2009 TOYOTA Prius

One of my headlights will go out periodically. Afraid both will go out at night.

I start my car and both headlights are working. Within a mile or two one or both headlights will be off. I can get them back on by flicking my headlights on and off. Within another mile or two, one or both headlights will be back off. I have replaced my headlights and the problem has continued.

Drivers side head light turns off periodically. Research on line says that this is a problem with many 2006-2009 Prius. There is a class action lawsuit i read. Is there a recall?

While driving to work late spring of 2018. Engine light flipped on, with exclamation. Part way through 20 mile comute, highway speeds. It turned itself off, then flipped on/off again toward end of drive. Parked at office, and called local Toyota Service. They told me to check oil (have never ever had low oil in this car). I checked oil, was not registering on dipstick. Called husband to bring oil, since it was SO low. Figured one time was a fluke, maybe poor oil change. Next oil change was April 27, 2018. On July 30, 2018 the engine light came on again during commute. Now it is a trend, not a fluke. Stopped for oil. black oil at end of dipstick. Very low. Required 2 quarts. Oil change at Toyota on August 2, 2018. Told them about Oil, please check. They did a multi point inspection (basically a simple check list), and said there are no leaks. They said come in more often, at 3000 miles instead of 5000 miles for an oil change. There was no note of putting it on a code reader, or any other analysis. After this I did some checking on line and found this is a somewhat common problem, not sure what my next steps are. I bought a Prius because of the good mileage, low carbon footprint. Extra oil requirements increase the carbon footprint. Plus, this indicates an engine problem that will decrease my ability to keep this car for many years which was my plan.

(I didn\'t have it repaired yet) The right headlight is intermittent and will go out unexpectedly and often does not come on when the car is started. It can be remedied by turning the headlights off and on a couple of times.

Head light goes out while driving. If you select bright lights both headlights go out

At 100,700 miles my engine oil was very low at my oil change. The engine has not \"failed\" yet but it is using an excessive amount of oil. I have changed the oil regularly every 3000 miles. I am concerned that the engine could fail while driving the vehicle.

The right and left headlights have burned out alternately every couple of months since I purchased it in Feb 2017. I have spent almost $500 on the headlamp replacement.

headlight goes off on passenger side after a few seconds of turning them on.

Once my car got past 100,000 miles, the non-specific warning light started coming on and the word \"problem!\" would come on the screen. Manual says to ask dealer what the specific problem is. Certified Toyota dealer kept saying they don\'t know. Turns out after my own persistence that the problem is heavy oil consumption. Not burning; not leaking. Just high consumption. Take car for regular maintenance and it seems Toyota is aware of the issue, but keeps pressing me to get a new engine, rather than offering any intermediate solutions. Could have told me thousands of miles ago to at least keep adding oil, but they never bothered. I now know after about a year that I have to start adding a lot of oil just a few weeks after the oil is changed and filled.

The lights in my 2009 Prius keep going on and off sometimes I have no lights at all sometimes only one works. The dealer says that its cost $700 each to repair the lights?. I think that\'s a rip-off.

THE HEADLIGHT JUST GO OFF WHILE DRIVING. ONCE YOU TURN THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND THEN ON THEY COME BACK ON FOR A SHORT TIME. THE DEALER IS WANTING $1,400 TO MAKE THE REPAIRS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES.

headlight failure

NOted failrue was only the HI bulb driver\'s side. Replaced bulb. IN March of 2015, at 1bout 120000, the drivers\' side head light went out but would come back foir a short time on if I turned the lights off and back on. They want to replace the head llight assembly including the computer control for $600. Poor design. exorbitant price.

First the driver\'s side headlight went out, and then came back on the next day. Then a week later the passenger side headlight went out and came back on, and went out again a couple of days later. I never know if I am going to have headlights or not.

Sometimes right, sometimes left, sometimes both headlights go out. Every time I drive my car at night this happens. The bulbs appear fine and can turn off and back on but dangerous when driving as can’t always tell if headlights are on or not. would like to get fixed but it’s not a headlight burn out so have not yet found a solution.

Intermittent failure. Failed, then works, then failed.

My HID headlight are getting ready for the third replacement
1st June 4, 2013, no charge
2nd, April 29, 2014, no charge

Within the last few weeks, the headlights randomly turn off. Sometimes the driver’s side, sometimes the passenger side…sometimes both at the same time.

Tonight, I had both headlights and dash lights shut off while driving home down a dark, wet, very curvy, leaf covered road. Quickly turning the lights on and off briefly solved the problem.

This should NEVER happen and poses a tremendous threat of bodily harm not only to the drivers/passengers in the Prius, but to other travelers as well. I am extremely disappointed in Toyota for refusing to be accountable and accept responsibility for the safety of the many consumers who have experienced this problem.

Right headlight always going out – and I can’t get it to stay on for longer than 2-3 days!

The passenger side headlight intermittently goes out. When illuminated a faint flicker can be seen. Changing the bulb has not resolved the problem.

The issue is that the right headlight just goes out periodically. If I turn the headlights off and on again, the headlight works again for some period of time & then goes out again. I have not had this issue repaired yet. When I brought it in to be looked at the light worked & they recommended I leave it as-is. I don’t think replacing the light will fix this issue.

I purchased this 2009 Prius from my elderly parents that don’t drive at night at approximately 70,000 miles in 2012. One night my wife and I are driving and both lights went out at the same time. They came back on after turning the switch off. When I got home, I checked the lights and there was moisture inside the drivers side lamp housing. Long story short, I tried to repair these since Toyota said there was not safety or recall on them and now I’m on the 3rd bulb and 1 ballast (control module) and the problem still exists. I’d love to talk to somebody if the can help us get this cleared up with Toyoata. Please call Susan at 205.529.1485 if you can help. Thanks.

HID lights are intermittent. First the left one would randomly go off and then come back on, and now more recently the right one also.

HID headlights fail to turn on one at a time or go off by itself. The problem is intermittent and unpredictable. This problem started in 2013. It is definitely a defect and should be addressed by Toyota free of charge.

Headlight intermittently goes out; comes back on whwn the lights are switched off and back on but continues to keep happening

First the passenger headlight would turn off while driving. Now BOTH headlights will turn off while driving. This happens every time I drive when it is dark. Usually if I turn off the headlights and then turn them back on one headlight will come back on. This is very dangerous and toyota should repair!!

We own two used 2009 Prius cars. For the Green car, one of the HID lights started randomly shutting off. The dealer never admitted to the issues in the Class Action Suit.

We own two used 2009 Prius cars. For the Blue car, both of the HID lights have started to randomly shut off. Once they both turned off. I have to watch for the reflection off the car in front of me to check the status.
The dealer has never admitted to the issues in the Class Action Suit. I am collecting estimates for both bulbs to be replaced. Most likely will be at least $500.

While driving at night, BOTH headlights, without warning went out. Immediately, I pulled to the side of the road and turned the headlight switch to OFF. Then, paused a moment before relighting them, unfortunately relighting them normally failed. So again, I worked with the switch, only to discover that these would relight IF and on IF I held the lights on using the ‘dimmer mode’ to BRIGHT the road. Unfortunately, mine like others, is unpredictable at best – so reproducing this incident ‘on demand’ is difficult at best. In reading other consumer complaints, this seems to be an ongoing and costly problem. After further review, I have discovered that this headlight challenge has been part of a Class Action Lawsuit. Shame on Toyota for not issuing a RECALL on this matter – Prius Owners, as well as fellow drivers whom we share the road with are at high risk.

I left off total repair cost because the repair shop has not finished solving the problem. In 2013 I started have having headlight problems and have it about three months since. I have replaced the headlight bulbs several times on both sides. One time the headlights would operate opposite( one side would be high beam only and the other would be low beam only and when switching the switch inside to high beam the headlights would switch as to what they did only. On Wed 8/20/14 the low beam quit working. I earlier purchased a new plug and 2 new bulbs in case I had a problem. I took the car to an independent repair shop( my only Toyota Dealer in my town can not be trusted) where I live. He installed the new plug and we tried each of the two new bulbs and they exhibited the same problem – the low beam was just a spec of light; not enough for the low beam. He tested the voltage in the ground side of the plug and the fuse position in the fuse assembly and it lit up his voltage tester with a spec of light. He had no idea what system sent the voltage to the low beam side for the passenger side headlight. I am taking the car back on Wed 8/27/14 to finish the job.

HID head lamps on both sides randomly go out. Can re-light by turning light control switch off and back on. Lights remain lit temporarily. Read that Toyota settled a class action lawsuit over this issue for 2006-2009 Prius’. Settlement agreement is that Toyota will refund cost of replacing HID lamps and ECUs. I plan to try to have both replaced by my local Toyota repair center at no cost. Wish me luck.

The headlights have been going out randomly for the last few months but only one at a time. This evening while driving home from a late meeting, both headlights went out while driving at 55mph. I pulled off the highway and tried turning the car off and on again. Headlights went on when I turned the car back on, so I resumed driving only to have the lights go out again! This time I flicked on the high beams and the lights came on. I stopped to grab a bite to eat figuring I could do the high beam trick again. When I started the car, the lights when on and high beams turned on when I engaged the lever. WHILE driving home, less than 2 miles from where I started the car, headlights went out and the high beams did not work either when I attempted to turn them on. I pulled over to turn the car off and on again BUT with no luck this time. Very slowly drove the last mile home on the less traveled road with my flashers on…THIS SITUATION IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS.

Passenger side HID headlight began turning off at night while driving or not coming on at all. Problem persisted over a few weeks and finally the same HID headlight will no longer operate. Replaced HID bulb but that did not solve the problem.

2009 Prius exhibits symptoms consistent with collapse of fuel tank bladder followed by inability to refill the tank, particularly during cold weather. Attempts to even trickle in a small amount (less than 1 pint) result in gas spurting back out the filler even when tank is nearly empty.

Local Toyota Service personnel deny ever hearing of any problem with the fuel tank and suggest changing the carbon cannister (at a cost exceeding $600) with no assurance that this will fix the problem.

headlight and tail lights didn’t come on at start up but a little later the high beams

Set cruise control at 70 mph vehicle stayed at 70 miles on flat grade for a period of time, when vehicle started down a 6% grade vehicle sped up to aprox. 85 to 90 mph. Slowed down vehicle with brakes to aprox. 60 mph, Reset cruise control to 70 mph, vehicle sped back up to aprox. 85 to 90 mph. I slowed vehicle down again with brakes. Cruise control would not work properly until I was back on flat grade.

2009 toyota prius. consumer states problem with brakes *tgw the consumer stated on four occasions, when he applied the brakes, the vehicle would continue to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer after the third incident. however, the dealer was unable to diagnose a problem. *jb

Petition for safety recall of any vehicle without a single function, directly acting, fail -safe, off switch or button. *tgw document added and scanned into the system ref: petition for investigation of dtcs and missing dtcs (toyota) *tgw

2009 toyota prius. consumer states extraordinary experience with brake/acceleration problems. *tgw the consumer stated while waiting for her husband, she put the vehicle in park mode. she then decided to return to the front entrance of the building. she put the gear into reverse and let the vehicle go at its own speed. she stated she never touched the accelerator, but as she was about to turn the wheel to go through the front entrance, the vehicle then accelerated quickly. the consumer quickly put her foot on the brake, but they didn't work. she quickly turned the steering wheel to the right to avoid hitting a pedestrian. she ran over 2 trees, which brought the vehicle to a stop. *jb

2009 toyota prius. consumer expresses discontent due to a break in of his vehicle. consumer questions the smart key keyless/wireless entry design. *tgw

In december of 2018, i pulled my car up to a redbox station to return a movie. i pushed the park button on my 2009 toyota prius and got out of my car to put the movie into the slot. the car apparently was not in park and continued to move forward (i tried to catch it, but was unsuccessful, and hurt myself in doing so) until it slammed into a parked car in the same parking lot. my insurance listed it as an at-fault accident and fixed my car and the one that my vehicle had hit. (i told the adjuster i knew that i had put the car in park) i also had a 700.00 deductible to pay for fixing my damaged car. as time went by, this started happening more and more frequently. i would push the button for my car to go into park mode and it would not go into park. i would have to put the car into another gear and then it would go into park. other weird things with the car were happening as well. sometimes the car would not turn off and more and more when i would start the car, the dashboard would be completely black. i mentioned to my mechanic that this was happening, however, i could not make it happen whenever i took it to him. i did manage to get it on video though that it was happening. i just recently learned from my mechanic that this has been a safety issue with this car and that it's a bad combination meter. he also informed me that toyota only allowed for 9 years from the date the car was manufactured for this problem to be fixed. how come i did not receive any notification that this could happen and how do you put a time limit on a safety issue such as this one. my car did not go into park mode and ended up slamming into another vehicle. i could have easily fallen under the wheels of the vehicle as it kept on moving or it could have easily hit another person. i am hoping someone can investigate this for me and get back to me with information on how i can get this fixed.

I purchased a 2009 toyota prius with 109,000 miles, i have only been driving it two months and the brake actuator is going bad! toyota had a recall and provided a free of charge fix but only up until 2017 i believe. they should pay for any faulty actuators under 150,000 miles on the vehicle because that is the mileage they warranty their hybrid batteries for. driving my vehicle i could stop and almost got into an accident because of this failing system! i could have been killed. i was driving in the city and lost all power in my brakes.

Catalytic converter

Driver went to park and the brakes did not respond! in fact the vehicle went from 2-5mph to approx 30+ & kept picking up speed and went into storefront. driver was able to wrestle vehicle into reverse and it went equally fast back into a parked car where it finally came to a stop. hugely frightening and potentially lethal.

Passenger seat sensor operates intermittently. reported to dealer for repair, however dealer stated they could not reproduce the problem. however problem persists intermittently. this sounds exactly like the seat sensor problem for which a recall was issued for some 2009 prius models (13v014000). our prius vin was not included. perhaps this recall should be expanded.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 65 mph, the high intensity discharge headlights flickered on and off. as a result, it was difficult for the contact to see the roadway. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 91,757. updated 05/31/17*lj the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired by replacing the light bulb. updated 08/30/2017*js

Emgine coolant sensor is messed up. there is a technical service bulletin for 2004 to 2007 or 8 by toyota. this is the same issue and the same parts used up to 2009 but they will not cover it even though it's a known issue by toyota

While driving, my headlamps will flicker and then go out. sometimes this could take 5 minutes, sometimes this could take 20. when flick the lights off and back on, they reset for a little while. the toyota dealership told me that they could not do anything, because they've seen this happen before. my vehicle began doing this at 98,000 miles and continue to do this at 130,000 miles. i've read on forums that other drivers have experienced this same things.

