2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

BRIGHAM PHYSICIAN KILLED IN CAR CRASH TOP INTERNIST WAS LOVED BY PATIENTS, HOSPITAL'S STAFF SHE WAS A MOTHER, WIFE, DOCTOR, AND SUPERVISOR. GLOBE STAFF / APRIL 23, 2009 EMAIL| PRINT| SINGLE PAGE| YAHOO! BUZZ| SHARETHISTEXT SIZE ' + THE POPULAR MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF A MAJOR PHYSICIANS' GROUP AT BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL DIED TUESDAY AFTER SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON CAR CRASH NEAR HER HOME IN NEEDHAM. POLICE AND RELATIVES SAID IT APPEARED THAT AN INTERNIST WHO FOR THE PAST 27 YEARS SERVED AS MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF BRIGHAM INTERNAL MEDICINE ASSOCIATES, CROSSED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC SHORTLY BEFORE 6 P.M. AS SHE WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN HER 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS ON GREENDALE AVENUE. THE 60-YEAR-OLD RELATIVELY SMALL HYBRID CAR COLLIDED WITH A TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE WOMAN WHO WAS DRIVING THE SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE AND HER TWO PASSENGERS SUFFERED INJURIES THAT WERE NOT LIFE-THREATENING, POLICE SAID. THEIR NAMES WERE NOT RELEASED. INVESTIGATORS SAID IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT SPEED OR ALCOHOL PLAYED A ROLE IN THE CRASH, BUT POLICE SAID THEY ARE INVESTIGATING WHETHER SHE WAS USING HER BLACKBERRY AT THE TIME. THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE ROAD IS 40 MILES PER HOUR. THEY ALSO SAID IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT SHE WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT. THE THREE IN THE SEQUOIA WERE WEARING SEAT BELTS. *TR

2009 PRIUS BRAKE FAILURE IN LESS THAN 1" SNOW COVERED ROAD. CAR SLID TO STOP WITH NO BRAKE CONTROL. PEDESTRIAN IN ROAD UNINJURED BECAUSE THEY MOVED OUT OF CAR PATH!! SECOND TIME NO BRAKE CONTROL IN SNOW. CAR HAD BEEN RECENTLY INSPECTED WITH NO BRAKE FINDINGS. WILL NO LONGER DRIVE CAR IN SNOW UNTIL REMEDIED. *TR

DRIVING CAR ON LOS ANGELES FREEWAY DURING A GENTLE RAIN. I WAS GOING SLOW AND A CAR CUT IN FRONT OF ME AND WHEN I WENT TO BRAKE, THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. TOOK CAR TO HAMER TOYOTA IN MISSION HILLS AND THEY TESTED THE CAR AND SAID THE BRAKES WERE FINE. TODAY'S HEADLINES THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON THAT IS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM MAKES ME ALL THE MORE CONCERNED. *TR

I HAVE A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS, AND THE BRAKES DO NOT ALWAYS ENGAGE. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INSTANCES WHERE I FELT THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP, ONE TIME I EVEN ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP IT FROM GOING INTO MY GARAGE WALL. I HAVE HAD IT INTO MY DEALER ABOUT 4 TIMES, AND EACH TIME THEY HAVEN'T FOUND ANY PROBLEM AND THAT "IT IS JUST THE WAY THE CAR WORKS" .*TR

AT ALL SPEEDS BELOW 15MPH, THE PRIUS' ELECTRICAL BRAKING SYSTEM "PULSES" THE BRAKES RESULTING IN A DECELERATION THAT IS NOT SMOOTH. THE EFFECT IS SIMILAR TO THAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT AS THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS. BUT...THE TRANSMISSION EFFECT CAN BE ELIMINATED SINCE THE BRAKE PULSING EFFECT REMAINS AFTER THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION WAS PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE LOCAL ALBUQUERQUE PRIUS DEALERSHIP INDICATED THIS PULSING IS "NORMAL" FOR THE PRIUS. ON SLIPPERY PAVEMENT, THIS EFFECT COULD BE DEADLY. THE BRAKING SHOULD BE SMOOTH THROUGHOUT THE BRAKING CYCLE. IT IS NOT. DISREGARD DATE - THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT APPROX 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AS THE DRIVER'S FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE TRYING TO SLOW DOWN. THE VEHICLE IN FRONT WAS REAR ENDED BUT THE VEHICLE STILL DID NOT STOP ACCELERATING SO THE DRIVER SWERVED AND HIT A SIGN. THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED AT THE SCENE, BUT AFTER 3 PEOPLE IN THE OTHER VEHICLE REPORTED INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AFTER THE BODY REPAIRS WERE DONE AND THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. HE WAS INFORMED THAT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. HE WAS STILL AWAITING A RESPONSE AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5,000. UPDATED 03/12/10. *LJ UPDATED 09/30/10

I RECENTLY READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE HTTP://MONEY.CNN.COM/2010/02/03/AUTOS/PRIUS_COMPLAINTS/INDEX.HTM AND WOULD LIKE TO REPORT THAT THIS PROBLEM OCCURS IN MY 2009 PRIUS. I HAVE HAD IT SINCE 4/09 AND IT OCCURS CONSISTENTLY WHEN I AM EXITING MY WORKPLACE. I DESCEND A FAIRLY STEEP PAVED ROAD AND WHEN I HIT A SPECIFIC BUMP IN THE PAVEMENT, MY CAR ACCELERATES FOR A SPLIT SECOND. THIS IS A REGULARLY REPEATABLE OCCURRENCE. *TR

WHILE CROSSING A SMALL BRIDGE OVER AN EXPRESSWAY, APPLYING BRAKES AT THE POINT OF BUMPY TRANSITION CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LURCH FORWARD FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE SECOND. THIS CAUSED A SUDDEN PANIC, BUT NO OTHER EFFECTS. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE AT THE EXACT SAME BRIDGE TRANSITION AND BUMP OVER THE COURSE OF 8 MONTHS. THERE ARE NO RECOGNIZABLE SIDE EFFECTS. THIS HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALER, NOR TO THE COMPANY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED SHE WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INTO A PARKING RAMP AND DAMAGED THE BUMPER OF HER VEHICLE.THERE WERE NO INJURIES. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM THEY TOLD CONTACT IF THE FAILURE HAPPEN AGAIN TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 5,000 THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 13,000.

TOYOTA PRIUS YR/MDL 2009/1224 A I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING CHECKED WITH TOYOTA OF HICKORY WHERE I PURCHASED THE PRIUS AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO ALLOW THE BATTERY TO HEAT UP BEFORE TRYING TO PLACE IT INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. MY PRIUS WILL GO INTO N, IT WILL LOCK ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS AND NOT GO INTO GEAR OR START. I HAVE BEEN LOCKED IN THE CAR DURING THIS PAST SUMMER WITHOUT AIR AND I ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO CUT THE CAR ON AND OFF BEFORE IT WOULD GO INTO GEAR. THIS IS VERY HORRIFIC TO SAY THE LEAST. I WAS AT LAKE NORMAN TOYOTA YESTERDAY AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS A COMMON COMPLAINT. YET NO ONE OFFERED TO TAKE THIS CAR IN AND CHECK FOR PROBLEMS. FROM THE DAY I DROVE OFF THE LOT UNTIL NOW THIS HYBRID GAS/ELEC SEDAN HAS GIVEN ME NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. *TW *TR