2010 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000 MILES. WHILE DRIVING THROUGH TOWN OR ON THE HIGHWAY, OUR VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY LOSE REGENERATIVE BRAKING. DURING THESE INSTANCES, THE BRAKE PEDAL SOFTENS AND GREATER EFFORT MUST BE EXERTED TO SLOW AND STOP THE CAR. SOMETIMES MINUTES... AT OTHER TIMES THE NEXT DAY AFTER THE CAR HAS SAT IN THE GARAGE, THE INDICATOR LIGHTS WILL ALL TURN OFF AND REGENERATIVE BRAKING RESUMES NORMALLY. THIS CREATES A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION AS IT CAN BE UNPREDICTABLE HOW MUCH PRESSURE TO APPLY TO THE BRAKES. THIS IS BEEN NOTICED AT SLOW SPEEDS, HIGHWAY SPEEDS, IN TURNS, OR TRAVELING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AND DETERMINED TO HAVE A FAULTY BRAKE BOOSTER/ACTUATOR. THIS HAS CREATED AN UNSAFE AND UNRELIABLE SITUATION FOR TRANSPORTING MY FAMILY. WHAT IS QUITE CONCERNING IS THAT THIS OCCURRED WITH THE 2ND GENERATION PRIUS AND TOYOTA EXTENDED A HELPING HAND BY ISSUING A RECALL OR WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT. HOWEVER, MY VEHICLE WAS PRODUCED JUST MONTHS OUTSIDE OF THE 13V235000 RECALL WINDOW, YET EXPERIENCES THE SAME DANGEROUS DRIVING EXPERIENCE AS THOSE WHO WERE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. TOYOTA NEEDS TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND THE SAFE THING BY RECALLING ADDITIONAL 3RD GENERATION PRIUS VEHICLES AND REPAIR OR REPLACE ALL FAULTY COMPONENTS BEFORE MORE CRASHES AND INJURIES OCCUR.

WHILE COMING HOME FROM WORK, MY WIFE NOTICED THE BRAKE, ABS, AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS OF THE VEHICLE CAME ON WHILE ON THE FREEWAY; MY WIFE HAD TO IMMEDIATELY GET OFF THE FREEWAY SINCE SHE NOTICED THAT SLOWING DOWN THE VEHICLE REQUIRED MUCH MORE EFFORT THAN USUAL. SHE NEARLY HAD AN ACCIDENT GOING DOWN THE FREEWAY RAMP. WE HAVE SCHEDULED TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR A FIX SINCE THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN TO US.

ABS ACTUATOR HAS A LEAK. IT IS A $1200 REPAIR. MY MECHANIC, WHO ONLY WORKS ON HYBRIDS, SAID THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING A LOT WITH MY YEAR PRIUS (AS WELL AS OTHER YEARS), BUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ONLY COVERS 2011 AND LATER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED OCCASIONALLY. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V684000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE DEALER WAS NOT CALLED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000.

THE MORNING OF 8/24/20, I ATTEMPTED TO START MY CAR. A MESSAGE APPEARS, "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM". I FOUND THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL, IN 2018, THAT INVOLVES A SOFTWARE ISSUE. I HAD MY 2010 PRIUS TOWED TO KOLAR TOYOTA IN HERMANTOWN MINNESOTA, ON, I BELIEVE 8/26/20. THEY GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF $3200 TO REPLACE THE INVERTER. I HAD READ ABOUT THE INVERTER FAILURE BEING DIRECTLY LINKED TO SOFTWARE RECALL. THEY SAID THEY'D LOOK IN TO IT AND LATER REPLIED TO ME THAT, YES, THE INVERTER WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND REPAIRED AT NO COST TO ME. THEY SAID THEY HAD ORDERED THE PART BUT MY CAR WOULD NOT BE READY UNTIL 8/31/20, AT THE EARLIEST. THEY SAID THE PART ARRIVED AND MY CAR WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. I CONTACTED THEM AND ASKED HOW THINGS WERE GOING. THE SERVICE MANAGER, TAYLOR, TOLD ME "FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER WE HAD TWO VEHICLES, OF THE SAME MAKE BUT DIFFERENT YEARS, IN FOR THE SAME REPAIR". HE WENT ON TO SAY, ACCORDING TO FEDEX TRACKING, THE PART HAD BEEN SHIPPED BUT TRACKING SHOWED NOTHING ELSE. I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS SURE THE TRACKING WAS FOR MY PART AND NOT THE PART FOR THE OTHER VEHICLE. HE TOLD ME HE HAD NO IDEA FOR WHICH PART THE TRACKING WAS FOR. HE THEN WENT ON TO TELL ME WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO "WAIT AND SEE IF THE PART SHOWS UP". HE WENT ON TO SAY "IT COULD TAKE DAYS OR WEEKS OR LONGER" BEFORE WE KNOW IF THE PART WAS COMING IN. A FEW DAYS LATER I CALLED TO SEE IF ANY PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE AND WAS TOLD BY TAYLOR "THE PART HAS DISAPPEARED FROM TRACKING". I ASKED HIM IF THAT MEANT IT HAD BEEN DELIVERED AND WAS POSSIBLY THE PART FOR THE OTHER VEHICLE. HE BASICALLY REPLIED HE HAD NO CLUE. HE SAID WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE, ONCE AGAIN. I'VE BEEN CALLING EVERY TWO OR THREE DAYS SINCE THEN. SOMETIMES HE RETURNS MY CALLS. SOMETIMES HE DOESN'T. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THIS POINT. MY VEHICLE IS A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, SEVERAL UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL DEALER HEADQUARTER TOYOTA LOCATED AT 5895 NW 167TH ST, HIALEAH, FL 33015, (786) 235-9734, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING THE BRAKE BOOSTER TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT, CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,117.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, ANOTHER VEHICLE CUT IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT QUICKLY DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SKID. THE CONTACT LET UP OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STRAIGHTEN THE VEHICLE AND STAY IN HER LANE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT SHE HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR AN OIL CHANGE BEFORE THE FAILURE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER RECALL. THE CONTACT CALLED FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA OF ASHEVILLE (777 BREVARD RD, ASHEVILLE, NC 28806) AND INFORMED THEM OF THE RECALL ON THE BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLY. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OVER THE MILEAGE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 197,000.