If my car sits in the sun, on occasion the audio controls - am/fm, volume, power, track selector, etc. fail to function (they are unresponsive). if the car is turned off, then back on, they work. this is not a safety concern, per se. my concern is not the audio portion not working, but the system design and quality of components. were these same components used elsewhere in the car? i've only seen this happen when my car has become hot sitting (not running) due to the weather. usually when i parked facing west and the sun has been hitting the front of the car all day and i leave from work. this hasn't happened in the past 2-3 years because i've kept my car out of the sun when parking. it occurred between 2012 an 2014. i do not have an exact date of when it occurred even though your form forces me to specify one.

Lights flickering going out

Over the course of my ownership of the past 3 years, i have replaced 3 headlights, due to broken/faulty seals that allow moisture into the housing, and burning out the ballast which in my opinion is a design flaw as the ballast rests at the bottom of the headlight assembly. i currently am dealing with a right headlight that goes out and i need to turn the switch off and on for the light to return briefly. the headlamp assembly is about $250 plus labor costs of installation.

The 2009 toyota prius is notorious for having head light problems. what happened is when the headlight are turned on they will automatically turn off sometimes it's the left one sometimes the right one sometimes both this happens regardless if you're driving on a highway on a city street or not in-motion. i have been pulled over numerous times for this due to the fact that i happens anytime the headlights are turned on it is dangerous due to the fact that when your headlights turn completely off on a regular basis you lose visibility. and considering 90% of the time when your headlights are turned on it's night time even worse. in order to fix the problem what you have to do is turn the headlights on and off and that will sometimes make them turn on again the then behold they will automatically turn off again like i said this happens to me at least 10 times every time i drive at night. if you look online you will find countless prius owners who have the same problem as me yet toyota has not put a recall on this. this is extremely dangerous when you are driving at night.

Multifunction display functions intermittently. originally, problem only appeared in conjunction with combination meter failure during cold weather starts. combination meter has been replaced by toyota per their extended warranty but multifunction display problem persists. on cold starts in the morning the unit does not function. later in the day, after sitting in the sun for a while, the unit will occasionally start to work but might go on/off and reset itself while driving. all navigation memory is still there, including ac settings but phone settings are wiped out. this multifunction display is the primary control for ac and heater, navigation system, telephone/bluetooth, audio, diagnostics/maintenance, etc. toyota has informed me that the unit is defective and needs to be sent to the manufacturer (fujitsu) for repair. this appears to be a well documented problem with this unit on gen 2 priuses 2004-2009. there should be an extended warranty on this piece of equipment just like the extended warranty on the combination meter.

Headlights completely failed at night on 8/31/16 when car parked on street and have not worked since. dealer reported not the bulbs and ran diagnostics, telling me it was the the 'body ecu' . i paid $703.86 for a new ecu on 9/1/16 which was put in today, 9/7/16, and did not solve the problem. car remains without headlights.

One headlight went out, then the next. i was driving on the interstate after dark and realized that both of my headlights had gone out while i was driving. turned switch off and then back on (i also put fog lamps on) and they worked for a short time, then they each dimmed and went out. i cannot safely drive at night and am unable to change the lights myself. i took the car to the dealer and the cost quoted was nearly $600 to replace the hid headlamps because the bumper must be removed to replace the bulbs. the dealer seemed unaware of the issue until i mentioned the class action lawsuit in 2011 against toyota for this very issue.

The headlight just go off while driving. once you turn the light switch off and then on they come back on for a short time. the dealer is wanting $1,400 to make the repairs. this is extremely dangerous while driving at night. there should be a recall on these vehicles.

Headlights fail while driving. at first only the driver side would go out, then the passenger side would got out and most recently both lights have failed while driving at night.

My headlights intermittently shut off for no reason while driving down the street. some times it's only one, other times it's both. if i turn the headlights off and then back on they work again for a short time. this is very scary to have happen when driving down the interstate at night. it happens almost every time i drive. *tr

Traveling 101 north toward ventura, on the top of the down hill grade just south of the camirillo springs exit. all lights on panel came on. estimate 65 mph, applied brake to slow with traffic flow. no brakes,no warning.semi tracker trailers also slowing. took exit bottom of hill with flashes on, went thru stop sign as my speed at approx 45-48mph. went thru second stop sign made sharp left pulled emergency brake on... this is a garage car serviced by dealer only, 3rd time for electrical problem! never while driving.... this was near fatal! this was an electrical problem of the manufacture, never repaired correctly! have 3 copies of repairs for the electrical starting 6 months after purchase car...help.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact had difficulty opening the trunk of the vehicle. once opened, the panel above the license plate detached from the vehicle. the panel was hanging with all the wires still attached to the vehicle. the contact could no longer access the trunk. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic were it was diagnosed that the panel needed replacement. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the failure mileage was 136,545.

The car was involved in a moving collision that totaled the drivers front end and caused the driver to be injured because the air bags failed to deploy. i suspect that the cars steering failed while going around a sharp curve. the car has lost steering one time before and was taken to the dealer who could not duplicate the problem. *tr*dt*jb

While driving the headlights will turn off. most of the time it is the right headlight and at other times the right or both of them will go out. if i turn the light switch on the steering column off and then back on it will turn them on for a few seconds. when taken to the dealership they said there is no recall but there are plenty of complaints. i was pulled over by a police officer and they let me off with a warning to fix it. it turns off even while sitting in my driveway as well as while driving. there is no rhyme or reason as to when. *tr

I have contacted toyota concerning the failure of a combination meter in my daughter's 2007 prius. this happened on startup. this item is related to the display screen. as mentioned in their warranty policy bulletin no: pol 12-05 dated 10/12/12 a failure can result in the screen going dark. if this happens in the night this can result in a serious safety issue both because of the unexpected and immediate distraction and the loss of critical visual information. their warranty bulletin does not seem to address the seriousness of the matter. it is my opinion that this item should be an immediate recall. my 2009 prius is one of those mentioned in their bulletin. though i have not experienced any failure, i became aware of this issue with the recent event that my daughter experienced. neither i nor my daughter has received any notification from toyota. i am a fan of the prius as is my daughter, but this issue is too serious to simply ignore. it is my hope that this will be addressed with toyota.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that the hatch was melted to the hatch lever latch. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of failure. the failure mileage was 70,000.

2009 toyota prius passenger headlight goes off spontaneously while driving or stationary. when you turn off the headlight switch, then turn them on, the headlight turns back on for a while. then after a while the headlight turns off again. this defect was a nhtsa recall and extended warranty problem but the dealer said the warranty and recall has expired. they want to charge me over $500 to fix this defect. nhtsa needs to extend the recall and warranty because there have been accident deaths and injury related to this defect. you can see the defect documented on several youtube videos: toyota prius headlight failure. please issue an order for dealers to recall and extend the warranty to fix this headlight defect at no cost to owners !! *tr

Right headlight goes off randomly all the time when driving in city streets or highways, i have to turn lights off and turn them on again until it goes off again, changed bulb did not help. this is happening for about 6 months now. *tr

My 2009 prius with 96425 miles as of 10/29/20 has the common problem known as failure of the brake actuator assembly. i have the brake, abs, and vsc warning lights indicating failure of the brake actuator assembly. my mileage is reduced by 25%, and the brake rotors are very hot after driving the vehicle. toyota issued a zg1 warranty enhancement program to cover the cost for replacement of faulty brake actuator assemblies, but my vehicle is beyond the limits of the zg1 program. since this is a known problem, it is my opinion that toyota is responsible to correct the situation. toyota will not assist me in resolving this dangerous situation, and this is why i am bringing this matter to your attention. it is an expensive repair, this is a known problem with the brake actuator assembly, and potentially could result in serious (even fatal) situations.

We have a 2009 prius which stalled on the freeway as my husband was driving it yesterday (10/16/2020). luckily, even though it was a busy austin freeway, my husband was able to maneuver it to the shoulder and call aaa to tow the car to the service station. on inspection, we were told that the reason for the stall was the failure of the inverter drive pump along with the 12v battery on board. this car was part of the recall for the inverter drive pump and that was replaced by an authorized toyota service center in 2013 for a similar issue. on the oct 16th, 2020, there were no warning lights - no engine check light and not even the ‘maintenance required’ light - the car turned on just fine, my husband was able to drive it 5 miles to the freeway, get on the freeway at 60 mph and drive a few miles on it before losing all power in the car. the service tech informs us that the inverter pump can break down due to just regular driving - but there was zero indication that this unit, which apparently is crucial to the car while being driven, was in any danger of imminent failure. i do not know if this part is examined or serviced as part of regular maintenance, but no warnings were raised when this car was last serviced, at an authorized toyota service station in dec of 2019.

The back latch of my granddaughters 09 toyota prius has degraded ("melted" almost). it no longer functions properly, and we are unable to open the back hatch door easily. sometimes it requires considerable effort and perseverance to get it open. i am concerned that in the case of an emergency, she will not be able to get the door open. this is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard. it is necessary to get to the spare tire, maybe even get out of the trunk in case of a fire or other reason. it is a black, gooey mess. she first noticed it a couple of years ago, but i just found out about it and i am obviously concerned about her safety.

The am2 fuse randomly shorted, and when replaced keeps shorting, as consistent with the previous recall for the 2nd generation toyota prius’ inverter coolant pump.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the driver side low beam headlight failed to illuminate. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer moor automotive located at 1246 hartford turnpike, vernon, ct 06066, who replaced the driver’s and passenger’s side headlight bulbs. the contact stated that approximately 8 months later the passenger’s side light bulb failed. both bulbs were replaced at daytona beach toyota located at 451 n nova rd, daytona beach, fl 32114. the failure recurred for a 3rd time and was replaced by an independent mechanic. the failure mileage was 75,667.

I was driving when the abs, brake system, and parking brake light turned on. the brakes became very mushy, i was trying to stop, and i could hear the brake actuator motor buzzing and making a groaning noise.

See attached documents. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that the media home screen failed to function as designed due to frequent glitches. several other electrical features were also inoperable including the back camera due to the failure. the contact called eddy's toyota of wichita (7333 e. kellogg dr, wichita, ks 67207, (316) 652-2222) where he was informed that the home screen needed to be replaced. the contact was informed that replacing the media home screen may not guarantee that the failure would not recur. the contact attempted to contact the manufacturer via email however, a return response was not received. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Driving vehicle on a city street in drive gear and it slipped out of drive into neutral without warning. tried to put it back in drive (as i was on the road) but every time i switched gears back to drive and released the gear shifter it would immediately pop back into neutral. i parked & turned the car off, waited and then turned it back on again. it seemed to be okay so i got on the freeway home and after i merged into traffic the same problem happened (but while i was driving at a much faster speed). i had to hold the gear shift down in drive the entire ride home (with my one year old in the car). i got home and after i parked and let the car sit i went back out and tried the car again and it happened again. i checked and the same problem happened in reverse (it won’t stay in reverse, it just pops back into neutral).

Upon starting the vehicle it makes a high-pitched beep, followed by a buzzing sound that repeats every five to eight seconds. the dashboard displays the tps, abs, vsc, and brake lights. when putting the vehicle in drive, the high-pitch sound returns for one to two minutes. during that time the brake pedal becomes impossible to depress. if the engaged, the vehicle does not stop until the brake pressure returns. once the sound stops, the brake pressure returns to normal. diagnosis from toyota shows: code c1256 = accumulator low pressure. code c1391 abnormal leak of accumulator pressure. estimate for repairs = $2,811.72. at present the vehicle is unsafe to operate as toyota advised, in the vehicle's current condition the brake system could fail at any time.

Brake actuator malfunctioned and caused me to hit a parked car in my driveway (backing up). even though i have less than 130k miles on my vehicle, it is a year after the extended warranty i am responsible for paying the $3k repair. the negligence by toyota in handling this recall is terrible and life threatening. there should be a class action suit against toyota for the hundreds of injuries and damages by their negligence.

My car's brake actuator failed while i was on highway. gladly nothing dangerous happened but i am concerned others will face the similar situation with worst scenario. toyota told me the warranty expired and quoted me $2600. please ask toyota to extend the warranty.

Brake warning light went on the dash. brought the car in and dealership said it was a bad brake actuator. said it would cost almost $3000 to repair and said that there was a extended warranty on the part that expired. if nothing screams of a recall as a problem with brakes, i don' know what would.

Headlights go out after a few days.. replaced over 8 bulbs. checked connectors, checked wiring.. no problem found and the problem still exist.

Brake pressure loss and constant noise from the brake actuator, read codes c1256 and c1391

Failing brake actuator assembly that toyota knew was defective. they extended warranty through 2017, but the issue happens around 200,000 miles. now that the extended warranty has expired toyota is charging $2300 to replace this known and defective part.

I just found out yesterday after a visit to a toyota dealership service center that the abs brake actuator on my 2009 prius has failed and needs to be replaced. i was quoted at $1750 for the part and $605 for the labor, pre-tax. i did some additional research on this issue and found that there was a warranty enhancement program – zg1 specifically for this part and issue. (https://toyotatalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/t-cp-zg1-a110-d-1.pdf) in late 2018 i first reported clicking and knocking in my brakes, and last time i went for service (before today) i reported it to the service representative. the program was for 10 years after the date of original sale, which ended in april 2019. because the bad part lasted 6 months longer i don't feel that it is right for me to have to pay for the faulty workmanship in the vehicle from the factory when it first drove off the lot. the issue that i reported back then are the preliminary signs of the actuator going bad (https://priuschat.com/threads/brake-actuator-warranty-extension-from-toyota.168243/) had this issue been caught i would have been in the warranty enhancement window and would not be in the hole i am now where i am sitting at having to spend half the value of my car to fix it. my issue is that i do not feel that it is right for me to be on the hook for this part since toyota has itself confirmed the part was faulty when it was put on my vehicle and was honoring replacements. it seems a little unfair that toyota wouldn't acknowledge that my part is faulty and replace it as soon as it came to light. what can i do to get some relief for this matter because i need my car to be functional to get to work and pay my bills!

Abs actuator. the diaphragm in the brake accumulator fails. this is a known recall. however mine is beyond their extended warranty on the recall of both past ten years and past 175000. dealer estimate was $2500 to repair. this is an essential safety recall due to the fact that when it completely fails the vehicle loses powered braking leaving only emergency brakes and engine braking mode which are inadequate and not designed to stop the vehicle by themselves. this should be a lifetime warranty recall not an extended warranty recall.

Abs pump went bad. also when braking hard, the car will let go of the brakes. turning on the car and immediately reversing the car brakes will not work until after everything is loaded in the car. making backing up dangerous.

Sometimes the brakes don't work. it happened to me as i was exiting a parking spot , i've put the gear in reverse with my foot on the brake but tha car kept moving and the brake pedal felt hard.

