Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

I am describing a repeating issue with my 2007 toyota prius. this failure occurs when i drive over bumpy surfaces, a large pothole, or an area with a dip in the road. often, when faced with these conditions, the car stutters and lurches and the vehicle stability assist light flashes. at times, the car's slip and stutter seems to last several seconds after hitting the rough patch in the road. while it seems to exacerbate the problem if i am turning or braking, i should point out that i sometimes experience this lurching and stalling sometimes when i am simply driving along at 35 mph and hit a pothole. it often seems to occur in a situation where braking or turning is involved, but it seems more related to the vsa process. i am reporting this failure because i have seen news reports of an investigation of the 2010 prius model. the description of the brake failure reported in the media are basically the same as mine.*jb

I have a 2007 toyota prius. when braking, the brakes feel "tacky" and/or there is a judder feeling, which makes the car stop suddenly or abruptly. this occurs when only applying a very light touch to the brake. secondly, when applying brakes over icy patch or bump, car will continue to roll for a split second. there is an electronic sound at the same time the brake and roll occurs. *tr

When driving on rough road or over rail road crossing and applying brakes brakes fail for split second and abs light flashes nothing done to fix issue

1. first time occurrence event: icy roads, around freezing point, lasted one or two days. a few days ago recurred. 2. failure: car brakes very abrupt opposed to the gentile brake that is applied 3. done: nothing yet, waiting for recall info. *tr

I own a 2007 prius. when i brake and hit a bump in the road, the car does momentarily jerk forward. this has happened since i owned the car, but did not file a complaint until now. it is a rather helpless feel when this happens, it's only momentary and i really only notice it at slower speeds (like when slowing for a stop sign), and could be dangerous especially if your not expecting it.*tr

There is a problem with the prius abs. if the car transverses ruff terrain during low speed braking, the abs light flashes, the brakes release, causing the vehicle to accelerates. it requires increased pressure to get the vehicle to slow. *tr

Momentary loss of braking power and feeling of acceleration. *tr

I drive a 2007 model year prius, manufactured by toyota. over the nearly 3 years of ownership - i have experienced, at least 10 times, a seemingly small defect during light braking conditions. what happens is when i tap on the brakes during a slowdown to a traffic light (where i may be slowly pumping the breaks to slow), the traction control light will pop on - and the car will seemingly lurch forward for a second or two, as if it wants to accelerate. the matter always resolves itself - and i don't feel in danger or anything like that. however, it has happened multiple times, and is always accompanied by the traction control light - and the lurching forward i told you about. i do not believe this is the traction control system working - because none of the situations i'm speaking involved conditions where i was losing traction. being that most of the prius problems seem to be in the 2010 model, i'm not sure if you've had other complaints about this. i had not felt the need to report this until now - because i feel that perhaps you might want to examine this, especially if you're getting feedback from other drivers of the second generation prius. *jb

I have a 2007 prius. i don't know if it is the braking system or a sudden acceleration but i have definitely experienced a surge when braking. this does not happen all the time but has happened on more than one occasion. it feels like the car stops braking for a second and surges forward before re-engaging the brakes. *tr

I have a 2007 prius. every time i hit a bump or pothole, the car feels airborne, and the skid control light comes on. the car has terrible traction in wet or snowy weather. i believe that the braking system on all prius should be investigated. *tr

I have a 2007 toyota prius and am experiencing braking problems similar to the ones described as part of the 2010 model recall. i have lost control over the brakes momentarily several times throughout the past few years of ownership and chalked it up to adjusting to a new make of a car. now i realize that i am part of a bigger problem, the experience i have is not normal and i do not feel safe. i strongly encourage the nhtsa to broaden the recall to all prius owners who are experiencing the same problem, not just 2010 models or those whose vin number match up to the computer system. *tr

The 'brake cut-out driving over a pothole or manhole cover' is >not< restricted to the 2010 prius. my 2007 has done that since day one [65k miles ago]. there are hills near my house where i have to go out of my way to avoid manhole covers -- particularly the last one near a stop sign. the car just goes into free-wheel mode for a second or so.

