2010 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR IS FAULTY. I SEE THIS PROBLEM EXISTS IN THE RECALL HISTORY OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL. BUT I DON'T SEE A CURRENT RECALL FOR IT NOW. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

AT ABOUT 100,000 MILES ENGINE BEGAN USING EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL, EXCEEDING 1 QUART PER 1000 MILES. TOYOTA KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM, AND EVEN HAS A TSB ON IT: TSB 0168-16, YET REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.

TURNING LEFT AFTER A STOP SIGN ON A SINGLE LANE STREET (30 MPH), SUDDENLY THE DASH BOARD STARTED FLASHING 'STOP CAR' WARNING AND CONTINUES BEEPING. ALSO, REALIZED THAT APPLYING BREAK PADDLE DID NOT HELP A BIT. IT WAS HARD TO PRESS THE PADDLE THAT MOVED A LITTLE BIT. GOING STRAIGHT ABOUT 300 FT. CAR REDUCED TO IDLING SPEED. TURNING LEFT INTO A PARKING LOT OF A SCHOOL, I TRIED STOPPING IT INTO A PARKING SPACE. BREAK DID NOT WORK AGAIN. SO, CAR STOPPED AFTER HITTING THE CURB. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WAS CALLED AND ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE TO TOW AWAY CAR FROM SCHOOL'S PARKING LOT. THE CAR DID NOT STOP WHEN TOWING PERSON TRIED TO REVERSE DRIVE. SOMEHOW HE MANAGED TO MANEUVER IT ON A TOW TRUCK. I WAS INFORMED BY DEALERSHIP THAT BREAK ASSIST SYSTEM (BAS), BUILT INTO PRIUS HYBRID MODEL, FAILED. THE SYSTEM COMPRISES OF ACCUMULATOR & PUMP THAT ASSISTS TO STOP THE CAR WHEN BREAK PADDLE IS PRESSED. THOUGH CAR WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BREAK SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS WERE NOT COVERED. REPAIR COST OVER $1900 TO REPLACE BAS. PURPOSE OF THIS COMPLAINT TO HIGHLIGHT NHTSA OF THE CRITICAL FAILURE OF PRIUS DESIGN TO ALLOW BREAK SYSTEM TO FAIL IN SUCH A COLOSSAL WAY. THE CAR COULD NOT BE STOPPED. THIS IS A SERIOUS DRIVING SAFETY CONCERN. ANY FAILURE OF BREAK ASSIST COMPONENT SHOULD NEVER EVER TAKE AWAY THIS CRITICAL CONTROL. INTENT OF THIS COMPLAINT IS FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY, HAVING TOYOTA INFORMED OF THE INCIDENT. IT HAS BEEN VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT GIVEN ANY RESPONSE EXCEPT GIVING A CASE NUMBER BY A CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER. REQUEST NHTSA TO LOOK INTO THE INCIDENT AND MOST IMPORTANTLY REVIEW DESIGN OF BREAK ASSIST SYSTEM FOR PRIUS IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND DEFENSIVE DRIVING. PLEASE ADVISE SHOULD NHTSA REQUIRE FURTHER DETAILS OR INCIDENT NARRATIVE.

THIS CAR USES ALOT OF OIL IN GENERAL USE. I PUT IN 4 QUARTS ABOUT EVERY 2 MONTHS

DRIVERS'S SIDE HEADLIGHT AND HIGH BEAM LIGHT GOING OUT AT SAME TIME. HEADLIGHT BULBS ON BOTH SIDES WERE CHANGED OUT IN NOVEMBER 2016 (A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR AGO) AND I ONLY HAVE A 10 MILE COMMUTE TO WORK. IN NOVEMBER OF 2016 DRIVER'S SIDE LIGHT WAS ALSO THE ONE THAT BURNED OUT.

APPROACHING A STOP THE BRAKE PEDAL IN THE PRIUS WILL SUDDENLY LOSE RESISTANCE AND WILL NEED TO BE PUSHED TO THE FLOOR WHERE THE BRAKES WILL FINALLY ENGAGE AND THE AUTO WILL COME TO A HARD STOP. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY AND IS DIFFICULT FOR A MECHANIC TO DUPLICATE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TRUSTED MECHANIC (NOT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP) AND HE CONFIRMED IT IS AN HYDRAULIC PROBLEM AND THAT PADS/DRUMS/ETC. ARE OK. A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR 2010 PRIUS'S DESCRIBING THIS EXACT SITUATION BUT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. RECALL DETAILS THE BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP CONTAINS A COMPARTMENT FILLED WITH NITROGEN GAS. THIS NITROGEN GAS CAN LEAK INTO THE BRAKE FLUID CAUSING REDUCED HYDRAULIC PRESSURE DURING APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES. REDUCED BRAKING EFFICIENCY CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLY AS NECESSARY TO CORRECT THIS CONCERN. OUR QUICK TAKE REDUCED BRAKING PERFORMANCE MAY BE EXPERIENCED DUE TO A BRAKE BOOSTER SYSTEM ISSUE. WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? TOYOTA WILL BEGIN NOTIFYING OWNERS OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES DURING JULY, 2013. IF YOU NOTICE PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM, OR YOU DON'T RECEIVE NOTIFICATION AND YOU FEEL YOU SHOULD HAVE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR DEALER FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION. THEY MAY ASK FOR YOUR VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN), SO PLEASE HAVE IT HANDY WHEN YOU CALL. ON JAN 16, 2018 I CALLED MY LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS TOLD NOTHING COULD BE DONE AS I HAVE NO OUTSTANDING RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. I THEN CALLED TOYOTA ON JAN 17 AND THEY TOLD ME MUCH THE SAME AND OPENED A CASE NUMBER FOR THE ISSUE. THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE COVERED ON NHTSA NUMBER 13V235000. I AM REQUESTING NHTSA ADVICE AS TO HOW TO PROCEED.

BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY. POWER BRAKES SEEMED TO FAIL AND A LARGE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE WAS REQUIRED TO STOP VEHICLE. TOYOTA OF FORT WORTH DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THAT THE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WE PERFORMED REPAIR (AT A COST OF ROUGHLY $2,000.) A FEW DAYS LATER ON A LONGER DRIVE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TURNED BACK ON. WE RETURNED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WERE TOLD THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER/MASTER CYLINDER ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT AN ADDITIONAL COST OF $2,900. I NOTICE THAT TOYOTA HAD A RECALL FOR THIS PART ON OTHER 2010 PRIUS VEHICLES BUT MY VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL.

REFERENCE: TOYOTA PRIUS BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLY RECALL 2013 THE 2013 RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR APPROXIMATELY 82,000 PRIUS VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MARCH 2009 TO OCTOBER 2009. THE CAR I OWN AND OPERATE, ACCORDING TO A TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE, WAS BUILT IN DECEMBER 2009 -- THUS, I PRESUME, DID NOT FIT WITHIN PARAMETERS OF THIS PARTICULAR RECALL. A TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THE VEHICLE MATCHING MY VIN NUMBER HAS NO SAFETY RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. HOWEVER, THE SAME ISSUE REFERENCED IN THE RECALL -- A FAULTY BRAKE PRESSURE ACCUMULATOR THAT COMPROMISES THE BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLY SYSTEM -- APPEARS TO HAVE SURFACED IN MY 2010 PRIUS. NO ACCIDENT HAS OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE IS INDICATING A PROBLEM VIA ITS DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS. A TOYOTA MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN, ON SEPT 21, 2017, DIAGNOSED THAT THE CAR'S BRAKE ACCUMULATOR PUMP IS MALFUNCTIONING -- AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I AM PETITIONING FOR CONSIDERATION TO EXPAND THE 2013 RECALL, WHICH WAS ORDERED TO CORRECT A DESIGN/MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE SAME FLAW IS PRESENT IN MY VEHICLE (EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY THE ORIGINAL RECALL).

THERE IS A CLICKING SOUND WHEN YOU MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH WHEN CAR IS STATIONARY, SOUND IS COMING FROM THE STEERING SHAFT CONNECTION TO THE RACK AND PINION. SAME CLICKING SOUND WHEN CAR DRIVES OVER BUMPS IN THE ROAD. PREVIOUS RECALL OF THIS PROBLEM FOR 2004 TO 2009 PRIUS MODEL STATED A DEFECTIVE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THIS PROBLEM SOUNDS IDENTICAL TO THE RECALLS OF 2004-2009 PRIUS MODELS.

LEAK OF NITROGEN IS RELEASED INTO THE BRAKE FLUID, THE BRAKE PEDAL MAY HAVE REDUCED HYDRAULIC PRESSURE. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS CONDITION COULD AFFECT STOPPING DISTANCE AND INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.