My abs, traction control, and master brake light came up on the dash. the problem is a failing brake actuator, which is a known issue by toyota. spoke to toyota a dwas told that i am out of their ten year extended warrenty for this issue and it would be a roughly $2700 repair. why this brake actuator was never placed as a recall is beyond me as a complete failure is an accident waiting to happen. toyota refuses to budge on their "extended" warrenty for a known defective part, that would cause a serious hazard if it failed while driving.

I was turning left and was hit by an oncoming car. most damage done to the front right. the car was totaled. i was going about 5-10mph though the oncoming car was going approximately 40mph. the firemen, police and insurance adjuster were all very concerned that the airbags did not deploy. my babies were safe in the backseat thanks to their car seats. i had to go to the hospital and suffered a concussion. we just had our car tuned up at our local toyota dealership not even 6 mos ago. they did not say anything about a concern with the airbags.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 30 mph, the contact crashed into another vehicle that ran a red light. the air bags did not deploy. police report number: 190815712 was filed. the contact sustained minor injuries to the knee and his head was injured due to striking the upper windshield and rearview mirror. medical attention was not received. the contact suffered a headache for a few days following the crash. the contact's vehicle was towed to his house. the vehicle was not destroyed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 113,000.

2009 toyota prius. consumer writes in regards to damaged inverter. *ld *js the consumer stated while driving the vehicle began to lose power and warning lights flashed on the dashboard. *js

The multi-function display (mfd) stopped working around 200k. at first, the screen would not respond to touch, then it would freeze or appear fuzzy, then the display had static or would go on and off, now it is just black, with the rare incident (every couple of months, usually when it is cold outside) where the mfd displays a white screen or gray screen with lines through it. as many of the vehicles features (rear camera, a/c, radio, odometer, mileage, etc.) are controlled through the mfd, i have been unable to utilize these features. on other message boards (priuschat) this appears to be a rather common problem and should warrant some sort of corrective assistance from the manufacture.

Brake warning light broken brake actuator system toyota dealer refusing to fix this safety hazard under the warranty enhancement notification zg1

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 25 mph, the brake pedal seized when it was depressed and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact managed to pump the brake pedal three times and the vehicle came to a complete stop. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake assembly failed and needed to be replaced. the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to toyota of braintree (210 union st, braintree, ma 02184, (781) 848-9300). a second diagnostic test was conducted, which rendered the same outcome. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vin was not included in a recall. the failure mileage was approximately 84,500.

Zg1 known issue with brake actuator assembly. warranty enhancement program zg1 was issued to cover 2nd gen prius' for 10 years. at 10 year 3 months and 143k miles had unit fail, leaving driving with only functioning rear brakes. this large of a safety issue should have been a recall. how toyota was able to avoid a recall with this limited warranty extension is concerning, i was away from home when i got into my car and all of the brake related warning lights turned on and a warning beep turned and remained on. only rear brakes function. toyota case number 1906130936

The abs and other brake warning lights go on randomly and the brakes become stiff. took the vehicle to the toyota dealership and they said it is due to the brake actuator assembly. the abs actuator assembly part was part of an extended toyota warranty under notification zg1. however my vehicle just missed the deadline for the warranty by three months. this is a safety issue for toyota as they know this part has a high failure rate. warranty should be extended in order to cover repairs. filed a case with toyota, case # 1901312287.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving at unknown speeds, the temperature gauge increased to high and coolant needed to be added to the vehicle. all of the indicators on the instrument panel were illuminated. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. the failure mileage was 151,759.

My prius now has all those dash lights on: !, abs, vcs. i was driving yesterday, on a city street and the lights came on, and the brakes suddenly did not work-hard to push. for months, when i would drive over rough terrain, i had the loss of braking, accelerating, and the slick road icon would illuminate. the is exactly the same abs module problem affecting 2010 prius, ands needs to be recalled and repairs covered.if i didn't stay so far behind other vehicles, i would have rear-ended someone.

Our prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. happens while driving, while parked and i just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. when i hit on brake, the brake makes very annoying noise.

Last year my headlights started flicking on and then when i turned them off and then back on, they would both work again. sometimes it's just one headlight, either left or right and sometimes its both at the same time or one and then in a mile or two the other making it so both are out. i've had my bulbs replaced and since looked at again and was told the bulbs were both still good. i have been told it is a very expensive process for fixing the problem but it is extremely dangerous to be driving on the freeway at 65 mph with two kids in the car and have both headlights go out on you. it happens when i am driving. it doesn't matter what type of surface we are driving on. i happens every single time i drive my car.

My headlights keep randomly turning off on their own while parked or driving, in the dark or the light. to troubleshoot i have replaced the headlights and tightened the wire connections, but the problem continues. only turning the headlights off and back on seems to temporarily fix the problem...until the next time it turns itself off. i had a similar problem with my honda pilot 2005 a few years ago and there was a safety recall on the headlight wire harness kit that was corroded from humidity and overheating and failing. this has now happened dozens of time on my prius, mostly affecting the left headlight only, but a couple times on both headlights.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that a warning indicator flashed on the instrument panel regarding the brake system when the brake pedal was depressed. the contact also noticed smoke coming from the exhaust system. the contact inspected the vehicle and found a leak underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to salinas toyota (700 auto center cir, salinas, ca 93907, (831) 444-0700) where it was diagnosed that there was an internal brake fluid leak; however, the vehicle was excluded from the manufacturer warranty campaign. the manufacturer indicated that the obt2 sensor did not show the specific diagnostic trouble code (dtc) to receive the brake actuator replacement covered by the campaign. the dealer and the manufacturer refused to honor the warranty campaign for dtc number: c1240. the approximate failure mileage was 115,000. *tt consumer stated smoke started coming under the hood. noticed fluid dripping from engine onto the exhaust pipe. dealer determined it was not an oil leak but empty brake reservoir. updated 11/27/18*jb

Takata recall. i have never been contacted by toyota to inform me of a recall of takata inflators. i purchased my 2009 toyota prius in 2012. i checked my vin against the nhtsa database and it says no recalls for my vin. how do i resolve the danger i and my family may be subjected to?

2009 toyota prius driver side headlight keeps going out, it works when you turn on the vehicle, and then it goes out, i have changed the bulb, and also change the ballast, but no luck, i got the warning 3 days ago, and now if i get pulled over, i will get the ticket,

Drivers side head light goes out periodically. research on line says that this is a problem with 2006 - 2009 prius. is there a recall? goes out while driving.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving approximately 60 mph, all the warning indicators illuminated. the contact stated that the failure recurred approximately three other times. the contact also stated that the brakes seized while driving through a parking lot. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the contact mentioned that there was a technical service bulletin (t-sb-0032-16) in reference to the abs actuator, but the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failures and case number: 1806043060 was filed. the approximate failure mileage was 183,483.

Hid headlight turns off shortly after turning on headlights, stays off.

Right headlight intermittently goes out. sometimes turning headlights off and back on brings the headlight back on. the headlight usually does not turn on when the car is started up.

Brake actuator not working properly when i use the diagnostic settings it works but then after a while it stops working again. was going 50 on the highway when brakes stopped working almost wrecked. brake light (!) light abs light and vsc light are all on.

One of the front headlight sometimes work sometimes not.i just get this car today and after purchasing i saw this problem.

Since a couple of weeks ago the left back door won't open from the inside. it can only be opened from the outside. since thursday, feb. 28, 2019 the right back door also can't be opened from the inside, only from the outside. that door hardly ever is used. the passenger was trapped inside. i had to open it from the outside to let him out. this has never happened before to any car i ever drove or was a passenger in. it's very dangerous to be trapped inside. something is seriously wrong with how the door was manufactured.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. for the past several months, while the vehicle was being driven, the headlamps flickered on and off. the vehicle was taken to tarbox toyota (3671 quaker ln, north kingstown, ri 02852, (401) 884-5438) where it was diagnosed that the hid bulbs needed to be replaced. the hid bulbs were replaced, but the failure recurred. the contact stated that the failure was intermittent. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 129,000.

When braking hard, the brakes lose all pressure, go straight to the floor and warning lights come on. as soon as brakes are released the lights go off and brakes again have pressure again. toyota extended the warranty on this part, but it is was expired before problems arose.

At not given moment driver side headlight with go off. if you turn off an on it will go on again. but, will go out again. if you try to put bright lights on all lights go off. all while driving.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving at 2 mph and making a left turn, the vehicle accelerated independently and the contact lost control of the vehicle. as a result, the contact crashed into a garbage truck. a police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. the contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and drove home. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repairs. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was unknown. *tt

The headlight low beams on my 2009 toyota prius drivers side and the passengers side keep burning out. i have changed the bulbs three times in the last four months. toyota has a recall on the 2010 thru 2011 prius headlight wiring harness for these years but not the 2009 prius. a serious safety issue could happen if both lights burn out before you get the bad one changed. the vehicle is stationary or in motion when the headlights burn out.

Prius dashboard lights up with brake light, abs and vsc light. ran diagnostic codes and took to dealership- said vehicle was part of brake actuator manufacturer malfunction. dealership would not resolve issue despite acknowledging that it was a manufacture defect. concerned for my safety because brakes are not working well. called customer service and they wont do anything.

My car has been intermittently displaying abs vsc and brake warning lights. when they are on there is no brake regeneration. the lights have come on and gone off and now are on again. getting obd code c1391 (abnormal leak in accumulator) my vehicle is just a small amount over mileage to cover this under enhanced warranty but toyota knows they have a brake accumulator problem and wants 3k to fix what should have been a recall long ago. have called and toyota will not help.

Maybe related to takata recall: we did not receive a recall, however our car skid into a tree and had significant front end damage, however no airbags deployed. was going 25 mph on a suburban residential st during a mixed snow/sleet storm. slight curve and slightly downhill. the brakes were not applied as they could have made it worse. car sped up into the skid totalling the car with $11,000 damage. we have been given several opinions that the velocity necessary to cause the damage should have triggered the airbag sensors. car hit the middle of the bumper and perhaps missed the sensors? no report was filed by the police as accident was caused by the road conditions/weather not driver error. i have photos i can send in a few days

Our prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. happens while driving, while parked and i just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. when i hit on brake, the brake booster makes very annoying noise.

The headlights come on and off. bulbs have been replaced, fuses and still they periodically come on and off. when i take the to dealer they say no issues.

Every day one of my headlights are not working. one day it could be the left one, the other day could be the right one. i'm afraid both might go out during night time driving.

Complete shutdown of prius automobile with no warning while in motion on a city street. rolled to a stop in safe area. nothing worked except emergency blinkers. no instrumentation or warning lights appeared. the car was locked in fwd park and could not be towed by flatbed tow truck as there is no override. lift tow truck was used to get to dealer. diagnosed as melted hybrid invertor pump. dealer replaced pump and fuse for a $641.47 cost to me. if this had happened on a highway/freeway it would have been a disaster. the complete loss of power without warning at freeway speed could very easily ended up as a multiple car pile up. just the thought of crossing multiple lanes in traffic with no power, just rolling, makes me think it's time to get rid of this car.

The lightbulbs burn out very easily. the car stalls when you are trying to leave from a light or stop sign. there is a recall for this but not on my model and there should be sometimes when stopping on breaks the car will show slippery alert even thought there is no reason for it. all these things have caused danger for us while driving the vehicle. this has been happening for years

Driver side headlight problem. lights turn on when starting to drive but after a while into driving ...13 minuets (is when i noticed) headlight goes out. i drive home afraid to get a ticket. home is 5 minutes away. i pull in driveway and headlights come back on again. this happens every night when using headlights.

I keep getting the code p 1121. i have replaced my engine coolant valve sensor unit three times and every single time after driving for a week the chickens and light comes on and it throws the code again. i am currently at the point where there is either no heat or it takes at least half hour or more to blow hot air. if it blows hot air it only can be on a low fan setting. i have used two different manufacturers. but unfortunately every time i replaced it same problem occurs. i have reported this in the past and there was no response. but it is occurred multiple times since. and i know there is a recall on vehicle years prior to mine.

My 2009 toyota prius has 100,700 miles on it. when i took it in for it's last oil change i was informed that only a little over a quart of oil drained from the engine. i have religiously changed the oil every 3,000 miles. after replacing the engine oil it still looked dirty. the engine is burning oil. i understand that this is a common issue caused by a piston design flaw and does not have a cheap solution other than adding oil at each gas fill up. i am concerned that the engine may stop working while driving, particularly if traveling on a long trip at highway speeds. i do not feel safe driving this vehicle on a long trip.

I was driving my 2009 toyota prius on a very cold day (roughly 10 to 20 degrees f). the red brake warning light was on, along with the abs, vcs and yellow "!" lights. the brakes were extremely soft for about the first 5-10 minutes of operation. i would push the brake pedal as far as it would go (it would not go all the way to the floor) and the brakes would seems to be engaging at about 30%-50% of their normal stopping power. after the vehicle warmed up, the warning lights on the dash went away and the brakes began operating normally. the following week, my wife was driving the vehicle on another very cold day (again probably about 10 degrees). she stated that the above mentioned lights stayed on for her entire commute (less than 10 minutes) but that when she arrived to work, her brakes were not working. she described that she pressed the brake pedal as far as it would go, but the brakes did not seem to be fully engaging. she stated that she nearly hit a wall as she was pulling into the parking lot at her work. i have found similar issues listed on prius forums online. perhaps it is a electrical or computer problem as opposed to a problem with the brakes. we have never had the problem when the temperature was above 25 degrees.

The headlights keep blowing out due to power surge. left - right - left - right - left - right now left again!!! every couple of months since i bought it last feb 2017.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly exploded and burst into flames without warning. the contact stated that the vehicle was securely parked for six weeks while the contact was away. the police and fire departments were at the scene, but no reports were filed. there were no injuries. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Headlights go out all the time. i’ve replaced the ballasts and the headlights 5 times in the last year. 1 month after new headlights and new ballasts the headlights are back out again. this has been a problem since i got this car. sometimes i can turn the lights on and off and it will work for a bit.

My headlight passenger side keeps going out after a few seconds of turning on. this keeps me from driving at night. my computer controls on my dash board that works the ac. and displays the information about the car does not work. my abs break light will not go off. this has affected my breaking system on my car. all of these items i have mentioned all occurred while i was driving the car.

The combination meter went out on my prius. on multiple occasions, the dashboard went blank. when this happens the driver is unable to see the speed or any other safety lights. the most alarming issue was when our vehicle would not shut off after the dashboard went blank. when we arrived at our destination we were unable to turn the vehicle off with the push button 'start.' the car continued to run on reserve even after the battery terminals were disconnected. we took the vehicle to the dealership they were aware of the problem and toyota had already extended the warranty on this part to nine years from original date of use. unfortunately for us, our car was nine years and one month. the scariest issue is that the car driver is unable to tell their speed and this could potentially cause an accident. the car also is extremely dark (at night) when the dashboard is not displaying and causes issues with visability.

