Problems with 2006 Toyota Prius SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Momentary brake slippage at slow speeds when we hit something slippery like a wet manhole--much as has been described elsewhere. it has *not* yet been a major problem. *tr

I drive a 2006 toyota prius. i have experienced odd skid-like behavior while applying the brakes on bumpy roads or loose gravel. most notably this happens at low and decelerating velocities (maybe 15 mph?) when the vehicle encounters broken pavement or loose gravel. it is often associated with the prius' 'slippery surface' icon on the dash being lit. when this occurs it feels like the brakes do not function for a brief period. i have not had an accident as a result, but the experience has occurred at least 4-5 times over the year i've owned it. most of the times that it has happened have been at the same intersection. *tr

It was raining heavily with poor visibility. i drove about 15 mile mph on a one-lane road with no traffic lights or signals. i saw a car ahead of me and slow down even more to about 10 miles mpg and kept distance. when the car stopped suddenly about 30 feet away, i engaged the brake. however to my dismay, the car kept rolling. when i realized that i shout in panic "please stop, stop!" for about 8 second i hopelessly watched my car slowly ran into the car in front of me at a speed about 5 miles mph. because it was such a slow speed, my car's front bumper was almost intact but my hood was damaged by the rear bumper of the suv. i had an estimated damage about $1100. i thought it was because of the slippery road. after searching internet, i realized that the slow speed brake failures are well-documented by many drivers. other people's experience were very similar to what i experienced. therefore i would like to register my complaint. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. when the brake was applied, the abs light came on. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph on uneven pavement or wet roads there was a delay when the brakes were applied. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the vehicle was not experiencing any failures. the contact also stated that there was an accident involving the vehicle. the contact stated the vehicle was destroyed. the vin was not available. the current and failure miles were not available.

Whenever i drive over rough surfaces the brakes won't engage for a few seconds. on several occasions i almost hit the car in front of me or i drove into an intersection and was almost in an accident. i asked a mechanic at the dealership about it and he said that is just how the car is, so nothing was done. it has been an on-going problem since i bought the car in 2006, so the approximate incident date below is irrelevant. *tr

I have a 2006 toyota prius that seems to have the same braking problem as described for the 2010 models, when i apply brakes on a bumpy or rough road. i notice it most at an intersection in my town - i hit the brake pedal to begin slowing for a red light, the car starts to slow, i hit a patch of rough road, the car feels like it's accelerating (its rate of slowing is less, so it feels like it's accelerating), then the brakes "kick in" again and slow the car. very surprising the first few times it happened but in three years it's happened so often i hardly even notice it. i didn't associate it with bumpy roads until reading recent articles on the 2010 prius brake issue. no accidents yet but i hesitate to let others drive my prius. this problem is not limited to 2010 models! i put jan 1 2009 as "approximate incident date" because you won't accept this form without a single specific date, but it's been an ongoing problem with this car since at least march 2006 through january 2010. i have no idea if the car has electric or hydraulic brakes so i picked "service brakes hydraulic". very unclear category names for "vehicle information - details". *tr

I have 2006 prius and i have brake failure frequently if i hit a bump, pot hole, manhole cover, railroad track etc. it is un-nerving as i feel as if i am airborne for a while as i know i have no contact with the road. *tr

Ever since i purchased my 2006 toyota prius, i have had intermittent problems with the brakes letting up for a couple seconds when going at slow speeds (under 25 mph) and hitting a bump or shallow hole when braking. typically, the anti-skid (vsc) light comes on fully or flickers for several seconds and the car momentarily stops braking (you can feel the car accelerate forward slightly and the pedal feels like it is on the floor). it does not seem related to wet or dry conditions as it has happened in both. but it does seem to be related to going over a small bump or even more frequently when hitting a small pothole/sewer plate while braking. if i have the reaction time & forethought, immediately letting go of the brake pedal completely and pressing down hard will get the car to stop. fortunately, it has happened enough times (including several near misses) that i allow extra distance with cars in front of me and been lucky to avoid collisions. i also watch the road surface for bumps/holes when braking but am worried that i might not be lucky to avoid 100% of the time and could rear end a car or even worse i could serious injure a pedestrian walking across a crosswalk as i'm coming to a stop at a red light. i have had the car into my dealership twice and they have tried to replicate it but haven't been able to so they haven't done anything about it. if you check out this forum, you will see that i am definitely not alone however: http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/brake-failure-2007-t1013.html. *tr

