Toyota Prius pulling problems

Filed Oct 18, 2024 · Brakes · CT

Failed brake actuator. Toyota knows about the issue and refuses to honor any reasonable repair. Braking at any speed the car ferociously pulls to the left, throwing you into another lane or on coming traffic.

Filed Nov 11, 2019 · Brakes, Steering · 75,300 miles · CA

More than once I was driving about 40/45mph, once on a curve, anyhow as I was going through the curve it felt as though the brakes engaged, without me touching them. I understand the safety thing, however at both instances it was not necessary. It caused the car to pull to the left. Almost causing me to loose control.

Filed Feb 3, 2018 · Brakes · 65,000 miles · FL · crash

My car had the ABS warning light on and I heard a strange noise in the engine compartment. Last year. On october 7, 2017, I was driving on the highway and another driver cut me off, so I had to break hard. The car pulled hard to one side and I hit the retaining wall. Fortunately, the damage to the car was on the bumper cover only, and I was not injured, so I was able to continue driving. The dealer ran diagnostics on my car after the crash and reported I needed to have certain parts replaced. Toyota safety recall 13v‑235 describes exactly the symptoms my car shows and requires replacement of exactly the same parts. The only problem is that my car's VIN does not fall in the range toyota reported in the recall. Apart from that , the problem is the same. My accident could have been very serious had the retaining wall that stopped me not been there. I could have been in the center lanes and the story would have been very different, even with me surviving the accident.

Filed Feb 1, 2018 · Brakes · 67,000 miles · FL · crash

My car had the ABS warning light on and I heard a strange noise in the engine compartment. Last year. On october 7, 2017, I was driving on the highway and another driver cut me off, so I had to break hard. The car pulled hard to one side and I hit the retaining wall. Fortunately, the damage to the car was on the bumper cover only, and I was not injured, so I was able to continue driving. The dealer ran diagnostics on my car after the crash and reported I needed to have certain parts replaced. Toyota safety recall 13v‑235 describes exactly the symptoms my car shows and requires replacement of exactly the same parts. The only problem is that my car's VIN does not fall in the range toyota reported in the recall. Apart from that , the problem is the same. My accident could have been very serious had the retaining wall that stopped me not been there. I could have been in the center lanes and the story would have been very different, even with me surviving the accident.

Filed Dec 6, 2017 · Brakes · 112,000 miles · TX

I took my 2010 prius in for airbag work & they asked how long I had been driving w/ my brake warning lights on. They had not been on prior to then. They hooked up a computer & showed me that the vehicle had been started 31 times since the warning was 1st detected. They said there was most likely a leak in the brake booster system. They reset the warning, I drove for a day & it came back on again while driving after about 10 starts. After the warning lights came on again, I noted an immediate & significant change in braking responsiveness & vehicle control...started pulling to the right. This was on the highway while driving straight. I took the car in to a local toyota dealer for full diagnostic & they said that they're were unable to locate the exact leak location, but that their tech order shows to just replace the booster which will cost about $3,300 o replace.

Filed Sep 12, 2014 · Locks, Steering · 50 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota prius. The contact stated that the steering wheel pulled to the left and right while driving various speeds. The contact had to use excessive force to steer the vehicle in its appropriate lane. In addition, the door locks activated independently and failed to unlock occasionally with the electronic control. The dealer attempted to correct the steering wheel failure by performing an alignment, but the failure recurred. The door lock failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 50. Updated 10/24/2014*lj updated 4/20/2015

Filed Oct 28, 2011 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 20,000 miles · TX

I gently drive my 2010 toyota prius in eco mode to maximize fuel economy. Every weekday, since january 2011, I slow on a certain road to make a right turn. The road has a manhole cover recessed about 1 inch into the road along the path of my passenger side tires. Every time I drive over this manhole cover the prius completely loses ability to brake for about 1/2 second, then braking is reestablished. There are other small bumps I drive over at other places which have the same results to the prius braking system. Yesterday (26 oct 2011) something different but possibly associated happened while driving over a bump. This time I was accelerating after having made a right turn from a complete stop. While still accelerating after the turn I signaled left and proceeded to merge into the left hand lane. As the prius right front tire drove over the reflective lane marker imbedded in the road surface (the marker sticks out about 1/2 inch from road surface) the prius went out of control. The car suddenly and severely pulled hard to the left and rapidly slowed, I struggled against the cars actions to avoid hitting the raised center median. My first though was that I must have had a complete and instantaneous blow out on the front left tire. My reaction was to immediately remove my foot from the accelerator. Then as I was further assessing my options and the surrounding traffic the prius regained control and I was able to continue driving down the road as if nothing had ever happened. As the prius reinstated control I heard a beep come from the dashboard, however I was not quick enough to notice if any warning lights had engaged during the incident. When I looked at the displays everything appeared normal. I also check the car externally and everything appeared normal. All incidents are on high quality road surfaces with dry pavement. Dealer indicates no recalls.

Filed Jun 2, 2011 · Steering · 137,000 miles · TN

Day leading up to incident, steering wheel would pull to right very easily or while rolling, but could be pulled back to center without issue. On day of incident, backed car out of parking space and a clunking sound was made under car. Steering wheel would then only turn about a quarter turn and would not turn the wheels at all. We had the car towed to the dealer who determined that the steering rack was bad and the spiral cable which provided power to the airbag was bad as well. This was a very disturbing finding for us as we could've been driving the car on the interstate at interstate speeds when the steering broke. Additionally, the airbag would not have gone off if we had gotten into a crash. Dealership and toyota were contacted regarding warranty replacement of both items. Dealership and toyota refused to provide any warranty or discount to correct the issues. Had the car towed home. Ordered used steering rack and spiral cable and installed them myself. Car is functioning now, but I have concern that the same thing will happen again. I still have the bad steering rack and bad spiral cable.

Filed Feb 9, 2011 · Brakes · 53,950 miles · CA

I was driving in the right lane of a 4-lane boulevard. The vehicle ahead in the lane to my left slowed for a car in front waiting to make a left turn, then suddenly veered into my lane. I hit the brakes as hard as I could, but for the first 2-3 seconds, my car didn't slow down. It also didn't make any sounds I would have expected from urgent braking - no screeching tires, etc. I continued to push the brake pedal hard. After 2-3 seconds, the brakes finally grabbed and my car pulled to the right. I considered myself lucky that I had enough room to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of me.

Filed Apr 18, 2010 · Steering · 22 miles · FL

Driving a 2010 prius at speeds between 65 and 75 MPH the car wanders in the lane and requires constant corrections. With windy conditions it is near impossible to stay in one lane. This is on I-75 in sw florida which is newly paved, flat, and straight. This has continued to happen since the car was bought new in dec. 2009. Software recall did not fix the problem.