Display for odometer, speedometer and gas gauge goes out intermittently.the “combination meter” (a.k.a. “instrument panel” or “cluster”, the thing you’re looking at in front of you) is bad. there are several electrical components in the circuit board that control how it “powers up”, and they fail. lacking the ability to power up, the display goes black. joe myers quoted us $1156 for repair, and one week repair time. service advisor said that repair part is fixed part so that problem will no longer occur. we must drive the vehicle till we replace it. no offer was made to provide a loaner car if 07 prius went into shop for replacement cluster. it is really unsafe to drive without knowing speed that car is traveling. and we would not know gas level. who wants to run out of fuel? very unsafe. why isn't toyota owning up to this deficiency? shouldn't it be a recall repair? we are the original owner and we have taken the vehicle into the dealership service shop for repairs since we purchased the vehicle.

Toyota knows there is a systemic issue with the break actuator assembly in 2004-2009 model year prius vehicles, and have issued a "warranty enhancement program - zg1" to extend the warranty coverage for repairs related to this part. my car is currently experiencing a malfunction in this part, but toyota is unwilling to honor the warranty because there are no warning lights appearing on the dash. the breaks feel like they will fail at any moment, posing a clear saftety concern. i was literally told that my wife is to drive off the lot, with failing breaks, hoping they fail even further so that warning lights appear, but not so much that they cause an accident.

There is a warranty enhancement program for my 2009 prius which expires in march of 2018 for the combination meter known as csp ztv. i text manufacturer and they said its warranted. the first dealer i took it to refused to replace it 2 days ago saying it expired. i called toyota and they said it didn't after i read the date it started being in service and she said it is in place until march.the 2nd dealer refuses to repair unless they can duplicate conditions. i can not tell the weather to freeze i am not god but they are playing god with my money and my life to save their money and their jobs. i wanted repair done before it happens again but they are refusing. i could run out of gas and be killed because of faulty meter because you can't read display or get a speeding ticket. the dealer i bought it from can verify this is the problem but they are not a toyota dealer. what if we have a mild winter and it doesn't happen this year but happens fall of 2019 then i have to pay for it and its their fault not mine this is lawlessness because someone is trying to keep from paying for their error. this is stealing. how can i get a remedy to this? they should have been forced to do a recall instead of what they are doing it is not right to do to consumer. it is stationary for display lights but you don' t know when they will turn on and restarting car does not resolve problem. also when you can't leave car there because lights aren't on if car doesn't shut off this a dilemma and tow trucks don't carry these meters. also when car doesn't quit running it is stationary. the recall is csp ztv.

During the winter months when it gets below 30 the lights on the vehicle dashboard go out when the vehicle is turned on and remain off while driving and you can't see how fast you are driving or any of the instrument panel or warning lights to know if you need gas, tires are low, etc. i took into a dealership and they said there had been a recall on it but i do not see it listed.

Once my car got past 100,000 miles, the non-specific warning light started coming on and the word "problem!" would come on the screen. manual says to ask dealer what the specific problem is. certified toyota dealer kept saying they don't know. turns out after my own persistence that the problem is heavy oil consumption. not burning; not leaking. just high consumption. take car for regular maintenance and it seems toyota is aware of the issue, but keeps pressing me to get a new engine, rather than offering any intermediate solutions. could have told me thousands of miles ago to at least keep adding oil, but they never bothered. i now know after about a year that i have to start adding a lot of oil just a few weeks after the oil is changed and filled. if i wait until regular maintenance interval, all oil will be gone. engine would have broken down if i didn't persist in figuring out what was going on. went through 3 regular service appointments before i realized what was happening on my own. problem was at its worst when braking, but light came on at other times as well. i have yesterday's date here on the complaint, but this has been happening about a year.

The airbag light has been on for the last some years and i have asked to dealer to check on it for 1 hour (cuz of cost of labor) and they can not find the problem. what should i do... i do not see a recall letter on this???

Takata recall the passenger side headlight is not working.

First the driver's side headlight went out, and then back on after a day or two. then the passenger side headlight did the same thing. i never know until i start up the car whether or not i am going to have both headlights working. this happens when i first start up the vehicle. i don't know if it also happens while driving.

Consumer writes in regards to vehicle steering loss, brake loss and acceleration issues, corporation failure to inform consumer of counterfeit drive train issues that injured consumer. smd the consumer stated toyota failed to warn them about being convicted of "using the intellectual property of hybrid drive inventor without his permission." *tr

Right headlight flickers out about 2-3 minutes after turning it on. by turning the switch off and on, the light comes back on. but if fails again in a few minutes. this happens while driving, but also happens sitting in the driveway with the engine off.

This car cuts off power to save the powertrain from damage, that is what toyota told me. you must be extremely careful when entering traffic because you can lose power for 2-3 seconds if the cars computer senses any wheel spin. the way i see it this is a machine that was designed by the engineers to save itself from damage, the safety of the driver is of no concern to the computer program. you must always!!! be aware when driving this car that it can and will cut all power when you enter traffic. the best way to drive this car and stay alive is to make sure any approaching vehicles are much farther away than you would consider normal if you were driving any other car. imagine in the future that a firefighting robot runs into a burning building to save you, the robot picks you up and starts to exit the building. the robots computer senses that it is getting too hot for its design parameters so it drops you on the floor and runs out of the building to save itself, that analogy basically describes the 2009 prius , its computer saves itself without thought that you are left in the middle of the road without power. toyota told me again that the transmission could not handle the power from the motor so they made the computer cut power if wheel spin was detected. my major complaint is the length of time the power is cut 2-3 seconds which is a very very long time when you are entering traffic.

Left headlight started sporadically flickering in april 2014, then right headlight started flickering and going out in august 2014. bought replacement bulbs, which worked for 3 months, now both headlights will intermittently go out while driving. very dangerous to drive at night as they just suddenly go out with no notice. have discussed with mechanic who informed me that it is a "ballast" problem with the 2009 prius and a class action law suit existed, but since my car was outside of the 5 years 50k miles coverage the cost to repair would be somewhere around $1200.00 per light. toyota needs to fix this problem as a defect!!!

Headlights go off without warning, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes both. inconsistent and notice only at night. can't fix and can't find solution. headlights don't need to be replaced - there is something wrong with car wiring or other. i've had this car since 2009 and only had problem last six months or so - probably starting 1/2016. car has approx. 65k miles on it. very unsafe - especially at night in city when i can't follow another car and i can't tell if my headlights are on or not!

Sometimes one headlight turns off. when i turn the headlights on and off, the headlight comes back on. this has happened on the freeway. it does not happen every day.

I became aware the past few months that my right hid headlight was going off and on when i was driving. i was first alerted to it by other cars flashing me. then time would go by and it seemed to work. yet, the problem returned. one time the left light went out as well, and i was without either light. but generally it is just the right light. if i turn the light switch off and on, then both lights work, again usually until i get home, i am aware that these expensive bulbs (more than $600 for both) are the common solution, but i know someone who had the replacement bulbs go out, as well ,after a few months. so it must be the circuit. i will try to limit my driving to day time, and to be diligent to remember to be on the lookout for sudden light failure and switch,the lights on and off. my memory isn't as sharp as it once was, being an elderly retired person. this makes me quite nervous especially on icy roads in an area that darkens early. suggested repairs are currently above my means. thank you for hearing this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the engine started to rev and vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. the vehicle was restarted after waiting a movement but the failure recurred. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was awaiting a diagnosis. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. while driving at night, the low beam headlights dim intermittently. the contact drove the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the headlight assembly was damaged and needed replacement. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact also stated that the failure occurred daily. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Tl* the contact owned a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 30 mph, the rear passenger side of the vehicle caught fire. there were no injuries. the vehicle was destroyed and towed to the impound lot. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000. the vin was not available.

One of my two hid headlights goes out while driving. i can turn light off and they may or may not come back on. sometimes light flickers and does not achieve full brightness. can be dangerous at night. both bulbs were replaced in june of 2013, passenger side in april of 2014 and now the drivers side needs replacement.

Within the last few weeks, the headlights randomly turn off. sometimes the driver's side, sometimes the passenger side...sometimes both at the same time. tonight, i had both headlights and dash lights shut off while driving home down a dark, wet, very curvy, leaf covered road. quickly turning the lights on and off briefly solved the problem. this should never happen and poses a tremendous threat of bodily harm not only to the drivers/passengers in the prius, but to other travelers as well. i am extremely disappointed in toyota for refusing to be accountable and accept responsibility for the safety of the many consumers who have experienced this problem.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. when the ignition switch was turned to the on position, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver without warning. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic power steering ecu failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 108,331.

Steering in my 2009 prius completed failed and locked up. i literally was unable to steer my car. luckily, i was on a neighborhoor street about to turn into my driveway and was not driving at high speeds or in a turn lane. i cannot believe that an electronic steering component like this can faili? how is this possible? i want to ensure that this doesn't happen to other prius drivers and ensure that this isn't a faulty part issue. it is a public safetly issue and that there needs to be some sort of back up steering mechisim to prevent this from happening in the event that there is a "short inside the power steering electronic control unit. i shutter to think what could of happened.

Headlights, high intensity discharge turn off. both headlights turn off while driving.

Right headlight does not stay on. had the filament changed 2-3 times and still burns out. this is not safe. cannot get a good answer as to why this keeps happening!!!

The passenger side head light works intermittently. when illuminated a faint flicker can be seen. don't know what precisely causes it to come back on but it does. changing the head lamp did not resolve the problem. this seems to be a recurring problem with the prius.

The ballasts for the hid lights in the 2009 prius are famously unreliable. mine demonstrated this last evening in a very unnerving way. the headlamps would simply turn off without warning, sometimes one, and many times, both, leaving me to the mercy of street lights! this is incredibly dangerous. i checked on it and found that this happens to hundreds of prius drivers. isn't toyota concerned that its $1,200 charge for fixing its own defective equipment (for the ballasts are known for this) will lead to death of poor persons who cannot afford the fix? shouldn't there be a general recall for such a consumer-safety issue? (sure, cycling the lights turns them back on, but when you are driving in the dark, it isn't easy to think well.)

Driving at night, the drivers side hid would flicker and then shut off completely. last night for the first time while driving a dark road, both hid shut off leaving me in total darkness.

This has been a recurring problem. the headlights will turn off without any warning. they turn back on if i flip the switch off and then back on again. the fact that the lights are on every time i leave the house (i can see their reflection against the garage wall) means they are not burnt out, but the fact that i have almost been hit multiple times by people who then honk and flash their brights to tell me my headlights are off means that they are turning off on their own. through internet searches and chat forums, i have learned that i am not alone in this dangerous issue with my 2009 toyota prius.

My 2009 prius right headlight goes out periodically and without warning. if i turn the headlights off & on again, it works again, but only for a period of time.

Prius hybrid battery tube vent material gives off a strong plasticizer smell. this is continous and in all seasons. this may be dangerous to health of occupents.

The hid lights have become intermittent. first the left one would randomly go off and then later come back on, on more than one occasion. more recently the right one is showing the same behavior.

I was struck by a speeding auto so hard that the force of the impact obliterated the entire front end of my vehicle. i suffered serious left knee and left shoulder injuries. not one takata airbag deployed. had the airbags functioned properly i might have avoided the injuries to my body. my car was considered a total loss.

Both headlights go out without warning when driving down the highway. *tr

The 2009 prius engine has a defect in the seals allowing oil to seep into the engine and be burned. this causes the motor to use extensively more oil than needed. causing possible near failure. it must be critically maintained or the engine will run dry and destroy itself. *tr

Headlights intermittently fail. bulbs are ok. headlight can be restarted by turning them off then back on. a dangerous situation! *tr

I was driving 10-15 mph in the middle of my small town, coming up a slight hill on a street that leveled out shortly before the site of the accident. as i drove up onto the level part of the street, i saw that there was a long line of cars stopped ahead of me, waiting for a traffic light to change. i was about 2-3 car lengths from the last car in the lane of traffic, when the last car in the line of cars ahead of me braked very suddenly, and as i was coming up to that car, i also stepped hard on my brakes - and - my brakes completely failed! i will have nightmares for the rest of my life of those next few moments of pressing on the brake and seeing my car ignore me and continue forward, right into the car in front of me. and, i felt that my car accelerated, as the brakes failed, which made the situation even worse. my car hit the car in front of me (car #2) which hit car #3, which hit car #4. my car was declared a total loss, the car in front of me was badly damaged and had to be loaded onto a flatbed truck of the collision company. cars #3 and #4 could be driven away; car #3 had some damage to the front and back of the car, while car #4 had some scratches on the rear bumper. i was never notified of any safety recall for the brakes of this car, but i was often alarmed when the brakes seemed to slip or not work for a few seconds each time that i drove over a small bump, pothole, manhole cover, etc. during the six years that i owned and drove this car. there are many other prius drivers that have written to the edmund.com and other websites to tell of their similar accidents or near accidents. please warn the public and particularly prius owners of this danger. these cars are not safe!

