Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact attempted to park the vehicle into the residence garage, driving at approximately 2 mph. suddenly, there was an unintended acceleration. the brakes were engaged and the vehicle continued to accelerate causing the vehicle to crash into a closet in the garage. the contact suffered injury to the neck area. the vehicle front bumper sustained damages. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the identical failures occurred on two separate occasions with no injuries. in addition, the contact experienced malfunctions with the automatic ignition switch, windshield wipers, and the front driver and passenger side automatic window mechanism. the failures occurred sporadically. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 18,000. the vin was unavailable.

Unexplained spontaneous acceleration in 2007 toyota prius. in mid-may of last year i was driving alone on the hollywood freeway in approximately 45 mph traffic. suddenly the car accelerated dramatically, as if i had punched the accelerator, or the cruise control suddenly kicked in but at full speed (the cruise was not on). i was shocked and scared, and i hit thebrakes, nothing happened, and the car kept accelerating. i thought about the mat and hooked my foot around the pedal to see but the pedal was up. i kept hitting the brakes again, and also pumped the accelerator to make sure it wasn't stuck and then the car stopped accelerating. the whole thing lasted less than 10 seconds, but was pretty scary as i got pretty close to traffic in front of me. it immediately occurred to me that it could have been the mat as that had happened in another car, but the mat was clipped to the floor, and was not in any way interfering with the gas pedal. also, bear in mind, as i'm writing about this it sounds as if i was analytical and methodical, but actually i was pretty frantic and my feet were flying on the pedals.... i told my partner mark about it, told him to watch out for it, but then in june we bought another car and mark primarily drove the prius after that. i then i forgot about it, as i thought it was just an anomaly and based on what we paid for the car and toyota's reputation for safety. i had not heard of any acceleration issues at the time, and in fact didn't until much later after the chp officer's crash in the lexus. i'm actually now pretty freaked out about it in hindsight, and we have gone over the drill repeatedly to make sure mark knows what to do if it happens again. i sincerely doubt it had anything to do with the pedal or the mat, and in my gut i suspect it is electronic in nature. i am pretty nervous about it. *tr

To:[email protected] subject:toyota prius 2007 model comments: although my dealer has run a complete battery of computer tests, no explanation is apparent for the vehicle accelerating on its own at high speed on the highway. it has happened to me twice and it is terrifying. the two instances were a couple of months apart. both times, i was on the highway and had driven 10-20 miles without a problem. once the gas pedal was physically jolted up, the problem was corrected. when it is occurring, the brakes do not slow it down by more than 3-4 mph. my dealer is a-1 toyota in new haven. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while approaching a red light at 2-3 mph, the vehicle automatically accelerated. the contact broadsided the front passenger side of another vehicle. her vehicle was destroyed. a police report was filed. the current and failure mileages were 4,500. updated 4/8/08 *cn state of california traffic report. updated 04/08/08 *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving 20 mph, the vehicle surged forward and increased in speed. the brakes did not hold. the contact crashed into a tree and the vehicle was destroyed. her right knee was crushed and the left knee was fractured. she received lacerations from the seat belt on her neck and her ribs were bruised. the passenger sustained broken ribs, a punctured lung, internal bleeding, optical nerve damage, a tracheotomy, and spinal injury. the dealer was notified. a police report was filed and pictures are available. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were almost 10,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while decelerating from 25 mph, the vehicle began accelerating. the contact depressed the brake pedal, however, the acceleration continued. the vehicle then drove over a curb, struck some bushes, drove down an embankment, and came to a stop when it became stuck in the mud. a tow truck removed the vehicle from the embankment and the contact drove it to her residence. the vehicle will be taken to the dealer for a diagnosis. she stated that the floor mat was locked in place. the manufacturer was notified and they will have an investigator look into the failure. the current and failure mileages were 80,000. the consumer stated after the cruise control was deactivated the light stayed on. the consumer believed the acceleration happened due to a glitch with the cruise control. updated 12/11/07

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact's spouse was backing down a 20 degree slope with her foot on the brake pedal. the vehicle accelerated backwards downhill at approximately 5 mph, but then accelerated to 35 mph. the contact continued to depress the brake pedal. the vehicle struck a tree and the contact's head struck the head rest. he sustained a head injury and can provide a police report. the dealer was notified and the vehicle was repaired. the current mileage was 12,700 and failure mileage was 10,600.

