Problems with 2009 Toyota Prius VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I was first in line at a red light. the light turned green. i accelerated aggressively in order to change lanes as i pulled away. when i was across the intersection i lifted my foot off the gas pedal and it continued to accelerate. shocked i depressed the brake, but it had no effect on the acceleration. there was nothing in front of me so i pulled to the right side of the road and hit the power button and the car stopped. i got out and immediately checked the mat. they were not near the gas pedal. i started the car again and it seemed fine. i took all side streets to get home and stayed away from all cars and people. i brought the car to toyota the following morning. they could not duplicate the event and said there was nothing wrong with the car. my car was a prius 2009 package #3 with 7500 miles on it. until that day, it drove perfectly and i was very happy with it. i won't drive the car again. *tr

Two unaccounted acceleration single vehicle accidents with 2009 toyota prius. after accident of april 30, 2010 per my request, vehicle was inspected by a consultant from toyota.[may 26, 2010]. toyota is saying car is safe. car was returned to me on may 28, 2010. first accident occurred august, 31, 2009. both accidents occurred under similar circumstances; driving at slow acceleration while making a right turn. accident #1 turning a corner, accident #2 pulling into a parking slot in a parking lot. both times engine revved and car lurched forward. in first accident car crashed into a tree, in second accident car ran over a landscaping boulder which stopped it from crashing into the street. the boulder was stuck under the middle of the car. two wheels on each side of it and front wheels were off of the ground. the front wheels were still turning after i got out of the car. i got back in the car and turned off the engine. i am requesting toyota replace this vehicle with a like value vehicle. i have pictures taken at the time of the accident of april 30, 2010 and detailed explanations of both accidents. damages from both accidents was approximately 20,000 dollars . my insurance company found me at fault for the accident of august 31, 2009 because all of the car's warning lights came on and i glanced at the dash. the insurance company has found me not at fault for the accident of april 30, 2010. i received a recall notice from toyota after the accident of april 30th. however, i was told that this had nothing to do with the accidents. my car has had a number of unusual issues since its purchase. this is documented with toyota service. this car was purchased new and has 11,000 miles on it. updated ivoq 09/08/10*jb *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while attempting to approach an intersection at 20 mph the vehicle would not decelerate. consequently the driver rear-ended another vehicle, which caused that vehicle to rear-end another vehicle. a police report was filed. there were no personal injuries. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the front bumper was replaced. the failure mileage was 2,485. the current mileage was 5,023. the vin was unavailable.

While crossing a small bridge over an expressway, applying brakes at the point of bumpy transition caused the vehicle to lurch forward for approximately one second. this caused a sudden panic, but no other effects. this is the second occurrence at the exact same bridge transition and bump over the course of 8 months. there are no recognizable side effects. this has not been reported to the dealer, nor to the company. *tr

I have a 2009 prius and on at least 4 occasions in cruise control my car has accelerated without my doing so. all of the times i was able to brake and bring down my speed. we tried to report this to toyota but they were not concerned. we then reported this to the dealership and the mechanic told my husband that " that sometimes happens". no report was filed or action taken. *tr

In addition to the traction control, abs, gas pedal/floor mat problems with the toyota prius there is also a safety issue with the power button. in an emergency situation, like the door coming open, throttle getting stuck, etc. you can't power off the vehicle quickly. you must hold the power button for some amount of time before the car will shut off. unlike the toyota camry example where they suggested turning off the ignition, you can't do that on the prius. you also can't remove the key/fob to turn the vehicle off or power it off. there is also an extreme under steer problem with the vehicle which is a safety concern. in wet conditions it is exacerbated. it can be observed on clover leaf overpasses and general cornering. *tr

I purchased a 2009 toyota prius in april 2009. on at least four separate occasions i have had issues of my vehicle surging forward or being hard to stop after driving over a potholeand when driving on a washboard roads (1 time on the pot hole the other times were while on the dirt road). i just figured the vehicle didn't handle well dirt roads and pot holes so i am just extra careful in those conditions which is why i did not think to report this until now when i heard the report on brake issues with the prius. i do not know if my problem is significant of not, i thought i would report it just in case. i do not have approximate dates, just between april and september 2009. *tr

While in 'cruise control' with no use of the gas pedal, the car started to increase speed beyond the set speed. when i realized what was happening, i stepped on the brake which overrode speed control and began slowing down as it normally would if the car was not accelerating but at steady speed, note: date below is approximate. event happened twice during summer of 2009 at high speed (setting at 70mph). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact was driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions when the "engine" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. there were numerous failures with various components within the vehicle. the consumption mpg screen on the instrument panel displayed inaccurate information. the engine exhibited a reduction of engine power. when depressing the accelerator pedal an excessive decrease in acceleration occurred. the fm and am radio selector failed to function properly. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing on two separate occasions. the technician was unable to duplicate the failures. there were no resolutions. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunctions. the failure mileage was 2,000. the vin was rejected and will be updated upon receipt of the safety complaint form.

I am writing to let you know of a problem i am experiencing with a 2009 toyota prius that i purchased new just one week ago and which still has less than 500 miles on it. a couple of days ago i was approaching a stop at an intersection, in town where my speed had been only about 15 mph. while my foot was on the brake, just prior to a full stop, the car accelerated on its own. i kept my foot on the brake, pressing hard, and the brake eventually overrode the accelerator and stopped. looking at the dash i saw that the abs brake light flashed on briefly. it was a sunny day, no rain, no slick surface. no one was in front of me, so no damage to me or anyone else. another incident happened this morning in my garage. i got into the prius, foot on the brake, pushed the power button, and then a moment later, still in park, i felt a surge. the car did not lunge forward, but i strongly felt the revving and surge of power, and the car lifted from the power. these incidents caused me to search the web for similar experience of others, and i have found many, some with severe consequences. i would also like to add that in hindsight i realize that two other things i have noticed about the brakes might be important to relate. i sometimes hear a slight grinding disk sound when i brake, and i have on a few occasions noticed that the brakes are skipping and the abs engaging, as if i were on a slippery or graveled surface. yet that was never the case; the road conditions were dry and tar was in good condition. i know this because i looked back each time to see what might have caused the brakes to act strangely. there was no apparent cause. in retrospect, after having experienced the acceleration at the stop sign, i realize that these other odd braking issues might be symptoms of the bigger braking issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact was driving the vehicle at approx 10 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated as the driver's foot was on the brake trying to slow down. the vehicle in front was rear ended but the vehicle still did not stop accelerating so the driver swerved and hit a sign. there were no injuries reported at the scene, but after 3 people in the other vehicle reported injuries. a police report was taken at the scene. the contact took the vehicle to the dealership after the body repairs were done and the dealer inspected the vehicle. he was informed that they could find nothing wrong with the vehicle. he called the manufacturer and reported the problem. he was still awaiting a response at the time of the complaint. the current mileage was approximately 14,000. the failure mileage was approximately 5,000. updated 03/12/10. *lj updated 09/30/10

My 2009 toyota prius was less than 4 months old. as i was parking in front of my apartment, i could feel the car still accelerating while i had already moved my foot to the brake. braking as hard as i can i realized my car wasn't responding at all. the car climbed on to the curb into the grass, hit a light pole, tilted to its right side (i was parking to my right) and fell down on its side. i tried to turn the car off, but wont turn off. the wheels were still accelerating as i was trying to get out of the seat belt, called out for help and got out through the driver side window. i called 911. police helped me turn off the vehicle; until that time, the car was still accelerating on its own. this seems to be a common issue with the toyota prius 2nd generation. this happens when the car is at very low speed (like in my case, while parking) or when its floored all the way. this should be thoroughly investigated. the car is with geico, my insurance company for further investigation. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact was positioned in the vehicle without the engine turned off when there was forceful pressure applied to the accelerator pedal, followed by the sticking of the pedal; however, the accelerator pedal released within a few seconds. whenever the vehicle was in operation the driver applied partial force to the accelerator pedal to avoid the pedal sticking. the authorized dealer was been notified of the malfunction. the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated she was pulling into a parking space and the vehicle accelerated into a parking ramp and damaged the bumper of her vehicle.there were no injuries. vehicle was driven to the dealer and they could not duplicate the problem they told contact if the failure happen again to bring the vehicle back to the dealer. the failure mileage 5,000 the current mileage is 13,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while approaching a traffic light at approximately 5 mph, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. the vehicle proceeded to crash into another vehicle before coming to a stop. there were two injuries. a police report was filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the vehicle had not been tested or investigated by the dealer. the failure mileage and vin were not available at the time of the complaint.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while applying pressure to the brake pedal at 10-15 mph, the vehicle forcefully surged forward. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer on a separate occasion for the identical failure which there was no resolution. the failure mileage was 5,000. the current mileage was 10,000. the vehicle identification number was unavailable. updated 2/26/10 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle would surge at times upon starting the engine. it would also lurch while in park. the consumer stated there were 2 incidents where her foot was still on the brake and the vehicle accelerated which caused 2 minor accidents. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for electrical and brake work. however the vehicle continued to surge when started intermittently. updated 08/24/10*jb

We purchased a 2009 prius, 11/08. in 3/16/09 it accelerated unexpectedly on the nj turnpike near newark airport, a speed judged at 85 miles/hour. i was the driver, there were 4 passengers. clearly unattended acceleration not caused by a floor mat. scenario: traveling in right lane, came up behind cement mixer traveling at 45-50 mi/hour; accelerated quickly to get into middle lane; middle lane traffic constant, traveling min. 70 mi/hour; once in middle lane, de-accelerated; instead of de-accelerating, the car engine roared, taking off at an unbelievable speed; turned on flashers, put foot on brake; able to control speed of car, breaking all the time, engine roaring. no place to pull over. only thought: get to toll booth, hope i could stop it completely with brake; suddenly, after about 5 min., there was a sound in the engine (?) like a thud; car resumed normal operations. follow-up: went into nyc, drove car home that evening, 3 hour drive; husband took car to vineland toyota dealer where bought; they said black box showed that, in addition to most recent acceleration, there were prior accelerations; we never noticed them; they could find nothing wrong with it; said mat had been the problem; husband, former ceo/amer. lung assoc., contacted toyota regional, saying that he was not satisfied with diagnosis of problem - we were afraid to drive the car. knew management because of toyota's support of ala. in fact, after his retirement, endorsed '02 prius in toyota brochure, and was featured in 2 toyota videos; management sent techs from reg. office; reps concurred with dealer: problem was floor mat. outcome: no work we know of was done to rectify acceleration; mat removed, but couldn't see how it interfered with pedal. couldn't replicate the event by moving mat around. no explanation for thud; little likelihood that the mat could slip back in place. don't trust car! please advise us of your intent on this matter. thank you. *tr