2009 toyota prius. consumer writes in regards to vehicle acceleration issues. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle was inspected on may 10, 2010. on february 11, 2010, the consumers wife was approaching a small business in a parking lot. she was almost at a dead stop, when the vehicle suddenly went a rapid acceleration mode, jumped a curbed and sidewalk, and hit a brick wall of a business building. there was severe damage to the vehicle as well as to the brick wall of the building. the air bag did not deploy. *jb

About two years ago one or another of my headlights would go off intermittently. when i turned the switch off and back on, they'd both be on. this was irritating but it was random and sporadic enough that i didn't take it in for service until both lights started going off in recent weeks. i then discovered on the internet the history and extent of this problem. the service people at the dealership only indicated that this problem had occurred with the 2005-2009 prius but weren't forthcoming with other background information. $500 later i have new lights. my plan is to have "problems" with them every 11 months as long as i own the car, if they don't go off on their own, so that i can get the problem fixed under the dealer's 12 month warranty. fortunately, most of my driving is downtown in a large city where other lighting is available. i did think whenever i was on the freeway at night i'd better have the lights checked. although there apparently isn't a body count with this problem, or is there?, it certainly would have been helpful to have received some written information from toyota or nhtsa that this problem is pervasive and could be very dangerous. *tr

When my 2009 toyota prius goes over 65 mph the problem light flashes on the display and the the engine oil light illuminates as well. *tr

Toyota prius 2009 headlights were on and off finally the left side went off totally. the seal outside the headlight didn't prevent of water came into the system and damaged it . also while driving the car accelerated and decelerated by itself . and while stopping the car jump. *tr

My passenger headlight will turn off while i am driving. now both headlights will turn off at once. usually one will come back on. this is very dangerous! this began in january 2013. *tr

While inching slowly into a parking spot, vehicle suddenly accelerated at full speed to jump over the parking barrier. wheels were turned slightly to right, so car veered right and stopped as it high-centered on the barrier, just behind front wheels. no injuries- driver & child in back were buckled. witnessed by many pedestrians who ran to assist. one witness said the same thing happened in her prius, but toyota was useless to help. in months since the incident, toyota has been terrible at responding in any helpful way. the black box recorder shows nothing, of course, since it was a slow impact without airbag deploy. most interestingly, the nhtsa has no info of this incident, which i'm reporting today only because i noticed in the owner manual on rear page, small print, some info about reporting safety defects for u.s. owners... but at least 20 toyota personnel, insurance adjustors, repair facilities and sales team members never said anything about such a report. hence my assumption that most of these incidents are not reported to gov't unless fatalities occur. *tr

This car has had 3 new batteries and it has just over 5,000 miles. today aaa jumped the car and i drove for over an hour to charge up the battery, then i went grocery shopping, came out and the car wouldn't start. called aaa they came out and started my car and came home. got up to take it into the dealership and it won't start. the test he ran on the battery i was told the battery is ok, there is something wrong in the electrical system. the electrical monitor on the dashboard does not show me how many miles per hour i have been driving. the blue line go up making me think the battery is charged, but when i stop i cannot restart the car. i cannot afford to keep taking my car into toyota to get it fixed. the dealership is toyota temecula valley on ynez rd, also called toyota4u.com. maybe it is the power button, not connecting to the electrical. last time the service rep yelled at me that it was my fault for not take the car out every day and driving it on the freeway, and i was so embarrassed i said just put another battery in it. i have always had cadillac before this, but i felt toyota was a reliable car, and my neighbor like them. *tr

I purchased this 2009 prius from my elderly parents who didn't drive at night so the hid issue was not discovered until after warranty. my wife and i were driving at night in jan. 2012 and both headlights went out. i called toyota (limbaugh and hoover) in birmingham, al. about the safety issue and they said they weren't aware of any issues and toyota had no recall. at this point, i'm out approximately $400 and my time and the issue keeps coming back. can you please help? thank you. *tr

Water pump failure. 76,000 miles is premature for a waterpump. *tr

2/14/2015 as i was checking my vehicle i saw a lot of condensation in the drivers side hid headlight assembly. after researching i saw this is a common problem with subsequent problems of headlights going on and off with no warning. the headlight seal problem is a common issue and there was a class action lawsuit. unfortunately it ended 2011 and i didn't know at that time i would experience the issue at a later date. there should be a recall for this $400 plus repair. the part alone is $375. *tr

Driver's side headlight will go out without warning. later the light will go out again. the headlight has been replaced as well as the amplifier. the new light bulb was left on for 3 hours while car was parked but then when it was driven, the light went out again. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. in addition, the brake, the vsc, and the abs warning lights illuminated. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 98,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the headlights failed without warning. the contact deactivated and activated the headlight switch and the headlights illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 114,000.

Headlight goes out randomly and requires the headlights to be turned off then on. *tr

My 2009 prius has headlights that intermittently flicker or extinguish at random times. sometimes the right headlight will extinguish, sometimes it's the left headlight, and sometimes both extinguish at the same time. some times the light(s) come back on without any action, and sometimes it is necessary to turn the headlight switch off and right back on. to date, the lights have resumed normal operation when they are turned on and off, at least so far it has worked every time. this can be extremely dangerous and frightening especially on the freeway or a mountain road. this phenomenon seems to be increasing in its frequency of occurrence. why hasn't toyota been forced to recall the prius for this life threatening safety issue? i was told by the toyota dealer that it's a bad filament in the headlight, i've never seen a filament behave that way. *tr

Service engine light, code p1121, coolant recovery tank flow control valve bad. there is a service campaign on this for 2007 prius and the problem is supposed to be solve for 2009 prius. also this is part of the emission control system, as the purpose of coolant recovery tank is the warm up engine sooner to pass emission test. called toyota dealer, not covered by emission warranty. this is a known and very common problem and toyota is dragging its leg on it. *tr

Toyota dealer receipt: check engine light on - coolant control valve stuck... replaced coolant control valve cost/$589.97 including 450.00 labor + engine water pump leaking coolant replaced engine water pump/ engine drive belt cost/$557.98 including $430.00 labor mileage!!! 41, 632 miles 2009 prius total cost $1173.41. customer complained to toyota motor corp and response was...no financial assistance -36,000 mile warranty has passed. *tr

Headlight will intermittantly go out. turns back on when lights are turned off and on but keeps recurring with no warning. *tr

Passenger head light started flickering on and off, i pulled over turned car off then back on, head light came on but was dim. i don't do much night driving and this was very concerning. i still have this issue, and have now found on line that this should be a safety recall. up to $400 to fix, just for a head light. you got to be kidding. as soon as the other head light starts acting up as well i won't be able to drive at night. i don't have $800-$1000 to replace head light. this is a real safety issue. there needs to be a recall. *tr

Driving on a dark road i went from high beams to low and the entire lighting system went out. i was quick so cycled the headlight switch, everything came back on but the passenger headlight. tried replacing the light bulb, it still wont work. i paid extra for these h i d headlights. now i'm told 1000 dollars to fix them. *tr

I had just purchased my 2009 toyota prius the evening of friday december 28th 2012 and had only driven that weekend. then on the 31st i noticed when i was pulling into a gas station i had only one headlight working... didn't think to much about it. then when i was leaving noticed that both lights were on working. a few hours later i noticed a flicker like a light was going out. noticed again passenger headlight was going out.. i had the car back at the shop over a battery issue on january 2nd as my battery had suddenly died. when i took it up to toyota i mentioned the headlight was told oh nothing they can see. then months later it continued. then again every now and then.. i would flip the lights on and off and sometimes it wouldn't do it again for months... then in sept 2013 it started to do it on both sides. again contacted toyota nothing. then my teenager daughter had the car and called me hysterical saying no headlights were on. she had just gotten her license days prior. her first outing without me. then again battery issue went back to toyota was told not a clue. now reading the info i've come across with 2001-2009 prius headlight issues i'm pissed that toyota is aware of this and lied and said theyhad not heard of such a thing. now october 2014 i am no longer able to drive the car in the rain or at night. as i now have no headlights. i find this a major safety issue and considering how many people have stated this and the fact someone can be killed or injured seriously as one overlooks i think is a major serious issue and concern. i am not paying to have headlights replaced or electrical issues as this is something that needs to be recalled and fixed by toyota. *tr

My 2009 prius has a non-navigation mulit-function display that controls everything from sound to temperature to hands free phone. plus, it functions as the rearview camera display. in august of 2014 at about 80,000 miles the screen began to turn off spontaneously while driving (if it turned on at all.) i have read many reports of this happening to the 2009 models. i am concerned most about the rear view screen because this model of prius has large blindspots and i relied heavily on this screen. *tr

After reading the new york times article (11 sep 2014) on takata air bags, i found out that our 2009 toyota prius was not (yet) subject to recall for the defective takata airbags, even though, according to the nyt many millions of toyotas had these air bags. i contacted toyota usa customer support to inquire if our prius had air bags manufactured by takata. i was informed by toyota usa that they considered this information as "proprietary" and would not inform me as to whether or not our vehicle had air bags manufactured by takata and therefore likely to have defective canisters should there ever be an incident that caused the air bags to deploy (or explode, as they case may be). toyota should be required to inform customers if toyota has used takata air bags in their vehicles, even if the nhtsa & dot has not yet gotten around to mandating a recall. to me, this seems similar to the gm starter issue for which there was plenty of blame on nhtsa-dot as well as gm. thank you. *tr

The hid headlights started to flicker and went off. repeatedly happened. first the passenger side then the driver side. i had the hid headlights replaced two days ago. the passenger headlight was still dimmed, the driver's side seemed fine. today, the driver's side went off again and won't turn back on. the passenger side is still working, but dimmed.

The rubber cover to the outside truck latch has melted completely in hot florida weather and has become gooey to the point of dripping onto my license plate. the truck is very difficult to open and sometimes i am unable to lock or open the car because the trunk is not all the way closed. this is a safety issue because if i needed to get into the trunk to get a spare tire i may not be able to. given many other reports of this issue dating back to 2007 models, toyota should stop using this type of component and should recall this item and fix it with a different material so this does not keep happening. i am also concerned the exposed latch will cause electrical damage to the trunk or lighting because of severe rain that often occurs in florida where this problem seems prevalent.

There has been no injuries or vehicle damage. i left off total repair cost because the repair shop has not finished solving the problem. in 2013 i started have having headlight problems and have it about three months since. i have replaced the headlight bulbs several times on both sides. one time the headlights would operate opposite( one side would be high beam only and the other would be low beam only and when switching the switch inside to high beam the headlights would switch as to what they did only. on wed 8/20/14 the low beam quit working. i earlier purchased a new plug and 2 new bulbs in case i had a problem. i took the car to an independent repair shop( my only toyota dealer in my town can not be trusted) where i live. he installed the new plug and we tried each of the two new bulbs and they exhibited the same problem - the low beam was just a spec of light; not enough for the low beam. he tested the voltage in the ground side of the plug and the fuse position in the fuse assembly and it lit up his voltage tester with a spec of light. he had no idea what system sent the voltage to the low beam side for the passenger side headlight. i am taking the car back on wed 8/27/14 to finish the job. *tr

On june 22, 2010, pursuant to toyota floor mat recall #90l regarding potential interference with the accelerator pedal, my existing toyota front floor mats were replaced with new toyota all weather mats. after about 2 years, the replacement mats failed and were replaced on 8/25/2012. the failure was with the rubber material which frayed at contact of my right foot with the mat and at the 2 holes through which the retainer clips are attached. both floor mat holes tore linearly allowing the floor mat to eventually creep under the accelerator pedal. on august 4, 2014 i had to purchase another set of front floor mats because of floor mat failure identical to the above description. current mileage around 81,000 miles. the replacement floor mats that toyota provides are of inferior quality and not able to withstand 2 years worth of routine driving. toyota will not guarantee their mats beyond 1 year, it is of concern that the failing floor mats set up a safety situation exactly comparable to the safety concern they were meant to alleviate. there is no warning provided by toyota that their mats will fail after about 2 years of average driving and that they should be inspected and if damaged, replaced. how many unsuspecting motorists who have replaced their floor mats 2 or more years ago are at risk? *tr

Left front headlight began to flicker, then failed completely on highway while driving at night. taken in for repair on 8/2/14. was told that entire hid assembly unit and computer sub-assy had to be replace. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle shifted out of gear and stalled. the vehicle could be restarted. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who could not duplicate the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 66,000. the vin was not available.

While driving at night, both headlights, without warning went out. immediately, i pulled to the side of the road and turned the headlight switch to off. then, paused a moment before relighting them, unfortunately relighting them normally failed. so again, i worked with the switch, only to discover that these would relight if and on if i held the lights on using the 'dimmer mode' to bright the road. unfortunately, mine like others, is unpredictable at best - so reproducing this incident 'on demand' is difficult at best. in reading other consumer complaints, this seems to be an ongoing and costly problem. after further review, i have discovered that this headlight challenge has been part of a class action lawsuit. shame on toyota for not issuing a recall on this matter - prius owners, as well as fellow drivers whom we share the road with are at high risk. *tr

Headlights either passenger or driver side will go out for no reason. turning the lights off and on will relight both headlamps, but only for a short period of time. *tr

A year ago, upon taking off from a stop my car began to stall. i drive two blocks it continues to putt along and stall, then after less than a mile it starts to run as normal. i take my car in to be told it is out of gas, which it did not indicate low fuel, it had over a quarter of a tank. i insist they continue to check my car over days of them driving it, after a week they experience something similar and replace my junction box. since then i've replace the water pump, taken my car in for a steering recall. also, there are instances where my car upon take off stalls, but nothing severe, just something you feel when accelerating. recently, 6/5/14, i experienced the same issue, but this time i immediately put gas into my car even though my indicator panel shows i have fuel. only this time i start my car and the air conditioner is not working and it continues to stall, after turning my car on and off several times and driving a few blocks the ac cuts on and my car begins to run fine. i have been told by toyota that bc there is no indicator light and it's running fine there is nothing they can do. there was a recent recall in february of 2014 with similar issues i am experiencing but my car was not apart of the recall. not sure what else i can do. numerous toyota dealerships have been of no help and i fear that my safety is at risk. *tr

Coming out of the grocery store i started my 2009 toyota prius and i notice that it lost braking power and the abs,vsc,(!),and emergency brake lights stay on. i did some research and there is a recall for 2009 prius concerning this problem, but only on vehicles manufactured between 3/2009-10/2009 mine was manufacture on 10/2008. i think the recall should be on all 2009 models regardless of manufacturing date. there are many owners online complaining about this issue. my wife and children where scared, and i could of easily hurt someone walking in front of my car at the grocery's store parking lot. i can't drive this car anymore please extend the recall to all 2009 models regardless of manufacturing date. thank you. *js

Headlights at first seemed to only flicker then i had a headlight go out then i noticed that i could flip the lights on and off get it to come on. now its to the point we can not use this car at night. its become a safety hazard and i do t think its something i should pay to repair and think toyota is stupid for not recalling. *tr

When my 2009 toyota prius reached approximately 65,000 miles, the check engine light came on, and the error code was p1121, indicating a problem with the coolant control valve. i took the car to my local toyota dealership, and their charge for replacing the part was $400. the mechanic who inspected the valve said it was not closing securely. he said making the repair would not improve the car's performance or affect its value, and therefore he did not recommend making the repair. unfortunately, i have realized that opting out of this repair does affect the car's safety. the check engine light is constantly on. even if i manually turn it off, it comes right back on, so it is unlikely that i will be aware if other mechanical issues ever arise. my mother drives a 2008 toyota prius which just hit 65,000 miles, and her car produced the exact same error code. it is statistically impossible that two cars of the same make and model, only a year apart in age, in the same household, would produce identical error codes after reaching roughly the same mileage for any reason other than defective manufacturing. i believe this error code is the result of a manufacturing error that toyota should address through a safety recall. toyota's own mechanic admitted that the repair is financially impractical for customers, yet if the repair is not made, drivers are left without a functional check engine light which is a safety hazard. *tr

