I first reported this to toyota march 10, 2010. i did so after talking with a coworker who had a 2010 prius. i have a 2005 prius. we both experienced the same thing. therefore, i figured i should take it more serious. the toyota's safety incident number is [xxx] . when going over bumps and hitting the breaks i notice that instead of immediately slowing the car down, the car seems to either not slow at all and seems to accelerate. knowing that going over bumps can cause a tire to temporarily loose contact with the road surface and that cars can electronically transfer drive from a tire that looses contact with the surface to the other wheel, there may be mixed signals happening. the brakes telling the car to stop, the traction control telling the acceleration to transfer. it seems the acceleration is taking precedence. regardless, this seems that it could cause a problem if on a bumpy road surface or a pot hole or something and a car stops infront of me or a kid runs into the street or for some other reason i need to stop. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
My 2005 toyota prius brakes failed totally while driving. when i touched the brake pedal the brakes locked hard, and the smell of the brake bands was high. i slowed to 20 mph and went to tonio divion toyota in riverdale utah. the drive train warranty had not expired, but they said that the brakes were not a part of the drive train. the electronic board failed and was replaced at a cost of $985.87. if this qualifies on a prius recall can i get any money back? *tr
Toyota prius 2005 failing brake system- for the second time (the first incident was on 27-jun-2008) my brakes were not functioning properly. the first time the toyota dealership "recalibrated the computer" and could not tell me why is failed or that it would not happen again. the second occasion, yesterday, i actually rearended another car. no damage other than a complaint of possible whiplash and a warning that i may hear from him in a few days. the dealer just called me this afternoon to tell me that now they are "replacing the computer." does this happen to prius's. it was very frightening and really makes me feel quite unsafe to drive my car which presented no major problems until the present braking issue. the anti skid light comes on a fair amount and my tires slip. i have been on line and there seems to be a number of complaints similar to mine and in different model years. *tr
2005 prius brake my brakes failed in the rain. i was driving on a road that has old trolley tracks and i was only going about 20 mph and i decided to stop for a yellow light. i put the brake pedal to the floor and nothing happened. i just kept rolling downhill. no abs nothing. if there had been something in front of me i would have hit it. after about 20 feet my brakes started to work and at that point the skid light came on. i was really lucky that this intersection has a stop 20 feet before the corner or i would have gone right through the intersection. *tr
Spontaneous failure of regenerative and power braking systems on prius, resulting in extremely difficult braking and long stopping distance; the 2 occurrences happened at a speed of less than 30mph so i was able to safely come to a stop, but at a higher speed it could have been disastrous. there was no warning, and in one case, the brakes were not even being applied at the time, if i remember correctly. the problem, brake, abs, and ps warning lights illuminate, and there is an audible alarm. the dealer did not perform any repairs after the original incident but after a second incident they are now replacing the abs electronic control unit and several other electronic components. *tr
'05 toyota prius. chronic failure of antilock brakes and of vehicle stability control. toyota dealers repair shop claims that this is to be fixed at my expense. seems to me that important safety defects should be repaired for free. how many like-complaints have you rec'd.? *tr
My toyota prius 2005 has the same braking issue as described in the media today for the 2010 model. in addition, the skid control causes a sudden power loss during acceleration in similar situations to the problems described with braking failures in the 2010 model (potholes, even small bumps in the road, rapid acceleration around curves, in addition to when there is ice on the road) that reportedly has been fixed. although the complete power loss lasts less than a second recovery of power is slow enough to have stranded me in front of oncoming traffic waiting for acceleration in a number situations where there was no risk associated with loss of traction. i contacted toyota several years ago and tried filed a complaint (i was really persistent), but they refused to recognize this as a design flaw saying only that the vehicle was functioning as designed. when i pointed out that the vehicle, as designed, was dangerous, they only reiterated that it was functioning properly and refused to take further action. it felt to me that they were concerned that admitting the problem could avalanche into a problem similar to what they have now. please note that this is a recurring and persistent issue that has occurred numerous times since i have owned the car (four plus years). *tr
