2011 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

ON APRIL 3 2012 WE DROVE OUR 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS TO A FULL AND COMPLETE STOP AT A STOP SIGN IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. WHILE WE WERE STOPPED, THE CAR SURGED FORWARD APPROXIMATELY 5 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. MY WIFE, WHO AS DRIVING LOOKED DOWN TO CHECK THAT HER FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE. WHILE STARING AT HER FOOT SQUARELY ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR SURGED FORWARD AGAIN ABOUT 3 FEET. THE CAR THEN SURGED FORWARD AGAIN ABOUT ONE FOOT BEFORE STOPPING. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO CROSSING TRAFFIC, PEDESTRIANS OR ANY OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS. NO COLLISION OCCURRED AND NO ONE WAS HURT. WE CALLED TOYOTA CARE IMMEDIATELY AND THEY PROMPTLY PICKED UP THE CAR AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER LATER CALLED US AND INFORMED US THAT THEY HAD DIAGNOSED THE CAR AND THAT NO PROBLEM COULD BE FOUND. WE DISPUTED THAT WE WERE UNWILLING TO TAKE THE CAR BACK UNTIL A PROBLEM WAS FOUND AND THEY TOLD US THAT THEY HAD DONE EVERYTHING THEY COULD DO AND EVEN HAD DRIVEN THE CAR 10 MILES WITH NO INCIDENT. I INFORMED THEM THAT WE HAD DRIVEN THE CAR NEARLY 10,000 MILES AND IT HAPPENED ONCE. ONCE IS TOO MANY TIMES. THE DEALER TOLD US WE HAD TO TAKE THE CAR BACK. WE ASKED FOR A WRITTEN STATEMENT GUARANTEEING THE SAFETY OF THE CAR AND THAT THE ISSUE WOULD NOT OCCUR. THEY SAID THEY COULD OFFER NO WRITTEN STATEMENT, SO WE REFUSED TO TAKE THE CAR BACK WHAT FOLLOWED WAS ESSENTIALLY THE DEALER PASSING THE BUCK TO TOYOTA CORPORATE WHO BASICALLY TOLD US THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND THAT IF WE STILL HAD A PROBLEM WE COULD GO TO ARBITRATION. TOYOTA CORPORATE WAS NEITHER REASSURING NOR HELPFUL. WE ARE NOW IN ARBITRATION WITH TOYOTA. WE HAVE OUR ARBITRATION HEARING TODAY. IT HAS NOW BEEN NEARLY TWO MONTHS SINCE WE HAVE HAD THE CAR, YET WE ARE STILL PAYING THE LEASE AND INSURANCE. WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR MONEY, WE ONLY WANT ASSURANCE AND SAFETY FOR OUR FAMILY. *TR

WHEN I PUSH ON THE BRAKES AND I HAPPEN TO GO OVER A BUMP OR A POT HOLE, MY PRIUS SPEEDS UP. IT ACCELERATES WHEN I TRY TO DECELERATE. I HAVE TO PUSH HARDER ON THE BRAKES TO REALLY SLOW THE CAR DOWN. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS WHEN I'M DRIVING AT AROUND 40MILE/HR. I HAVE A 2011 TYPE III PRIUS. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY CLAIMED THAT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS TOTAL BS BECAUSE AS SOON AS I GOT IT BACK FROM THEM I COULD REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM ON MY WAY BACK HOME. PLEASE ADVISE ME OF WHAT TO DO. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NOTICED BRAKES BREAKING INTERMITTENTLY ABOUT A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE. DISMISSED IT BECAUSE OF WEATHER AND IT WAS A NEW CAR, THOUGHT IT WAS JUST DIFFERENT FEEL FROM MY LAST VEHICLE. I DON'T DRIVE OFTEN AVERAGING 10,000 MILES OR LESS PER YEAR, SO WHEN I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM REPEATING, AND ACTUALLY NEAR CAUSING AN ACCIDENT I GOT CONCERNED. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY, THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG, AND ON THE WAY HOME EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THE INABILITY TO STOP COMPLETELY PRESENTS A HAZARD, ESPECIALLY WHEN THIS OCCURS UNDER NORMAL BRAKING CONDITIONS. IF THE DEALER CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM WHAT RECOURSES DO CONSUMERS HAVE? *TR