I have a 2007 prius. and i love it, however before all this came out about prius brakes, in december 2009 the brakes started acting weird. they would not engage when i stepped on the brake pedal and then would jerk to a stop a few seconds later. the first time it happened my passenger and i just looked at each other and commented on how that was strange. it has continued to happen usually when i am going slow (25mph) or less, when it is damp (i live in oregon, when is it not damp in the winter) and cold. *tr

I won a 2007 toyota prius. i had two accidents in last 4 months timeframe (both incidents were filed). in both the cases, i have observed that there has been braking issue. especially during snow/icy conditions, the car did not stop. when braking, if there is little ice i would expect it to stop at normal distance. but it crosses the road until some distance, before it comes to complete stop. the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for some time. i am good fan of prius and it's my 3rd prius in the family since 2005. honestly, the braking distance & sliding bothering me recently alot. *tr

I was driving my 2007 toyota prius in heavy rush hour traffic and cold, wet snowy conditions this past friday night. my brakes failed to engage twice. the first time i was going 5-10 mph and stepped on the brake to maintain a safe following distance with the car in front of me, which had stopped. it was as if the car was in neutral and a yellow light started flashing on the dashboard (i think this was the abs system light, but i don't know) and i fortunately coasted to a stop before hitting the car in front of me. there was no skidding or sliding, just a non-response from the brakes. the second time occurred about 10 minutes later and i was again traveling at slow speed and attempted to brake to stay a safe distance from the car ahead. this time i repeatedly pressed hard on the brake and initially there was no engagement and then after approx 5 sec the brakes did engage and i again was able to avoid a fender bender. i drove the car home (white-knuckled) and it has been parked in my driveway over the weekend - we experienced a major snowstorm and i have not been able to drive anywhere. tomorrow i am going to see if i can get the car towed to a dealership because i don't want to drive it. *tr

This description is of an occurrence which may be a the result of a flaw. upon light pressure on the brake pedal, while proceeding over areas with suspect traction, vehicle seems to lose all braking for a small but un-nerving moment. it is as though the abs is fighting the regenerative braking of the hybrid drive. *tr

Braking system fails to respond under circumstances of wet or uneven pavement. traction control symbol lights up on dash. this has happened since new. (i filled in an approximate incident date only because it is a required field in this form.) *cn

On december 6, 2009, automatic brakes kicked in at low speed coming to a stop at a red light. shortly thereafter a screeching metal against metal sound. took the car to the dealer and they said brakes were fine. on december 28th, again at low speed braking for a red light, applied the brakes and heard a loud bang and the car lurched. at first i thought i had been rear-ended but there was no car behind me. drove immediately to the dealer. this time they said the brakes were grabbing and they cleaned and adjusted the brakes. this happened on a 2007 prius, not a 2010 prius, so i am wondering if the brake problem is more widespread than is currently assumed. *tr

I am writing to report transient failure of the anti-lock braking system in our 2007 toyota prius. since may 2008 we have noticed episodic accelerations during light braking (at intersections for instance) when the car encounters pot holes, grates, railroad tracks or slippery pavement. we seem to lose control of the vehicle momentarily. only with heavy brake pedal depression does the vehicle come to a complete stop. until january 2010 we thought this was a unique feature to our vehicle and we were hypersensitive to its idiosyncrasies. unfortunately, in january 2009 this defect lead to a low speed motor vehicle collision wherein my wife was unable to stop the vehicle when another driver abruptly pulled in front of her. no one was hurt, thankfully, but both vehicles were damaged. all other nearby drivers were able to stop in time and no other collisions occurred. on december 4, 2009 this same vehicle was involved in another low speed motor vehicle collision when a driver ahead suddenly stopped to avoid a pedestrian. the prius was unable to stop in time (even under heavy brake pedal pressure) and collided with rear bumper of the car ahead. more than $5,000 in damage occurred to the prius alone; though no one was hurt. in both instances nearby and subsequent vehicles experienced no problems stopping. there were no signs of ice or slippery pavement either time. furthermore, neither my wife nor i have ever been involved in accidents in the past or with other cars. we didn't recognize that this could be a manufacturer's defect until complaints to the nhtsa became public and widely discussed in december 09 & january '10. please note, however; our affected vehicle is a 2007 model year and we have experienced symptoms including loss of control and inappropriate acceleration just as described by others in the online community for 2010. *tr

