My wife and I were driving down a residential street approaching a stop sign. There were two cars stopped at the sign. Several hundred feet from the stop, I took my foot off the accelerator. The car did not slow down. I stepped on the brake. The car did not slow down. I stood on the brake as hard as I could. The car did not slow down. I said to my understandably alarmed wife, we're not stopping. And we didn't until we smashed into the back of a tahoe stopped at the stop sign, doing major damage to the prius that rendered it undriveable and perhaps totaled. My wife has a very sore back that I am hoping starts to feel better today or we will have to schedule a doctor's appointment.
2009 Toyota Prius acceleration complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 71, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I pulled my toyota prius into my driveway, stepped on the brake, opened the garage door and waited for my husband to get out of the car. He opened the passenger side door and started to move his foot out the door but before he even got one foot out, the car surged ahead and ran into the garage, pretty much destroying all the storage units on the right side of the garage. My husband thinks the car was going between 35 and 40 MPH. Since my accident there have been two other incidents of toyotas accelerating independently in palo alto. One ran into a house on park avenue, destroying the front wall and front door of the house. A few days later, a toyota ran over a curb, across a lawn and into a corner of a house on north california ave. Both of these incidents were reported to the police unfortunately, I cannot get the name and contact of the other two drivers because my name is not on the police reports. My questions are these: is there any legal way to get the information about these other 2 drivers? Also, someone told me they thought there is a class action suit out against toyota because of acceleration problems. Is there any way to find out about that? I am aware that this is probably just a problem I will have to deal with but I always try everything.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated while the brakes were depressed the vehicle accelerated abnormally. The contact crashed into a post office building as a result. The contact sustained injuries to the head, shoulder, neck and back. The police were contacted and a report was taken. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 32,000.
I was gliding into a commercial parking space with my foot off the accelerator in the second before I moved my foot onto the brake. Suddenly, the accelerator pushed down by itself, the car surged forward towards the truck in the space in front of mine. I slammed on the brake. End of incident. No mat was in the way. I had taken part in the recall.
I was driving my 6-month old 2009 prius one summer day on a dry, paved, slightly downward incline when the following problem occurred. As I approached a traffic circle at about 5 MPH and then applied the brakes, my car jumped forward for about a second and a gold light on the dash was briefly visible through my peripheral vision. Because I was familiar with anti-lock braking systems, I think that I kept my foot on the brake pedal, though I may have reflexively released it in my startle. At any rate the car stopped a few feet later. Thankfully there was no collision, largely due, I believe, to my habit of coasting to a stop when practical. However, this was a bit unnerving, and also since it was during the period of concern about toyota prius' unintended acceleration, I made a point of reporting it to my car dealer. I could not identify which dash light had flashed for a second. The dealer's response was that there was probably an uneven surface on the road that caused the problem. Sure enough, there had been both a shallow pothole and a bit of gravel where the stopping problem occurred. However, I take issue with toyota's blaming road conditions for this problem when clearly the problem is that the car cannot respond appropriately even during very slow speeds. The problem hasn't recurred because I avoided the pothole afterward and never have to stop on a dime, pothole or no. I have had cars with anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and never encountered this problem with them. Therefore, imo toyota needs to improve the ABS or the (then new) stability control feature on priuses, both of which my car has. In all of the hype about toyota cars' sustained unintended acceleration, I do not remember that this other event that I have described was also being addressed. How come? Where are the federal safety agency, nasa, and toyota on this?
I have a 2009 prius base with 42k miles. After placing the vehicle in park and waiting in the vehicle, it suddenly lurched forward about 1 or 2 inches and with enough force to shatter a light post. This seems a dangerous flaw. It happens frequently; after speaking with a repair shop, I was told this is normal for a prius and is part of the recharging design of the hybrid system. I was advised to use the parking brake whenever possible. This seems dangerous.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that when the vehicle stopped it suddenly accelerated. The contact attempted to apply the brakes but the vehicle would not slow down causing the vehicle to crash into a wall. The crash the air bags did not deploy and the contact suffered injuries to the neck, knee, and chest. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the crash and the manufacturer stated that they wanted to inspect the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe and does not want it repaired. The failure mileage was 9,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle was at a complete stop when it suddenly accelerated. The vehicle crashed into the brick wall although the driver was attempting to apply the brakes. The driver experienced severe whiplash, swelling in her chest, bruising on her ribs and shoulder. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There was no mention of the vehicle being destroyed. A few months prior to the failure the dealer performed an complete vehicle inspection and dealer stated that there was nothing wrong it. The manufacturer was not notified. The current and failure mileages were approximately 8,000.