SINCE I PURCHASED A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS IN DECEMBER 2011 I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE 2 IRREPARABLE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT YOKOHAMA AVIS S33 TIRES DUE TO SIDE WALL DAMAGE. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE SIDE WALLS ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO RESIST POTENTIAL HAZARDS. THIS IS PART OF YOKOHAMA CASE #[XXX] WHICH INCLUDED OTHER CONCERNS. I HAVE RARELY HAD A SIDEWALL PROBLEM AND NEVER A FLAT TIRE WITH NEW TIRES. THE FIRST OCCURRED AT ABOUT 300 MILES OF USE THE NEXT AT 8300 MILES, THE APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR

WHEN YOU GO OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD AT A SLOW SPEED THE TIRE SLIPS SLIGHTLY ON THE ROAD BED. YOKOHAMA REPRESENTATIVE SAYS THEY HAVE HAD NO COMPLAINTS (TELEPHONE CONVERSATION, 5/9/12, PART OF THEIR CASE #[XXX]). I FOUND THE TIRE IS THE PROBLEM WHILE SEARCHING ONLINE COMMENTS ABOUT THE TIRE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR

STARTED CAR AFTER PROLONGED PERIOD OF COLD SOAK (PARKED FOR ONE WEEK OUTSIDE IN TEMPERATURES AROUND THE FREEZING MARK). ENGINE EXHIBITED A LOUD KNOCK/RATTLE AND HAD A DELAYED THROTTLE RESPONSE AS I WAS PULLING OUT ONTO THE STREET. HAD TO SHUT ENGINE DOWN (WITH VEHICLE LOCATED IN STREET, SAFETY CONCERN) TO STOP LOUD KNOCK AND RE-START ENGINE. RATTLE/KNOCK HAD DISAPPEARED. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHEN PRESENTED WITH ISSUE AND TOYOTA ISSUED TSB (T-SB 0012-10) ON THIS VERY ISSUE DECLINED TO PERFORM NECESSARY WORK SINCE THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO "RECREATE" THE ISSUE. I EXPLAINED THAT THIS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE AND TO REPLICATE THEY WOULD NEED TO PARK IT IN THE SAME CONDITIONS FOR A WEEK. I CANNOT LEAVE MY CAR WITH THEM FOR THIS LONG AND THEREFORE THIS IS AN UNREASONABLE REQUEST. MULTIPLE OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM (AS A QUICK SEARCH ON YOUTUBE WILL CONFIRM) YET TOYOTA IS DENYING TO FIX THIS. *JS

DROVE OVER A SPEED HUMP, AND AS THE FRONT TIRES HIT THE LEVEL PAVEMENT, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD. RESPONDED TO BRAKES JUST FINE. HAPPENED AGAIN A WEEK LATER AS BOTH FRONT TIRES SIMULTANEOUSLY WENT OVER AN EDGE DROPOFF AT A CONSTRUCTION AREA. *TR

BRAKING OVER UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE CAUSE LOSS IN BRAKING FORCE. THIS ONLY OCCURS WHILE BRAKING OVER UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE. VERY CLOSE CALLS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING UPHILL AT 5 MPH AND IN THREE INCHES OF SNOW WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE SDS WARNING LIGHT. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHO STATED THAT THE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED IN FORWARD MODE ONLY TO DEMONSTRATE IN WHAT MODE THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT NO LONGER OWNED THE VEHICLE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 8 MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. THE DRIVER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT FAILED TO RETAIN THE DRIVER, CAUSING INJURIES TO THE BACK AND NECK. THE POLICE WERE NOTIFIED AND A REPORT WAS ON FILE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 8,000. UPDATED 04/19/12*LJ THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. TOYOTA SENT THE CONSUMER A NOTICE EXPLAINING THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT, ONLY IMPACT TO THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE/DOOR AREA, THE MORE YIELDING PORTIONS OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT ABRUPT FORWARD DECELERATION OF THE VEHICLE TO DEPLOY THE AIR BAG. THE LETTER ALSO STATED THE SEAT BELT OPERATED AS DESIGNED WITHIN THE MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATION. UPDATED EVOQ 05/24/12 UPDATED EVOQ 06/18/12