PREVIOUS RECALLS FOR A 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V235000) AND A 2019 TOYOTA CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM (CSP ZJB) HAS ACKNOWLEDGED AN UNSAFE FAILURE MODE IN THE VEHICLE WHERE THE BRAKE BOOSTER ASSEMBLY FAILS DUE TO HIGH PRESSURE AND CAUSES THE AUTOMOBILE TO HAVE DIFFICULTY STOPPING. ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT ROUGHLY 40 MPH, I EXPERIENCED INDICATION LIGHTS CONSISTENT WITH THE DESCRIPTIONS OUTLINED IN THE SAFETY RECALL AND TOYOTA SUPPORT PROGRAM. MY AUTOMOBILE ALSO HAD EXTREME DIFFICULTY COMING TO A STOP FROM 40 MPH AND I HAD TO UNSAFELY PULL TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AT SPEED TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE AUTOMOBILE IN FRONT OF ME. THE TOYOTA CSP ZJB DOES NOT COVER MY VEHICLE DUE TO TIME AND MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE, BUT I FEEL THIS SAFETY CRITICAL SYSTEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED PRIOR TO ME EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. TOYOTA SELECTIVELY ONLY REPLACED BRAKE BOOSTER ASSEMBLIES OUTLINED IN THE RECALL AND THE CSP, IF THE AUTOMOBILE WAS EXPERIENCE ISSUES. TOYOTA STOPPED SHORT OF PREVENTATIVE SAFETY MEASURES OF REPLACING THIS ASSEMBLY PRIOR TO FAILURE, LEADING TO AN ALMOST COLLISION EVENT FOR ME. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH HAS IDENTIFIED THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR OTHER TOYOTA PRIUS ACCIDENTS LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE NHTSA BEFORE OTHERS EXPERIENCE A CRITICAL SAFETY FAILURE AT NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN.

I WAS COMFORTABLY DRIVING MY 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS DOWN A CITY STREET ON A THURSDAY AFTERNOON--ABOUT 25 MPH, LIGHT TRAFFIC--WHEN SUDDENLY--WITHOUT ANY TRIGGER OR WARNING--I LIGHTLY PRESSED DOWN THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW DOWN FOR A SPEED BUMP, AND THE BRAKES SHUDDERED, THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMED TO TWITCH, AND THE CAR STARTED MAKING A LOUD SHRIEKING AND GRINDING NOISE EVERY 3-5 SECONDS. FOR THE RECORD, MY 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS BEEN REGULARLY SERVICED AT MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SINCE I PURCHASED IT IN 2018. THE LOUD SHRIEKING FELT LIKE IT WAS COMING FROM BELOW MY FEET AND FROM THE DRIVE SHAFT. I PULLED OVER--THE SHRIEKING AND GRINDING CONTINUED. I STOPPED THE CAR--THE SHRIEKING AND GRINDING CONTINUED. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR--THE SHRIEKING AND GRINDING SLOWED AFTER A FEW MINUTES. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR ON AGAIN, THE SHRIEKING AND GRINDING STARTED AND THE CAR WAS BEEPING IN A WAY I'D NEVER HEARD BEFORE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABOUT 4 BLOCKS FROM MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. I ASKED THEM IF I WAS SAFE TO DRIVE THE FOUR BLOCKS OR IF I SHOULD GET THE CAR TOWED, AND THEY SAID I SHOULD BE SAFE TO DRIVE. I DROVE TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE CAR SHRIEKING AND BEEPING. THE BRAKES FELT SQUISHY AND UNRELIABLE, BUT THE DEALERSHIP HAS SAID I SHOULD BE FINE. I DROPPED OFF THE CAR. THE NEXT DAY, I GOT A CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP SAYING THAT MY BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP AND BRAKE CYLINDER ASSEMBLY HAD TOTALLY FAILED. WHEN I ASKED THE TECHNICIAN IF THERE WAS SOMETHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS, HE SAID, 'NO, THIS IS JUST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO THESE CARS.' THE BRAKE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020. THE PHONE CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP OCCURRED ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020.

JUST PURCHASED THE CAR FROM A USED CAR DEALER 8/26/2020 AND WAS DRIVING DOWN A TWO LANE ROAD APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH COMING UP TO A STOP SIGN AND THE BRAKES WENT CRAZY WITH A CONTINUOUS BUZZING SOUND FROM THE BRAKES AND THE DASH ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS ALL CAME ON, WOULD NOT STOP CAUSING ME TO RUN THE STOP SIGN AND MAKE A TURN TO SLOW DOWN AND FINALLY COME TO A STOP. HAD THE TROUBLE CODE READ AND THE STORE READ THE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE AS C1391 AND RESET SO I COULD DRIVE THE VEHICLE SLOWLY HOME. I CHECKED FOR RECALLS ON THIS DTC 1391 BUT MY 2010 VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THEY NEED TO RECALL ALL OF THE 2010 PRIUS.