2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I HAVE HAD MORE THAN 10 OCCASIONS OF BRAKING PROBLEMS WITH MY 2009 PRIUS. MOST RECENTLY, IN JANUARY 2010, BUT ALSO PRIOR TO THAT. AFTER THE LAST PROBLEM, I CALLED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF A BRAKE RECALL EXISTED BUT WAS TOLD "NO" ONLY RECALL FOR FLOORMATS ON MY MODEL. THE ISSUE HAS OCCURRED ON PAVEMENT AND GRAVEL ROAD, IN SCHOOL ZONE, TRAVELING AT LESS THAN 20 MPH. WHEN SLOWLY PULLING UP TO STOP SIGN AND APPLYING EVEN BREAK PRESSURE THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY COME TO A JOLTING STOP BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED STOP. ALL THE KIDS IN THE CAR LOOK AT ME LIKE I'M CRAZY FOR MAKING THEIR HEADS SUDDENLY HIT THE BACK OF THE SEAT. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE HAS BEEN DRIVING CLOSELY BEHIND ME DURING THESE ABRUPT STOPS. I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE FEEL OF THIS VEHICLE, AS THIS IS MY 3RD PRIUS AND I DRIVE MANY MILES. *TR

AUTOMATIC PRIUS 2009 SOMETIMES EVEN THOUGH I SHIFT TO A NEW GEAR IT STICKS. SO IF I WENT IN REVERSE AND SHIFTED OUT SO THAT I SHOULD NOW GO FORWARD, THE CAR GOES IN REVERSE. THIS HAPPENED THE OPPOSITE WAY TOO. IT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. *TR

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 2009 PRIUS AS DESCRIBED BELOW. I HAVE HAD IT INTO THE DEALER 3 TIMES AND HAVE GOTTEN NO SATISFACTION. I HAVE HAD 4 FRIENDS WITH PRIUS CARS DRIVE MINE AND THEY ALL AGREE THAT MY CAR'S STEERING IS BAD. HTTP://WWW.SFGATE.COM/CGI-BIN/ARTICLE.CGI?F=/N/A/2010/02/17/FINANCIAL/F012558S46.DTL SMALLER, LESS-EXPENSIVE VEHICLES SUCH AS THE 2009 AND 2010 COROLLA USE ELECTRIC-ASSIST POWER STEERING. THEY ARE USUALLY EQUIPPED WITH POWER STEERING SYSTEMS THAT ARE AIDED BY A SMALL ELECTRIC MOTOR, A SYSTEM KNOWN AS ELECTRIC-ASSIST STEERING. THE MOTOR ESSENTIALLY HELPS ALIGN THE STEERING WHEEL WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE TIRES. THE SYSTEM IS CHEAPER TO INSTALL THAN STEERING SYSTEMS THAT RELY ON HYDRAULICS. PROBLEMS CAN ARISE IF THE MOTOR IS OUT OF SYNC WITH THE STEERING WHEEL, WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO WANDER WITHOUT ANY TURNING OF THE WHEEL, HE SAID. "CAR COMPANIES WORK ON IT A LOT," SAID JIM DE CLERCK, A PROFESSOR IN THE MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY'S MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT AND A FORMER GENERAL MOTORS ENGINEER. "IT IS A PRETTY WELL-KNOWN CUSTOMER-SATISFACTION ISSUE." *TR

