed. I thought I was just imagining this for a long time until recent weeks. I'm hoping that toyota will go back and fix earlier models as well.

Filed Feb 9, 2010 · Brakes · 61,000 miles · CA

My brakes flash a signal on the dash and feel like they 'release' when I am braking and drive across a rough spot. Also, today my car did the same thing when I went to accelerate from a stop light, the road was wet from rain. This has happened more times than I can count and I didn't realize it was a problem although it is very concerning, until the toyota recall information about the new prius. I drive the same road everyday and there is a down hill area that comes to a stop light and my car does this every time if I have to brake going down the hill for the light, unless I take my foot off the brakes when I hit the rough areas.

Filed Feb 9, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 34,250 miles · MN

The car's anti-lock brakes fail to engage when the traction control kicks in. Thus, the car slides forward uncontrollably. I have avoided accidents only by swerving. Additionally, the traction control will activate when on dry pavement. Thus, normal stopping can be difficult if the car's traction control is activated (typically due to a bump/pothole).

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