2009 toyota prius. Consumer states problem with brakes *tgw the consumer stated on four occasions, when he applied the brakes, the vehicle would continue to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer after the third incident. However, the dealer was unable to diagnose a problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that after putting his foot on the brake pedal the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front of him. There were no injuries and the police were not called. The federal safety agency campaign id number: 09v388000 vehicle speed control, accelerator pedal was issued after this incident and the recall repair was performed. The failure had not occurred since the recall repair. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 31,000 and the current mileage was 36,000.
Event: incomplete brake feel, during slow and steady application of brakes on slick or rough road surfaces, when the anti-lock brake system (ABS) is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction. The system engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to the tire slippage. If the same brake force is applied under these conditions, in the worst case, this may lead to an increase of vehicle stopping distance and thus raise the possibility of a crash. Toyota says that the older priuses, like mine, use a different ABS system, and so are not subject to recall. But it seems like a similar issue. Failure: whenever there is a slick, wet road. Correction: I checked with the dealer, all systems were checked safe, tires' psi were adjusted, it was felt that there was some tire noise. Incident continues intermittently.
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle abnormally accelerated at a rapid rate of speed. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle and crashed into a brick wall. The contact was uninjured. A police report was available. The vehicle was repaired by the dealer however, the contact did not feel safe driving the vehicle and traded the vehicle for another. She stated she had experienced numerous unintended acceleration incidents prior to the crash. The contact called the manufacturer who inspected the vehicle but offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 20,001 and the current mileage was approximately 20,045.
When at a complete stop at a stop light our 2009 prius tried to accelerate on its own and my husband had to stand on the brakes to keep it from moving forward. Toyota was able to get info off their black box showing both the accelerator and brakes were applied at the same time. We keep hoping they are researching this problem but their call this week (after reporting this about 90 days ago and 2 black box downloads at the dealership) says it was driver error since they couldn't duplicate it and their engineers say it is within normal operating range. Toyota rep "l" says toyota is not releasing how many unintentional acceleration issues they have had since it is proprietary information and that they will not discuss other trends or cases they are not looking for trends between reports only downloading each individual car's info not looking at what is written in the complaint. She says toyota and your government can't find anything which means it must be safe. Safe? We have not let our kids ride in this car for over 6 months as we hoped a solution would come up from toyota but now we just really need info to know what is really going on with these vehicles and how many accidents there really are. The toyota rep on the phone says they have never duplicated a customer concern and that ours is unusual because people usually report right away and after an accident. I had asked how busy they are since it took so loooong to respond and she stated she takes about 2-5 calls a day, but previously had been taking 10-15 per day and there are about 40 people in her position. How many issues are there and is this a big deal about nothing or a big coverup? We just want to make a good decision for our family please help!
I was involved in 2 identical accidents over the past 6 months with the same car, a 2009 toyota prius. In december '09 I was making a right turn to pull into a parking spot. I was completely in the spot and went to come to a full stop when my 2009 toyota prius suddenly accelerated and crashed into a car. Then again on june 21, 2010, I was making a right turn into a parking spot and the same car suddenly accelerated as I went to come to a full stop in the parking spot. This time the car jumped the curb and went through a chain link fence. Both times I was making a right turn into the spot, both times I was braking and both times the car accelerated as I went to come to a full stop. The dec '09 accident was reported to the police, the june'10 accident was not.
Two unaccounted acceleration single vehicle accidents with 2009 toyota prius. After accident of april 30, 2010 per my request, vehicle was inspected by a consultant from toyota.[may 26, 2010]. Toyota is saying car is safe. Car was returned to me on may 28, 2010. First accident occurred august, 31, 2009. Both accidents occurred under similar circumstances; driving at slow acceleration while making a right turn. Accident #1 turning a corner, accident #2 pulling into a parking slot in a parking lot. Both times engine revved and car lurched forward. In first accident car crashed into a tree, in second accident car ran over a landscaping boulder which stopped it from crashing into the street. The boulder was stuck under the middle of the car. Two wheels on each side of it and front wheels were off of the ground. The front wheels were still turning after I got out of the car. I got back in the car and turned off the engine. I am requesting toyota replace this vehicle with a like value vehicle. I have pictures taken at the time of the accident of april 30, 2010 and detailed explanations of both accidents. Damages from both accidents was approximately 20,000 dollars . My insurance company found me at fault for the accident of august 31, 2009 because all of the car's warning lights came on and I glanced at the dash. The insurance company has found me not at fault for the accident of april 30, 2010. I received a recall notice from toyota after the accident of april 30th. However, I was told that this had nothing to do with the accidents. My car has had a number of unusual issues since its purchase. This is documented with toyota service. This car was purchased new and has 11,000 miles on it. Updated ivoq 09/08/10*jb
2009 toyota prius. Consumer states unintended acceleration. *tgw the consumer stated as she made a u-turn to park, she moved the gear shifter from reverse to drive when the accelerator became stuck and the vehicle went forward despite the fact she was pressing on the brake and the vehicle did not stop until she ended up in a ditch. *jb updated 05/05/10.
