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.
Toyota Prius sudden acceleration problems
487 of the 12,530 owner complaints about the Toyota Prius describe sudden unintended acceleration, most of them for the 2010 model year.
- owner complaints
- 487
- worst model year
- 2010
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,000
- typical mileage
- 9,500
By model year
Often reported together
ABS 31Brake failure 30Adaptive cruise 23Jerking 21No deployment 19Hesitation 5Loss of power 4Headlights 4
Trouble codes mentioned
C2300 1C1300 1
What owners say
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.
I turned left into a parking space in my 2020 prius. I stepped on the brake, and my car shot forward. I couldn't stop it, and it hit a concrete pole. It only took 1 second. It seems toyota hybrids are still having this unintentional acceleration despite a multi billion dollar law suit in the early 2010's. My car was towed and is awaiting inspection by my insurance company. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
While pulling out of a parallel parking spot going slightly uphill, I braked as I looked around the back of a double parked truck. I saw a car coming, braked hard, and suddenly my car surged forward across the street and hit a parked car. I looked down and saw that my foot was squarely on the brake pedal pressing down as hard as I could. The parked car was unoccupied, and I was uninjured. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem. I turned my car into the dealer for repairs and a fix to the sudden unexpected acceleration. They could offer no fix until a Toyota representative examined the car. On August 14, by an emailed letter, Toyota claimed it found no defects and it must be the result of driver error, specifically, my mistakenly hitting the accelerator. This is gaslighting denialism. (a) The EDR data sent to me does not indicate that I hit the accelerator unless that data is in the page of hexadecimal numbers. (b) Toyota's claim that I hit the breaks at "-0.2 seconds prior to the collision" is physically impossible. No one can move their foot from the accelerator to the brake that fast. (c) Toyota's claim is contrary to what I experienced and observed.
My name is [XXX] ,i am filing this report on behalf of My daughter [XXX] the driver of the vehicle that involved with the unintended acceleration on the 2009 Toyota Prius .On a good clear morning on [XXX] . My daughter drove the 2009 Toyota Prius to work- when she enter to the parking lot at the speed round 5 mile/hour . Just when she was making a left turn on to the entrance gate with her left foot on the brake pedal . On a sudden the vehicle RPM unintended rev up too high and the vehicle had an unintended accelerating to move forward aggressively causing lose control of the steering . Also she could not brake even though her left foot was on the brake pedal and pressing hard to try to stop the vehicle . . This dangerous incident causing her Prius to bumped into the electrical gate panel control box . The accident caused some damages to her Prius and to the entrance gate control box though no body was hurt . But it got us through the terrible experience because it could kill some one for sure . My daughter been driving this commute car daily in the past 5 years and she has the skill of 20 year driving with good record . This Prius of her still have all OEM equipments with no add- on parts-,no modifying part on any systems what so ever- and NO extra floor mat cause we been warned before about the possible of unintended acceleration causing by aftermarket floor mat to any vehicles. . We feel unsafe after the mystery accelerating problem on Toyota Vehicle that could take people lives . So the mystery unintended accelerating on car is REAL . I am currently checked and find out her Prius has 2 incomplete recalls (un-notice to us ) but none of them related to the unintended acceleration problem . We would like the federal safety agency to take this problem seriously to save people life . I will included photos of this incidents and willing to provide all information if needed to address this problem, again to save lives . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 5
Toyota Hybrid Brake Problems 2015 Toyota Prius I took to my dealership Jim Ellis Toyota in McDonough GA. I was told that my brake master cylinder & brake booster pumps vehicle has failed. I experienced my brakes locking up, causing the vehicle to unexpectedly lunge forward or failing to engage when the brake pedal is depressed. On [XXX] my ABS, Brake, Traction lights came on out of nowhere. I tried taking it to my dealership in April to Jim Ellis, Toyota of McDonough for the lights, the one lights being on. I took it there around 8 o’clock in the morning and then there was a very rude and disrespectful service person by the name of Victoria who told me that they would not be able to see me and told me that I needed to leave because I didn’t I have an appointment. This is a Dealership that I purchased this car phone in 2018 and I have been taking my car to Jim Ellis Toyota of McDonough since 2018 to get regular oil changes and other maintenance for my car. Such as things my brakes replace my front and the back brakes have my battery please and come several times out of the year to get a oil change because I have part of what they consider a lifetime oil change on my car. Also, I had a Warranty whole time that I have been taking my car to the dealership they never once brought to my attention that there was a known recall for the brakes booster. It wasn’t until I took my car to dealership on Friday 5/30/25 that I was advised that this was a known issue for 2010-2015 Toyota Prius Jim Ellis dealership knew about the problem and failed to make repairs when I spoke with general manager Lorenzo Smith he advised that past the recall timeframe and my warranty has expired. Jim Ellis dealership knew their were known issues and hid the issue I refuse to write the wrong by making the repairs to my vehicle. They’re trying to charge me over $3200 in repairs when I spoke with the general manager, he advised me that they didn’t make the repairs because my vehicle vin number. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFOR
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The brake pedal was applied but failed to respond. The driver crashed into the front passenger side of the Lexus. The vehicle continuously moved forward. The contact was eventually able to pull over safely. The pre-collision malfunction warning light illuminated. The brake malfunction light was flashing. The air bags did not deploy. There was no reported fire or injury. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who could not determine the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was then towed to an autobody center where it remained. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle lunged forward. On a most recent occasion, the contact was attempting to park the vehicle and after shifting into the park position, the vehicle lunged forward as the brake pedal was depressed causing a minor collision with a curb and another vehicle. The contact mentioned the brake pedal required excessive force in order to come to a stop and that there was an abnormal noise present. The contact was concerned that the failure would progress causing a severe accident. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ABS System failed and advised the vehicle be taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while parallel parking and straightening the vehicle, he tapped the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle suddenly accelerated aggressively and crashed into a stoop. While reversing previously on three occasions, the vehicle braked suddenly without application with no object in the surrounding area. There were no reported injuries. The air bag deployed. There was smoke detected from the engine. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
About a year ago and again a few days ago, I was slowly moving my Prius forward when suddenly it accelerated at full speed. The first time I was pulling into a parking spot beyond which was a grassy area and then a stockade fence. When I felt the car lurch forward, I slammed on the brakes, but was still going quite fast. Fortunately, the collision avoidance brakes kicked in and stopped the car just before I hit the fence. In the second case, I was slowly pulling into a parking lot when again the car surged forward. This time I was able to stop the motion with the brakes myself . In both cases I was conscious of moving my foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal. In both cases it was a hot summer day, near 90.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
- Risk
- A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Toyota filed an amended defect report on november 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal. These changes address the risk of pedal entrapment due to interference with the floor mat. Redesigned accelerator pedals will become available beginning in april 2010 and dealers will replace any modified pedal with the new pedal if desired. Also, dealers will replace any genuine toyota or lexus all-weather floor mats with redesigned all-weather mats, or repurchase the previous mats from owners who do not want the new ones. Additionally, software modifications will be installed on camry, avalon and lexus es 350, is 350 and is 250 models that will ensure that the brake overrides the accelerator in the event both brake and accelerator pedals are applied. Toyota will begin mailing letters to owners on december 31, 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331, lexus at 1‑800‑255‑3987.
Recall number 09V388000 · Recall details
Questions about the Toyota Prius sudden acceleration
Which Toyota Prius years have sudden unintended acceleration problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2010 (222 complaints), 2008 (53 complaints) and 2007 (41 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix sudden unintended acceleration on the Toyota Prius?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,000 (median of 22 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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