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Problems with 2010 Toyota Prius UNKNOWN OR OTHER

On average, the 2010 Toyota Prius starts to “feel” problems with the UNKNOWN OR OTHER and its various aspects after 78 127 miles.

Recently reported UNKNOWN OR OTHER problems on 2010 Toyota Prius

While driving the vehicle the hybrid system failed as per notification on the dashboard. the car was operable but i was not able to drive above 40 miles per hour. i was told by the certified toyota dealer that the inverter failed and they were not able to provide a reason why it failed. there was a previous recall on the inverter in 2014 to fix a software issue which was repaired. i was told by the dealer this recent incident was unrelated.

While driving back from running errands my car's lights on the dashboard started to come on and noises started to start happening. i was lucky i was only a few streets away from my house so i decided to drive back home. the break was really hard to press. the brake felt like it was a rock and hard to press. i drove with my hazards on unsure of what could happen while driving. there was something wrong and the car started to beep and i was worried the car might fail to brake so i started to drive very slowly. the brakes were so hard to press. i took my car to toyota the next day and they said there was a defect with my brakes. they had the vehicle for a few days and returned to me saying it was fixed. needless to say this was a very scary situation to be in. i drive a lot. if i had been further away from my home this would have put me in a very dangerous position. i could've been stranded or drove on the freeway in this condition unsure of what was happening. my car could've stopped braking, i could've gotten into a big accident and injured other drivers around me. this is a very serious issue that should be recalled now and save other drivers! in california people drive up to 80 mph on the highway-if we are behind a car and the brakes malfunction you can imagine what will happen to the driver and anyone involved! when i heard toyota was not recalling this on all prius's that might be affected it really scared me. this is unsafe.

I purchased a 2010 toyota prius, within a month i had to replace the fuel pump sensor (after it went out on the highway and the car died while driving it). then 6 weeks after purchase i was driving down the highway again and the hood ripped up completely shattering the windshield while driving. i later learned both safety's on the hood latch were broken and missing parts. it also has an oil leak that will cost me $2,200 to repair when i only paid $6,000 for the car on top of many other minor issues.

Just had recall work completed including software update. car now exhibits new limp mode behavior with low fuel. this never happened before the software update. trip meter indicated more than 50 miles remained with current fuel supply. fuel level was as two bars and low fuel light had not yet come on. limp mode occurred at speed on 4 lane freeway. vehicle would not restart and dash messaging indicated hybrid system failure. had vehicle towed only to realize it was all happening due to a low fuel level. i believe the safety recall software update has introduced agreater risk to my roadside safety and has made the vehicle less trustworthy and has reduced value.

Sunroof exploded driving at highway speed on a clear night

Toyota has performed what they purport to be the same recall, eoe, twice. the second time it was performed, it was performed without advance notice to me, and without explanation, except that it not been performed before on my vehicle, and was required. after the work was done, and after returning from the dealer, i checked my records, and i determined that the eoe recall had in fact been done three years earlier, in 2015. subsequent contacts with toyota and the dealers involved has not provided an explanation, regarding the need to essentially re-do the same eoe recall, except as a part of the latest recall, which currently has no remedy. this latest recall, nhtsa no. 18v-684, states 'a previous safety recall may not have been fully completed . . . '. the statement is vague, and no one has been able to tell me why any prior recall was not fully completed, when the service invoice indicates such recalls were in fact fully completed. toyota tells me other owners are affected, not just me. i have not received any notice from toyota, indicating the work done for the first eoe was in any way incomplete, such that it needed to be done twice. there is a possibility the second eoe installed different software, but i have no way of knowing, since the second eoe recall is being done in a non-transparent manner. this is a safety issue, because owners are not being made aware of possible problems with their vehicles, and it is unclear if the remedy has been properly vetted.

Tire blew out on the freeway without warning. it was a general altimax rt43 size 195/65 15.with about 9300 miles on it. tire has several blown out section in the sidewall.

This vehicle has hybrid system faults recall since october 2018 and toyota still has not responded to my request to fix the car after 4months. it is very dangerous to drive this car because the hybrid system default warning light comes up pretty frequently.

Brakes slip and lose grip while braking and traveling over moderate bumps or potholes, also happens while braking hard.

