Brakes seem to fail when braking over a depression in the road or when braking on icy patches of the road. This has happened at least five times in december, 2009 and january/february 2010. Prius
2010 Toyota Prius brakes complaints
Page 35 of 66: complaints 1,001 to 1,030 of 1,945, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Loss of braking power (weak braking) when rolling over bumps, pot holes and even cracks in the pavement.
1.I purchased this 2010 prius in august 2010. I have experienced unanticipated acceleration two times since the last (initial) service. Once with my husband driving on route 17 and the other time while I was driving on a local road. 2.as I stated in my service paperwork when the car was first serviced, there is a problem with the brakes. They do not stop on uneven road surfaces, such as pot holes, bumps, etc. Your service department said that this is caused by the ABS and it is ?normal?. Obviously there is still a problem. Please advise what will be done to correct this issue. 3.when start the engine first thing in the morning (or when the car has not been driven for a while) often, but not always, it makes a grinding noise when starting
I have experienced the momentary loss of brakes on my 2010 prius numerous times under various driving conditions. All of the instances occurred at fairly low speeds and I considered it more of a nuisance or " nature of the beast " than anything else. Once was on a level, dry, residential road approaching a stop sign. Another has happened a number of times at the same spot (a right hand turn onto a residential street - my route home from work ). And a couple of times on snow covered roads ( I actually thought those were very short skids before the ABS engaged)
When reversing, brakes occasionally grab causing occupants to jerk forward.
I own a 2010 toyota prius which I purchased in august 2009. When I drive down a bumpy hill near my home, the brakes temporarily fail to hold if I am braking while going over the bumps themselves. It feels like the car it taking off after each bump. I believe I am experiencing the same problem as other prius owners are. Thank you for you attention to this matter.
Brakes either slip or car leaps forward when brakes are engaged and car goes over rough or slippery pavement or a pothole
I purchased a 2010 prius on july 23, 2009. I took it to the dealer december 14, 2009 with the following complaint: rear brakes will lock up and slide when turning corners, they will also lock up when backing slowly. The first time they did that I thought I had hit something. The dealer kept the car overnight. The technician said he could not duplicate the action and the shop mgr. Spoke with toyota technician and was told there were no known concerns at that time. Since then I have called several times about the problem but no one would take me serious.
We bought a 2010 prius iii at the end of december 2009. We have noticed a braking problem as follows: with brake pedal pressed, going over a bump, the car will lunge forward 1 to 2 feet, even though the brake is pressed and car moving very slowly. This has happened about 6 or 7 times, most recently 2/4/10. We are careful to stop with significant room before a car ahead at stop lights and intersections but cannot foresee all situations. We have a teenage driver and it is therefore especially important this be fixed. We have reported it to the dealer.
This is the second time my car has hit a pothole in the road and the brakes stopped working. The first time I thought it was just me, but the second time I realized it was really happening and scary. I was headed southbound on rowena blvd in los angeles, was starting my deceleration when I hit this pot hole on the right side of the road. For about 2 seconds my car stopped decelerating and I could feel no power on the brake pads, then suddenly the brake power returned.
Since purchasing my 2010 toyota prius, I have had serious issues and safety concerns with the braking system. When you brake and hit a bump or pothole or large dip, the brake cut out and the car is not controllable until a few moments later. I reported this to the dealer and was assured it was performing as intended and normal for an anti-lock system. Having used anti-lock brakes for nearly 20 years, I know this to not be the case and stated this. I now understand this problem is widespread. My most recent email to toyota is attached: date: february 7, 2010 11:46:13 am est dear I received your email address this morning and felt I should forward on my earlier emails (regarding braking problems with my 2010 prius) to colonial toyota directly to you - please find them below. I understand that late friday toyota corporation advised dealers that corporate would announce a fix early this week. I honestly would have preferred to have learned this from colonial, than from the ny times. As I expressed during my sales experience and troubles with cash for clunker program - I understand there are certain things as a dealer that you are not in control of, but I expect and would appreciate clear and timely communication. Moreover, given the seriousness of this as a safety concern, I am concerned that the service department did not at least offering to help look into my braking issue when I verbally reported it during service. Instead, I was assured it was normal for anti-lock brakes and my clear statement that it was something I had never encountered before, despite owning anti-lock equipped cars for the past 19 years was dismissed. I would like to reiterate my request below regarding bringing my vehicle in immediately to fix the issue (and related damage) as soon as you able to and providing a loaner at toyota's expense. I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Faulty brakes on 2010 prius. I noticed within a week or so after purchase in november, 2009 that when going over a bump or pothole in the road and I used the brake pedal, there was a delay wherein the car seemed to accelerate over the problem in the road, nearly leading me to collision with another vehicle or pedestrian. Since november it's been a constant, frightening problem.
Experienced brake "slippage" on 2010 prius. "slippage" or quick temporary feeling that brake gave way occurred while descending a small hill with bumpy pavement. Occurred about 6 times without incident. Occurred also more recently once on icy pavement.
I've been hearing in the news about the potential of a braking issue with the 2010 toyota prius. Just wanted to let you know that I definitely noticed this issue in my new prius. Approximately once a month, when I'm braking over an uneven or slippery surface, especially if it is only one side of the car going over the slippery surface, while I'm braking, there is a moment lasting less than a second where it feels like the brakes disengage. (causes your heart to skip a beat when it happens.) I also noticed a separate quirk the other day that I want to pass on to you. I'm not sure if this was done deliberately by toyota or whether this is a defect, however, I believe my speedometer is calibrated so that it reads a speed that is 2 MPH faster than my actual speed. I noticed this when I went on a trip and used my wife's tom tom, which uses its GPS signal to measure the speed of the car. The tom tom is usually spot on in my wife's acura. In the prius, it was indicating that my true speed was 2 MPH less than what my speedometer indicated. I'm wondering if this wasn't somehow intentionally done by toyota to get better perceived gas mileage by the driver. Having the car get over the 50 mpg threshold is a big marketing advantage for them. Getting over this threshold would be easier if the actual speed of the car was less than the perceived speed.
Driving at very slow speed...braking at stop sign behind another car; needed to hit the brakes--not quite "slam on the brakes" --as I realized I was closer to car in front of me than I'd thought. Car in front of me pulled away at the same time (fortunately) as my car lurched forward; I didn't feel it was going to stop; when I then proceeded car made horrible noises...sounded I thought bottom was going to fall out. Have experienced the same "not going to stop" feeling a second time since. What followed? Called dealership immediately; they suggested I come in for brake check, which I did following day. Told it was going to cost $125; we discussed likelihood that problem probably wouldn't happen for the mechanic, I decided against spending money for brake check up when service dept. Told me it was "just the way prius' ABS brakes work." when I asked about the news reports I'd heard about this braking problem they didn't know anything about it, pointed to absence of info on toyota's website for service departments and said media often blows things out of proportion. Called toyota corp and case manager that returned call to me had no information about media reports I referred to.
When applying the brakes over a bumpy or metallic surface, there is a uncomfortable delay until the brakes "kick in". This has been going on for some time.
We have twice experienced a brake cut-out, where we are coming to a stop sign with foot on brake and hit a bump/pot hole and the car lurches ahead as though we have temporarily removed our foot from the brake even though we haven't.
Experienced loss of braking while decelerating on a down hill slope with ramp from I-55 north to bayless in st. Louis when hitting a pot hole in the 2010 prius hybrid. The pothole has since been fixed and have not experienced any problems since. *tw
All three drivers of our 2010 prius have repeatedly experienced the following braking problem: if you drive over a bump, pot hole or manhole cover while braking normally at speeds under 25 MPH, the brakes feel as if they instantaneously disengage for about 1 second. Normal braking soon returns, but there is a dangerous increase in breaking distance when you need it most. We have identified certain road locations in our area where this problem is repeatable even under dry road conditions. This problem has resulted in a few close calls, but so far, no accidents. However, I am absolutely convinced that a defect such as this will result in some drivers having accidents. *tw
I was driving from l.a. To roseville ca on I-5 north in my new 2010 toyota prius. Because I was driving at night it wasn't very busy and I had the cruise control on at 65 MPH. In the distance I saw some cars pushing their brake pedals so I wanted to brake as well a little to 1) deactivate the cruise control, 2) reduce speed. Pushing it very gently, absolutely nothing happened. This scared me and I pushed harder, then my 2010 prius started braking way more aggressively. I noticed along the way and also after this that this behavior is consequent. While driving on the highway, I cannot use the brake pedal to release the cruise control and diminish speed, because nothing happens when you push the brake pedal gently, it takes a little time before it reacts. I find this disturbing, because in my 2000 ford crown victory, even the very slightest touch on the brake pedal already causes the cruise control to turn off and very lightly diminish speed. In the prius in order to achieve this I have to press the brake pedal hard, then after some delay it starts braking fast. In the beginning I thought this is normal for the prius, but I find it quite disturbing and sometimes scaring. Hence, I must take way more distance to cars ahead of my on the highway, because I cannot brake as fast and stop as soon as the other cars can. Honestly, it is very scary and it makes my feel unsafe while on the highway with the prius. I am driving my crown victoria when I am driving on the highway now a days. *tw
There was a delay from the time I applied the brakes in my 2010 prius when driving on slippery, snow covered roads until I could feel them start to slow the car. The ABS system also seemed to act more slowly. I also drove my 1998 ford explorer on the same roads soon after driving the prius. The explorer ABS system reacted more quickly and definitely stopped more quickly than the prius.
I have a 2010 toyota prius and I noticed a problem with the breaks. When I am slowing down, with my foot on the breaks, and hit an uneven road, the car loses the breaks and surges forward.
I own a 2010 prius that I purchased in august, which has between 4 and 5 thousand miles on it. The brakes have been squealing for about a month, intermittently but fairly often (some days are better than others). Also, the traction control system light ("slippery" warning) sometimes beeps/flashes even when I am sitting still on dry level pavement, especially if I depress the brakes all the way to the floor. I have not yet experienced any life or property loss as a result and am providing this information on a purely fyi basis as you try to figure out issues with 2010 prius brakes. (the issues as I understand them do not seem to exceed the normal risks of driving, so I don't plan to do anything except mention it at the 5k checkup, unless I hear otherwise in the news.)
Coming out of a parking lot downhill ... Hit a bump ... Brakes failed and almost sideswiped by oncoming traffic. Hit the brakes a second time and car stopped just in time to avoid a collision. This is the only time we have had this happen ... Brakes have worked ok rest of time. Nothing done yet to correct the "bump" defect at slow speeds.
My prius 2010 3rd generation model's brakes seem to go out when braking over uneven road. This has happened more than 10 times starting from the first week I got the car. Especially going over potholes, the car lurches forward several feet. I called the dealer service department and they said there was nothing that could be done to remedy the brakes. I was told to call back if there was a re-call issued.
At low speed (less than 15 MPH) on dry, smooth pavement, the brakes on my 2010 prius occasionally fail to engage for approximately 2 seconds. This has occurred less than once a month since august 2009, or approximately 4 times.
2010 toyota prius hybrid brake problem: purchased new in october, 2009, my prius has experienced momentary brake failure while stopping under certain conditions. Specifically, when I hit a bump while braking sometimes it feels like the brakes momentarily release and the car launches forward. This has happened 6 to 10 times since I purchsed the car. I alerted the dealer (bernardi toyota in framingahm, ma) about 3 - 4 weeks ago, and they were not aware of the problem. No solution has been offered yet.
2010 toyota prius accident- we had noticed the braking problems but it was not an issue until we were involved in accident where the brake did not stop the car. And in light of the current event, it is best to complaint about about.
Multiple incidents of acceleration while braking when going over bumps.
While slowing down (foot on the brake) for a light or road bump, the car suddenly accelerates until I press harder on the brake. This has occurred about 10 times since I purchased the car summer of 2009. No accident but almost rear-ended the car in front of me several times. Brought to toyota and told nothing was wrong and I wasn't used to the ABS system. This can't explain the sudden acceleration and near miss accidents.
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