Problems with 2010 Toyota Prius SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. while driving approximately 20 mph over a rough surface she noticed that the brakes would momentarily disengage. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 2500.

Experienced lack of braking when my 2010 prius was going over bumpy terrain. i was pressing on the brake as i was approaching an intersection, and no braking was occurring until the car reached smooth ground again. instead it felt like i was skidding, and the brake pedal just vibrated back at me. i can confirm that the problem being reported in the news media in japan, is in fact, a real problem. when i heard about it on the news, i realized, hey, i experienced that. i would encourage a recall. it is a legitimate problem that does indeed sometimes occur in the situation i described. it is scary. *tw

I have experienced at least three times in my 2 month old 2010 toyota prius a lurch forward when braking when my car drives over a bump, pothole, or something slick. most recently i was driving downhill in dense traffic and the lurch felt like an acceleration. i had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of me. this braking problem clearly can be a hazard to safe driving and to any pedestrian or other close vehicle. *tr

Loss of braking after hitting pot hole on freeway at low speed, less that 10 mph, similar to other incidences on this car.*cw

I was driving my 2010 prius and approached a stop sign at an intersection on a local road. (as i approached the intersection i was probably driving about 20 mph or less). after i hit the brakes and had been decelerating for a very brief period, i went over a pothole or some similar protrusion. at that point, my car lurched forward, almost hitting another car. that car had been about half car length in front of me when i hit the pothole. *tr

My 2010 toyota prius has the same problem that are listed on this site with brakes. when trying to stop immediately after a bump or pothole and during minor slick condition the brakes don't react immediately. a couple of weeks ago i slid into an intersection with my brakes fully engaged before the brakes kicked in. thank god no car was in front of me. the car behind me saw what was happening and slowed down. this brake problem occurs weekly since my purchase of the vehicle in september 2009. *jb

Brakes fail momentarily when driving over potholes and bumps. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. while driving at speeds of less than 20 mph in overcast weather conditions and approaching a stop sign at a busy intersection, the brakes failed to engage and the vehicle proceeded with caution through the intersection. the dealer was contacted and stated that they never heard of any similar failures. there were no recalls or repairs made to the vehicle. the failure and current mileages were 1,400. updated 03/18/10 *bf updated 05/12/10.*jb

In june i purchased a 2010 toyota prius. i live in a cold winter climate and have noticed that the car brakes seem to disengage for short periods of time, particularly as i come to a stop on a snowy/ice rutted road, or am going over a bumpy surface. if i leave my foot on the brake, it will reingage quickly. in other words, i put on the brake, and the car starts to respond but then "jumps ahead" as if it's sliding on glare ice before coming to a complete stop. the problem is intermittent, depending upon the condition of the road at the time. i have reported the problem to the dealership. *tr

I bought a 2010 prius in october. i live in maine where winter driving conditions are not great. i have had three incidents now of driving at a low speed on plowed but snowy roads where the brakes did not catch when i applied them. once was going around a downhill curve which was scary. each time they eventually catch but not until i have skidded for about 3-6 ft. fortunately, i have not hit anyone yet. i called my dealer yesterday and was told there had not been a recall and there was nothing to be done about it yet. *jb

I purchased a 2010 prius iv at boch toyota in attleboro mass on jan 9th . on jan 20th (odometer about 300 miles), about 5:20 pm i was traveling south in stop & go traffic on allens ave near rihospital (providence, ri) at about 10 mph over a rough surface (including railroad tracks that crossed nearly perpendicular to the road). when i applied the brakes, the vehicle failed to stop properly, until after a few anxious seconds, the brakes finally grabbed and stopped the vehicle less than 1 inch from the truck in front of me. no subsequent occurrence has been noted in the next 300 or so miles. in light of the recent reports of faulty software causing just such malfunctions of the braking system, i am reporting this to the national highway traffic safety division. *tr

I own a 2010 toyota prius, purchased in october of 2009. i contacted the dealer about slippage when braking and they were not helpful. when the brakes are applied, the car does not stop but feels like it is slipping and you need to reapply the brakes. i contacted toyota about this problem and they did not respond. i have now recontacted the dealer and they told me to wait to hear back from them. they have not offered to loan me a car until this problem is resolved. i am deeply disappointed by toyota and the dealership. *tr

