2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

PURCHASED A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. AFTER A WEEK, I STARTED TO NOTICE SERIOUS ISSUES IN KEEPING THE VEHICLE TRACKING STRAIGHT, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO DEALER TWICE AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO ISSUE. DECIDED TO BRING VEHICLE TO ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT ALIGNMENT WAS DEFINITELY OFF. ISSUE WAS FIXED, BUT HAS COME BACK. *JB

I HAVE READ ABOUT THE BRAKE ISSUES WITH THE GEN 3 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. MY GEN 2 2009 PRIUS HAS THE EXACT SAME ISSUES WITH BRAKES RELEASING AFTER DRIVING OVER A POTHOLE. I CAN DEMONSTRATE THIS ISSUE TO ANYONE AT WILL ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. IT IS QUITE EASY TO REPRODUCE. THERE IS A POTHOLE NEAR MY WORK THAT I DRIVE OVER OFTEN AND THERE IS A TRAFFIC LIGHT SHORTLY AFTER THE POTHOLE. IF THE LIGHT CHANGES AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME BRAKES FOR THE LIGHT, I HAVE COME VERY CLOSE TO CRASHING INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME SEVERAL TIMES. I HAVE LEARNED TO LEAVE AN EXTRA AMOUNT OF SPACE BETWEEN ME AND THE CAR IN FRONT TO ALLOW FOR THIS SITUATION. BUT THAT ONLY WORKS FOR POTHOLES THAT I KNOW ARE THERE. A NEW OR UNKNOWN POTHOLE IS STILL A DANGER. THIS REALLY NEEDS TO BE FIXED AS I SAID, I CAN DEMONSTRATE THIS ISSUE AT WILL TO ANYONE WHO DOESN'T BELIEVE IT. *JB

2009 PRIUS - I'VE HAD WHAT FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS RECOVERING FROM A SKID BUT THERE WAS NO SKID. DURING THIS TIME I SOMETIMES SEE THE SKID WARNING LIGHT ON AND HEAR ONE WHEEL SPINNING FAST. IT OCCURS VERY RARELY BUT WHEN IT DOES OCCUR THE ROAD IS WET OR BUMPY. AN EASY WAY TO SEE THIS PROBLEM IS TO DRIVE DOWN THE FDR NORTH OF THE TRIBORO BRIDGE. IF YOU WANT A TEST TRACK OF BUMPS THIS IS IT. IT HAS OCCURRED RANDOMLY SINCE I GOT THE CAR. A FRIEND WITH A 2004 PRIUS REPORTS THE SAME PROBLEM. I GUESS WE JUST THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING THE PRIUS DID. I HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF IT AS A SAFETY PROBLEM. *JB *TR

I OWN A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS AND AM EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH BRAKING THAT THE 2010 PRIUS' ARE HAVING. WHEN BRAKING ON AN UNEVEN OR BUMPY SURFACE, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A MOMENTARY PAUSE OR HESITATION. *JB

MY 2009 PRUIS HAD A BRAKING PROBLEM I TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER I TOLD THEM I THOUGHT IT WAS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM AND IT CAUSED MY CAR TO SPIN OUT ON A WET ROAD IT IS FIXED NOW AND HAS NOT DONE IT AGAIN. *JB

THE PROBLEM IS THAT OUR 2009 PRIUS AT TIMES SEEMS TO ACCELERATE MOMENTARILY WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. MY WIFE AND I DROVE THIS CAR FOR ELEVEN MONTHS AND DIDN'T REALIZE WE HAD A PROBLEM UNTIL I HAD TO DRIVE THE CAR DURING THE START OF THE SNOW STORM WITH 2" OF SNOW. I WAS GOING DOWN A HILL THAT I HAVE DRIVEN ON IN DIFFERENT CARS A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THE SNOW. WITH THE PRIUS, EVERYTIME I APPLIED BRAKES TO KEEP THE CAR AT SLOW SPEED , IT SEEMED TO ACCELERATE A BIT BEFORE THE BRAKES WOULD WORK, THEREBY CAUSING THE REAR OF THE CAR TO SLIDE SIDEWAYS. THE LOSS OF CONTROL WAS OF GREAT CONCERN TO ME (I HAD MY WIFE AND GRANDDAUGHTER IN THE CAR). SO I INCHED DOWN THE HILL. A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF CARS BACKED UP BEHIND OUR CAR. SINCE THEN I HAVE NOTICED THE MOMENTARY ACCELERATION BEFORE BREAKING ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS IN DRY WEATHER AS WELL.. TODAY, I TOOK THE CAR INTO NEWARK TOYOTA WORLD IN DELAWARE AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO THEM, INCLUDING THE SERVICE MANAGER. THEY DROVE THE CAR AND SAID THEY RAN THE DIAGNOSTICS BUT COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. I AM SORRY BUT, TO ME, THAT'S NOT SATISFACTORY BECAUSE NEITHER MY WIFE NOR I TRUST THIS CAR IN INCLEMENT WEATHER. SOMEONE SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMETHING SERIOUS HAPPENS. *JB

APPLYING LIGHT TO MODERATE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKING PEDAL OF MY 2009 PRIUS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY GOING OVER A POTHOLE AT LOW TO MODERATE SPEED (SUCH AS IN TRAFFIC) CAUSES THE BRAKING SYSTEM TO RELEASE AND THE CAR WILL FAIL TO STOP. REMOVING PRESSURE FROM THE PEDAL AND REAPPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL USUALLY REGAINS BRAKING FUNCTION BUT CAUSES A FEW SECONDS OF LOST BRAKING. THIS IS EASILY REPEATABLE AND FREQUENTLY OCCURS IN THE SAME SPOTS ON A DAILY COMMUTE FOR THE PAST YEAR I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR. ON TWO OCCASIONS SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR IN OCTOBER 2008 I WAS STILL UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS BRAKING "QUIRK" AND REAR ENDED TWO SEPARATE CARS ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THERE WAS MINOR DAMAGE TO BOTH BUMPERS OF THE VEHICLES. BOTH OCCASIONS WERE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC TRAVELING UNDER 10 MILES PER HOUR, ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE WITH UNWITTINGLY HITTING A POTHOLE AT THE SAME MOMENT.*TR

MY 2009 PRIUS CONSISTENTLY EXPERIENCES LOCKING BRAKES WHEN SMALL BUMPS ARE HIT. I CAN RECREATE THIS ISSUE CONSISTENTLY ON SPECIFIC ROADS. *TR

I OWN A 2009 PRIUS AND ANYTIME THAT I APPLY THE BRAKES AND HIT A POTHOLE OR ANY RAISED OBJECT ON THE ROADWAY THE VEHICLE SKIDS OR ACCELERATES FORWARD. THE PRIUS WAS PURCHASED IN FEBRUARY OF 2009. THIS FAILURE OCCURS EVERYTIME I HIT A POTHOLE, MANHOLE COVER OR ANY RAISED OBJECT IN THE ROAD WHILE BRAKING. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURS THE YELLOW SKID WARNING LIGHT IN THE DASHBOARD ILLUMINATES. I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE AUTOMOBILE WHILE THIS FAILURE IS OCCURRING. *TR

WHEN BRAKING ON ROUGH ROAD, LIKE WHEN YOU HIT A SMALL POTHOLE, OUR 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS HANDLES IMPROPERLY. THE "SLIP INDICATOR" LIGHT FLASHES. IT BRIEFLY FEELS LIKE THERE IS A LOSS OF CONTROL. *TR