2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I PURCHASED A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS FROM DUNNING TOYOTA IN ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN IN OCTOBER 2008. UNFORTUNATELY I, AS WELL, HAVE ABSOLUTELY EXPERIENCED SUDDEN BRAKE LOSS WHEN HITTING MY BRAKES "HARD AND SUDDENLY". IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE SLIDING ON ICE AND THE VEHICLE IS "LOCKED" - YOU HAVE NO CONTROL. AS OTHERS HAVE STATED RECENTLY, THIS SUDDENLY LOCKED BRAKE LOSS OCCURS FOR APPROXIMATELY A SECOND TO SECOND AND A HALF. THIS HAS OCCURRED TO ME 4 OR 5 TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR. I DIDN'T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT UNTIL THE NEWS REPORTS, AND MY WIFE INDICATED THAT IT TOO HAS OCCURRED TO HER 3 TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR. I NOTICED THAT WHEN IT DOES OCCUR THAT IF I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND THEN SLOWLY DEPRESS DOWN I REGAIN MY BRAKES AGAIN. ALTHOUGH THE SERVICE HAS BEEN GOOD THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP, I HAD TO BE HONEST IN FILING THIS COMPLAINT FOR MYSELF AND THE PUBLICS SAFETY. *TR

I AM EXPERIENCING MOMENTARY LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY WHILE DRIVING OVER AN UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE, POTHOLE OR BUMP. THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY IN MY CAR. SOMETIMES EVEN ON A STOP SIGN AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO A STATE HIGH WAY IT FEELS LIKE JUMPING OFF WITH NO CONTROL OF THE CAR. *TR

BRAKING OVER UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE SUCH AS MANHOLES, RAILROAD CROSSINGS AND BROKEN PAVEMENT, THE CAR'S RATE OF DECELERATION IS BRIEFLY HALTED (GIVING A SENSATION OF ACCELERATION). *TR

ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 9, 2009 I WAS TRAVELING SOUTH ON I-93 NEAR THE TOWN OF MEDFORD, MA. I WAS ON MY WAY TO LOGAN AIRPORT TO RETURN THE 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS I HAD RENTED THAT PREVIOUS WEDNESDAY. IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 9:30 AM; THE FREEWAY WAS STILL BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WITH RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. I WAS IN THE LEFT-HAND LANE OF THE HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC WAS STOP AND GO. A GAP OPENED UP IN TRAFFIC AND I ACCELERATED. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME (APPROXIMATELY 60') SUDDENLY STOPPED. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES BUT MY CAR KEPT GOING. THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO AS MY CAR PLOWED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, AT THE SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH. THE IMPACT WAS SUFFICIENT TO DISLODGE MY FRONT LICENSE PLATE. THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, HOWEVER THE TWO PASSENGERS WERE EXTREMELY SHAKEN UP. THERE WAS A MASSACHUSETTS STATE TROOPER ON THE SCENE WHO TOOK ALL THE INFORMATION BUT DID NOT FILE A REPORT. AS SOON AS I COULD, AT ABOUT 11:00 AM, I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY, USAA TO REPORT THE ACCIDENT, AND I EXPLAINED ALL OF THE DETAILS TO THEM. *TR

ON MY 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS, I CONSISTENTLY EXPERIENCE BRAKING DIFFICULTIES ON ROUGH OR UNEVEN SURFACES. IF I AM PRESSING ON THE BRAKE AND PASS THRU A HOLE OR HUMP IN THE ROAD, THE CAR FLASHES THE STABILITY CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS AND I HAVE NO BRAKES WHAT-SO-EVER FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE A FEW SECONDS. IF I RELEASE THE BRAKE AND PRESS DOWN AGAIN, I THEN HAVE BRAKE CONTROL BACK. I REPORTED THIS TO MY DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR AND CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE SAME RESPONSE 'THAT IS THE WAY THE BRAKES ARE ON THE PRIUS.' *TR

2009 TOYOTA PRIUS ALSO SUFFERS FROM TEMPORARY LOSS OF BRAKING AFTER HITTING POTHOLES OR OTHER ROUGH ROAD SURFACE. THIS PROBLEM HAS EXISTED SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. *TR

CONTINUAL PROBLEM WHENEVER WE TRY TO BRAKE, THE CAR WILL BEGIN TO ACCELERATE. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN APPARENT SINCE WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND EACH TIME WE MENTION IT AT THE SERVICING, WE ARE TOLD THE BRAKES ARE WORKING FINE. *TR

IN MAY 2009 I PURCHASED A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS MY PRIUS HAS HAD SIMILAR BRAKING PROBLEMS AS THOSE DESCRIBED AS AFFECTING THE 2010 PRIUS MODELS. IN AUGUST 2009 I BROUGHT MY PRIUS IN TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE I HAD EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT LAG IN BRAKING (MORE THAN 1 SECOND) WHILE SLOWING TO A STOP. SINCE THEN I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM ON SEVERAL OTHER OCCASIONS. UNLIKE THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM, THE RECENT OCCURRENCES HAVE HAPPENED WHEN I WAS TRYING TO BRAKE AND HIT A SMALL POTHOLE AND WHEN BRAKING AND HIT A LANE DIVIDER. ALTHOUGH THE MEDIA REPORTS DO NOT INDICATE THAT THIS PROBLEM AFFECTS PRIUS MODELS OTHER THAN THE NEW 2010 MODELS SOLD PRIOR TO JANUARY 2010 I WOULD LIKE TOYOTA AND THE NHTSA TO BE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT MY 2009 PRIUS IS HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *TR

I NOTICED ON MY TOYOTA PRIUS 2009 TAKES ABOUT A SECOND OR TWO TO ACTUALLY BRAKE. I NOTICED THAT EVEN WHEN I START BRAKING SLIGHTLY THE CAR DOES SLOW DOWN BUT I HAVE TO PRESS HARDER (MORE THAN HALF WAY IN) FOR THE CAR TO RESPOND ON BRAKING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 50 MPH HE ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES WERE TAKING LONGER THAN USUAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPRODUCED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 9500.