I purchased a 2009 toyota prius from my local dealer and have had the brakes do the same skipping as the 2010 model. When brought to the local dealers attention they stated that is the way the brakes work in anti lock mode. This has happened several times to her and just recently to me at night. So far there has been no accidents but I am concerned that it is only a matter of time. Thank you.
2009 Toyota Prius brakes complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 199, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The braking problem that has been reported in the 2010 prius is not limited to that model year. I have a 2009 (2nd generation) prius and I have at times experienced the same slight braking problem when going over a bump or a railroad track.
I drive a leased 2009 prius. This is my family's first hybrid vehicle. Enroute home after work each weekday (a drive totalling 5 miles), I drive down a typical los angeles main street, that has numerous potholes. If braking when riding over the potholes, the car surges forward for a second, and seems uncontrollable. Because it has done this since our lease of the prius (we got it last march, new), I attributed it to my needing to get used to the difference between a hybrid and the 2008 camry we own, and try to refrain from braking over potholes when possible. Now that I know this is a defect, I am concerned about continuing to drive either car with my 3 year old in it..... Please expand the research on toyota's braking system for prius beyond 2010 models.
2009 toyota prius hit pothole and car lurches forward. Brake light comes on for a second.
I purchased a 2009 toyota prius from dunning toyota in ann arbor, michigan in october 2008. Unfortunately I, as well, have absolutely experienced sudden brake loss when hitting my brakes "hard and suddenly". It feels like you are sliding on ice and the vehicle is "locked" - you have no control. As others have stated recently, this suddenly locked brake loss occurs for approximately a second to second and a half. This has occurred to me 4 or 5 times in the past year. I didn't think too much about it until the news reports, and my wife indicated that it too has occurred to her 3 times in the past year. I noticed that when it does occur that if I take my foot off the brake and then slowly depress down I regain my brakes again. Although the service has been good through the dealership, I had to be honest in filing this complaint for myself and the publics safety.
I am experiencing momentary loss of braking capability while driving over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump. This happens frequently in my car. Sometimes even on a stop sign and making a right turn into a state high way it feels like jumping off with no control of the car.
Braking over uneven road surface such as manholes, railroad crossings and broken pavement, the car's rate of deceleration is briefly halted (giving a sensation of acceleration).
On the morning of june 9, 2009 I was traveling south on I-93 near the town of medford, ma. I was on my way to logan airport to return the 2009 toyota prius I had rented that previous wednesday. It was approximately 9:30 am; the freeway was still bumper-to-bumper with rush hour traffic. I was in the left-hand lane of the highway and traffic was stop and go. A gap opened up in traffic and I accelerated. The car in front of me (approximately 60') suddenly stopped. I slammed on the brakes but my car kept going. There was nothing I could do as my car plowed into the car in front of me, at the speed of approximately 10 MPH. The impact was sufficient to dislodge my front license plate. There was no apparent damage to the car in front of me, however the two passengers were extremely shaken up. There was a massachusetts state trooper on the scene who took all the information but did not file a report. As soon as I could, at about 11:00 am, I called my insurance company, usaa to report the accident, and I explained all of the details to them.
On my 2009 toyota prius, I consistently experience braking difficulties on rough or uneven surfaces. If I am pressing on the brake and pass thru a hole or hump in the road, the car flashes the stability control warning lights and I have no brakes what-so-ever for what feels like a few seconds. If I release the brake and press down again, I then have brake control back. I reported this to my dealership several times in the past year and continue to receive the same response 'that is the way the brakes are on the prius.'
2009 toyota prius also suffers from temporary loss of braking after hitting potholes or other rough road surface. This problem has existed since the car was new. This is an ongoing problem.
Continual problem whenever we try to brake, the car will begin to accelerate. This problem has been apparent since we purchased the car and each time we mention it at the servicing, we are told the brakes are working fine.
In may 2009 I purchased a 2009 toyota prius my prius has had similar braking problems as those described as affecting the 2010 prius models. In august 2009 I brought my prius in to the toyota service department because I had experienced a significant lag in braking (more than 1 second) while slowing to a stop. Since then I have experienced the same problem on several other occasions. Unlike the first time I experienced the problem, the recent occurrences have happened when I was trying to brake and hit a small pothole and when braking and hit a lane divider. Although the media reports do not indicate that this problem affects prius models other than the new 2010 models sold prior to january 2010 I would like toyota and the federal safety agency to be aware of the fact that my 2009 prius is having similar problems.
