2013 Toyota Prius: sudden unintended acceleration

Filed Oct 17, 2026 · CA · crash

I experienced sudden unintended acceleration. While I was making a right turn from the street to my driveway, my car suddenly accelerated on its own and hit the side of the house and the garage door, causing significant damage to the house and the front of my car. My street is uphill, so my car was almost stopped when I made a turn. My car suddenly lurched forward passing the upward incline to my driveway. The windshield cracked due to fallen bricks from my house. I heard the noise of sudden acceleration, and the next thing was my car hitting the house hard. I had my foot slightly on the brake. My chest hit the wheel due to the shock, but the airbag was not deployed. I experienced a mild concussion to my chest.

Filed Jan 26, 2026 · Brakes · 65,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward. The ABS warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

Filed Aug 8, 2023 · Brakes · IL

Brake Booster Pump failed on August 5, 2023 in parking lot, as found by dealership in Marion, IL. ABS, Brake, and Traction lights were on. Vehicle has been properly maintained at dealership. Before that, the brake was making weird noises when depressed. When braking, it tends to lunge forward before slowing down. Dealer deemed vehicle not safe to drive. They showed me the primary and secondary warranty internal documents, up to 150K. My vehicle is at 150400. How could that 400 miles make any difference? But Toyota refused to cover the cost of repair at over $3000. It is clear Toyota and dealership know all along that there is an ongoing problem with their braking system. I am glad this did not happen on a highway. But other owners must be made aware of this ongoing safety issue. Something must be done to have this recalled. Many thanks for your inquiry and oversight of the issue.

Filed Mar 28, 2016 · Airbags, Brakes · 64,000 miles · TX · crash · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota prius. While driving approximately 25 MPH on a roadway, the brake pedal was applied and made an abnormal noise. Another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle while the contact was making a turn. When the brake pedal was applied, the vehicle surged forward at a high rate of speed. The front and rear driver side and the rear passenger side curtain air bags did not deploy. The front and rear passenger side air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to a yard and then towed to a repair shop for further inspection by the insurance company. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was waiting to determine if an investigator would be sent. A police report was filed. The driver sustained a head injury that required medical treatment and was having difficulty with visibility due to the impact of the crash and no air bag deployment. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.

Filed Jan 11, 2016 · Brakes · CA · crash · 1 injury

I was driving home in my 2013 toyota prius on tuesday, december 29, 2015, at approximately 4:30p.m. While turning right from the street on which I live into my driveway, the car, after I applied the brakes, suddenly surged forward. In spite of continuously pushing down on the brakes, the car would not stop. The driveway shows skid marks from my attempts to stop the car. The car did not stop. The brakes failed. The car shot forward, crashing into the closed wooden garage door and the wall to the left of the garage door. The garage door broke and one half of the garage door split and was pushed into the garage. The garage door collapsed on my car as well as items stored in the garage including parts of the garage structure and large sections of a storage unit, which was bolted to the wall. Approximately 90% of my car was inside the garage. I tried to exit the car through the driver's side but the door would not open. I crawled to the trunk area and could not find a mechanical release for that door. Finally I forced opened the driver's side rear door and exited the car through the broken wall. If the brakes had not failed this would have not have happened. As a result of the brake failure, I have incurred substantial loss, including the garage door (a total loss), damage to structural support to the garage wall, a built-in garage storage unit, contents stored in the garage and substantial damage to the car. Fortunately, I did not suffer any major physical injuries, although following the collision I experienced and continue to experience muscle, joint, hip, neck and back pain and discomfort. In addition, I continue to experience emotional distress from this incident. I want toyota to perform a complete diagnostic safety check of all systems including the brakes and any software that controls the braking system.

Filed Oct 7, 2014 · Acceleration · 3,000 miles · WA · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota prius. The contact stated while reversing at 3 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated causing the vehicle spin and crash into several parked vehicles. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.

Filed Jul 18, 2014 · Acceleration · 19,000 miles · FL · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without the accelerator pedal being applied. As a result, the contact crashed into a ditch and the air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 19,000.

Filed Jul 5, 2013 · Acceleration · 500 miles · KS · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 2 MPH and applying the brakes, the vehicle lunged forward and accelerated unexpectedly. The vehicle would not respond to the brakes and crashed into a nearby cement post. There were no personal injuries. A police report was filed. There was severe body damage to the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy with the impact. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 500.