THREE EVENTS DESCRIBE SAFETY INCIDENTS CONCERNING THE BRAKES IN MY 2009 PRIUS; 1) DESCENDING A RAMP ONTO ROCK CREEK PKWY AT CALVERT STREET, WASHINGTON, DC, WHERE ROAD FLATTENED OUT, CAR IN FRONT STOPPED ABRUPTLY ON A DRY SURFACE. I RESPONDED QUICKLY, APPLYING THE BRAKE WITH HARD, LASTING PRESSURE.THE CAR SLOWED BUT NOT TO MATCH THE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES I WAS APPLYING--I HAD THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THE CAR COASTED SMOOTHLY, SEEMINGLY SLOWLY TO A STOP, TERRIFYINGLY ABOUT 1 INCH FROM THE STOPPED CAR. THE BRAKES DID NOT GRIP SUFFICIENTLY BUT MIRACULOUSLY I AVOIDED A CRASH. 2) AT TIMES WHEN I GO OVER A BUMP IN MY PRIUS AND HIT THE BRAKES, THE CAR "KICKS" AND JUMPS TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT OR A BIT AHEAD. THIS IS NOT AN UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE AND HAPPENS MOSTLY ON DRY ROAD SURFACES 3) I WAS DESCENING A VERY SLIGHT INCLINE ON A CITY STREET--RENO ROAD. THE ROAD WAS PARTIALLY DAMP FROM A SHOWER AN HOUR OR TWO BEFORE, BUT NOT PUDDLE. I WAS GOING ABOUT 28 MPH. THE CAR AHEAD STOPPED ABRUPTLY BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC LIGHT AT TILDEN TURNED YELLOW. I HIT THE BRAKES AND THE REAR OF THE CAR BUCKED A BIT AND THEN SLID INTO THE LEFT LANE. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO ONE IN THAT LANE AND I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN MY POSITION IN THE LANE IN WHICH I'D BEEN TRAVELING. 15 SECONDS EARLIER AND I WOULD HAVE HIT SOMEONE IN THE LEFT LANE. NB--ON THIS FORM I AM NOT SURE I CHOSE THE RIGHT TYPE OF BRAKES. I HAVE REGULAR PRIUS 2009 BRAKES IN MY CAR AND I DO NOT KNOW IF THEY ARE KNOWN AS HYDRAULIC BRAKES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. WHENEVER ENCOUNTERING A BUMP OR POTHOLE IN THE ROAD THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO OPERATE UNCONTROLLABLY WITH AN ILLUMINATION OF THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATOR. ALSO, THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE MAKING A SHARP TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER REGARDING THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MALFUNCTION COULD CAUSE A POTENTIAL CRASH. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. UPDATED 3/8/10 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE YELLOW BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE LOST TRACTION MOMENTARILY. UPDATED 05/11/10.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION THE CONTACT TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HIM. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 7,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 21,000.

2009 PRIUS (NOT 2010). WHEN APPLYING BRAKES ON BUMPY SURFACE, BRAKES WILL MOMENTARILY STOP WORKING. OCCURS ALL THE TIME. *TR

IN ADDITION TO THE TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, GAS PEDAL/FLOOR MAT PROBLEMS WITH THE TOYOTA PRIUS THERE IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE POWER BUTTON. IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, LIKE THE DOOR COMING OPEN, THROTTLE GETTING STUCK, ETC. YOU CAN'T POWER OFF THE VEHICLE QUICKLY. YOU MUST HOLD THE POWER BUTTON FOR SOME AMOUNT OF TIME BEFORE THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF. UNLIKE THE TOYOTA CAMRY EXAMPLE WHERE THEY SUGGESTED TURNING OFF THE IGNITION, YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON THE PRIUS. YOU ALSO CAN'T REMOVE THE KEY/FOB TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF OR POWER IT OFF. THERE IS ALSO AN EXTREME UNDER STEER PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE WHICH IS A SAFETY CONCERN. IN WET CONDITIONS IT IS EXACERBATED. IT CAN BE OBSERVED ON CLOVER LEAF OVERPASSES AND GENERAL CORNERING. *TR

LOSS OF ENGINE POWER IN 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHEN ACCELERATING INTO TRAFFIC IN WET OR LOW TRACTION CONDITIONS EVERY TIME ONE OF THE FRONT WHEELS LOOSES TRACTION, THE ENGINE ABRUPTLY GOES TO IDLE FOR 3 SECONDS AND THE CAR SEVERELY DECELERATES. ONLY BY REMOVING YOUR FOOT COMPLETELY FROM THE GAS PEDAL AND REAPPLYING THROTTLE WILL THE CAR START GOING AGAIN. THIS EXTREME OVER-REACTION OF THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM IS VERY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. THIS OVER-REACTION IS MOST PRONOUNCED IF TURNING TO THE RIGHT WHEN A FRONT WHEEL STARTS TO SLIP. THERE SHOULD BE A WAY TO TURN OFF THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM MANUALLY. *TR

2009 TOYOTA PRIUS MY 2009 EXHIBITS SIMILAR BRAKING ISSUES TO THOSE BEING RECALLED ON THE 2010. AT LEAST WEAKLY DURING SLOW BRAKING OVER A BUMP, POTHOLE, OR DAMP SURFACE, THE "SLIP" INDICATOR COMES ON AND THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE SECOND. *TR