I was driving my 2010 toyota prius (which i'd taken delivery on about january 6), and i noticed what seemed to be a power surge or a momentary brake failure when i went over a pothole while i was slowing down after exiting a highway. the car seemed to lurch forward, so that i had to take my foot off the brake and re-apply it. this happened first on january 20, but has occurred three times since then. i've been trying to figure out what it was; at first i thought it was a power surge. but when i saw the article in the new york times on february 3, i knew that was exactly what had happened to me. every time it's happened as i was braking over a speed bump or pothole. i have made an appointment with my toyota dealer but have not gone yet. *jb

When braking numerous times, my 2010 toyota prius has stopped braking and gives the feeling that it is lurching forward. my most recent incident occurred when i was driving over a man hole at about 30-35 mph. these incidents typically occur when braking over non-smooth road surfaces, such as potholes. i have owned the car since june 2009. *tr

2010 prius loses brake force when regenerative braking is used over potholes or other uneven surfaces. it appears that when wheel slip occurs when braking in such instances, the regenerative system is disengaged causing loss of braking until the friction brakes are engaged by depressing the brake pedal farther. this has occurred on multiple occasions and can be replicated. *jb

Three times, twice with me and once with my wife, the automobile accelerated during braking. the acceleration (or loss of brakes, it's hard to tell) lasted for only a second, but enough where i had to press the brakes with force to come to my intended stop. i could have easily ended up in the middle of the intersection. *tr

1) driving at about 35 to 40 mph on a flat smooth road approaching a red light. applying the brakes lightly to slow down before stopping. hit a shallow pothole on right side. probably a manhole cover. 2) very quickly, lasting only a split second, the brakes seemed to come loose and then re-engage. this didn't get my attention too much the first time, but then it happened a few weeks later again at the same place under the same conditions. it is apparently repeatable with my 2010 prius! 3) nothing done yet. does not seem to be severe enough to warrant worrying about right now. *tr

I have had my 2010 prius for about 45 days, and on three occasions while traveling over bumpy surfaces and very firmly applying the brakes, i noticed a lack of stopping power for about half a second right after i hit a bump. they weren't tiny bumps, but they weren't craters either. the traction of my tires did not seem to be impaired. it felt like the brakes just let off for a fraction of a second. *tr

Brakes either slip or car leaps forward when brakes are engaged and car goes over rough or slippery pavement or a pothole *tw

When braking to come to a stop, the vehicle suddenly accelerates forward or the brakes fail for just a moment. this usually happens when the road surface is uneven, or if there is a pothole. it is not reproducible, but has consistently happened about once or twice a month since i purchased the new vehicle in november, 2009. *tr

2010 prius. this has happened about 10 times now. sometimes when i brake, i experience a sudden acceleration. it ranges from slight to a lurch. when it first happened, i thought it was something on the road and ignored it. when it was more pronounced and happened a couple of more times, i brought it to the dealer. they said they had no other reports and could not replicate it. the service manager took me on a test drive and the car was fine. i knew this would happen as the acceleration is only occasional. i was advised to call toyota national, which i did, and was told that since this could not be replicated that there was nothing they could do and no recourse i had as the complaint could not be replicated. it has happened several times since, so i have paid close attention, as my heart has been racing, to the conditions. it has happened when i am braking while going over manholes, speed strips, cracks in the pavement. it feels like the tire is getting hung up slightly, doesn't get any traction.the brake malfunction light comes on. also, on the multi-information display, the indicator has just moved from eco to chg.the other day, it was 34 degrees and i was braking as i came up to a light and the car slid and vibrated. i was going about 5 miles an hour. there may have been some black ice or frost on the ground, but the shaking was intense and i had difficulty controlling the car for a few seconds until i stopped. *tr