On friday, december 4, 2009 at about 4:15 pm, i had a sudden acceleration incident with my 2007 toyota prius. i had not had any prior difficulty with this vehicle in the approximately 34,000 miles i had driven since i bought it new. however at this time when i tried to back the car about 50 feet backwards into a motel parking spot (actually there were 3 open spots in a row), it responded very abnormally. i started the car, put it in reverse and gently applied pressure to the gas pedal. instead of creeping backwards at ~5 mph as i had intended, the car "took off" at about 30-40 mph. i stomped on the brakes with both feet and initially didn't slow down. i felt an impact as my car grazed a parked vehicle. my car jumped over the curb at the parking lot edge, passed over some short bushes and entered a culvert. somehow i was able to turn the car and it carved a 180 degree curve and came to a halt about 75 feet after it passed into the culvert. fortunately i did make this sharp turn since there is a 4 lane highway on the other side of the culvert. there were no injuries and only slight damage to the other car, but an estimated $7000 of body damage to my car. the police were called as well my insurance company. the owner of the other vehicle was located. my car was towed to a local toyota dealership. since that time, the local toyota regional office sent out a representative who inspected my car and "during a road test no abnormal braking or acceleration problems were found." i have since been in contact with toyota usa in torrance , ca. i have spoken with a "case representative" who has not been helpful. finally after 5 or 6 phone calls, i was able to get the address of the legal department. i wrote them a letter on january 20 and have heard nothing from them. i also called and left messages on february 2 and 4. as a physician interested in public health i don't want my family or anyone else to drive this car. my faith in the toyota company is diminished.*jb

On 2 separate events, the brake system in our 2007 toyota prius failed. it felt as if there was no brake fluid in the system and the brakes became dangerously spongy and unresponsive. the dealer made two separate fixes to the system. *tr

For the past several months, my 2007 toyota prius has experienced the occasional low speed braking problem that has been reported in the news media today. i first noted this when going over railway tracks at low speed while braking. i experienced what felt like a loss of traction briefly, and the anti-lock brake light warning system flashed. this has happened again in low speed braking situations while going over an uneven surface several times, but not constantly. i report this because my prius is a 2007 model -- not a 2010, which initial news reports indicated were affected. i am the original owner. i notified the dealer (bob bridge toyota in renton, wa) this morning. i initially did not understand the nature of the problem until i heard the news reports this morning. *tr

I had a 2007 toyota prius that seemed to have issues whenever i would hit the brakes on slick\wet roads or sometimes when i would hit a bump. it felt as if the brakes would not apply and the car would feel like it accelerated forward instead of stopping. usually the brakes would kick in after a second or two of this kind of slipping. however, in early november of this year while taking my son to karate on a wet day we hit a spot of repaired road that caused this to occur again, instead of correcting itself it felt like i had no control of the car and the car veered off to the side of the road, went up an incline and flipped the car onto its side. fortunately in this case no one was injured at all as i was going fairly slow and the car quickly came to a stop when it went on it side. i always thought the issue was with the anti-lock brake system but i recently saw an article about 2010 prius having this issue and i thought i should report that this happened to me on an older version of the prius as well. *tr