Vehicle has lost power on the freeway multiple times forcing me to pull over. in one instance i was almost rear ended by a semi. the vehicle will show a temperature warning and will then shut down and read, "check hybrid system". the toyota dealership claims it needs a new engine. this is a well known issue and will go in front of a judge in january. i have contacted toyota about this and they tell me it is out of warranty and not eligible for the warranty enhancement. this should have been an unlimited mileage recall but toyota refuses to do anything about it. this happened again this morning to my wife who was on a freeway where the speed limit is 70mph. this is an extremely dangerous error and i would hate to see someone die because their car stops on the freeway. this vehicle has also had severay p0401 codes, there is an warranty enhancement for this as well but limited to 150k miles. i was told by the toyota dealership it was also a culprit for a blown head gasket.

While driving our 2010 toyota prius ii on the interstate we began noticing a burning smell. then, the abs light illuminated on the dashboard. we pulled onto an off ramp and as we slowed the vehicle down smoke began coming from under the hood. we drove very slowly down the road and the smoke became more prevalent. we turned on a side street and my husband put the vehicle in park, got out, walked to the front, and noticed that the passenger front head lamp was melted and there was a flame. we quickly got our family out of the car (2 kids in carseats in the back). we moved away from the vehicle and the flames become larger and larger. we called 911 and the hood was engulfed in flames by the time the firefighters arrived. they were able to put the fire out quickly, so it did not spread into the front cabin or rear of the vehicle. we had not had any recent work done and the vehicle was fully operational until the time of the fire. we had not been experiencing any problems prior to this incident.

My emergency brake has failed. i park on a hil and my car almost went down without me in it , i was getting something out of the back seat when the eb failed, luckily the drivers door was open and i was able to jump in and brake with the normal brakes. also while braking and going over a bump my brakes fail for a second.

When i press brake on the bumped road, the car function weird and seems like it has sudden "shock" so it is kind of losing control for the car even i didn't press brake that hard, it happens several times already during the course of 7 years that i owned this car, even when car is new. i was so scared and nervous, i don't know where to report this problem and did mentioned to dealer before. the problem is random and unpredictable and i don't know when it will happen. but i guess i am kind of cautious on when i press pedal when i drive. this is mostly happen in local drive, not highway. in driving when driving forward, maybe there is something on the road, but it should not be doing this as it is very scary and it's like a sudden "jerky". my name is [xxx] it happened at least 10 times during the past 7 years to me. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

my car is a 2010 toyota prius with nearly 100k miles. i was traveling on the highway at approx 65 mph when another vehicle was trying to merge onto the highway. i usually maintain my speed but in this situation of traffic i slowed slightly and flashed my headlights for the driver to go ahead of me. the driver seemed to be unsure of merging safety and pulled over to the shoulder of the road. in that process i braked to slow and then accelerated in an effort to maintain speed with ongoing traffic. then oddly the acceleration went from under foot as if a 'ghost' was pressing the accelerator pedal. at first i thought perhaps the floor mat was improperly pressing it. i pressed the brake a bit a few times and looked to the hazards to alert other vehicles but never pressed them instead intuitively trying to regain control of the car. the process of pressing the brakes and accelerator gently seemed to reset things. hard to say as most of my attention was focused on trying things to stop the accelerator. i just got lucky i think. i was able to regain control of the car within a short time that felt like a long time in retrospect. perhaps a moment or two that felt like longer. i did not see indicating lights on my dashboard and they may have lit up- i was doing my best to notice cars around me and maintain control of the vehicle. my car has been 'fine' since but i have not gone back on the freeway. i have not returned to the toyota dealership but thought about going today. i'll wait to hear back in case there are specific instructions i should follow for that to help. i looked once stopped and the floor mat is nowhere near anything that could catch a petal. weather clear on the evening of feb 1 approx 6 pm medford oregon on northbound i-5

We were driving on the highway at about 70 miles per hour when the reading lights and dashboard flashed on and then off in a matter of about 5 seconds. the dash showed a triangle indicator light with an exclamation point. the dash also seemed to reset and showed the display as is the car had just been turned on. this incident happened twice within a 4 hour period. once on the highway and once on a back road going about 40 mph. the car did not stop either time, but it is still concerning.