I have a 2010 toyota prius; purchased new on 3 jan., 2010. i now have about 4400 miles. recently in the news i've heard loss of braking complaints. my complaint is the opposite. sometimes when traveling very slowly backwards or very rarely slowly forward and i press lightly on the brakes they grab as tho i pressed hard for an emergency stop. this has happened about 10 times. this has yet to occur when traveling at speeds above about 5 mph. this occurs usually when backing and usually when the car is cold. if it happens it usually happens multiple times in just one attempt to back out of a parking spot. *cn

When i am braking/slowing and turning and hit a curb or chunk of ice, or driving straight and hit a chunk of ice, my 2010 prius brakes will completely go away. this has happened 4 times during the past 3 weeks of winter weather. *tr

My 2010 prius has been exhibiting momentary loss of braking when passing over a rough surface. my neighborhood has several roads with steep slopes and although my speed on these routes is almost always under 20 mph, on several occasions i have noticed an uneasy feeling of loss of control on passing over potholes or seams in the pavement when going downhill. i had written this off to unfamiliarity with a new vehicle, since i only purchased the car on 12/31/09 but when i read today's ny times article, the symptoms it described were exactly what i had been experiencing. i have not yet contacted the dealership but plan to do so right away. *tr

When braking our 2010 toyota prius, the brakes sometimes release while the driver's foot is on the brake pedal. the driver needs to release the brake pedal and re-apply pressure for the brake to re-engage. the problem does not occur every day but it has occurred often enough that both drivers of our car have noticed this on several occasions during the six months that we have owned the car. it appears to occur more at speeds below 15 mph, on downhill slopes, in colder weather and on slippery roads. given the circumstances, the problem tends to happen when approaching intersections, where most braking takes place, making it a more dangerous defect. we purchased the car at the end of july, 2009. we reported the problem to the toyota dealership when the car was in for its first 5000 mile service in january, 2010. they road-tested the car but could not replicate our experience, so they could not diagnose the issue. *tr

2010 toyota prius loses brake response completely after hitting any medium sized or larger bump. happens at least twice a week and has resulted in sliding and hitting a curb once. car is unsafe to drive. took car to toyota dealer and was told "there is no fix for this issue at this time" i was given the toyota customer experience phone number and when i called i was greeted with a recorded voice saying "we cannot take your call at this time" "if you need to speak to a representative call back later" and then hung up on. *cn

There have been several times when the brakes of my 2010 toyota prius have released, often when i hit a bump or am going over a hill. the car feels as if it's suddenly accelerating even though i am pushing down on the brakes. this has happened at least 4 - 5 times per week since i bought my car in july 2009. today, i was unable to stop as i approach an intersection despite pushing down on the brakes. the car hesitated and finally the brakes engaged. luckily no one was coming through the intersection for if there had been, i surely would have hit them. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. the vehicle was included in the recall under nhtsa campaign id number 10v039000 (service brakes, air:antilock:control unit/module) and had the repairs performed. the contact stated that after the repairs were performed, while driving approximately 15 mph over a uneven road surface, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle suddenly accelerated for a few moments. the contact also stated that the failure only occurred when driving over an uneven road surface. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostics, where the technicians were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100. the vin was not available. had the recall done but it did not fix the problem. toyota has been unresponsive and the dealers say there's nothing they can do. updated 11/16/2011 *ln *tr

While driving my 2010 toyota prius i approached a red light with traffic stopped in front of me at the light. it had been raining and the pavement was wet. i began to gently brake to stop well behind the stopped traffic at the light. i passed over some rough/bumpy road and the brakes failed for about 1 second and the car shot forward approximately 10 feet. the brakes then began working again in abs mode and i was able to avoid hitting the stopped traffic in front of me by only 12 to 24 inches. this has happened a number of times since purchasing this 2010 prius in november of 2009. it has happened 3 or 4 times in the 3 months i have owned the vehicle. the loss of braking causes a severe sense of panic and distress and the vehicle does shoot forward for that second or so. and in the case noted above came very close to causing an accident. it is only time before it will cause an accident and harm to me and/or others. toyota has not offered any remedy. they know the problem exists and have known it for quite some time. communication from toyota about the problem has been almost non-existent. *tr

2010 third generation toyota prius. my wife and i are experiencing unpredictable momentary brake failure and sense of loss of control of this vehicle. this occurs unpredictably under various conditions such as uneven pavement, pot holes or patches of slippery road surface. the loss of braking force is brief, but the resulting reengagement of the brakes can be harsh and startling and has created moments of erratic and dangerous control lapse. this pattern of brake failure has occurred by my guess greater than 20 times since our purchase of the vehicle approx 4 months ago and over the course of 10,000 miles so far driven. over all we are very pleased with this vehicle, but are concerned that this braking unpredictability and abrupt reengagement will eventually be the cause of an accident. *tr

I have a 2010 prius and on 2 different occasions i observed a brief lack of braking when i hit the brakes. the first incident came at a freeway speed of about 60 mph and i had to hit the brakes harder than normal as traffic ahead of me were braking due to an accident. the second incident came in a residential area traveling at around 35-40 mph and i had to hit the brakes hard as a vehicle turned on red in front of me. on both occasions the pause mirrored the descriptions that have recently been reported in the media. there is definitely a flaw in the brake design. *tr

I have the 2010 prius braking problem described in the news recently. the brakes seem to fail briefly when i'm stopping. it seems to have occurred when slowing on turns with an uneven roadway or an icy surface. at first i thought that i had hit an icy spot and the car slid a bit, but after about the 4th or 5th time i realized that was not always the case. it's quite scary when it happens, especially since i am in a turn at the time. it may of happened on straight roadway also. i can't remember for sure. *tr

Brakes did not work on ice. car went forward about 15 feet with no brake action. *tr

I have a 3rd generation 2010 prius. when braking, my car lurches forward with brief spurts of acceleration if i hit a bump. the bump or pothole does not have to be very big and the loss of braking power is for a second or two. i do not believe this has anything to do with the gas pedal. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. the contact stated as she was driving 5 mph she slowed down and applied the brake to stop the vehicle and it lunged forward. this happen twice. the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer . the failure mileage was 1,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. whenever the contact drives the vehicle at any speed and travels over and bump or a pot hole the contact noticed that the brakes will momentarily disengage and then return to normal. the vehicle has not been diagnosed and the contact has noticed the failure since the day the vehicle was purchased. the current and failure mileages were 5500. bml

I have a new 2010 toyota prius that i bought in dec 2009. i did experience something that sounds similar to the brake problem now being investigated - a momentary loss of brake power while going over a potholed/bumpy patch of road. it was just for a moment and no accident resulted, but i am worried now that the problem might not have just been a random fluke. separately, i had another strange incident with the car. backing out of a parking space, i had not yet hit the accelerator but the car immediately jumped backwards as though i had hit the gas hard. the only way prevent it from bucking backwards was to hit the brake. i had to sort of jolt out of the parking space because there was no in between of normal/slow acceleration. once i got out of the space and put the car into drive, it was accelerated normally. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving in the rain 10 mph over a bump in the road he lost the braking power and the vehicle surged. the dealer has not been contacted. the failure mileage was 2,800. updated 02/19/10. *lj

Toyota prius anti-lock braking issue has happened 3 times in our 2010 prius as described in media reports. it happens on slippery surfaces when the anti-lock brakes kick in, there is a split second of hesitation before they do. it causes a pretty good adrenalin rush for the driver. *tr

When using the brakes, on several occasions, my vehicle briefly lurched forward. most of the time it happens when the pavement is wet. it has happened about 15 times over the past 4 months. *tr

Sudden brake loss. when braking and when the car is at low speed, if the car hits a bump or manhole cover or snow, suddenly the brakes no longer work. *tr this happens once a week. i have experienced it 10 times in two months.