2005 toyota prius braking delay on bumpy/wet roads single vehicle accident 04/16/2007 on rt 70 in brick, nj. *tr
2005 and 2009 toyota prius braking problems. i have a 2005 and a 2009 toyota prius. on both of these vehicles, i have experienced the same problems which are being described in the news about the 2010 prius model. i have never had an accident relating to this problem, but the potential is certainly there. the problem occurs when i am moving forward, have the brake slightly depressed, and i hit a pot hole or speed bump. the wheels momentarily speed up, so i react by pressing harder on the brakes and the wheels slow down. *tw
My 2005 toyota prius brakes failed when i tried to stop at a stop light. i didn't realize it was red until i was very close to it, so i "slammed" on the brakes. i had my foot all the way down on the pedal and it was like the brakes released. less than 2 weeks later, my husband was driving the prius and traffic infront of us stopped very quickly. the same thing happened to him, the brakes released when he had the brake pedal all the way down. again this was an "extreme" braking situation. i took the prius to darcars in frederick, md, where i bought it, to report the problem and they said that it did not happen. they said if anything went wrong it would be recorded in the software of the car and it wasn't so that meant that nothing was wrong with the car. i then traded the car in for a rav4 because i wasn't going to drive a car that had unreliable brakes. *tr
I was involved in a low-speed accident in which the brakes in my car (2005 toyota prius) did not slow or stop the car and caused me to run into the back of another vehicle. no one was injured, the airbags did not deploy and there was no damage to the vehicle my car collided with. the exterior damage to my car was estimated approximately $6700. soon after, i was notified by the insurance company that my car was totaled due to damage sustained to the hybrid system. i requested that the event data recorder be downloaded to determine if there had been a failure in the brake system. my insurance company refused and toyota appears to have ignored my request. i also find it disturbing and curious that the front end and hence the hybrid system was destroyed beyond repair in an accident so minor that the police would not even give it a report number. *jb
This morning's ap story about the nhtsa looking into allegations of momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over uneven road surfaces, potholes or bumps in 2010 priuses jogged my memory about this having happened several times to me in my 2005 prius. i can't state dates, but i'd say that every 3 months or so, i will brake where the road is uneven, the slip indicator lights up on the dashboard, and i feel a loss of control just for a moment until i feel the car regain control. maybe that's just the antilock brakes kicking in, but it is an uneasy feeling. *tr
i have a 2005 (early 2nd generation) prius and i experienced the latest reported "design flaw" in the braking system from day 1 in 2005. the best description i've heard of it is "inconsistent braking over rough surfaces". that is, when driving over a pothole or bump when applying the (regenerative) brakes, the bump seems to push back, momentarily disengaging the brakes. the effect is at best, unnerving, and at worst, scary, depending on what you're trying to do when it happens (ie, slowing vs trying to stop). i brought this experience to the attention of my dealer service personnel a couple times over the last several years and was met with the equivalent of blank stares and the sound of crickets. bottom line, this is not a new problem in 2010 model prius only. *tr
My 2005 toyota prius' braking system acts the same way as the 2010's with the recall. when approaching a stop, with the brakes depressed, if you hit a bump in the road the brakes disengage. *tr
Easily replicated, unexpected brake release on 2005 toyota prius. 1) drive over rough part of road, or slick spot 2) apply brakes 3) no response from brakes for a second or so. *tr
2005 prius that i purchased new loses braking momentarily when going over a bump or a pothole. i noticed this soon after i took possession of the car. i have never contacted the dealer regarding this but feel it is important to mention it after hearing about the problem with the 2010 prius. this problem persists. *tr
2005 toyota prius brake failure over bumpy or icy roads reported to nhtsa in 2005 with no response. toyota denied failure and we were told to sue. *tr
I sent an e-mail to nhtsa on 2/8/10 describing this complaint. my husband and i are the owners of a 2005 prius which we bought new. ever since we've owned it we have always had the following problem: when we go over a bump, pothole, or uneven surface we experience a momentary loss of braking ability-we have always felt this was due to the nature of the anti-lock brakes and never considered that it might be a defect or flaw, until now. this situation is only momentary, and because it lasts only briefly we never felt our safety was compromised. this situation is on-going. we have had our floor mats modified by toyota last month. *tr