I read about the recall of the 2010 prius concerning the abs software. my 2007 prius experienced the same problems recently when i ran over a curb at low speed and the car lurched forward at high speed after i applied the brakes and i hit a wall about 5 feet away. damage to my car was a cracked bumper, slightly dented hood, cracked head light. i used to get 50 to 60 miles per gallon and i can not get over 41 miles per gallon now. i bought new tires and had them balanced and aligned but the mileage had not improved. damages to the exterior of the car will amount to about 2 to 3 thousand dollars. my toyota dealer says that my 2007 model is not part of the recall. i have read blogs where people with my model toyota have had similar experiences. i believe that the abs software is faulty in more than the 2010 priuses. *tr

I was driving my vehicle and exiting a highway when i applied the brakes and the vehicle sped up and hit the vehicle in front and pushed it into two other vehicles. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while approaching any type of stop sign and decelerating, if the vehicle traveled over a series of bumps or any uneven road surface, the vehicle would momentarily accelerate and immediately function normally. the contact stated that it felt similar to having depressed the brake pedal and removing his foot midway. the dealer was contacted and advised the him that the vehicle was operating as it was intended. they also advised filing a complaint with the manufacturer, which he did. the manufacturer did not respond. there were no repairs made to the vehicle to date and there were no recalls. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that whenever driving down a hill while applying the brake assist lever, the engine would rev. when the engine revved, the brake assist does not function and pressure had to be applied to the normal brake pedal in order to keep the vehicle from surging forward. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed the vehicle was operating as normal. the failure occurred whenever traveling down a hill. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000. the current mileage was approximately 44,000.

I believe my 2007 toyota prius has a problem similar to the recent media reports regarding the braking system in the 2010 prius. i have on several occasions over the past few years observed a lapse in braking power when going over a bump. a few times, this lapse resulted in my vehicle coming uncomfortably close to the vehicle in front of me. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, approaching a traffic light. when the brake pedal was engaged, the brakes failed to respond in a timely manner. additionally, the electrical system failed without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired when the complaint was filed. the failure mileage was 23,406. the current mileage was 30,000.

On 3 occasions, while stopped at a traffic light, and with my foot on the brake, the brake pedal would suddenly drop part way to the floor. the car would roll either forward or backward, depending on grade, until i put pressure on the brake pedal. *tr

2007 toyota prius - braking issue on rainy or slick surface. upon normal braking on a slick or wet surface the car becomes unstable, the abs braking becomes irregular and the car goes into a skid and does not stop in a normal fashion or within a normal braking distance. the same braking response occurs if i hit a pothole while braking. the toyota dealer tells me that this is normal. it is not normal as i cannot drive the car under wet or snowy conditions for fear of an accident. the braking issues noted in the 2010 prius make me wonder if a similar condition exists for the 2007 model year. i suspect that it is the ecu which is faulty. *tr

I was in stop and go traffic on i275 in tampa in my 2007 toyota prius during morning rush hour. the most i was doing during this time was 15mph. i always stay more than enough behind the car in front of me. i applied the brakes and it was like i was on ice skates. the road was dry but it was like i had no brakes and no control and just slid into the car ahead of me. i told the officer who wrote me up a ticket that my brakes failed, i also constantly told my car insurance and the car repair company to check my brakes because they failed. *tr

I purchased a 2007 prius on 8/31/07. both my wife and i occasionally experience a slight forward surge of the vehicle when the brakes are applied. i had the car inspected on 5/14/08 for this concern and have a toyota workorder stating the issue and indicating that they could not find a problem. i repeated my concerns on additional service visits (not written up on the workorder and, again, nothing was found. on 8/3/09 i was involved in a minor accident when i failed to completely stop behind a car sitting at a traffic light and struck that car in the rearend. my car required a bumper replacement as the plastic bumper cracked on impact while the other vehicle only experienced scratched paint on it's rear bumper. i am concerned that there is something systemic wrong with the brakes on my car and wanted to report this and, hopefully, hear back as to the number of similar reports that you have received. *tr