There is an apparent momentary loss of braking ability that we have experienced several times. going over a rise in the road, or bumps, and beginning a descent to an intersection, pressing the brake pedal seems to have no effect for about 500ms. this seems somewhat more pronounced when the road is wet, although possibly the explanation for this is we brake earlier in the descent as a precaution in less-than-ideal circumstances. we have made our local dealer aware of this at the 5k mile service appointment, and they acknowledged other complaints, and contact with toyota. they report that toyota is looking in to a fix. we are concerned about the ability to brake in an emergency situation with no safety margin. this seems reproducible. *tr

Toyota prius 2010- car surged while braking to a halt. it felt as though i had suddenly lost braking power for a few moments, like i had hit an ice patch. but the road surface was dry. this was the second time it happened to me, the first about a week or 10 days ago. car was purchased on 1/4, delivered on 1/8/2010. the problem is not reproducible, but both times the car was moving at relatively low speed (10 mph or less). *tr

Loss of braking power (weak braking) when rolling over bumps, pot holes and even cracks in the pavement. *tw

I purchased a 2010 prius (which was in stock) on january 8. after hearing about the brake delay problem, i realized that i had had a similar problem. i was traveling at medium speed when i felt the car dip, then shudder. i felt that i had lost control of the car. it felt like it was sliding (as though on ice). now i realize that i must have put on my brakes, but the car continued to proceed. i had not noticed any problem in the road, and no reason to explain the shuddering. it was all very brief. i have an appointment to see the maintenance people at toyota grapevine, texas, on monday, february 9. *cn

Many times while braking, when i hit a pothole or bump, the brakes go out, causing the car to accelerate. i feel a loss of control, which is regained a few seconds later. it's led to several terrifying situations where i've almost hit the vehicle in front of me. *tr

2010 prius brake applied in zero temperature weather approaching a red light on slight down sloping road covered in ice/snow. the brake pedal was pushed as would normally be applied (maybe approx 1/3 - 1/2 brake pedal travel) and there was no applied braking. the car kept rolling forward to where i had to make a decision to continue rolling with a right turn into the intersection and continue travel. luckily the oncoming traffic was far enough away to not crash into me. i would estimate that the brake was applied for about 1-2 seconds, enough travel time to force me to make a decision that i needed to continue through the intersection before the oncoming traffic. this same type of scenario occurred on an exit off of an interstate ramp down another down slope with ice/snow that again when the brakes where applied, the regenerative engine brake applied, but when the abs went to engage due to the slippery surface, there was a 1-2 second duration of sensation of no brakes. pushing pedal further (or just waiting the 1-2 second delay) seemed to eventually apply brakes. i am a systems/test engineer that performs numerous work on commercial and military aircraft and i now know how to anticipate this situation for myself (i.e., i am more careful on braking earlier especially on slippery surfaces more than normal distance from my other honda vehicles on same type of surfaces to account for this possible 1-2 delay time in braking); however, this is unacceptable for my wife who does not have the same experience as i do or same technical feeling of what this vehicle is doing. again, if the traffic on that one intersection was closer to me than it was, there would have been a side impact collision. i have yet to experience this issue on solid roads over bumpy surfaces. with today's toyota revelation that the jan 2010 prius has a fix for this, i demand to have this same fix applied to my three month old 2010 prius. *jb

When driving i sometimes momentarily feel a pause in the braking system of my new prius. this occurs every time i drive on a certain street at a fairly high speed. while i am braking my right front tire goes through a pothole while my front left tire remains on flat tarmac. as my front tire comes out of the pothole i feel as if the brakes stop working for half a second and then they start working again. i estimate that i am driving through the pothole around 20-30 miles an hour. i drive this way every day from my work to house and i am always braking on this stretch of road as i turn a corner right after the pothole. there is a traffic light right after the pothole so whenever the light is green as i approach the pothole this happens to me. this has happened to me around 50 times - ever since i bought my new prius in september 2009. *jb

I have noticed on a few occasions that my 2010 prius lurches forward for a brief second in the middle of braking at a stop sign. i have noticed this happen occasionally, but was more frequent in the last month, about 3 times. i made a written complaint to toyota service a week ago, but was told it was not unusual. however, i just read in the news about the issue with braking in this model car and am alarmed and thought i should make a note of my observation to nhtsa. i will call toyota service again to have them take a second look at my car. thanks *tr

2010 toyota prius: after turning car on, taking emergency brake off, foot on brake pedal fully depressed, shifting from park into reverse, the car will begin to move on its own without me taking foot off brake. have to shift it back to park and turn it off for it to stop. toyota service said "this is normal". has happened 8 times, most recent jan 15th. all on level surfaces. only happens if car is on in electric mode only, not with the engine on. *tr