I have a 2010 toyota prius, bought in november 2009. I have noticed that if I am driving over a speed bump, pothole or even an uneven road surface and I brake, the car either accelerates or slips forward. The brakes don't work. I experienced this soon after I got the new car. Yesterday, I slowed down to enter a gas station, but the road surface was driven with holes and the car did not slow down even thought I braked and it overshot the entrance. I'm nervous that I may hit someone in front of me and even worse, if I am slowing down for a pedestrian, I may hit a person.
2010 Toyota Prius brakes complaints
Page 41 of 66: complaints 1,181 to 1,210 of 1,945, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2010 toyota prius. There is a problem with the brakes when I am on a bumpy road and want to come to a complete stop. The problem doesn't seem to happen when slowing over a bumpy road, only when coming to a complete stop. The car almost seems to skid a bit and I definitely do not feel as if I have control of the car when this happens. While it's only a split second, it's not a very comfortable split second. Thankfully I have not been in this situation with another car in front of me.
2010 toyota prius brakes on two separate times have almost caused an accident. Both times slippery conditions were present.
I am copying below an incident with my prius' brakes that reported to toyota earlier this week (confirmation of receipt from toyota and then my description of event): _____________ thank you for contacting toyota motor sales, u.s.a., inc. We appreciate your consideration and hope to have your email addressed as quickly as possible. Our current office hours are monday through friday from 5 am to 6 pm and saturday 7 am to 4 pm pacific time. If you need immediate assistance, we recommend you contact the customer relations manager at your local toyota dealership. Discussion thread customer 02/03/2010 01:04 pm I have heard/read of a few instances of braking issues with prius'. I would like to let you know I experienced this problem the other day. I was approaching a stop light at a slow rate of speed (~20) and braking lightly when I went over a small bump across the road. The brakes/pedal immediately felt useless. I quickly let up on the petal and hit the brakes much harder and I was able to safety come to a stop without any danger or locking the brakes. I wanted to be sure to let you know and be on record of this issue with my new prius which I love so far short of this incidence. Is there a known issue or fix that I can have my dealership look into?
Own a 2010 prius. Have experience intermittent brake issues. The brakes seem to not function properly when they applied over uneven surfaces. The car feels like it is "sliding" or "hydroplaning" for a brief moment, then the brakes "catch" again. I was involved in an accident on september 24, 2009 and never thought about the issue with the brakes.
When initially starting the car (prius 2010) to back out of a parking spot and applying the brakes, I have noticed a loss of braking (I have pressed the brake pedal to the floor with no noticeable braking). When the brakes are reapplied, the brakes "grab" and cause sudden, jerky stopping. This has occurred twice.
2010 toyota prius. When first starting the car before the gasoline engine engages, the brakes grab suddenly when applied (e.g. Backing out of the garage or leaving a parking space), and continue to do so until the gas engine starts. Also, there is momentary loss of braking when going over bumps (like speed bumps.)
I own a driving school in livingston nj, I purchased a 2010 prius in july 2009. I also notice a delay in the braking system while driving down a hill one day. This occurred while I applied the brakes. I went over a bump or pothole. It seemed like the car actually accelerated momentarily and I had to keep applying the brakes to the floor and hoped that there was enough distance to stop. I remember going down a hill, applying the brakes and the car was slowing down, then I went over the bump or pothole in the road and the car took off like I was accelerating. I felt like I had lost control of the vehicle for at least 2 seconds or 20feet but fortunately no other vehicles were near by. I now make sure that I brake sooner, and allow more following distance. Especially in bad weather. Anti-lock brakes seem to have their own unique problems in that the wheels don't lock but those on the prius seem a bit more noticeable because they are electric and the pads don't slow the car like normal brakes. (at least that what my salesman told me.) he said that the pads will last over 200,000 miles. Hopefully I'll be able to drive it that long without an incident. But the problem now iis that parents may not want their kids to learn with my driving school, even though there have been no real problems with training teenagers yet.