I have a 2007 toyota prius and i have experienced a brake problem. my brakes will become unresponsive if i hit a series (2 or 3 in a row) of sharp bumps my brakes will not work to the point that i have to reapply the brakes. if i had been closer to the cars in front of me i would have crashed into them. now that i am aware of this problem i just allow extra space in case i hit bumps. the problem can be duplicated at a particular place in the road that i travel. *tr

I am aware that there is a problem with the brakes on the toyota prius. news reports indicate that the problem is confined to the 2010 model, but i would like to report a brake failure incident with our 2007 model prius. in june of 2009 my wife and i were driving our prius down a hill approaching a stop light. it had been raining and the pavement was wet, but there was no standing water on the road surface. the light turned yellow as we approached the intersection at a speed of about 35 mph. i applied the brakes but the car continued to move forward down the hill with no braking action and no deceleration. i had no alternative but to speed up to try get through the intersection before the light turned red. the light did turn red just before we entered the intersection, but we were able to make it through before any opposing traffic entered the intersection. it is important to note that during this incident the car showed no evidence of being in a skid - - it simply moved forward without any swerving. furthermore, there was no vibration in the brake pedal nor any sounds that might be associated with anti-lock brake action. i took the car to the toyota dealer and asked the service manager if there could be something wrong with the anti-lock system. i was told that they had no way to check that. we have had no further problem with the brakes, but i am concerned that this behavior may recur because of the current braking issue. *tr

I am the original owner of a 2007 toyota prius. my brakes seem to fail momentarily when i am trying to stop at a bumpy intersection. this has happened more one time. although i have not had an accident as a result it is a very uncomfortable feeling, because you just don't know if they are going to bring you to a stop. i have reported this problem to the toyota dealer (smart toyota - madison, wi) and their analysis at the time i took it in on may 14, 2009 was that it could not be duplicated and essentially found nothing wrong. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving various speeds to include approximately 35 mph and attempting to slow down to stop the vehicle, the vehicle lunged forward and accelerated. a local mechanic replaced the entire braking system for $800. the failure mileage was 75,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at 48 mph, the brakes suddenly locked up and swayed to the left side when he depressed the brake pedal. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for diagnosis. the dealer repaired the axle and driver side body but it was unknown if the dealer repaired the brake system. the contact believed that the rain was a factor in the failure as it caused the computer chip for the brake pedal to malfunction. the braking system for the vehicle failed periodically in rainy weather. the vin was unavailable at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000. the current mileage was approximately 60,000.

1. safety ' while driving on a bumpy road in darien (west avenue near the train station) last year the prius brakes did not stop the car. although the speed was low (about 5mph), the resultant accident damaged its front end and the car in front of us. 2. drivability and safety ' the cruise control holds the minimum speed but allows over speed conditions. while returning from danbury on route 7 the cruise control holds 40mph until going downhill. on downhill slopes the speed increases and intervention is required to turn off the cruise control and apply the brakes. 3. drivability ' during cold weather the main battery accepts a charge but does not return much energy to the drive system. the mileage decreases by 10-15mpg. toyota of stamford refused to do a free safety inspection. *tr

I was driving at low speed in cold weather, under 20 mph. i lightly accelerated to get through an intersection, then applied the brakes to stop because of a car stopped in the lane ahead. there was absolutely no response from the brakes so i ran into car in front. there was heavy damage to my car (estimated at $4,000 to $5,000), very little to car in front (less than $500). this is the only time this happened. the brakes worked fine for 2 years, and have worked fine since although i have only driven the car to the dealership for checking the brakes and to get the bodywork repaired. the dealership checked brakes, stated that there is absolutely nothing wrong (mechanically) with the brakes. toyota had a regional representative investigate, and toyota legal officially blames it on me not applying brakes in time. i have been trained to drive on the test tracks at gm's milford proving grounds, and have worked on engine and transmission software for 14 years, and have done a lot of testing on the track and road. i know how to apply brakes, and i know they did not work. since the brakes are not just the mechanical apparatus, i suspect a computer problem. *tr

