2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V Complaints

SINCE I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2012 I NOTICED THAT EVERY NOW AND THEN WHEN I PUSHED DOWN THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW DOWN FOR A STOP, IF THE CAR HIT A SLIGHT BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE CAR WOULD MOMENTARILY ACCELERATE INSTEAD OF BRAKING. IT FELT LIKE I WAS LOSING CONTROL OF THE CAR. (NOTE: SINCE I DID NOT RECORD THE DATES, PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE CHOSEN AUGUST 1, 2017 AS A RANDOM DATE JUST SO I COULD CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT STEP BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED FROM TIME TO TIME SINCE 2012.)

NOVEMBER 4, 2017 - CAR WAS PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY. PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY. THE BRAKES FAILED. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS REPEATEDLY PUSHED DOWN, THE CAR JUST WOULD NOT STOP. IT ACTUALLY FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING! THE CAR RAN OVER OUR MAILBOX AT THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY. THE MAILBOX GOT DRAGGED UNDER THE CAR AND THE CAR ROLLED OUT ONTO THE STREET. FINALLY, WE PUSHED IN THE POWER BUTTON AND THAT WAS HOW WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO STOP. OUR MAILBOX GOT TOTALED AND DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF OUR CAR, AS THERE IS TWISTED METAL HANGING DOWN SCRAPING THE GROUND. THE BRAKES STARTED TO WORK AGAIN A FEW MINUTES LATER, AS I WAS ABLE TO PULL IT BACK INTO THE DRIVEWAY OFF OF THE STREET. ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 ' CAR WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. WHEN REVERSING OUT OF THE PARKING SPACE, THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. AFTER REPEATEDLY PUMPING THE BRAKES, THEY FINALLY ENGAGED JUST BEFORE IT HIT A CAR PARKED BEHIND US. WE THOUGHT THIS WAS A FREAK ONE-TYPE EVENT, SO WE DIDN'T REPORT IT.

NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 15V449 MANUFACTURER RECALL: FOR / HYBRID INVERTER/POWER MODULE (IPM) CRASH INVOLVING PRIUS V (OWNED BY ANOTHER PERSON - MY MOTHER WAS HIT AND KILLED BY PRIUS V) OCCURRED ON SR 105. PRIUS V TRAVELING N ON OUTSIDE LANE CROSSED INSIDE LANE AND 11' GRASS MEDIAN BORDERED BY CONCRETE INTO S BOUND INSIDE LANE AND COLLIDED MY MOTHER DRIVING ONCOMING VEHICLE ON INSIDE S BOUND LANE. WOMAN DRIVING PRIUS V WAS KILLED ON IMPACT, AND MY MOTHER DIED LATER THAT DAY AT UF HOSPITAL JACKSONVILLE. TWO WITNESSES DRIVING BEHIND MY MOTHER SAW CRASH AND SAID THE PRIUS V APPEARED TO BE ACCELERATING ACROSS MEDIAN. CRASH OCCURRED APPROX. 2 MONTHS BEFORE TOYOTA'S RECALL ON JULY 15, 2015 OF 109,000 PRIUS V HYBRIDS. THE PRIUS V THAT KILLED MY MOTHER WAS PART OF THIS RECALL. IN FEB 2014, THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE PRIUS ECU. THE PRUIS V HAD THE SAME ECU, BUT TOYOTA CHOSE NOT TO RECALL THE PRIUS V UNTIL ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, 2 AND A HALF MONTHS AFTER MY MOTHER'S FATAL CRASH. IF THEY HAD RECALLED THE PRIUS V IN 2014, WOULD MY MOTHER STILL BE ALIVE?

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS ACTIVATED AND THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (TOYOTA OF RENTON, LOCATED AT 150 SW 7TH ST, RENTON, WA 98057; (425) 228-4700) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ODOR WAS DUE TO MOLD. THE DEALER CLEANED THE VENTS AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL OTHER TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SAME DEALER, BUT THEY USED THE SOLUTION TO CLEAN THE VENT THE SECOND TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE STILL OCCURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

WHEN DRIVING ON UNEVEN GROUND, LIKE POT HOLES, THE BRAKES FAIL. LITERALLY IF YOU HAVE YOUR FOOT ON BRAKE WHEN DRIVING OVER A POT HOLE, YOU CAN FEEL THE BRAKES RELEASE AND THE CAR WON'T STOP. I'VE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES ON BUMPY GROUND. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS HAD THE PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED IT, PROBABLY ON A WEEKLY BASIS, AND I'VE WONDERED ABOUT THE SAFETY AND WHETHER IT'S JUST RELATED TO ABS. I'VE ALSO INQUIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP. LUCKILY, I'VE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. BUT, THIS WEEKEND MY FRIEND WITH A PRIUS HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM, SO I DECIDED TO REPORT MY COMPLAINT.

