2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I KEEP HEARING ABOUT THE MOMENTARY LOSS OF BRAKING ON THE 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. HOWEVER, I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE SAME PROBLEM ON MY 2009 PRIUS. WHEN PASSING OVER A SLICK, BUMPY, OR ICY SURFACE, I EXPERIENCE A MOMENTARY LOSS OF BRAKING, AND A WARNING LIGHT THAT LOOKS LIKE A CAR SKIDDING COMES ON FOR LESS THAN A SECOND. THIS GENERALLY OCCURS AT SLOW SPEEDS, BUT HAS OCCURRED AT SPEEDS UP TO 25-30 MPH. *TR

WE BOUGHT A 2009 PRIUS ON 2/14/09. ON 2/18/09 WHILE DRIVING 25MPH ON A LOCAL ROAD DURING LIGHT SNOWFALL, THE BRAKES FAILED. TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF HER, MY WIFE STEERED INTO THE CURB SUSTAINING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL, AXLE, AND UNDERCARRIAGE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND MAINTAINED THE ACCIDENT WAS HER FAULT. A FEW MONTHS LATER WE EXPERIENCED ANOTHER BRAKE FAILURE INCIDENT, THIS TIME WITHOUT ANY ACCIDENT AS WE WERE TRAVELING AT A SLOW SPEED AND WERE ABLE TO DECELERATE BY TURNING UP AN EMPTY INCLINE. AGAIN THE DEALERSHIP MAINTAINS THERE IS NO PROBLEM. SINCE THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES WHEN THEY TEST THEM, THEY SAY THERE IS NOTHING TO FIX. WE SPECULATE THAT THERE IS A COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROBLEM, BUT TOYOTA IS NOT YET ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THIS IS THE CASE FOR THE 2009 MODEL. *TR UPDATED 04/19/10

THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND I FOLLOWED SUITE. HOWEVER, AS HAD HAPPENED IN MANY OCCASIONS BEFORE THE BRAKES WERE DELAYED FOR A SECOND OR TWO AND THE LIGHT SHOWING THAT THE CARE IS SLIPPING CAME ON. AS USUAL IT FELT AS IF I WAS SLIDING ON ICE ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NONE. I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD HAVE STOPPED IN TIME BUT THE DELAY WAS DEFINITELY A FACTOR. *TR

I LIVE ON A DIRT ROAD 2 MILES LONG WITH 1 MILE UPHILL. I BOUGHT MY NEW 2009 PRIUS ON MARCH 10TH 2009 AND ON MARCH 12TH COULD NOT DRIVE OUT. GOING UP THE HILL WHEN EVER THE DRIVE WHEEL SLIPPED THE TRACTION CONTROL WOULD BRAKE THE WHEEL UNTIL, WITH MANY BRIEF BRAKING, THE PRIUS CAME TO A STOP. I WAS UNABLE TO GO FORWARD AND HAD TO BACK DOWN THE HILL TILL I COULD FIND A PLACE TO TURN AROUND. THIS CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAD THE CAR TOWED OUT AND TOYOTA CHECKED IT AND SAID ALL SYSTEMS WERE WORKING PROPERLY. I ASKED FOR AN OFF SWITCH AND THEY SAID IMPOSSIBLE. WHEN I CAME HOME THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN AND WAS TOWED OUT AND AGAIN TOYOTA REFUSED TO DEAL WITH IT. I WENT TO ARBITRATION AND PRESENTED MY INFORMATION ALONG WITH ARTICLES I FOUND ON THE CONSUMER AFFAIRS WEBSITE ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM AFFECTING PEOPLE ALL OVER THE NATION, SOME WITH BAD RESULTS, ESPECIALLY ON ICE, STRANDING THEM, IN INTERSECTIONS. TOYOTA SAID THIS WAS NOT COVERED IN THE WARRANTY SO ALL MY INFORMATION AND MY CASE WERE TOTALLY DISREGARDED. THIS IS THE SAME THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM OR ADD AN OFF SWITCH. I ALSO CALLED THE MANUFACTURES OF ALL OTHER HYBRID OR ELECTRIC CARS WITH TRACTION CONTROL AND THEY EITHER HAVE AN OFF SWITCH OR OFFER ONE JUST FOR THIS REASON. I WAS LUCKY THAT MY ROAD ASSOCIATION SPENT $16,000 ON THE ROAD SHORTLY AFTER THIS HAPPENED BUT AS THE ROAD IS DETERIORATING AND THERE WONT BE ENOUGH MONEY FOR SEVERAL YEARS I MAY BE STUCK AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. EVERY OTHER CAR CAN GET UP THE ROAD, EVEN AT ITS WORST, INCLUDING A 2003 PRIUS WITHOUT TRACTION CONTROL. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN ON ANOTHER DIRT ROAD BUT I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT THRU THE USE OF ROPES AND ROCKS AND A SHOVEL. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP AS I DON'T WANT TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY TO FOLLOW THROUGH . THANK YOU *TR