2009 toyota prius - unintended acceleration. On this vehicle, uncontrolled acceleration can be reproduced at will. I called toyota and they are treating it as yet another crank call, service manager advised to remove floor mat and bring in later in week. I would hate to see it swept under the carpet like other recent complaints.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated to 60 MPH after he applied pressure to the accelerator pedal at a traffic light. The driver was able to stop the vehicle and drive onto the emergency lane where the vehicle was left overnight. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but no repairs were made when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000. The current mileage was 18,224.
I was driving my newly purchased 2009 toyota prius (VIN# [xxx]) on rt 66 in arlington virginia on march 31, 2010. I was driving approximately 50-60 miles per hour and accelerating. I took my foot off the accelerator to slow the car and the car kept accelerating. I then depressed the brake, but the car did not slow, and in fact I heard what sounded like the engine 'gunning' and it continued to accelerate. I pressed the brake down as far as it would go and while the car slowed its acceleration, it did not slow or stop the car. As soon as I lifted my foot from the brake, the car began to accelerate again and I could hear the engine racing. I pressed the brake again, and the same thing happened ' the car slowed its acceleration, but did not slow its overall speed. As soon as I lifted my foot from the brake, the car accelerated. I did this three times, becoming increasingly afraid. I then jammed my foot hard on the brake and pulled off onto the side of the highway. I turned the car off, and it finally stopped. I sat there for a few moments, then turned the car back on and got back onto the highway. As soon as I got up to highway speeds, the same thing happened again ' the car accelerated on its own and the brake would not stop the car. I pulled over a second time and turned the car off as the only was I could find to stop it. I turned the car on again, and this time was able to reach my destination with no more incidents. I reported the problem to the carmax dealer from whom it was purchased and have been on hold to report this directly to toyota for over 30 minutes, but have been unable to get through. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
2009 toyota prius. Consumer states extraordinary experience with brake/acceleration problems. *tgw the consumer stated while waiting for her husband, she put the vehicle in park mode. She then decided to return to the front entrance of the building. She put the gear into reverse and let the vehicle go at its own speed. She stated she never touched the accelerator, but as she was about to turn the wheel to go through the front entrance, the vehicle then accelerated quickly. The consumer quickly put her foot on the brake, but they didn't work. She quickly turned the steering wheel to the right to avoid hitting a pedestrian. She ran over 2 trees, which brought the vehicle to a stop.
We purchased a 2009 prius, 11/08. In 3/16/09 it accelerated unexpectedly on the nj turnpike near newark airport, a speed judged at 85 miles/hour. I was the driver, there were 4 passengers. Clearly unattended acceleration not caused by a floor mat. Scenario: traveling in right lane, came up behind cement mixer traveling at 45-50 mi/hour; accelerated quickly to get into middle lane; middle lane traffic constant, traveling min. 70 mi/hour; once in middle lane, de-accelerated; instead of de-accelerating, the car engine roared, taking off at an unbelievable speed; turned on flashers, put foot on brake; able to control speed of car, breaking all the time, engine roaring. No place to pull over. Only thought: get to toll booth, hope I could stop it completely with brake; suddenly, after about 5 min., there was a sound in the engine (?) like a thud; car resumed normal operations. Follow-up: went into nyc, drove car home that evening, 3 hour drive; husband took car to vineland toyota dealer where bought; they said black box showed that, in addition to most recent acceleration, there were prior accelerations; we never noticed them; they could find nothing wrong with it; said mat had been the problem; husband, former ceo/amer. Lung assoc., contacted toyota regional, saying that he was not satisfied with diagnosis of problem - we were afraid to drive the car. Knew management because of toyota's support of ala. In fact, after his retirement, endorsed '02 prius in toyota brochure, and was featured in 2 toyota videos; management sent techs from reg. Office; reps concurred with dealer: problem was floor mat. Outcome: no work we know of was done to rectify acceleration; mat removed, but couldn't see how it interfered with pedal. Couldn't replicate the event by moving mat around. No explanation for thud; little likelihood that the mat could slip back in place. Don't trust car! Please advise us of your intent on this matter. Thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that while approaching a traffic light at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The vehicle proceeded to crash into another vehicle before coming to a stop. There were two injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle had not been tested or investigated by the dealer. The failure mileage and VIN were not available at the time of the complaint.