I noticed on my toyota prius 2009 takes about a second or two to actually brake. I noticed that even when I start braking slightly the car does slow down but I have to press harder (more than half way in) for the car to respond on braking.
Toyota prius - are you guys paying attention to this?
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. While the contact was driving 50 MPH he attempted to stop the vehicle and noticed that the brakes were taking longer than usual to stop the vehicle. The contact also noticed that the vehicle lunged forward before coming to a complete stop. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer who stated that the failure could not be reproduced. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 9500.
I own a 2009 toyota prius and notice a delay in braking specially over bumpy roads or ice, also at higher speeds. When you apply the brake the vsc light comes on in the dashboard and the car travels freely for a couple of meters sometimes even accelerating a bit before the brakes actually engage. This is observed very often.
Prius braking failure. I have experienced several instances (four or five) of a braking failure on my 2009, second generation toyota prius. It has occurred during relatively slow speed braking, such as approaching a stop sign, coincident with hitting a severe bump, such as a pot hole or crossing rough railroad tracks. There appears to be a surge where the brakes are ineffective for a short period of time---less than a second. I describe it as a surge but it may well be just a total release of the brakes. It seems to be most severe the greater the bump. I have only experienced this at speeds less than 30 MPH or so. There has been no loss of control of the vehicle. Normal braking returns immediately. I have owned the vehicle since november, 2008. This problem was reported to my dealer who suggested that it was normal anti-lock braking action and expressed little interest in trying to determine the cause. I've been driving for over 50 years and at least 10 years with anti-lock brakes and have never felt this type of action from any other vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH he had to brake hard and fast. The vehicle slowed down but crashed into a truck. The contact stated the vehicle was totaled. Updated 04/28/10.*jb the consumer stated he never felt the ABS activate. Updated 02/24/10.*jb updated 3/8/10 *cn the consumer stated he did not hear the anti-lock system sound or feel the usual brake pedal vibration. The vehicle slowed initially, then deceleration began with no lock up of tires and no apparent anti-lock system engagement. The accident was due to the vehicles failure to stop as expected. Updated 05/11/10.
My 2009 model toyota prius is having similar braking problems being reported on 2010 model prius. Car loses braking power when driving over uneven surfaces.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that in slippery weather, when he depressed the brake pedal, he did not notice an immediate response in the braking system. It seemed to "lag" so he would continue pressing down until it kicked in. He noticed the issue everytime it was raining or there was slippery weather. He took the vehicle to the dealership but the dealer could find nothing wrong with the vehicle. He had not called the manufacturer to-date. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was 11,248. The failure mileage was approximately 50.
Any time the "slippery condition" light comes on (for instance, when going over a pothole or a patch of water on the road), my 2009 prius jumps forward. I told the dealership about this in the fall and was told that the car was working properly. Now, it appears that there are others with 2010 priuses with the same problem, but mine is a 2009. I have a young daughter and I won't put her in this car anymore because it's winter now and it happens on slippery roads nearly every time I drive.
I have a 2009 toyota prius hybrid . Occasionally when I step on the brake the car does not stop immediately even at slow speeds when braking. I now hit the brakes about 10 feet before a stop sign or light, so I wont go into the oncoming lane. I have not taken it in to get looked at yet.