MOMENTARY BRAKE FAILURE WHEN DRIVING OVER POTHOLES. ALSO, BRAKES ARE "GRABBY" AT VERY LOW SPEEDS. BOTH CONDITIONS HAVE EXISTED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEMS. *TR

WHEN PUTTING THE PRIUS INTO PARK AND SHUTTING OFF THE CAR, IT ROLLS BACK EVERY TIME. PUTTING ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HELPS BUT IT STILL ROLLS. ALSO PUTTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL (IE GOING THROUGH A AUTOMATED CAR WASH) THE CAR DOES NOT STAY IN NEUTRAL, IT POPS OUT AND IS VERY HARD TO PUT BACK INTO NEUTRAL. *TR

2009 TOYOTA PRIUS, BRAKES DO NOT HOLD ON UNEVEN PAVEMENT OR ICY ROADS. YOU LOSE CONTACT WITH THE ROAD WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS. THE FIRST TIME I NOTICED THE ICY ROAD PROBLEM WAS NOVEMBER 2008, AND THE UNEVEN LANE/WASHBOARD ROAD PROBLEM WAS IN THE SUMMER OF 2009. IT WAS MENTIONED TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT SINCE THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A WET CITY ROAD, THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED ABRUPTLY. WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES, MY CAR WAS OVER RAILROAD TRACKS. INITIALLY THE BRAKES DIDN'T RESPOND AND MY CAR DIDN'T SLOW DOWN. I DIDN'T HEAR ANTI-LOCK OR OTHER BRAKE NOISES. AFTER A 2-3 SECOND DELAY, THE BRAKES BEGAN TO WORK NORMALLY. HAD THE BRAKES DELAYED MUCH LONGER, I MAY HAVE COLLIDED WITH CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAVE ABOUT 6,000 MILES ON THE CAR, AND THIS IS THE ONLY INCIDENT WHEN THE BRAKES DIDN'T RESPOND AS EXPECTED. *TR

I HAVE A 2009 PRIUS AND ON AT LEAST 4 OCCASIONS IN CRUISE CONTROL MY CAR HAS ACCELERATED WITHOUT MY DOING SO. ALL OF THE TIMES I WAS ABLE TO BRAKE AND BRING DOWN MY SPEED. WE TRIED TO REPORT THIS TO TOYOTA BUT THEY WERE NOT CONCERNED. WE THEN REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE MECHANIC TOLD MY HUSBAND THAT " THAT SOMETIMES HAPPENS". NO REPORT WAS FILED OR ACTION TAKEN. *TR

I WAS SITTING ON A ROAD IN TRAFFIC WITH MY CAR RUNNING BUT IN PARK BECAUSE I WAS WAITING FOR A TRAIN TO PASS BEFORE PROCEEDING. THE CAR JUMPED FORWARD WHEN THE VEHICLE CHANGED FUEL MODES FROM THE ELECTRIC ENGINE TO THE GAS ENGINE. I ALMOST HIT THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND HAD THEM CHECK THE CAR THEY TOLD ME THIS WAS NORMAL. NO ONE EVER INFORMED ME OF THIS WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. THIS IS A HAZARD IN THE ABOVE SITUATION AS WELL AS IF PEOPLE HAVE THEIR CARS IN THEIR GARAGE AND RUNNING OR IN A NUMBER OF OTHER SITUATIONS. *TR