I am an owner of a 2006 toyota prius. i don't have a specific date since this type of failure has occurred several times. i construed this to be a part of the prius and did not think of lodging a complaint. but based on today's (2/3/10) report on prius' brake issues from japan, i feel compelled to point out that: there has been a typically recurring problem of the tires skidding as the brakes loose their grip when i have hit the brake as i am crossing a pothole or a road expansion joint or minor bump (not speed bumps) or just a wet spot. this condition has been noted regardless of the condition of the tires - meaning even on brand new tires. the vsc lights comes on when the car glides/skids over and moves past the point where i had wanted to slow down. i am not sure of the type of brake in this vehicle so i will be checking off all 3 kinds. *tr

We have a 2006 prius and have had several times that the brakes feel that they give out when a bump is hit. our dealer says that toyota says to push harder on the pedal. this has happen about 8 or 10 times in the last year. the car does stop but your aren't sure it will. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle would not come to a complete stop when the brake pedal was depressed. the failure caused her to rear end another vehicle while driving less than 35 mph. the vehicle behind the contact witnessed that her brake lights illuminated; however, the vehicle failed to stop. the vehicle was destroyed and a police report was filed. the failure mileage was 25,000.

I am a rural mail carrier with well over 350,000 miles driven on my route without incident. i drive in all road conditions on gravel and paved roads. i was driving my 2006 prius on a wet but not muddy gravel road at about 38 mph. the back end began to slide a little. i let up on the gas with no response. i pressed the brake pedal with no response. i went into a deep ditch filled with 3 ft tall grass. i steered to drive the center of the ditch and continued with the brake fully depressed for about 15-20 ft, ripping the tall grass out by the root as i went. the car traveled over a driveway approach, still at 35 mph, striking the approach with the left front corner with enough force to bend the frame and do other serious damage, but with no airbag deployment. i continued over the approach and down the ditch, still at 35 mph, for another 30 or more feet. i was pressing and holding the brake and lifting the gas pedal with my toe. the gas pedal was not stuck and the engine's rpms were low. only when i put the car in neutral did it slow to stop. it took several attempts to get the car out of this ditch as the traction control kept lurching and stalling. i was able to drive the car out and home without incident. it had to be towed to a dealership for over $4000 in repairs. this was in mid-2008 and i don't know if any corrections made or were even known at that time. this was an absolutely terrifying situation. the car did not respond to any action i took. i had no control what so ever. the car is no longer driven.. *tr

My prius has always had issues with the brakes making a clicking sound when stopped at a light, etc. i have complained from day one and always been told it was normal. by 2008 the brakes were not working well at times and the pedal would go almost to the floor at times and not at others. the dealership checked this and told me there were no problems. in feb 2008 the brakes completely failed while i was driving on a city street and the pedal went all the way to the floor and i hit the car in front of me. the dealership again said that there were no problems and that the brakes were fine. i have had numerous incidents since with the pedal going almost to the floor at times and not at others. if i hit potholes or am on really rough streets the traction control light comes on and i lose complete control of the vehicle for a few seconds with the inability to brake. the dealership has repeatable said there are no issues when they check the car. this week, on monday, the battery died and i took it to the dealership for a replacement. as always, i asked them to check the brakes and now they say there is a major issue with the brake actuator that could cause intermittent loss of braking ability and that the car is not safe to drive. since the car isn't under warranty now (but was when the accident occurred) they don't want to pay for the repair. they put me in a rental car for the past three days since they said my car wasn't safe to drive. today they decided they weren't paying for the repair, after talking with "corporate", and that the car is safe to drive without the repair! when i check the nhtsa site i see lots of similar complaints about the 2006 prius and am even more concerned than ever. if you have experienced a similar problem, please take the time to file a complaint to force an investigation of yet a new issue with toyota and safety issues! *tr

Accident occurred in 2007. i was driving in moderate traffic on a two lane road. a car, two cars ahead of me, slammed on their brakes, and forced everyone else to quickly brake. i also slammed on my brakes, to avoid a collision. my brakes failed to respond in time, and resulted in my rear ending an suv in front of me. the accident caused several thousands of dollars worth of damage to the front end of the car. no air bags were deployed. *tr