Without warning, while traveling downhill at about 45 mph and braking, the car lost power and was very difficult to control. several dash warning lights came on. i was able to drive a short distance , at 10-15 mph, to the dealer for repairs. a transistor in the inverter had over-heated and failed. the event occurred on 28 jan 2017. toyota knew of this potential failure and recalled the car for a software fix (eoe recall ssc#eoe agg09a ), installed in the car on 29 april 2014, by dch toyota ( 2955 pacific coast highway, torrance , ca) also the dealer who repaired the failure. i only recently learned the recall and the failure were related and i believe the failure could repeat with potentially catastrophic results.

In the past year i have had 2 occurrences of unintended acceleration. the first in february of 2016. i was exiting a parking ramp up hill and stepping on the accelerator. i was driving straight then turning to the left (90 degree turn). when i took my foot off the accelerator, the car continued to accelerate and i was unable to get it slowed/stopped for about a block even though i was applying heavy brake pressure. the car was revving against the brake pressure. no damage or injuries occurred. i took the car to the dealership where i purchased it (purchase date 8/3/13). they checked the car over and found no apparent cause for the acceleration. i took the car home, and it drove normally until 11/26/16. on that date i was driving very slowly in a flat parking lot, and the car began accelerating without my pushing the gas pedal. i was driving straight and then turning to the right (90 degree. i got the car stopped in a few feet by pressing extremely hard on the brake. my car did not hit anything. technicians from the dealership have not been able to find a cause and i have not been able to get past toyota's customer service department to escalate the issue for more detailed diagnostics. i have attached the timeline of trying to get the car diagnosed and the issue escalated as well as why i don't think user error is a factor. *tr

While driving in boston, i attempted to beep the horn to warn a car that was cutting in front of me, but the horn did not work. toyota diagnosed this as a bad clock spring in the steering wheel. the inability to use the horn is a safety issue. an online search seems to reveal that this is a common problem with multiple toyota models.

Tire light keeps coming on. third time. there is no problem with my tires. started this summer and continues today. i am taking my vehicle into a toyota dealer for the second time for this problem.

Driver's side window shattered without being hit by anything. the shock of this happening, almost caused an accident while driving.

In feb 2015 after owning the car for a few months, the sunroof exploded on the freeway at a speed of 60 mph. the break was directed up to the outside (not down as if something struck the window). the side windows were cracked so it was not an issue of the heat/cold change or too much cabin pressure. now aug 2016, the exact same thing happened again. this time toyota is refusing to acknowledge there is an issue with the sunroof. in both instances, the sound was loud like a shotgun and extremely startling. glass could have rained down on me or i could have been startled causing an accident. i do not understand how the sunroof can break twice in the same manner within 1 1/2 yrs owning the car. this seems like a dangerous issue and am concerned that it will happen again. i have pictures but am unable to load them. i also have a video camera in my car to show that there were no other cars near me at the time this happened.

Intermittent failure of for door locking/unlocking mechanism. apparently a fairly common occurrence in this make and model. safety risk : inability to exit the vehicle in an emergency e.g. accident, fire, if the locks fail unexpectedly.

In july, i was braking to a stop on a suburban street but my brakes wouldn't allow me to come to a complete stop in time. it was raining. i finally came to a stop in the middle of the intersection, where i was hit on the drivers side by an oncoming car. additionally, my side airbag (curtain) didn't deploy. i was traveling less than 15 mph at the time.

This car fire burned

On feb 19, 2016 i was driving my 2010 prius. the sunroof exploded, without being hit by anything. it exploded upward. i called toyota, but they said it was not their fault. i had to replace the glass. i have photographs.

Excessive oil consumption starting at 100,000 which worsened. i now have to put a quart of oil every 750-1000 miles in my 2010 prius. no one at toyota will admit this is a problem, albeit there are an extreme amount of these complaints online through different blogs and web sites. really, we toyota owners bought this car to decrease our carbon footprint...ironic, right?