I own a 2010 toyota prius. While braking on a slick or rough patch of road my car will briefly surge and then brake. At first I thought this happened because the car has low friction tires for efficiency. It has happened about 5 times since I bought my car in august 2009. After reading the recent reports it seems like I am having a braking problem, not a tire problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. The vehicle accelerated immediately after the contact drove approximately 45 MPH over a bump in the road or a pothole. The contact was able to control the vehicle when the failure occurred. The failure mileage was 1500. The current mileage was 4000.
Lack of braking when hitting a bump in the road. In my case, there is a bumpy section of road under construction at the intersection of shiloh rd and fm 1171 in flower mound, tx. This problem occurs every time I brake at the traffic light at that intersection.
Momentary brake failure at slow speeds 2010 prius.
Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. While driving approximately 35 MPH in rainy weather conditions, the driver encountered a pothole in the roadway and the anti-lock brake system engaged. Suddenly, the brake pedal traveled to floor without resistance and a no power response. The vehicle slowed down after extreme and continuous force was applied to the brake pedal. The failure occurred when there was inclement weather conditions and potholes. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 1,000.
My car (2010 toyota prius) briefly accelerates when I hit a small bump. It feels like it is in the ABS system. I called my dealer shortly after I purchased the car and they said they have had no complaints of this nature. I went on a prius chat forum and there were many with the same complaint.
While going over a speed bump, my 2010 toyota seemed to accelerate while the brake was depressed. This has occurred on other occasions.
Momentary loss of braking when ABS activates causes car to travel an unexpected 12 feet. Has happened 4 times since dec 2009. Happens when slowing down for stop sign, or making left or right turn in traffic, when there is a slippery patch causing ABS to trigger.
We have the same braking problem with our 2010 prius as described recently in newspapers. There seems to be a momentarily lapse of braking power when going over slippery or bumpy surfaces. It has happened numerous times in the past few months (well over 25 times).
Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. While driving approximately 50 to 55 MPH on normal road conditions pressure was applied to the brake pedal, followed by no power response for a second. The failure occurred intermittently. In addition, when after a complete stop the vehicle began shaking excessively. The authorized dealer and manufacturer have been notified of the malfunctions. The failure mileage was 400.
2010 toyota prius purchased in october 2009. When braking, car hits a bump in the road or on a rough road, brakes appear to fail for approximately 2-3 seconds.
While engaging the brake, brakes seem to release for 1 sec while holding down brake while hitting bump or whenever traction control system is engaged.
Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. While driving approximately 10 MPH over a speed bump or a pothole with her feet on the brake pedal the vehicle lunged forward and accelerated. The dealer stated that the vehicle was performing normally since the electrical engine was switching to the gasoline engine. The failure mileage was 6,000.
I purchased a 2010 toyota prius in june, 2009. I noticed that the vehicle seemed to lurch forward when braking - specifically when the road may have even the slightest bump or unevenness. When this occurs, I am not certain that the car will stop. This does not occur during breaking on smooth surfaces. I reported the problem to the toyota dealer in nov. And received this response: wednesday, november 04, 2009 1:05 pm: I'm responding to your question about the prius braking condition. One thing to know about the prius braking system is that when the brakes are applied there is a signal to the generator to engage. This does 2 things, helps regenerate the hybrid battery and assists in braking the vehicle, and the normal brakes also apply to assist in braking. I did have another prius owner ask about this also, I had him come out and drove with him and could not duplicate the stated condition. I think he was pushing to fast and hard on the brake pedal causing the lurch. When I drove his vehicle I did tell him I was trying to be very conscious of how much pressure I was applying to the pedal. I did notice the brakes are very responsive to pedal pressure. Before responding to your e-mail I did check online with toyota technical group to see if they had any pertaining service bulletins pertaining to your question, there were no applicable bulletins. I hope this helps answer your question. Thanks for choosing seeger toyota, tim evers, service manager the problem has continued and I've noticed it occurs when braking on snow packed roads -- I nearly rear-ended the vehicle in front of me when my car seemed to lurch forward - I could not stop - I had to swerve into another lane to avoid collision. I reported this problem to another toyota dealer (weiss toyota in st. Louis, mo.) they did not have any response. When I contacted the service manager again on 2/4/10, I was told that they had not heard anything about a problem with the prius from toyota.
When I apply the brakes on this vehicle on a bumpy road the brakes either pause for a second to apply or the antilock systems seems to engage and dis-engage causing a serious distraction while braking. This occurs daily as the area I live in is mainly brick paved streets.
Toyota prius 2010 model: brake lag. I gather the federal safety agency is considering a recall. This is to further your data. I took my 2010 prius in to 355 toyota, rockville, in november to complain about the brakes disengaging when being applied over rough terrain, leading to a 4 - 6 foot jump forward then re-engagement of the brakes. I lodged this concern as part of getting an oil change service, and I have this complaint in writing on the docket. They told me the problem was just normal antilock braking. The problem has occurred multiple times since, causing about a 4 - 6 foot jump before the brake reengages. With all the ice we have had recently, I can now assure myself that this issue is not about the antilock brakes, which have a totally different feel, as they should. The brake disengagement almost caused an accident on monday this week on e street as the car hit an ice patch and the brake disengaged momentarily. I think the prius is a great car, but, this problem is dangerous and needs to be fixed. When I called 355 toyota yesterday when it became evident that I wasn't the only person reporting this, they were very nice but I am not sure that toyota has provided them with a solution.
My wife experienced braking anomalies immediately after beginning to drive her new 2010 prius. I attributed these to the way the car drives and I haven't noticed anything the few times I have driven it. But this is something she has been reporting since she first began driving it (6 months) and she is a perceptive person (m.d.). With discussions of whether to recall I figured I should report the problem.
I purchased a 2010 toyota prius in october 2009. I had two incidences with the brakes that were similar to what has been reported in the papers. The first was within the first six weeks of owning the car. I was slowing down to enter a gas station and the car accelerated. I had been applying the brakes already, but the acceleration took me by surprise. I applies the brakes more forcefully and the car slowed. The second time I was on my way to the dealer for a get to know you with the maintenance dept. I was descending a hill with the brakes being applied. Again the car sped up and I braked more forcefully and it slowed. It was scary. My husband said this happened once when he drove the car, but he did not remember the details. When we told the dealer, they said they were not aware of any issues with the 2010 prius accelerating or braking, but that they would look at the car. Of course, this happened three times over three months. They didn't find anything wrong with the car. Someone else at the meeting suggesting issues with the programming, but we were just meeting with the head of the repair department. They only know what toyota is telling them. Now I see in the paper that toyota corrected the issue in their new prius. So they knew about this and didn't tell us. This is the first and last time I will buy a toyota.
Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. While driving approxiamtely 20 MPH and making a left or right turn with the brake pedal engaged, for a fraction of a second. The anti skid light illuminated and the brakes failed to slow the vehicle down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was 3,000. Updated 03/04/10. *lj updated 05/14/10.
We own a 2010 prius purchased oct 2009 and are experiencing the same problems described in the press for the brake failure problem car jumps, or brakes slightly unresponsive, temporarily loss of brake power. Problem happens at slow speeds but seems intermittent. No action has been taken, toyota not yet contacted.
I have brake problems with my 2010 prius. Now that I see it's in the news I realize I'm not the only one. The prius has issues when I'm braking and I go over any type of a bump in the road, or I go over a pothole cover. Really there is a braking problem when I am braking and the car is driving over different road surfaces, or there is bad weather. The car lurches forward- almost feels like it's skipping a beat. It makes my heart jump, similar to a jolt. I feel every time that I will get into an accident, but I haven't yet... Thankfully. This is a problem with the car and needs to be addressed immediately before someone dies, or gets seriously injured. This happens on average about 1-2 times a week. I drive approx 150 miles a week.
I own a 2010 prius, that I purchased september, 2009. In december I was driving in town, and came to a stop. When I came to the stop sign, I put my brakes on and hit a pot hole at the same time. It felt as though the car jerked forward and it was a second where I felt there was no brake.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2010 Toyota Prius?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history