I came to a stop and the car actually came to a stop and then suddenly started creeping towards the other car. i thought i was accidentally pressing the gas pedal as well but i wasn't so i started pressing hard on the brake and nothing! i started pumping the brakes and the car stopped. then i continued my drive as usual without it happening again. no lights came on, nothing unusual. just weird. car has almost 36k miles 06 model. *jb

I have a brake problem with my 2006 toyota prius. several times (at least 6 times) the brakes have failed to function when i try to stop. the car does not respond when i press the brake pedal and continues to move forward several seconds. so far i have been lucky and not have had an accident but it has been close several times. i have taken the car to the dealership twice but they have not found any problems. they tell me that in order to correct the problem, they must replicate the problem in order to fix it and so far this has not been possible. this keeps happening and i feel very unsafe while driving. *tr

I was coming to a stop on a busy street. as i applied brakes, the brakes did not "catch." i couldn't avoid the car in front of me as both surrounding lanes were full. i literally watched helplessly as i hit the car in front of me. my car is a 2006 toyota prius with 27,000 miles on it. it also had all the regular maintenance checks as well with no problems noted. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact was driving approximately 30 mph on normal road conditions. there was pressure applied to the accelerator pedal, followed by an unintended increase in acceleration. the driver applied pressure to the brake pedal and the vehicle failed to slow down. the gear shift failed to operate in the "neutral" position. in addition, the entire gear indicators illuminated at the same time. the vehicle was driven into a barrier of dirt as a result of the vehicle coming to a complete stop. the failures occurred on four separate occasions. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunctions. the failure mileage was 41,404.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving 30 mph over a speed bump and engaging the brake pedal the vehicle surged and lunged forward; yet, the brakes began operating normally after driving over a bump in the road. the failure has occurred on two occasions. the dealer stated that the failure was caused by a software malfunction within the vehicle. they also stated that they were unable to duplicate the failure. no repairs were made to the vehicle. the failure mileage was unknown. the current mileage was 38800.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius which was purchased in september 2006. he stated that while driving at speeds of less than 40 mph approaching a stop sign he removed his foot from the accelerator pedal, instead of slowing down the vehicle maintained the speed it was traveling. he then depressed the brake pedal and the brakes would not respond. there was no resistance in the brake pedal and it then it extended to the floorboard. the speed decreased slowly and he continued to push the brake pedal into the floorboard until the vehicle eventually came to a stop. the dealer advised him that there was nothing wrong with the pedal or the brakes and that he should remove the floor mats from the vehicle. the floor mats were not close enough to the brake or accelerator pedal when the failure occurred. no repairs have been made to the vehicle. on two additional occasions, the contact experienced the same failure. he also received a letter from toyota in regards to a recall campaign id number: 09v388000, vehicle speed control accelerator pedal, however, he was not aware if his vehicle was included in the recall or not. the vin was not accepted. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was approximately 70,000.

Abs or traction control engages unnecessarily when braking on uneven road surfaces, potholes, bump in road, or on wet surfaces. *tr

I have now had three separate incidents of the brake failing on my car: march 15, 2007; december 4, 2008; and january 16, 2010. on march 15, 2007: 'i was in stop and go traffic on the freeway, traveling about 15 mph. 'i was rolling, with my foot off the brake and accelerator. 'the car in front of me (about 3 car lengths) put on brakes. 'i applied my brake, and it felt normal, but the car did not stop. 'i kept my foot on the brake and tried to press harder (pressing on the brake and getting no response was very disorienting; i actually checked to see if my foot was on the brake.) 'it was the car in front of me that stopped me, not my brakes. 'after i was stopped by the collision, my brakes worked again. i filed an accident report with my insurance company, and i had the car towed to the service department of the toyota dealership in carlsbad ca where i bought the car. the car was 'quarantined' by your company. i was without a car for several days until a toyota inspector came to the dealership to inspect my car. the inspector found nothing wrong and the car was returned to me. on december 4, 2008, similar circumstances: 'i was in stop and go traffic, traveling about 10-15 mph. 'i was coming to a rolling stop as i approached a red light. there was one car in front of me. 'i applied the brake, but the car did not stop. 'i took my foot completely off the brake and slammed it back down onto the brake.the car stopped, but i very nearly bumped into the car in front of me. 'i took the car to the toyota carlsbad service department again. 'they inspected the brake system and checked the codes, and couldn't find anything wrong. the third brake failure happened on january 16, 2010. the brake failed when i was parallel parking. i took my foot all the way off the brake and pressed down again. the brake worked on the 2nd attempt. luckily, i did not hit the car in front of me. i did not take the car back to ...