I along with an alarming amount of others have experienced the 2010 prius begin to burn oil at an alarmingly high rate around 60-80k miles. this is accompanied with an emission into the cabin of noxious fumes during high oil burn rate (heavier acceleration) moments. we have all been told by the dealerships that this is "normal". this has led to burning over a quart of oil every 1000 miles, headaches from the fumes, and now i have found out there is substantial soot buildup in the engine resulting from the oil burning requiring very costly repairs. toyota refuses to do anything to help or even acknowledge the costly issue.

Car would not drive, or reverse it shifts to neutral since first week i bought the car in aug 2010. i bought a toyota prius iii 2010 (from the dealership toyota of kearney mesa in san diego) in 2010. the car from the beginning would shift back to neutral when i set it to drive or reverse. i bought the car and am the only owner). after i encounter this, within the week i took it to the dealership where i bought it (san diego kearny mesa) and they told me that it was not a problem. yes, it was a problem and they refused to fix it. this has happen to my car from week 1. now 5 years later, today, the car would not engage in "d" or reverse. i tried at least for 10 minutes. i called a dealership now in seattle (since i take my car here for service) and i was told that they never heard about it. i searched online and i found that this problem/bug does happen. today i could not set my car to drive or reverse for about 10-15 minutes. it's a safety issue. my steps: 1. depress power button (to turn on) 1.1. wait about 5-10 seconds 2. depress the break + engage in d (drive) or (r) reverse. 3. the car goes to "n" neutral and cannot be put in gear drive or reverse. 4. turn car off. go back to step 1 until your car engages.

The vehicle runs ok and a few minutes later the yellow triangle turns on, as well as the check engine light and the vehicle starts to lose power. after a few more minutes the red steering wheel light comes on along with the "check hybrid system" message and the rest of the lights and the vehicles loses all power and stops. it will normally turn back on but there was one occasion where it didn't and my husband had to push the car to a parking lot. i took the car in on the recall which should cover this but all they did was update the software and blame the issue on a car accident. i don't know if this is true as just purchased the vehicle but it sounds to me that they could have fixed the issue under the recall.

This happened twice. the first time i was driving 40mph, the check engine light came on and then the accelerator stopped working. then the check hybrid system light came on and i guided the car over to the side of the road. the car would start but the accelerator would not function and the (digital) speedometer numbers disappeared. i brought the car to the dealership where they replaced a valve and told me it was fixed. two days later (after driving the car without incident on several trips for at least 40 miles) the same exact thing happened, however this time i was travelling 50 mph while entering a very busy highway during rush hour.

I live in williamsburg, va. it was very humid in williamsburg this summer. the inside of the dashboard has fungus and mold growing in it. i understand that this is a problem with many 2010 priuses. fungus and mold growing in the dashboard of the car is a major health hazard. i have contacted toyota about this issue and they are not willing to fix it. the fungus and mold are present at all times. the dealer is quoting $2,000 as the cost to fix this defect in the 2010 prius.

On may 30, 2015, our home burned to the ground. the firefighters are certain the cause of the fire was my 2010 prius - they know the fire started in the rear of the garage, the only other item in that area was a bicycle. arson, faulty wiring and accidents were ruled out. investigations continue, but they have identified an arc between the battery and the relay switch. my homeowners insurance carrier (erie) is trying to decide whether they should expend the additional $1,500 to open the relay switch box to see if they can determine if the arc was the cause of the fire, or a result. from the video footage, it is obvious that the water being poured onto the garage increased the intensity of the fire, which was due to the magnesium battery. thestarpress.com has all the video: http://www.thestarpress.com/videos/news/2015/06/03/28436619/ we were trapped in an upstairs bedroom for 40 minutes - and given up for dead before the 911 operators heard my labored breathing over the still-open phone line. a heroic firefighter threw himself through the wall of our second-story bedroom to rescue us. my husband was not breathing when he was removed from home, but we have both recovered. we had been out to dinner earlier in the evening, but the car had been parked in our garage for several hours. i have heard of many other prius fires, and wanted to alert you to our experience.