I pressed on the brakes in an emergency situation and there was a slight delay between when the brake pedal was depressed and when the brakes grabbed. i ended up striking the car in front of me. i have the license plate of the car i hit etched in my front bumper. 2007 toyota prius. *tr

When i bought my new prius in 2007 i knew there was something strange. everytime i went down this big hill near my house the car would shoot forward a bit and it would be hard to brake. i called my dealer and they told me it was an advanced safty feature. the more i drove the car the worse it got. i would avoid routes with hills in the rain. in 2009 when i had my 2nd child i decided to get rid of the car because the problem was getting worse. it was as if i was sliding on ice in the middle of the summer *cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving 3 mph, the abs indicator illuminated when the brake pedal was depressed. the vehicle accelerated and proceeded ten feet. the vehicle crashed into a curb and punctured the tire. there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the brake system was not the cause of the failure. the tire was replaced. the manufacturer stated that there were no current recalls on the brake system; however, they would have a factory service representative inspect the vehicle. the vehicle was inspected and it was determined that there were no current failures with the brake system. the current and failure mileages were 25,000.

Prius 2007 hydraulic braking/traction control. there is a delayed interaction between the hydraulic brakes and the traction control, that overrides the actions or the driver's braking, for several seconds. this typically occurs if there is any momentary loss of traction due to, even a minor ripple in the road. the effect is most dangerous at speeds over 40mph, because quite some distance is covered before braking resumes. the traction control relinquishes hydraulic braking for 2-3 seconds, before normal braking action is restored. the delay appears to be software related, and the toyota dealer insisted that the behavior is normal. i disagreed but found no relief. i adjusted my driving to account for this. *cn

While driving my 2007 prius on many occasions, the vehicle failed to stop while i was driving over any uneven road such as grooves and potholes. braking system only became effective after the surface became more regular. this has occurred many times and i did not report issue to toyota as i believe this was a normal vehicle "behavior" given the driving conditions. in view of toyota's potential recall of 2010 prius vehicles, it has become clear to me that vehicles from other years should also be evaluated. *cn

I owned a 2007 prius that was totaled after the brakes failed at a yield sign in biloxi ms, and i ran into the side of a car in an intersection. (previously, i had also had trouble with the brakes and it caused an accident in chevy chase md. i hydroplaned when using the brakes in the rain, and rear-ended a car.) *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that as he came to a complete stop with his feet on the brake pedal and there was a bump in the road the vehicle would lunge forward and accelerate. the dealer was called, stated that was normal and there was no failure. the contact stated the failure occurred repeatedly whenever he stopped the vehicle. the toyota manufacturer was never called. the failure mileage was 50,000.

I own a 2007 toyota prius, and the problem now being investigated on the 2010 models where the brakes fail momentarily when driving over a pothole or bumpy road is a very common occurrence for me, and has been since we bought the vehicle in september of 2008. *tr

Just completed a left turn behind another vehicle. the other vehicle then slowed to make an immediate left turn into a gas station across the road. i was gently applying the brakes to keep my following distance (10ft, traveling about 8mph). the other car suddenly applied the brakes harder to turn, when i pressed harder there was no reaction until i hit the other car, at which point the brakes engaged and i stopped. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while traveling at a speed of 25 mph over a rough surface the vehicle began to skid and it became difficult to control, the traction control light also appeared on the dashboard when the failure occurred. the dealer was contacted and sent a representative to diagnose the failure. the contact didn't provide any detailed information regarding the diagnosis that the representative found. the contact also noticed that the failure occurred intermittently. the vin was not available. the current and failure mileages were 27,000. updated 05/14/10. *lj