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while applying the brakes at speeds of less than 15 mph, the vehicle performed as if it were temporarily losing braking control. within moments, the brakes would reset and function normally. the dealer stated that the loss of control and the brake pedal malfunction was caused by the electronic stability control. the dealer also stated that the abs system was functioning properly for his year, make and model vehicle. the failure was recurred frequently. there were no related recalls or repairs made to the vehicle. the failure mileage was 5,000 and the current mileage was 71,423.

I experience momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump with an earlier model toyota prius. my prius is a 2006 model (2nd wave). this occurs every time i go over one particular spot in my usual commute, and any other spot where the road is rough. *tr

2 brake problems: (1) brakes do not work well on snow. i have slid through 3 stop signs since purchased car in 2006. brake applied but no or very slow response. i try to avoid driving during snowstorms as a result. (2) when braking on wet or uneven (broken pavement, potholes, manhole covers, etc.) roadway, yellow light blinks on dash and car momentarily -- for 1/2 or 1 second -- does not respond to brake pedal. car feels like it is flying, like you are totally out of control of the vehicle. this has happened at least one dozen times since i have owned the car. *jb

2006 toyota prius brake failure - car suddenly accelerates forward when braking and running over a discontinuity in the road or wet pavement. *tr

I've a 2006 toyota prius. traffic stopped for a red light and i was behind a cement truck. i slowed to a complete stop about 5 ft. behind this truck. all of sudden i noticed my car started moving forward with my foot still on the brake. i stood on my brake and couldn't stop the prius. it contacted the cement truck causing a dent on the right side of the hood and a crack windshield. *nm the consumer stated as traffic began to stop for a red light, he began braking from about 25 mph which seemed normal. he continued to gradually slow the vehicle down at a distance of about 5 to 10 feet, the consumer estimated his speed was about 3-5 mph. the brakes locked up and failed to stop the vehicle, consequently the consumer rear ended another vehicle. the brakes felt hard, not spongy and not pulsating. the vehicle lost all braking completely. updated 01/10/07.*jb

While driving on a smooth dry road and gently and steadily braking, the braking ceases for a second, resulting in what seems like a surge forward, but it might be a cessation of the deceleration that results from the braking. feels like a car is pushing my car from behind. this has happened about 10 or 15 times over the last few years. no accidents have occurred, but it's scary. i never reported it to the toyota dealer since i knew i could not reproduce the problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. whenever the contact attempted to apply the brakes while driving 30 mph, she noticed that the vehicle suddenly surged forward causing the contact to increase braking pressure in order to stop the vehicle. the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was working properly. the contact noticed the failure immediately after the vehicle was purchased. the current and failure mileages were 14000.

If you use the brakes and happen to go over a bump, pothole, slippery spot, etc., the brakes stop functioning for a few seconds. this has happened ever since i bought the car in 2006. because it is a hybrid, i thought it was just something peculiar to the car (the date given is an estimate only). however, when they mentioned the brake fix for the 2010 prius, the problem seemed to be the same as i was experiencing. i told the dealer and they said the fix would be different for my model because the computers are different and they had gotten no information regarding earlier cars, only 2010s. i might be able to understand the wheel going over the problem spot in the road not functioning, but the other three should not stop working, and that is exactly how it feels. i have since heard of at least one other person with an earlier model that has the same problem.

While braking harder or more suddenly than normal (usually on downhill) the skid control system kicks in, but for a second or two the brakes feel like the disengage and then go on again. for a split second every time it happens it makes me have a flush of panic. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. whenever the contact would attempt to apply the brakes while driving approximately 15 mph over a slippery road surface, the brakes would not fully engage which also increased the stopping distance. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the contact has noticed the failure since the day the vehicle was purchased. the current and failure mileages were 50000. updated 03/09/10. *lj updated 05/13/10.*jb

My wife and i own a 2006 prius that we purchased new. our prius has the exact same braking problem that i read about today involving the 2010 prius that you are starting to investigate. applying the brakes while driving over bumps will cause repeated momentary lose of braking. i never reported it to the dealer. i just thought that was the way it was and was careful about braking on rough roads. *tr

Loss of braking capability when slowing over potholes and loose pavement. this has been reported in the 2010 prius - i'm here to tell you, it's not a new problem. i have a 2006 prius and it's done this since i bought it new. at first it alarmed me, now i'm used to it - hasn't bothered me enough to quit driving it or take it back to the dealer for this. happens 5-10 times per week. *tr