I had just bought my car on february 19, 2014 and noticed a headlight out on the way home. i called the dealership and they said they would replace it. i took it in on february 26, 2014 but they didn't have a replacement bulb. they were going to call me when it came in. the driver's side headlight would randomly shut off. on march 10, 2014 on the way home just after dusk the car in front of me slammed on their brakes to avoid a deer. i slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting them and my lights just went off. i could not tell how close i was to the car in front of me and had no clue if all my lights were off and whether the car following me could see me. i was scared. i mean i was really scared. i turned the lights off and back on and they worked. the dealership changed the driver's side headlight on march 13, 2014 and told me that a short in it had caused the headlights to shut off. i am scared to drive at night. on may 14, 2014 the passenger side headlight shut off for the first time since the incident. i am afraid a short in it will shut off both lights so i only drive at night when i absolutely can't keep from it. this car is going to get me killed if i drive at night. *tr

On multiple occasions prior to the most recent incident date listed, the previously mentioned 2009 toyota prius has had intermittent complete or partial headlight failure. on multiple occasions that seem to be random in nature either the drivers side or passenger side headlight will fail individual while the counterpart (opposite headlight) will continue to operate. also, as random as one individual headlight failing both headlights have gone out or failed simultaneously. the operator has been able to rectify the immediate hazard by simply turning the main activation switch for the headlight from "on" to "off" and then to "on" again. this procedure will, on most occasions temporarily rectify the immediate hazard but the intermittent failure has and will continue. operator conducted research on the issue and discovered this is a common problem the 2005-2009 toyota prius is displaying. toyota corporate was contacted by the operator and stated that a customer care initiative was directed to all toyota service departments to reduce the cost of replacement bulbs. however, what is unique about this situation is a headlamp hid bulb on the drivers side was replaced approximately one year ago and is the more frequent headlamp failure occurring. this seems to invalidate the remedy that toyota corporate has devised which is to replace the bulbs. *tr

Unable to add any gas to the fuel tank even when tank is near empty. gas just spurts back out of the filler neck. over time we have learned that this is temperature related. at or near freezing temperatures and colder it becomes impossible at times to add any gas to the tank. the only way to add fuel is to get the car to a warmer location and let it sit for a few hours. we have detailed records documenting several instances where we could add no fuel and many instances where a near empty tank will take only 1-2 gallons. the car has been seen by two different toyota service centers but they claim they can find nothing wrong. toyota usa has stopped responding to our requests for help. we are unable to trust the car for extended trips in the winter due to fears of getting stuck with an empty gas tank. a (related?) problem is that the fuel level indications are not consistent and thus cannot be trusted. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at night, the driver's side head light failed. the contact turned the switch back on and then the passenger's side headlight failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the hid headlights needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000.

The right headlight sporadically shuts off while driving. i have had this happen nearly every time i drive with my headlights on. i have been pulled over twice by a police officer because of this issue. i find that if i turn the headlights off and on again, the issue corrects itself, but then occurs again, sometimes during the same driving trip. not only do i have to incorporate extra time during my night commutes because i may be pulled over by a police officer, but this is dangerous and is a known issue. please correct this issue by having toyota recall the prius. *tr

Driver intentionally accelerated to avoid collision, then prius unintentionally accelerated after impact with the other vehicle, crossing the median and crossing the opposite direction street lanes then up on to the sidewalk and hit the concrete bridge rail and finally stopped. have contacted toyota, they want up to a month to pull the crash data from the car. i asked if they could pull the data in a week, they said up to 30 days the car will have to sit at the dealership. a month is unreasonable to go without a car. they refused to send the investigator to pull the data at the body shop, said it must be done at the dealership. i gave them the name & address of the body shop. *tr

My driver side head light goes out at least once every time i drive with them on. it may go out several times before i arrive at my destination. i have to turn my lights off and then on again to have the light come on. it is very hard to see when the light is out and i have even been stopped by the police because i have only one headlight. as you can see by all the complaints from the people that have taken the time to file this form, it is not just a headlight bulb. every time i drive at night i'm worried that both lights will go out as some of the complaints have recorded. this is a safety hazard. toyota should be held responsible to find an answer and be forced to issue a recall before there is a death. *tr

My right headlight goes off without warning. i have to turn the head lights on and off for it to come back on; it is dangerous when i have to drive at night, and the headlight goes out,. this is a continuous problem, it make if difficult to concentrate on the road, and it becomes hazardous and freighting. it is also bothersome to others when i have to turn my lights on and off. *tr

Hatchback rubber part of latch melted and became a sticky mess. electronics on latch are now exposed to moisture and dirt. *tr

Beginning in july 2013, the headlights on my 2009 toyota prius started flickering while driving at night and then both lights went off. the headlights continue to turn off while driving. sometimes it is one light and sometimes it is both lights. when it is one light, it is never the same light that goes out. *tr

The headlight(s) go off while driving without warning and it becomes hazardous and frightening. *tr

I noticed that the driver side headlight appeared to be out, so i checked it and it was. when i turned the lights off and back on the headlight came on for a period of time and went off. i had the headlamps changed with oem part and the lights worked for a day and now it is out again, which might be ballast or something else. i have read many complaints online for the 2006-2009 models have premature headlight failure and great expense to fix. it is dangerous when i have to drive at night and i like to leave the lights on during the day for safety. *tr

Left headlight went out while driving. then both headlights went out a minute later. turned lights off and back on and they were ok for a minute. then the left headlight went out again. this keeps on recurring . *tr

The rear hatch release on my 2009 toyota prius has begun to decompose and turn into a rubbery, gooey mess. it interferes with the use of the hatch as the goo not only gets on the fingers but appears to be blocking the release mechanism. *

As i was driving my 2009 toyota prius on the service road of i-30 in dallas around 25 mph after previously taking off from a red light, my vehicle's warning lights all turned on and started to beep and i could not brake or really steer. my vehicle...i almost hit the vehicle in front of me. somehow i was able to turn right into a parking lot and somehow press on the brakes strong in enough to make the car stop. i feared for safety and the safety others as well. it was a very scary situation to be in a car that was not responding when you are trying to break and there's nothing you can do about it. once i was in the parking lot, i turned the vehicle on and off and the lights were still on and beeping, did it again and it stopped. i took the car to the toyota dealership and they are telling me it's an issue with the accelerator and brake system and that i have to pay to have it fixed, but i am wondering how can toyota not be at fault for this safety issue? i'm glad i didn't injure myself or another person this time, but i think toyota really needs to look into this issue with their prius vehicles. i do not feel safe driving mine at all now.....they can not get away with not being responsible and liable for their faulty and defective vehicle's safety mechanisms. *tr

The vehicle braking lost braking momentarily when i was driving over small bumps and vehicle slip sign illuminated. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while starting the ignition, a strong odor of fuel emitted inside and outside of the vehicle. the contact did not detect a fuel leak. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. the technician was unable to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 77,771.

The rubber cover to the hatchback trunk latch has melted. it is now sticky and gooey and literally immovable. this presents a safety hazard, because sometimes i can't open the hatchback which contains the spare tire and other tools. i have no other way to access anything in the "trunk" when i'm unable to open the latch. the toyota dealer said this defective part is not covered by warranty and quoted an exorbitant price to replace it. i feel toyota should replace this defective part at no cost to owners. *tr

We are having an issue with the left headlight going out after about 15 minutes of driving. we've taken it into the shop multiple times and have not been able to get the issue fixed. we took this to the shop the latest time and they told us it is a known issue with the toyota prius hybrid. *tr

2009 toyota prius. consumer writes in regards to hybrid electric water pump recall notice. *smd the consumer stated two weeks after the hybrid water pump was fixed, a red triangle lamp appeared on the dashboard and the vehicle began to overheat. the consumer went back to the dealer and was charged 4202/16 for the diagnosis and informed him the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. the consumer went to his personal mechanic, where the hybrid electric pump was replaced and the codes were cleared.

The passenger headlight comes on initially but during the drive will go off. i can turn the lights off and back on and the light comes back on. this is an ongoing problem and i don't know it has happened unless i pull up behind someone and see the reflection of my headlights on the car in front of me. *tr

Same basic complaint as in other similar 'safety complaints'; for about the last year, headlights go dim, flicker, one or the other will go out for no apparent reason, and more distressing and importantly, in the last couple months, they will both just turn off completely and at the same time while driving down the road at any speed. i have to turn the headlight switch off and on to 'reset' the lights and get them back on. i took the vehicle to the official toyota repair shop; they would not acknowledge that it is a widespread problem. blamed the bulbs, which is in conflict with the owners manual instructions, and wanted to charge me $ 550 to replace only the two bulbs. this needs to be a recall item as it is very dangerous to have all lights suddenly go off without any warning, then having to fumble around in the pitch black to turn the light switch off and on again to 'reset' this failure. *tr

I narrowly missed hitting a pedestrian in a crossing walk at 5am in the morning. the reason-both of my headlights had turned themselves off. i have had a problem with the right one going off and am able to turn it back on by turning the light s off, then back on. but now they both are turning off at different times and it is hard to tell until something like this happens.(it's hard to tell as this car has 2 foglights that i normally keep on, and they give the illusion that the headlights are on). the problem is not in the headlight itself. i know as i had the problem prior to a front end collision about 6 months ago in which they replaced both headlights.the problem has to be in whatever computer controls the headlights. this is a serious defect and should be manufacturer recall issue before someone gets killed. *tr

I was turning left into the gas station located on us 22 and e. john st. a speeding car struck me on the passenger side near the door and front fender. the speeding car continued so hard that the driver's side lower frame rail was ripped from the car. no air bags deployed. i suffered left knee and left shoulder injuries necessitating several surgeries. the car was equipped with driver's side and front right air bags. also, dr and fr side and curtain air bags. no air bags deployed. the car was totaled by the insurance company. *tr

The back door/hatch switch rubber is melting/very sticky. the problem was first reported in the 2007 prius and other model toyota models. i expect that this switch will become defective and it is the only means to enter the hatch area of the prius.the hatch area is the location of the spare tire, flares and other safety products carried in the automobile. this is a very common problem of toyota models and is definitely a factory defective part. *tr

My wife and i were driving down a residential street approaching a stop sign. there were two cars stopped at the sign. several hundred feet from the stop, i took my foot off the accelerator. the car did not slow down. i stepped on the brake. the car did not slow down. i stood on the brake as hard as i could. the car did not slow down. i said to my understandably alarmed wife, we're not stopping. and we didn't until we smashed into the back of a tahoe stopped at the stop sign, doing major damage to the prius that rendered it undriveable and perhaps totaled. my wife has a very sore back that i am hoping starts to feel better today or we will have to schedule a doctor's appointment. *tr

Driving and my left headlight spontaneously turned off. if is not burned out, as it was working when i left, and stopping and restarting the car turned it back on. very dangerous as the road was dark, not to mention i don't want a traffic ticket. please stop ignoring this problem. *tt

For some months now i have been having trouble with the right front headlight in my prius which is an hid lamp. the lights goes out and then when i turn the light switch off then back on again the lamp lights again. i have to do this numerous times while driving. it either eventually stay's lit or i just give up and anticipate a ticket. on occasion when i try to get the light to come back on the drivers side light goes out, and then i am without headlights until i repeat the process. it is not only dangerous while driving in the dark, but when you try to get the lamp to turn back on, people think your flashing them from behind which causes them to become aggressive. it is very stressful and i knew if i looked this up online i'd probably find that there was a recall. i was not surprised to find out that there were complaint identical to mine, but no recall has been issued against toyota to fix the apparent design problem. i am a 28 year volunteer firefighter and also a senior safety specialist for my company. why do we have to wait for a serious incident to occur before toyota is forced to fix the issue. i will not replace this expensive bulb since it appears that it only remediates the problem for a short period the of time before it happens again. i am entrusting in your organization to do something about the issue to ensure the well being of me, my family and those around us who either drive these models and/or become additional victims from our vehicles due to having to "completely" shut down the headlights in an attempt to get them back up. again this sometimes creates both headlights to go out until repeated. can that really be a bulb issue? i think not. please force this large company to do something about the issue before statistics climb on accidents and or injuries resulting from these headlight failures. thank you for your time and anticipated actions. *tr

The rubber cover on my touring model prius's hatch locking assembly - the hidden area you grab to open the hatch - has deteriorated to the point that it is gummy like tar. there are dozens of online complaints about this happening to 2007 and 2008 models, which like my prius, were manufactured in japan. i've owned several hatchbacks and never seen this problem on much older hatch locks. from all of the online complaints it's clear to me that toyota is aware of this defect but when contacted, they first told me they had never heard of this being a problem, and now tell me it advises customers it's "normal wear." from a safety perspective the melting rubber makes it difficult to open the rear hatch (a life safety access point), and the sticky black tar-like material from the cover is also potentially dangerous. i ask your agency to take a look at these instances and also to inquire why toyota is not recalling these handles that are melting, which has to be the result of defective rubber. i think a door handle or hatch handle should be made to last more than three years. *tr

I noticed a strange noise on the right side of the car, which was getting louder every day. took to a dealer, and i was told that my right strut and strut mount crashed and needed a replacement. they also told me that the other front strut needed a replacement. i am only driving normal roads. *tr

We were driving on the interstate at 70 mph, when the headlights suddenly went out. it was dark and raining, and were unable to see the road edge. we pushed the emergency flashers and were able to see how close to the road edge we were. about two minutes later, the lights both came back on and we continued to drive to seek a safer area. every 15 minutes the lights would flicker. *tr

Since i purchased the prius in early 2012 with less than 60,000 miles, i always noticed that when braking over rough surfaces, the abs would kick in and would delay the braking by at least 1/2 second per abs/stability control event. while i had never had an incident initially, there were many close calls. after talking with the local toyota dealership, they said it was performing as expected and that i was not used to the car's handling characteristics. however, on 6/4/2013, the braking system performed its usual delay and did not allow me to stop in time, thereby rear-ending another person in a construction zone over a rough roadway. this needs to be something that nhtsa looks into for a recall situation. there are too many complaints already for them just to ignore this when there already has been a recall of the 2010 prius for the same issue. *tr

I noticed some condensation in both front headlamps some time ago but just thought it was a cosmetic problem. about three days ago both my headlights went out. i took my car to the dealership and they informed me that the water inside the headlamps caused my hid lights to short out. i am out of the 36 month 36,000 mile warranty, but still within my extended warranty's limits. toyota is not going to cover the replacement of the light bulbs or change out the headlights since i'm past the original warranty coverage limit. i was quoted by my toyota dealership over $1,500 to repair this problem. i also found a memo from toyota (memo # t-sb-0188-11) that talks about this problem and states that under the oem warranty, it should be replaced at no charge to the customer. *tr

I pulled my toyota prius into my driveway, stepped on the brake, opened the garage door and waited for my husband to get out of the car.  he opened the passenger side door and started to move his foot out the door but before he even got one foot out, the car surged ahead and ran into the garage, pretty much destroying all the storage units on the right side of the garage.  my husband thinks the car was going between 35 and 40 mph. since my accident there have been two other incidents of toyotas accelerating independently in palo alto. one ran into a house on park avenue, destroying the front wall and front door of the house. a few days later, a toyota ran over a curb, across a lawn and into a corner of a house on north california ave. both of these incidents were reported to the police unfortunately, i cannot get the name and contact of the other two drivers because my name is not on the police reports.  my questions are these:  is there any legal way to get the information about these other 2 drivers? also, someone told me they thought there is a class action suit out against toyota because of acceleration problems.  is there any way to find out about that? i am aware that this is probably just a problem i will have to deal with but i always try everything. *tr

In an attempt to avoid oncoming calves on a county dirt road driver inadvertantly pulled steering wheel to the right and hit a tree at road side. tree is twelve inched from road surface. before seat belt restrained driver, driver's forward momentum broke the steering wheel. driver was not injured. went to local hospital er. sheriff investigated. with the extensive damage to the front end of the vehicle the air bag should have deployed. it did not. photos taken. your organization is being notified as we feel the air bag should have deployed. we will also contact toyota. thank you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

When i turned on the car, the headlights would not turn on. both lights had been fully operational the day before. both high and low beams on both sides did not work, so it is definitely not the case that four separate bulbs or fuses all blew independently. i tried turning the headlight switch on and off several times, but this did not correct the problem. the fog lights do illuminate, but that is not enough illumination for safe driving in my area. *tr

Both low beams have gone out without any warning, but replacing bulbs and fuses doesn't fix the issue. *tr

I purchased my 2009 prius 3 years 4 months ago. i noticed a strange new sound coming from the engine. it was a rattling noise every 15 seconds or so lasting approximately 3-4 seconds then starting over 15 seconds later constantly repeating this cycle. it continued when the car was off or on. i brought it in to my toyota dealership. they called me the next day with very unsettling news saying it was the "brake accumulator" as it was losing brake pressure and the noise was it trying to build the brake pressure back up but it wasn't holding. he said it would cost $2,700 to repair. my service representative said this is a part that should not fail and has never been replaced before at this dealership. it was a first for them. i was very upset as this shouldn't be happening in a 3.5 year old car with only 66,500 miles on it that has been impeccably maintained. the more research i did, i saw this was occurring quite often in camry hybrids along with the prius. this is a part that should not be failing at all especially in newer cars. if this part is not replaced it can lead to catastrophic break failure. this should be investigated and added to toyota prius's never ending recall list! this is the last toyota i will own. *tr

The headlights have been going out randomly for the last few months but only one at a time. this evening while driving home from a late meeting, both headlights went out while driving at 55mph. i pulled off the highway and tried turning the car off and on again. headlights went on when i turned the car back on, so i resumed driving only to have the lights go out again! this time i flicked on the high beams and the lights came on. i stopped to grab a bite to eat figuring i could do the high beam trick again. when i started the car, the lights went on and high beams turned on when i engaged the lever. while driving home, less than 2 miles from where i started the car, headlights went out and the high beams did not work either when i attempted to turn them on. i pulled over to turn the car off and on again but with no luck this time. very slowly drove the last mile home on the less traveled road with my flashers on...this situation is incredibly dangerous. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that water penetrated the headlight's plastic covering due to improper sealing and caused the light bulb to fail. the dealer replaced the light bulb housing but the failure was not corrected. the passenger light bulb failed numerous times. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

Car exhibits symptoms consistent with fuel tank bladder collapse. have observed widely erratic fuel gauge indications and difficulty adding fuel - particularly in colder weather, (temperatures below approximately 45 degrees f). on occasion it has almost impossible to add gas to a nearly empty tank even at a trickle as the fuel filler auto shutoff keeps tripping. attempts to add even small amounts of gas can result in gas spewing back out the filling accompanied by belching sounds coming from the tank. often the tank cannot be filled to the advertised capacity even in warmer weather. toyota dealer service denies ever having heard of this problem and has offered no credible solution. on an extended trip this could easily result in being stalled with little warning as there is no reliable indication of how much usable fuel is in the tank or when the fuel gauge is going to quickly drop to near zero. this is also an environmental concern due to emission of gasoline fumes and spurting of raw gas during refueling. *tr

2009 toyota prius. consumer write regards to vehicle brake problems. consumer also sent revised toyota document. *smd the consumer stated the same braking problem existed for models before and after the 2010 models. however, only the 2010 models were recalled.

I pulled up to the gas pump and could not put gas in my car. it had a little gas in it, but the pump cut off before i could get started. the car has had a problem with the bladder since its inception. i can never fill up the tank. the dealer wants me to pay an elaborate amount to get it fixed. i went out on the internet and other people are having the same problem with not being able to fill up their tank. *tr

Headlights go off by themselves. when i start the car both headlights go on, but after driving a little while the left or right, or sometimes both headlights will shut off. *tr

While engine running and in parked mode, engine suddenly raced as if gas pedal was depressed and vehicle lunged forward a few inches. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving various speeds, the contact drove over a slight road bump and the vehicle suddenly lifted into the air. the failure recurred whenever the contact traveled over a road bump. the vehicle taken to an authorized dealer numerous times for the failure and they were unable to locate a problem. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 5. the vin was unavailable.

The vehicle stalled out while i was driving, four times in about a mile - including once on a very busy road with no shoulder. the electrical error board lit up, the transmission reverted to neutral or park and i could not put the car back into drive. after i turned the car off, and then turned it back on, it went into drive but only for a short while before lights started flashing and it stalled again. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated while the brakes were depressed the vehicle accelerated abnormally. the contact crashed into a post office building as a result. the contact sustained injuries to the head, shoulder, neck and back. the police were contacted and a report was taken. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop. the manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 32,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that an extremely strong battery acid odor emitted inside of the vehicle through the vents. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician was unable to determine the cause of failure and cleaned the entire upholstery in the vehicle; however the odor persisted. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the contact planned to take the vehicle back to the dealer. the approximate failure mileage was 29,000.

I was approximately 8 or 9 car lengths from a vehicle that slammed on her brakes before hitting the car in front of her, so i stood up on my brakes at about 30 -35 mph. the cars brakes did not grab for about a second, then started to grab right before impacting the car in front of me. *js

Headlight and tail lights failed to work at start up, after a while the highbeams did work so car could be driving home. later that evening everything worked fine at startup. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius hybrid. the contact stated that while attempting to brake, the traction warning light illuminated and the brake failed to respond with a reduction in engine power. the contact stated that the failure only lasted for a moment before returning to normal function. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 67,000. the current mileage was not available.

I was gliding into a commercial parking space with my foot off the accelerator in the second before i moved my foot onto the brake. suddenly, the accelerator pushed down by itself, the car surged forward towards the truck in the space in front of mine. i slammed on the brake. end of incident. no mat was in the way. i had taken part in the recall. *tr

One week after being at the dealership for its routine oil/vehicle check-up (55,000-60,000), my red brake light, the yellow warning sign and the abs lights come up on my dashboard. towed it back to dealership since the brakes didn't work. they found i needed to change my brake actuator and the solenoid that is stuck. according to what i've read, this should not happen period paragraph but if it does it would be on a much older vehicle with a lot more miles with a stop and go history. according to the customer service representative at the dealership this is a malfunction of the part. when i called toyota they gave me the go around about being out of warranty. i need help. also there is a reflective line of light that shines on the driver side of the window from my dashboard. *tr

2009 toyota prius. consumer states steering wheel air bag did not deploy during a fatal car accident *tgw according to the police report, the driver rear ended another vehicle. *jb

This was the second time that the car would not start after a sitting for approximately seven days. it had to be towed to the dealer where purchased where checked and jumped. i was told to not let the car sit idle. today i contacted toyota directly at 800-331-4221. i was given case # 1108121588. representatives were very professional and checked with toyota technicians for the 2009 prius. apparently, the car should not set for 4 to 5 days, (7 days at the outside) without being driven. concern: dealer and toyota do not mention this serious flaw. as a sole female driver in the household, i would no have purchased this car given this very pertinent information. it means that something as simple as taking this car to the airport for a trip is not a prudent possibility. trying to do a personal part to use less gas and lessen emissions comes with a serious and not stated safety issue. *tr

Re: 2009 toyota prius. approx. 23k miles. on sunday, august 14, 2011 we were driving at about 40 mph when without warning, the car completely shut down - all systems and all information displays. in spite of compromised steering and braking we were able to stop car. car was completely unresponsive other than being able to turn on hazard signal. vehicle was towed to a toyota dealer. dealer just informed us that the cause was a water pump failure which caused the car to go into a "safe" mode shutting down the car without any warning or time for the driver to find a safe response. upon questioning, the dealer also said this would also happen at higher speeds which in our opinion, could pose a life threatening situation not only for the operator but for those vehicles around him. further when asked, the dealer said it did not know if the failure of any other components would cause a similar shut-down. obviously, toyota's definition of "safe" mode is 180 degrees off and this is a system design flaw that needs to be addressed before it results in a tragedy (if it hasn't already done so). *tr

I was driving my 6-month old 2009 prius one summer day on a dry, paved, slightly downward incline when the following problem occurred. as i approached a traffic circle at about 5 mph and then applied the brakes, my car jumped forward for about a second and a gold light on the dash was briefly visible through my peripheral vision. because i was familiar with anti-lock braking systems, i think that i kept my foot on the brake pedal, though i may have reflexively released it in my startle. at any rate the car stopped a few feet later. thankfully there was no collision, largely due, i believe, to my habit of coasting to a stop when practical. however, this was a bit unnerving, and also since it was during the period of concern about toyota prius' unintended acceleration, i made a point of reporting it to my car dealer. i could not identify which dash light had flashed for a second. the dealer's response was that there was probably an uneven surface on the road that caused the problem. sure enough, there had been both a shallow pothole and a bit of gravel where the stopping problem occurred. however, i take issue with toyota's blaming road conditions for this problem when clearly the problem is that the car cannot respond appropriately even during very slow speeds. the problem hasn't recurred because i avoided the pothole afterward and never have to stop on a dime, pothole or no. i have had cars with anti-lock braking systems (abs) and never encountered this problem with them. therefore, imo toyota needs to improve the abs or the (then new) stability control feature on priuses, both of which my car has. in all of the hype about toyota cars' sustained unintended acceleration, i do not remember that this other event that i have described was also being addressed. how come? where are nhtsa, nasa, and toyota on this? *tr

My 2009 toyota prius brakes are faulty. the brakes do not respond properly, especially on slippery roads and on a decline. i took the car into the dealer in 10/2010 and they didn't find anything. i changed all 4 tires on the car in 2/2011 and still experienced the problem. i took the car into the dealer on 5/24/11 and again they did not find anything. they mentioned "abs system" and implied that i was experiencing the abs system kicking in. the problem is intermittent, and thus difficult to identify. but, i do notice the problem more frequently when it rains. *tr

While driving my 2009 toyota prius i hit a curb and then lost all steering. steering wheel turned completely 360 degrees without turning the wheels. we were about to drive on a mountain road with numerous turns and steep grades. i had the car towed to a toyota dealer who replaced the intermediate shaft and spiral cable sub assembly. i was researching the issue and found that toyota had a recall for this exact item in 2004,2005, and 2006. it seems that 2009 still has the problem. if i was travelling at any higher speed and lost all steering it would have been deadly.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that the fuel gauge would provide inaccurate readings of fuel levels. while driving 20 mph, the vehicle completely shut down without warning due to a bladder fuel tank problem. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who replaced the bladder fuel tank under warranty. the manufacturer was contacted who offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 43,000. the consumer stated toyota paid for the repair. however, the gas gauge continues to be inaccurate and the consumer is unable to put no more than six gallons of gas in the vehicle. also, at times, the vehicle would not shift into gear. updated 06/30/11

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that squirrels were able chew through the wiring and the fuse box from under the vehicle. in addition, the squirrels had also chewed through the plastic radiator cover and support panel for the fan and the abs warning light was illuminated as a result of the damages. the contact was concerned because there was no cover for the under the vehicle to prevent the squirrels or rodents from entering and damaging the vehicle. the contact stated that the failure was recurring. the failure mileage was 2,091 and the current mileage was 2,373.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius hybrid equipped with an aftermarket 10kw kit. the contact was driving 10 mph with the 10kw plugged in when it caught on fire causing the standard hybrid vehicle to become an electric vehicle. the electrical wiring caught on fire which was located in the rear passenger side of the vehicle near the tail light. the fire was extinguished by the contact and there were no injuries. the fire department was called but the fire had been extinguished by the time they arrived. a fire report was not filed and the vehicle was towed to a mechanic shop who was unable to repair the vehicle. an authorized dealer was then contacted and they stated that because the 10kw was an after market part, they would not provide any assistance. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 33,126.

While driving at night, the passenger headlamp assembly (every bulb, not just the main high-intensity bulb) went out. wiggling the connector at the back of the headlamp assembly when the headlamp gets in this condition does not fix the problem. i can get the assembly back in working condition by turning off the lights and turning them back on again. this is dangerous! when the light came back on again, it was slightly flickering at first and now seems dimmer than the driver side light. i have also had connector-related issues on the rear brake lights, where they go out at random times. turning the lights on and off does not work to get the brake light working again. i have to manually tighten the connector at the back of the brake light assembly to get the light working again. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle stalled and all warning lights illuminated. the contact was able to restart the vehicle but it stalled again. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who replaced the short engine block. the dealer stated that the piston rod was bent due to bad fuel in the vehicle. the failure mileage was approximately 19,800 and the current mileage was 20,500.

Good day, i am a 19 year police veteran for a medium size police department in alaska. i wanted to pass along on observation that myself and other officers are seeing in the field. specifically, we have noted that with the increase in icy conditions and increased vehicle collisions, that many of the smaller vehicles such as subaru's and toyota prius are not having their airbags activated. we have seen about a half dozen wrecks where the collision has caused the car to slam into a vehicle in front of it at a stop light or similar and the bumper doesn't touch the rear of the standing vehicle causing the airbag to deploy, however, the hood/engine compartment is crumpled. additionally, side curtain airbags are also not deploying on angled impacts. i do not know if you have had other observations of this but wanted awareness in case there is a trend in design or sensors. *tr

2009 toyota prius, car has had a bad fuel gauge , drove off the lot new and have had fuel tank replaced once. fuel gauge failed again this is the second time. dealer unable to repair, told me it was a design flaw and it could not be repaired, i am running out of gas and i can not use this new car on a long trip. i do not know and i am guessing on how much fuel i have. this is unsafe and uncalled for. running out of glass on freeway and it is dangerous. *tr

Braking ability decreases temporarily what appears to be a second or so while driving when applying brakes and going over a bump or small pothole. decreased braking ability while going over bumps/potholes appears to occur every time. the last time of occurrence it appeared that the car may have accelerated momentarily when initially braking and going over a very shallow small pothole.