On march 4th 2015 at 8:00 am, my wife was trying to change a parking spot into another about 50 feet away in the same church parking lot. she started the engine and the car was put on drive. within a fraction of a second, the car accelerated beyond control. she could not steer or stop the car. the car jumped a curb, hit a light pool and landed on a grassy area. tire marks reveal that the car experienced a sudden rush of acceleration beyond control 'unintended acceleration.' my wife is still under doctor's observation. the car front right; bumper, tire, fender, door, "a" pillar, and other parts were damaged. the car was towed to daytona toyota and is still there since march 4th 2015. on march 6th 2015 a report was electronically filed with toyota motor sales, u.s.a., inc. on march 20th 2015, a "cdr" crash data retrieval was taken. the car has not been repaired. even if the car is repairable, i would hesitate to drive it, let my wife drive it or with clear conscious sell it to any other human being. please help us to mitigate the situation. *tr

on february 27, 2015, our house burned in the middle of the night while we were asleep. the fire started in the near vicinity of the right front headlight of the 2010 toyota prius. the car had been serviced just before the fire on february 25, 2015 at the local toyota dealership. the car was off at the time and the key was not in the car at the time of the fire. while we were sleeping, the car evidently caught fire spontaneously at approximately 2 a.m. while it was parked in the garage. the garage door was closed. by the time we woke up, the garage was fully engulfed in flames. we were able to escape the fire. however, our house was too severely damaged (fire, smoke and water) after the fire to be livable, and it is currently being rebuilt. our family of four (husband, wife and two children, 15 and almost 11 years old) is currently living in a rental house. we lost all three of our cars (the other cars were a dodge durango and a honda accord) and a majority of our possessions. damages are estimated to be likely in excess of $500,000 including house, cars, damage to landscaping, personal property, furniture, clothing, etc. our homeowner's insurance is seeking a subrogation claim against toyota for the expenses incurred regarding our claim. the prius is scheduled to have a deconstructive exam soon with multiple parties present and is currently being held as evidence.

Car is using over a quart of oil every 1000 miles and i am being told by dealership that this is normal for these cars

1 original recall did nothing concerning hitting a pothole and losing brakes for 20 +- feet..result..alway give yourself 20 extra feet and pray. 2 antilock on packed snow or ice results in total lost of brakes..result either drive into a snow bank or go through the red light and pray again. so i guess toyota accepts the fact they choose to give you steering control to save yourself and hope you are not at a railroad crossing! there is no pulsating like other vehicles. 3 if you are stopped on ice /snow...without traction car does not rock ..does not want to move... for study can a metal stud tire be made for priuses???would it help or sell car only in florida.. *js

The dash display mph and mileage totally went black. looked it up on the internet and seems like it is a common problem for the 2010 toyota prius. sounds like toyota use to cover this before this year model, but not now, even though it is still happening. they may have done their dash alittle different, but it is still having the same problem. *tr

A recall issued for an electronic component of my vehicle in february 2014. after searching the recall database by my vin, i learned of the recall and made an appointment (march 8, 2014) to have my car serviced by the same dealership where i purchased it (north hollywood toyota, 4606 lankershim blvd, north hollywood, ca 91602). when i went to pick up the vehicle, i was told by dealership employees that the recall did not apply to my car, and therefore no fix was made. the recall website shows that the recall remains to this day, and is marked incomplete. it is unacceptable (and dangerous) that i brought my car, with a known recall, to a toyota dealership, and when i inquired about the recall, i was apparently lied to.

I received an urgent safety recall notice from toyota re: my 2010 toyota prius brake booster pump assembly (accumulator). at the bottom of the notice there is this information: "if you believe that the dealer or toyota has failed or is unable to remedy the defect within a reasonable time, you may submit a complaint to...(lists several options, including www.safercar.gov)." my corvallis, oregon dealer notified me that i am on a waiting list of approximately 15 vehicle owners waiting for this repair. i was told that toyota is only providing materials to this dealer to make two repairs a week. waiting potentially two months for repair of a problem that "could affect stopping distance and increase the risk of a crash" is disconcerting. *tr

Made appointment at fred haas toyota for ect recall pending court action spoke with sparky twyford and service manager that told me they don't know what to do and refused safety inspection or fix to possibility unsafe car mention in the post card notice. i was not pleased because of recent mileage drop and legal notice sent to me. if there should be an accidentg from their negligence of my effort to remedy car, i woukld like your records to reflect their negligence.

2010 prius excessive oil consumption. using 5 quarts between oil changes is not normal!