Waiting for my husband at his mother's assisted living residence, I put my 2009 prius in park mode. Deciding to return to the bldg entrance, I put the car in reverse (out of parking mode) and let it go at its own speed. My foot never touched the accelerator. I was about to turn the wheel to reenter the entrance area, when the car started to accelerate. I quickly put my foot on the brake but the brakes didn't work. I then saw a woman in the rear view mirror, about a foot from me standing on the curb in front of the bldg's glass faade. I turned the wheel just missing her as well as the bldg. Frantically pressing the brakes while the car continued accelerating more, I almost went on to a busy st. Across from a mall. Somehow I saved myself & others by turning the steering wheel to the rt, reentering the property via a curb cut for wheelchairs, etc. I missed hitting a pole but ran over 2 trees, which the car severed & which abruptly stopped the car, just before hitting a brick wall. This all happened at night, in the dark, in reverse.the policeman & the tow truck operator were incredulous how the car got into that space. It was towed to a nearby toyota dealer, where the brakes were pronounced "perfect". So my husband insisted I be checked out. While relating the incident to the doctor, the dr. Googled "prius brake/acceleration problems" & found many & printed 1 of a 2009 prius where the driver encountered 3 such occurrences "due to a combination of mysterious acceleration and loss of brakes". The dr. Was certain I was the 'victim", but suggested I have an mri "to be sure"--which I did & I'm fine. That I was in control in a totally uncontrollable situation at night with a car in reverse, where I almost killed someone & possibly killed or hurt others, including myself, and done considerable damage along the way is a miracle and the culprit, I'm convinced, is/was a "glitch" in the car's computer.
My company provides for me a 2009 toyota prius and it has been my primary vehicle for the past 36,000 miles. I've noticed braking issues ever since I got it brand new at the dealership. The brakes normally work exceptionally well. This car stops extremely well under normal conditions. However, if while braking, I hit any type of bump or hole or any rumble strips or anything like that, the car feels like the brakes just go away. Sometimes it even feels like the car begins to accelerate for a brief moment! Again, this only happens if I hit a pothole, bump, etc. It happens enough that I've thought of setting up an experiment of running over a whole row of rumble strips just to see if the car would stop at all. It's almost like the car won't begin to stop until it's on smooth pavement again after the bumpy part. It's unfortunate because under normal conditions the prius has excellent stopping power, in my opinion. Anyway, that's about it. I can't explain it much better than that.
Acceleration of 2009 prius when braking and hit a pothole.
Brigham physician killed in car crash top internist was loved by patients, hospital's staff she was a mother, wife, doctor, and supervisor. Globe staff / april 23, 2009 email| print| single page| yahoo! Buzz| sharethistext size ' + the popular medical director of a major physicians' group at brigham and women's hospital died tuesday after she was involved in a head-on car crash near her home in needham. Police and relatives said it appeared that an internist who for the past 27 years served as medical director of brigham internal medicine associates, crossed into oncoming traffic shortly before 6 p.m. As she was driving home from work in her 2007 toyota prius on greendale avenue. The 60-year-old relatively small hybrid car collided with a toyota sequoia. The woman who was driving the sport utility vehicle and her two passengers suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. Their names were not released. Investigators said it does not appear that speed or alcohol played a role in the crash, but police said they are investigating whether she was using her blackberry at the time. The speed limit on the road is 40 miles per hour. They also said it does not appear that she was wearing a seat belt. The three in the sequoia were wearing seat belts.
2009 prius brake failure in less than 1" snow covered road. Car slid to stop with no brake control. Pedestrian in road uninjured because they moved out of car path!! Second time no brake control in snow. Car had been recently inspected with no brake findings. Will no longer drive car in snow until remedied.
Driving car on los angeles freeway during a gentle rain. I was going slow and a car cut in front of me and when I went to brake, the car began to accelerate. Took car to hamer toyota in mission hills and they tested the car and said the brakes were fine. Today's headlines that I am not the only person that is experiencing this problem makes me all the more concerned.
I have a 2009 toyota prius, and the brakes do not always engage. There have been several instances where I felt that the car would not stop, one time I even engaged the emergency brake to stop it from going into my garage wall. I have had it into my dealer about 4 times, and each time they haven't found any problem and that "it is just the way the car works" .
At all speeds below 15mph, the prius' electrical braking system "pulses" the brakes resulting in a deceleration that is not smooth. The effect is similar to that you might expect as the transmission downshifts. But...the transmission effect can be eliminated since the brake pulsing effect remains after the vehicle's transmission was placed in neutral and the brakes were applied. The local albuquerque prius dealership indicated this pulsing is "normal" for the prius. On slippery pavement, this effect could be deadly. The braking should be smooth throughout the braking cycle. It is not. Disregard date - this is an ongoing problem.
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