My 2006 toyota prius completely loses braking when i run over rough road. this has happened since i purchased the vehicle new in march of 2006. i have always thought the front of the car was light and my wheels were actually jumping off the ground, but with the safety recall of new 2010 priuses for the same problem under the same conditions, i realized this is a system problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact was attempting a right turn at 25 mph when the anti-lock brake light illuminated. the contact stated that the brake would not engage when applied. the vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times for the failure. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 15,000 and the current mileage was 117,000. ..updated 01/04/12 *bf the consumer stated the failure has happened numerous times and the replication at the dealership has been unsuccessful. on a recent rainy day, the abs light illuminated at each brake application and the brakes would not apply for 1-2 seconds. effectively, leaving the vehicle with no brakes. the abs related brake failure would also occur on bumpy roads at low speeds with dry pavement. updated 01/11/12

You need to broaden the investigation of the 2010 prius braking issue to include at least the gen ii prius (2004-2009). what's been described in the press (since several months ago) regarding reports of braking problems on the 2010 prius has been a problem for me with my 2006 prius since i got it. i checked and posted to priuschat.com on it years ago, and found many others have experienced the same problem. note that the common wisdom on the site is that the issue is actually "traction control" that aggressively disengages the drivetrain when the wheels spin at a significant differential, in order to protect the drivetrain. this action disengages regenerative braking. the switch to conventional friction braking has a delay, and causes the (quite startling and scary) absence of braking for a brief period. this explanation is consistent with the fact that an analogous problem happens for acceleration, when hitting uneven pavement, potholes, etc. i.e., acceleration is momentarily disengaged. (this, itself, can be quite startling if one is pulling out into traffic, and suddenly loses power.) i marked the incident date as the approximate time i purchased this vehicle. as i said, it has been a problem since the outset. before i became acclimated to the behavior, i probably experienced a startling loss of braking roughly once per week or so. once i came to recognize what was happening, i learned to ease off the brake pedal myself, as i approached a problem feature in the road (like a pothole or manhole cover) in order to avoid it. since then, i only rarely miss something, and experience the loss of braking problem perhaps once every few months. the matter would definitely be perceived as serious by typical drivers -- it's a heart skips a beat, worry that you're going to hit the car in front of you kind of feeling. *jb

Lose brakes momentarily when they are applied on an uneven surface such as railroad tracks, pot holes etc. abs light flashes then braking returns as long as brake pedal stays depressed. this has occurred from the time i bought my car and i thought it was just a function of abs brakes until i saw the description of the 2010 prius recall. *tr

When coming to a stop the brakes stutter or grab. it is explained in detail at this thread: http://priuschat.com/-t11858.html and here: http://priuschat.com/index.php?act=st&f=19&t=16922. *nm

After going over significant bumps or potholes, occasionally brakes hesitate to catch. began within a month of purchasing vehicle. reported to dealer, test drove for approx. 5 minutes and could not repeat so they ignored my complaint. problem persists, but to date have not had vehicle fail to stop. have over 80,000 miles on prius. *tr

When driving on roads that are curved, when changing lanes, or on streets that are wet, the car feels unbalanced, and requires a quick steering adjustment to regain normal operation. incidents like these occur too frequently, at least three times a week, and when they occur, the vehicle's red skid light is illuminated (i suppose it is related to this model's anti-skid and/or traction control feature that was not standard equipment). traction control was an optional feature that the dealerships offered in more expensive packages of the 2006 prius bundled together with other items that were not related to driving safety, which made the packages unnecessarily expensive, and was a factor in my decision to not opt for this upgrade. however, given the frequency of occurrence, i felt the need to report this in case other drivers are experiencing similar issues. the date i have selected corresponds to the purchase date of the vehicle, not to any particular incident or accident, as this is a recurring problem. fyi, tires, brakes, steering, and alignment have all been checked and maintained as per toyota's suggested guidelines. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving at slow speeds including 10 mph over potholes and making a left or right turn, the brakes lost traction. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the dealer also stated that the failure was not related to the floor mats. the failure mileage was 99 and the current mileage was 50,000. updated 04/01/10 *bf the consumer stated it felt as though the vehicle was accelerating when making a turn at a slow speed or driving over rough pavement. updated 06/28/10*jb