Tl* the contact rented a 2009 toyota prius. While driving at speeds of 40 MPH up hill, the vehicle abnormally accelerated and crashed into an 18-wheel truck. The driver sustained a broken leg and was transported to the hospital via helicopter. The front end of the vehicle was severely damaged and was towed back to the rental car company. The contact secured legal council to handle the matter. The failure mileage was 12,299 and the current was unknown.
This is extremely urgent! I own a 2009 toyota prius with no floor mats in it at all and the gas pedal stuck once a few days before the driver in california(2008 prius)was stuck speeding on highway and stopped by police. After seeing that story, I was compelled to share my story. Toyota refused to help me saying my year wasn't in recall list. It happen the same way it happen to him in calif. I was accelerating on highway to pass driver and it stuck for 20 seconds then unstuck. I slammed on brakes which didn't help much. I started going upwards to 70 mphs with braked to the floor. There were no floor mats in car at the time. I'm afraid I will be the next prius that may cause accident or even kill someone. Please help! Toyota refuses to see my car! I don't know what to do...maybe I should go to the news. I'm scared!
My 2009 toyota prius was stopped at a traffic light when it suddenly lurched forward. My foot was on the brake at the time. I brought my car to my toyota dealer, where they inspected it and told me that they couldn't tell me why it happened.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact was driving approximately 2 MPH into a parking space with pressure applied to the brake pedal. The vehicle slowed down, followed by an unexpected acceleration. The vehicle crashed into a handicap parking pole. There were no injuries. There was a separate occasion when the gear selector failed to shift into reverse gear or park position. The failure occurred intermittently vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The technician stated that the vehicle was functioning properly. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 36,000.
I just bought a 2009 prius & there are so many issues with unexpected acceleration & vehicle not going into park or reverse just stops in neutral, I was at a heb sore trying to park, all of a sudden my car sped up an hit a pole in front of me, I was trying to park, with my foot on break, so as to slow down, yesterday I had my wife drive the prius & the car suddenly stopped would not go into reverse or drive, that was very dangerous then they pull into a target parking lot I had to drive out there to meet them, it took almost 1hr & 3mins to get the car in reverse, off course I called my toyota sales guy this being the third time I have reported this incident & the keep down playing it saying there is nothing wrong, not really looking into it.
Previous to the accident at the 5,000 mile check up I had reported to the toyota dealer that the car would sometimes jump forward when the engine transitioned from electric to gas mode. They assured me that this was normal. On february 4th at 1035 I was stopped at an intersection behind a large van. The car was in the electric mode when the gas mode kicked in and the engine raced up and the car lunged forward striking the van in front of me. There was no damage the van, the front of my car was damaged. I called the police. The van driver had a disabled passenger and left as there was no damage to his vehicle. The police arrived and I explained that my car had for some reason lunged forward striking the other vehicle. Since no one was injured he wasn't required to take a statement from me the next day february 5th I took my car to the toyota dealership for my 10,000 mile check up and again explained about the car lunging forward during the transition from electric to gas mode. No action taken other than assuring me that this normal. On march 4th while sitting at another intersection the car again lunged forward for about 6 feet before the full depression of the brake caused the engine RPM to come down and the car to stop. At this time I called and spoke to the general manager of the toyota dealership and he said to bring the vehicle out to the dealership and they would run a full set of tests. On march 10 I returned the vehicle to the toyota dealership and they kept the vehicle overnight and returned to me the next day march 11, 2010. According to the maintenance chief there was nothing in the tests that indicated any problems. Unsatisfactory answers each time I have complained about the problem, now my car is damaged and toyota says everything is fine, I think not.
While in 'cruise control' with no use of the gas pedal, the car started to increase speed beyond the set speed. When I realized what was happening, I stepped on the brake which overrode speed control and began slowing down as it normally would if the car was not accelerating but at steady speed, note: date below is approximate. Event happened twice during summer of 2009 at high speed (setting at 70mph).
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. While driving 70 MPH with the cruise control engaged the contact applied the brakes and noticed that the cruise control would not disengage.the contact had to apply the brakes three times in order for the cruise control to disengage. The manufacturer was called and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealership. The contact stated that the failure with the cruise control was directly related to the sudden acceleration with his toyota vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 6,200.
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