I have a 2009 prius base with 42k miles. after placing the vehicle in park and waiting in the vehicle, it suddenly lurched forward about 1 or 2 inches and with enough force to shatter a light post. this seems a dangerous flaw. it happens frequently; after speaking with a repair shop, i was told this is normal for a prius and is part of the recharging design of the hybrid system. i was advised to use the parking brake whenever possible. this seems dangerous. *tr

I own a prius 2009. i was involved in an accident in which a truck run a red light, broadsided a vehicle at the intersection. this vehicle spun and hit the right front part of my car. the problem is that the driver airbag deployed about 2 min after the hit, but the airbag was torn and the inflation gas leaked into the cabin. the passenger bag was not deployed. i was alone in the car and was not injured. i have reported the incident to toyota. *tr

2009 toyota prius. s10 appropriate handling- letter from regarding toyota problems* tgw the consumer stated while driving at night, she noticed the dashboard lights glared in the windshield. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle was at a complete stop when it suddenly accelerated. the vehicle crashed into the brick wall although the driver was attempting to apply the brakes. the driver experienced severe whiplash, swelling in her chest, bruising on her ribs and shoulder. the air bags did not deploy. a police report was filed. there was no mention of the vehicle being destroyed. a few months prior to the failure the dealer performed an complete vehicle inspection and dealer stated that there was nothing wrong it. the manufacturer was not notified. the current and failure mileages were approximately 8,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that when the vehicle stopped it suddenly accelerated. the contact attempted to apply the brakes but the vehicle would not slow down causing the vehicle to crash into a wall. the crash the air bags did not deploy and the contact suffered injuries to the neck, knee, and chest. the contact called the manufacturer regarding the crash and the manufacturer stated that they wanted to inspect the vehicle. the contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe and does not want it repaired. the failure mileage was 9,000.

2009 toyota prius. consumer states problem with brakes *tgw the consumer stated on four occasions, when he applied the brakes, the vehicle would continue to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer after the third incident. however, the dealer was unable to diagnose a problem. *jb

2009 toyota prius. when braking the brakes would disengage temporarily causing the car to go faster. i have come real close to rear ending the car in front of me during adverse road conditions. i have driven for 35 years in snow and slick conditions and i know when a car isn't braking right. i always maintain a save distance and this is the only car that has done this. this scarier part is that this happens every time when braking if the road is at all slick. i took it to my local dealer to get it checked. after treating me like a total moron accusing me of not knowing how to drive they said they did do a thorough run through and didn't find any problems. *tr

Event: incomplete brake feel, during slow and steady application of brakes on slick or rough road surfaces, when the anti-lock brake system (abs) is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction. the system engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to the tire slippage. if the same brake force is applied under these conditions, in the worst case, this may lead to an increase of vehicle stopping distance and thus raise the possibility of a crash. toyota says that the older priuses, like mine, use a different abs system, and so are not subject to recall. but it seems like a similar issue. failure: whenever there is a slick, wet road. correction: i checked with the dealer, all systems were checked safe, tires' psi were adjusted, it was felt that there was some tire noise. incident continues intermittently. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that after putting his foot on the brake pedal the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front of him. there were no injuries and the police were not called. nhtsa campaign id number: 09v388000 vehicle speed control, accelerator pedal was issued after this incident and the recall repair was performed. the failure had not occurred since the recall repair. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 31,000 and the current mileage was 36,000.

Tl* the contact owned a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle abnormally accelerated at a rapid rate of speed. the contact was unable to stop the vehicle and crashed into a brick wall. the contact was uninjured. a police report was available. the vehicle was repaired by the dealer however, the contact did not feel safe driving the vehicle and traded the vehicle for another. she stated she had experienced numerous unintended acceleration incidents prior to the crash. the contact called the manufacturer who inspected the vehicle but offered no further assistance. the failure mileage was 20,001 and the current mileage was approximately 20,045.

2009 toyota prius was hit from behind and pushed into the vehicle in front. at no time did the seat belts catch nor did the airbags deploy. my daughter's face collided with the dashboard due to the seat belts not working and no airbag deployment. so far toyota says that there is nothing to fix, the car performed as it was designed to. *tr

While driving a 2009 toyota prius at 50-55 mph on a single lane highway outside of prescott az, the drive system suddenly shut down and no response was felt when depressing the accelerator pedal. lots of indicators came on and my wife was able to steer the car to the side of the road where there was just sufficient room for following traffic to go past. after spending a few minutes going through the owner's manual and finding no easy answer to explain this condition, we tried and were able to re-start the car. it must be noted that the fuel gauge when recently checked had indicated slightly less than 1/4 full and that we were proceeding up hill when the event happened. no add fuel indicator light nor low fuel alarm had occurred prior to this event. when the car was restarted it was on a more level but not flat surface. we proceeded on our travel with the flashers on and at a speed no higher than 30-35 mph. soon thereafter we did observe both an add fuel indicator light and then a flashing light on the fuel gauge itself. we stopped at the nearest gas station and added fuel. the next day we took the car in to the toyota dealer to have them look at the fuel gauge and electronically recorded history. the report showed that the car responded to an empty fuel tank by shutting if the engine and then the battery drive when its charge went too low (to protect the battery). we were told the this car has a bladder type fuel storage device and that it can act funny when it gets low. the car was checked out fine and returned to us with the words no wisdom to not let the car get too low on fuel. my concern is that the engine and drive systems shut down under high speed driving conditions without any low fuel warning indicators being activated. *tr

2009 toyota prius. consumer states problem with braking system *tgw the consumer stated when he applied the brakes to stop, he realized they did not engage and neither did the abs. the vehicle continued at the same slow speed finally coming to stop only after a truck sheared off the front license plate on the consumers vehicle. there was no other damage to the vehicle. *jb

When at a complete stop at a stop light our 2009 prius tried to accelerate on its own and my husband had to stand on the brakes to keep it from moving forward. toyota was able to get info off their black box showing both the accelerator and brakes were applied at the same time. we keep hoping they are researching this problem but their call this week (after reporting this about 90 days ago and 2 black box downloads at the dealership) says it was driver error since they couldn't duplicate it and their engineers say it is within normal operating range. toyota rep "l" says toyota is not releasing how many unintentional acceleration issues they have had since it is proprietary information and that they will not discuss other trends or cases they are not looking for trends between reports only downloading each individual car's info not looking at what is written in the complaint. she says toyota and your government can't find anything which means it must be safe. safe? we have not let our kids ride in this car for over 6 months as we hoped a solution would come up from toyota but now we just really need info to know what is really going on with these vehicles and how many accidents there really are. the toyota rep on the phone says they have never duplicated a customer concern and that ours is unusual because people usually report right away and after an accident. i had asked how busy they are since it took so loooong to respond and she stated she takes about 2-5 calls a day, but previously had been taking 10-15 per day and there are about 40 people in her position. how many issues are there and is this a big deal about nothing or a big coverup? we just want to make a good decision for our family please help! *tr

My 2009 toyota prius, since i first purchased it april 2009, the anti-lock brakes seem to fail. when i brake and hit a bump in the road the anti-lock brakes engage and release the brakes. it feels as if i am sliding on ice. i discussed this with the toyota dealer last month, who dismissed this as normal anti-lock brake activity. i feel these cars need to be recalled and repaired. *tr

I was involved in 2 identical accidents over the past 6 months with the same car, a 2009 toyota prius. in december '09 i was making a right turn to pull into a parking spot. i was completely in the spot and went to come to a full stop when my 2009 toyota prius suddenly accelerated and crashed into a car. then again on june 21, 2010, i was making a right turn into a parking spot and the same car suddenly accelerated as i went to come to a full stop in the parking spot. this time the car jumped the curb and went through a chain link fence. both times i was making a right turn into the spot, both times i was braking and both times the car accelerated as i went to come to a full stop. the dec '09 accident was reported to the police, the june'10 accident was not. *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 driving at 35 mph approaching an intersection, the contact depressed the brake pedal but when the vehicle went over a bump in the road, it did not slow down. the contact had to apply more pressure to the brakes to slow the vehicle down. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. the failure occurred again after the contact picked up the vehicle from the dealership. the failure mileage was approximately 11,400. the current mileage was 11,634.

I own and drive a 2009 toyota prius, and i have noticed a lapse in braking while braking on rough roads. this goes back to dec. 2009, shortly after i purchased the vehicle. on my current commute, i'm noticing this lapse in braking almost daily. *tr

Toyota 2009 prius loses brakes temporarily when going over bumps in the road. *tr

Inconsistent brake feel on rough or wet surfaces. though brake pedal is depressed, brakes don't feel like they are engaging properly, it feels like a violent shudder. recently, on wet pavement i narrowly avoided hitting the car in front of me when i had to stop suddenly and the brakes took much too long to stop the vehicle. *tr

It is a recurring incident/problem with my 2009 toyota prius. braking at the same time one is going over a bump in the road or during intermittent slippery conditions. when braking at the same time the car is going over a moderately abrupt bump or parkinglot driveway entrance the anti-lock braking engages but there appears to be delay - possibly in connection with the switching from the regenerative brake mechanism - causing the sensation that the brakes have failed for about 1 second or 2 - quite a disconcerting feeling and concern that is potentially dangerous if the same road conditions were present during a panic stop. during intermittent slippery conditions - e.g. snow over the road, partially plowed snow or icy conditions - the anti-lock braking/traction control is over-active, cutting power abruptly to one wheel then the other causing a whipping action from side-to-side. this ranges from annoying to terrifying including one incident that the car spun out 3 times on one section of a rural snowy road - fortunately no on-coming traffic was present and the car did not go into the ditch. when the dealer was asked about these tendencies they stated that this was normal - so no adjustment to a part or software has been able to be made. *tr

2009 prius model1220 a 2 experiences where car seemed to "surge" when brakes applied in traffic. only lasted seconds but disconcerting. abs did engage initially (felt pulsing). took car to dealership 5/17 after first episode. nothing found wrong; tech could not duplicate problem. had second experience 5/21. *tr

2009 prius, on three occasions i experienced a slight hesitation in the braking of this car. i emailed toyota about the problem on 2/15/2010, and bib not receive a answer until 5/10/2010. i made an appointment with the local dealership before i received their answer on 5/10. the local dealer said they did not find a problem or any brake error on the computer. why should it take so long to answer my email and i still have no solution to my braking troubles. *tr

Going over pot holes it feels like the brakes skip. it occurs almost every time i go over a hole of some sort and apply the brake. i asked toyota to double check that the abs brakes were working correctly. toyota says its normal and that the abs system works by momentarily interrupting the braking force to prevent a skit and the resulting loss of control. *tr

When braking on a bumpy surface, the car brakes seem to disengage for a second and the car shoots forward. the last time this happened i was going down a hill at an intersection and the car went around the corner much faster than i would have liked. *tr

Rust in the bottom frame of prius. *tr

I depressed the brake pedal suddenly going about 35 mph to avoid a car stopped in front of me. the brake didn't "catch" immediately, delaying stopping time and forcing me to swerve off the road to avoid a collision. the brake problem has occurred before, approx. once a week. the dealer told me its due to the transition between battery and gas engine and there's no remedy. *tr

2009 toyota prius. consumer states unintended acceleration. *tgw the consumer stated as she made a u-turn to park, she moved the gear shifter from reverse to drive when the accelerator became stuck and the vehicle went forward despite the fact she was pressing on the brake and the vehicle did not stop until she ended up in a ditch. *jb updated 05/05/10.*jb

2009 prius - on two occasion recently when i went to make a right turn my steering froze and the engine died. i almost hit a car. i have had it into piercy toyota on two occasion and they still have not found anything. i am afraid to drive the car. it only ha 3000 miles on it. they have been nice, but no results. if the car is doing this now and they cannot find it what happens next. not satisfied with there answer. i need your help. *tr

On 4/05/2010 as i was driving west on galbraith road i was headed downhill to a red light and applying my brake to slow down for the light. as i was slowing the road became extremely bumpy and my brakes all of a sudden felt like i was sliding or floating even though i had the pedal depressed. with my stomach in my throat i lifted my foot off the pedal and reapplied. it then began to slow again. i thought i was mistaken. on 4/12 at 9:30 am as i was leaving my house i was headed down the hill. i was braking to maintain my speed. i hit some bumps in the road and all of a sudden it felt like car was not slowing although i had the brake depressed. with my stomach in my throat, i removed my foot and re depressed the brake and it was fine. i decided i needed to call toyota. however when i got to the bottom of my condo complex and was making the right turn out i had my foot on my brake to control my turn, the same thing happened when i hit the bump out of here and i over corrected my turn with my heart in my throat and i hit a small retaining wall gashing the passenger side of my car and ripping open my rear tire. my car is currently on a toyota lot awaiting my insurance adjuster before toyota will repair or inspect the vehicle. *tr

I was moving toward a stop sign and slowing as usual. the road is level and it was dry. suddenly there seemed to be no braking and the next thing i knew i had been hit by a truck traveling at right angles from my left. i apparently went through the stop sign. i brought the car to a stop safely at the side of the road to check on the truck which had swerved into a fence. the driver of the truck was cut by glass. my car had the bumper and grill torn off and unibody bent. this was a brake failure. unlike some reports, the road was not rough. this was a low speed failure. another few feet and my driver's door would have been hit and i could have been seriously injured. *tr

2009 toyota prius - unintended acceleration. on this vehicle, uncontrolled acceleration can be reproduced at will. i called toyota and they are treating it as yet another crank call, service manager advised to remove floor mat and bring in later in week. i would hate to see it swept under the carpet like other recent complaints. *tr

2009 toyota prius with 15000 miles. when i step on the brake (going less thank 30 mph) they slip for no reason. it was a nice sunny day, temps in the high 70s. i was in the process of making a right turn and the brakes slipped for a few seconds. the yellow light comes on the dash board showing traction control coming on. this happened coming down a small hill to a intersection , it happens with out warning and for no reason, the brakes were just checked and i was told they are ok from the local dealer. it seems to be happening more often. *tr

I was driving my newly purchased 2009 toyota prius (vin# [xxx]) on rt 66 in arlington virginia on march 31, 2010. i was driving approximately 50-60 miles per hour and accelerating. i took my foot off the accelerator to slow the car and the car kept accelerating. i then depressed the brake, but the car did not slow, and in fact i heard what sounded like the engine ¿gunning¿ and it continued to accelerate. i pressed the brake down as far as it would go and while the car slowed its acceleration, it did not slow or stop the car. as soon as i lifted my foot from the brake, the car began to accelerate again and i could hear the engine racing. i pressed the brake again, and the same thing happened ