2002 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS ACCIDENT *GR THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS LEAVING A MEETING WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO RELEASE HER EMERGENCY BRAKE. SHE WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINE AND HAS PARKED THERE ONCE A MONTH FOR OVER A YEAR. BEFORE SHE KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS AT SUCH HIGH SPEED THAT SHE WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL IT BY BRAKING. THEREFORE, SHE SIDE SWIPED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND CAUSED OVER $10,500 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO BOTH CARS. *JB

I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES ABOUT SHAKING IN THE STEERING COLUMN. AFTER SEVERAL INSPECTIONS WHERE THEY FOUND NOTHING, I TOLD THEM TO CHECK THE RACK & PINION. THEY FOUND THAT TO BE THE CAUSE. TOYOTA PAID FOR THE NEW PARTS AND I PAID FOR THE LABOR TO GET IT REPLACED. LESS THEN 13 MONTHS LATER, I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF MY POWER STEERING GOING OUT MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE DEALER ACKNOWLEDGED THERE IS A PROBLEM, AGAIN, WITH THE RACK AND SAYS I NEED TO REPLACE IT.

BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SENSOR. INTERMITTENT FAILURE. CANNOT START CAR EVEN THOUGH FOOT IS ON BRAKE. SOMETIMES REQUIRED AS MANY AS 20 TRIES. CONDITION PERSISTED FROM 2006 UNTIL REPAIRED JAN 2010. AT FIRST ONCE EVERY FEW WEEK AND PROGRESSED TO SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. *TR

SINCE I PURCHASED MY TOYOTA PRIUS IN LATE 2001, IT HAS INTERMITTENTLY SURGED WHEN THE BRAKE IS PRESSED. WHILE I DO NOT HAVE THE HIGH SPEED SURGES THAT OTHER DRIVERS HAVE REPORTED, PERIODICALLY WHEN I AM AT LOW SPEEDS AND PRESS THE BRAKE TO STOP, THE CAR WILL SLOW TO A STOP, THEN LURCH FORWARD, REQUIRING ME TO PRESS THE BRAKE HARDER TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA IN 2001 AND 2002, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NORMAL FOR A HYBRID, WHICH WAS FAIRLY NEW TECHNOLOGY AT THE TIME. I AM CONCERNED THAT IN THE FUTURE I MAY HAVE A HIGHER SPEED SURGE. SO FAR MY SURGES HAVE BEEN LOW SPEED, AND I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THEM BY PRESSING THE BRAKE HARDER. *TR

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS BRAKING PROBLEM*CW THE CONSUMER STATED HE DIDN'T SEE THE ISSUE AS A BRAKING PROBLEM; RATHER A CONTROL CONFLICT. WHENEVER THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING DOWN A SLIGHT GRADE ON A ROAD SURFACE HAVING ITS SHARE OF PAVING PATCHES, FROST HEAVES, ETC. THE SLIGHT DOWNGRADE CAUSES THE VEHICLES SPEED TO INCREASE, OR PERHAPS AN INTERSECTION APPEARED AHEAD AND FOR WHATEVER REASON THE BRAKES WERE GENTLY APPLIED IN ORDER TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE SYMPTOM WAS A BRIEF INTERVAL AND THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO ACCELERATE AND THEN NORMAL BRAKING RESUMED AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. JUST PRIOR TO THE BRAKE ACTIVATION, THE VEHICLE IS IN REGENERATION MODE, IN WHICH THE ELECTRIC PROPULSION MOTORS ARE ACTING AS GENERATORS, WHERE ENERGY MOTION IS BEING EXTRACTED AND CONVERTED TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY TO BE STORED IN THE VEHICLES BATTERY. WHENEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ACTIVATED, THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE MOTOR NOW BECOME GENERATORS ARE FORCED BY THE CONTROL SYSTEM TO CONVERT SIGNIFICANT ENERGY OF MOTION INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THE NORMAL BRAKING SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE ABS.

CONSUMERS 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS LOSS OF POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND VIOLENT SHAKING IN THE STEERING SYSTEM. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER MADE ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE ELECTRONIC MODULE EXCHANGE AND THE GAS TANK. HOWEVER, THE ATTEMPTS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. ALSO, THE VEHICLE HAS AN ONGOING, UNRESOLVED PROBLEM WITH VIOLENT SHAKING IN THE STEERING SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY THE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND AT OTHER TIMES DURING COLD WEATHER. THE POWER STEERING WILL COMPLETELY CUT OUT AFTER HOURS OF OPERATION, ESPECIALLY DURING HOT WEATHER. *JB

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN IN MY 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY LOCKED. I DID MANAGE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN AND FORCED THE WHEEL INTO COMPLETING THE TURN AFTER HEARING A CRACKING SOUND. I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A FAULTY SENSOR AND THE ENTIRE STEERING RACK HAD TO BE REPLACED. I HAD JUST EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND WAS LUCKY THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS AROUND. THIS SITUATION OCCURRED 08/15/08. THIS IS AFTER I HAD BROUGHT IN BOTH MY 2002 PRIUS AND MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN FOR NUMEROUS SENSOR DEFECTS THAT WERE EITHER FIXED OR REPLACED. I CONTINUED TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AS WELL. THE LAST ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE WAS OIL THE CONSTANT LOSS OF ENGINE OIL. TO BE MORE DETAILED, I LOST 8 QUARTS OF OIL IN APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES. THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION GIVEN CONSIDERING THERE WERE NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF LEAK OR BURNING. THIS WAS THE REASON I NO LONGER OWN THIS VEHICLE BUT UNFORTUNATELY STILL OWN THE PRIUS. [XXX] *TR

STEERING WHEEL SHAKES VIOLENTLY WHEN BACKING UP AND TURNING WHEEL. HAPPENS RANDOMLY. SOMETIMES NOT FOR MONTHS. IN JANUARY 2010 IT HAPPENED THREE TIMES IN ONE WEEK. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IS UNRESPONSIVE SAYING THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER STATES HE EXPERIENCED TEMPORARY BRAKE FAILURE IN COLD WEATHER. *TGW THE PEDAL FELT AS IF IT WERE FROZEN OR BLOCKED AND WOULD NOT GO DOWN NO MATTER HOW HARD THE CONSUMER APPLIED IT. NORMAL BRAKE FUNCTION RETURNED AFTER A FEW MINUTES. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH THE RPM'S INCREASED EXCESSIVELY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE AND CRASH INTO A BUILDING. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED THAT THE LATE MODEL TOYOTAS HAVE NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED REGARDING THE ACCELERATION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. JO