Unintended acceleration resulting in damage to my car as well as two others. *tr

my near death experience drive my 2007 toyota prius on august 30, 2007** **while driving my 2007 prius behind a 16-wheeler and at an average speed of 60mph, suddenly my prius' engine & motors roared and the speed surged so strongly that if i didn't ride the brakes, i saw myself ramming into the back of the 16-wheeler in front of me. also at this time, a cadillac suv was following me to close on this georgia secondary-highway#121 whereby i visualize a tragic accident about to occur. after about a half-mile riding the brakes and feeling the pulling torque of those powerful electric motors on the front wheels, i saw my chance to exit ahead where two trash dumpsters appeared. as i stopped the prius, i notice smoke coming over the hood. so i jump out of the prius. i saw flames round the front wheel well that soon flamed out. i contacted aaa auto club south and had the prius towed 45 miles back to the ann taylor toyota dealership/service center where i originally purchased the 2007 prius. five days later, i was notified by the service center that a piece of flexible "carpet mat" suddenly "rigged" enough in order to become wedged onto the accelerator and no additional services required. (invoice#tocs368561 dated 09/05/07) now in disbelief and scared, i had my 2007 prius re-inspected at precision tune auto care (invoice#165110 dated 09/06/07). this inspected yielded evidence of a previous fire and burned rotors! i contacted by phone toyota corp customer service and usaa auto insurance. i contacted a legal attorney that advised me that my circumstances required hiring a mechanical engineer to disprove toyota's assertion or drive the vehicle until the run-a-way acceleration occurs again. as of this date, having been "stonewalled" the past two years, i want to verify that your department has a record of my incident. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving approximately 45 mph, the accelerator pedal became stuck and she could not slow down. she immediately engaged the brake pedal and turned off the ignition. when she restarted the vehicle, it began to operate normally. the dealer stated that there were no diagnostic codes indicating that there was a failure and that the floor mats may have caused the failure. she was also told that the computer was set to the driving habits of the driver and her inconsistent driving behavior "confused" the computer. the failure previously occurred in 2007. she called the manufacturer and was offered no assistance. the current mileage was approximately 10,000. the failure mileage was approximately 425.

I have owned my 2007 prius since july, 2007. on an erratic basis, as i am braking (often as i am going over a bumpy road), the car seems to surge forward. it is as if the engine starts running harder. the light that indicates poor traction also comes on - it is as if i am not making good contact with the road. i have had no accidents but it is terrifying for me and i am fearful when someone/family member drives my car who is not aware of or has not become comfortable with dealing with this problem. fyi: even before prius said we should use different floor mats, i had made the change. i am not one to make a complaint but think that this is the time to make my concerns heard. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. during brake application at 25 mph, the vehicle continued to accelerate. after she was able to decelerate, the vehicle would no longer accelerate to the intended speed. the vehicle has not been taken to the dealer for inspection. the failure mileage was 500. the current mileage was 18,000.

Cause: flat tire in the front left or front right of the vehicle. the front left demonstrating the most severe hazard failure: the traction control system engages regularly due to a discrepancy between the spare and normal tire size. traction control cuts power to the drive wheels and cannot be overridden, causing vehicle to lose speed in non-deterministic manner. vehicle is not responsive. condition is worst during the first 40 miles driven on the spare tire but consequently improves due to learning inside the car computer. unfortunately, vehicle is most dangerous when the driver has the least control over the situation. correction: none, the manufacturer claims the vehicle is operating as designed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. whenever the contact placed the vehicle in park or neutral the vehicle suddenly surged forward without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the failure could not be reproduced. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 54,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving approximately 10 to 15 mph she applied the brakes and the vehicle continued to surge forward causing her to crash into a gate. the contact was not injured. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a dealer who advised her that they could not diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle continued to have the same failures for two years on an intermittent basis. each time the vehicle was taken to the dealer they constantly informed her that they could not diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was contacted by mail and replied by saying they have inspected the vehicle and found no known failures. the failure mileage was approximately 9,000. updated 3/11/11 *cn updated 1/3/11 *cn

I bought a 2007 prius from copeland toyota-scion dealership. from the beginning, i noticed that it accelerates on its own during the drive. for example, while going at 55 mph, suddenly, it travels at a higher speed without my intervention. i feel like being hydroplaning, leaping or shooting by a few yards, and then it would be back to normal. initially, i did not pay attention to it, but i brought it to your dealership and spoke one of their counselors nearly two years ago. i was told that one of your technicians will have to ride and diagnose the problem and since it happens randomly, there is no way anyone one can detect. first, i noticed this problem in december 2006. since then, it has been happening once in a way. the average frequency can be 3-5 times a month, and it could be more based on the highway usage. i was unaware of the ramifications until the recent recall notice. i wanted to send this information in september when the recall on floor mats was announced. i am more and more concerned about this unpredictable speeding on its own which could be very dangerous as it happened with several crashes reported (today, i saw a news segment on the nbc tv involving a prius). a creeping floor mat can get the gas pedal stuck, but would not cause sudden acceleration. sudden acceleration may be more severe in the cases of crashes, while mine is less severe, at least thus far. if there is a fix for this, i rather have it done as soon as possible, before it gets any worse. thanks, and i hope to hear from you soon. *tr yours truly, s. chavali

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving approximately 25 mph the vehicle will lunged forward and accelerated. the dealer stated that the vehicle was responding normally for an electrical engine. the failure continues to occur on a more frequent basis. the failure mileage was 26,000.