MY 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS'S DASHBOARD INDICATORS (ODOMETER, WARNING SIGNS AND EVERYTHING) SHOWED SYMPTOMS OF DISAPPEARING MOMENTARILY DURING SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR 2016. UPON RESTARTING, IT USED TO COME BACK. HOWEVER, ON FEBRUARY 18, 2017, THE DASHBOARD LIGHT WON'T COME BACK EVEN AFTER MULTIPLE TIME RESTARTING. DROVE TO WORK IN THAT CONDITION HOPING THE DASHBOARD INDICATORS WILL COME BACK BUT THEY DIDN'T. MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH DEALERSHIP TO CHECK IT OUT ON MONDAY. BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT, THE INDICATORS CAME BACK SO I CANCELLED THE APPOINTMENTS. WHEN DISCUSSING THE PROBLEM WITH A FRIEND, I WAS TOLD THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR SUCH REPAIRS. UPON HEARING THIS, I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE TO INQUIRE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY IS EXPIRED AND CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY. DRIVING WITHOUT THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT TOYOTA SHALL ADDRESS FOR ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES.

MY 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V (MILEAGE: 55155) HAS HAD A FAILURE OF THE REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUSTING. PLEASE NOTE THE FRONT BRAKES ARE IN GREAT SHAPE AND SHOW VERY LITTLE WEAR. THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT THAT HE WAS ONLY A FRANCHISE STORE AND WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESIGN OF THE REAR BRAKES. HE STATED THAT THIS HAPPENS OCCASIONALLY ON THE HYBRID CARS THEY SERVICE AND IF THE MANUFACTURER HAD COATED THE BRAKE (I BELIEVE HE WAS REFERRING TO THE SLIDE AREA OF THE CALIPER WHERE THE BRAKE PADS RIDES) THAT THE BRAKE PAD WOULD NOT HAVE HUNG UP AND WORN OUT ALONG WITH DESTROYING THE ROTORS. I AM A FORMER LICENSED AIRCRAFT MECHANIC AND A LICENSED ENGINEER WITH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. CLEARLY THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE REAR BRAKES TO FAIL BEFORE THE FRONT BRAKES AND CERTAINLY NOT THE ROTORS. THIS CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALER EVERY 5000 MILES, WHICH DEMONSTRATES THE FAILURE WAS NOT DUE TO NEGLECT. THIS FAILURE MECHANISM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE IT CAUSES AN ACCIDENT.

TOOK IN CAR FOR OIL CHANGE /TIRE ROTATION , A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS PERFORMED WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION FROM TOYOTA ON TO MY PRIUS V , CAR WENT FROM GETTING 40 MPG HIGHWAY TO 32-33 MPG HIGHWAY . CITY MPG DROPPED FROM 41 MPG TO 36-37MPG . DEALER CLAIMS CAR HAS WRONG TIRES WHICH I AGREE, EXCEPT THOSE TIRES WERE THE SAME TIRES ON THE CAR BEFORE AND AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPDATE. CALCULATED THE GAS MILEAGE MYSELF BEFORE THE RECALL AND WAS PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT THE CAR'S COMPUTER SAID TI WAS , CALCULATED THE GAS MILEAGE AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS DONE AND IT CAME VERY CLOSE TO WHAT THE COMPUTER SAID.

I WAS DRIVING, TRYING TO PARK MY CAR, WHEN THE STEERING (POWER FAILED) IT TOOK ALL MIGHT STRENGTHEN TO TURN THE WHEEL. THE CAR WAS SERVICED BY TOYOTA REGULARLY - THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS SIGNS OR INDICATORS THAT ANY PROBLEM EXISTED. STEERING SYSTEM FAILED; HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. AT 50,000 THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SAID THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED, NOT GETTING ANY ELECTRICITY TO THE STEERING COLUMN. NEEDED A NEW STEERING COLUMN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE POSITION OF THE DRIVER SIDE HEAD REST FAILED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SUPPORT. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT SUSTAINED PAIN TO THE HEAD, NECK, LOWER BACK, AND LEFT LEG THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000.