I was driving with to passengers on the new jersey turnpike at 65 mph when i heard a loud noise from under the car. the plastic front engine cover had come loose and was dragging on the pavement. a aaa mechanic removed the part and the toyota dealer is replacing it at not charge. i think it is a safety defect.

2010 toyota prius. consumer writes in regards to rapid acceleration issues *tgw the consumer wants to know did the investigation into this matter examine the interrelationship between the accelerator, braking system and cruise control. *jb

My 2010 prius lurches forward when the brakes are applied and i hit a bump or other uneven surfaces. *tt

After approximately 4 oil changes the oil access door breaks off the vehicle. the oil has been changed 9 times in my prius and after 4 oil changes the oil access door has now broken off twice. each time i heard it break loose like i drove over some debris and i could see it in my rearview mirror go flying across the highway lanes. the oil access door does not have a hinge. it is all plastic and is bent/folded to gain access to the oil filter and drain plug. i changed the oil the first 4 times and the dealer complained i was doing something wrong. the dealer was reluctant to replace the entire engine undercover assembly, stating they would only do it one time. the dealer changed my oil the next 4 times and it happened again right before i scheduled my 5th oil change. after the second occurrence, i retrieved the oil access door to confirm since the vehicle is so low you cannot see it under the car unless it is raised up.

2010 toyota prius-while approaching stop light with brakes slightly engaged, left front tire struck a pot hole approximately 15" in diameter and two pavement layers deep. vehicle brakes got soft and car accelerated briefly for less than one second. braking then returned to normal feel and acceleration ceased. *tr

Gas pedal does not accelerate when foot goes down on it 4 times -- i do not have exact dates 1. early november, 2010 1 incident 2. january, 2011 2 incidents 3. unknown unknown 1. coming down the 405 at the 101 interchange, my gas pedal did not propel my car forward. i coasted to the side, turned off the motor, started again and all was fine. i reported it by phone and got an appt. to have the car checked. the dealer said there was nothing wrong. 2. it happened again as i was coming down the 101 into camarillo. i stopped, restarted and went on my way. 3. it happened again but not on an incline. i was going about 10 miles an hour on a flat parking lot. gas pedal did not respond and i created a traffic jam because i could only coast into the parking garage. here are my notes regarding this problem made calls to toyota corporate totally unresponsive- take it to dealer and leave it there or just consider it reported . there were calls to the dealer and corporate regarding 3 of the incidents. toyota customer service the car was checked 3 times- once after the first incident and then the dealer brought in a company inspector - each time they found nothing wrong. they told me that the box showed 4 incidents. have no idea what that means toyotas answer is always the same-- that i am putting my foot on the gas pedal and the brake at the same time!! that is impossible to do unless one uses both feet. (i do not drive with both feet and i cannot put my foot on both pedals even if i wanted to) toyota has not come up with a solution or acknowledged that there is a problem. i am worried that one day i will need to accelerate to get out of danger and the gas pedal will not respond again. there is something wrong with this car. toyota does not accept that. they say it is driver error. yet it's physically impossible for ...

i was making a sharp right turn to pull into a parking space, slowing to a stop. the car suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated forward out of my control. i applied the brakes as hard as i could, with no response. as the car was racing into a tree, i shut off the engine by pushing the power button to off. the car knocked down a tree and came to a stop on top of it.

True! gear problem! remember airbus flipping our of control when they came out with fly by wire? the joy stick gear is default to shift into neutral when normal push bring it in to reverse. no way to put it in neutral. i thought the same thing & was in denial until i realize that its impossible to put it into neutral when thing is speeding out of control. don't take it lightly- i did bought a 2010 prius just now & realize - u can't put it - in neutral. i was in denial. also, ventilator fan suddenly accelerates when u try to switch the modes. *dt

Two occurrences: sudden loss of acceleration without any warning. first time dealership said it was a loose computer connection which they said they tightened and rebooted computer. second occurence, they say they don't know what happened and have contacted toyota headquarters for advice. still waiting after 6 days. concerned about this happening on a very busy freeway. we were on a highway that wasn't that busy and we were able to safely pull to the side of the road. could be disastrous on a busy freeway where everyone is going bumper to bumper at 75 mph!!!

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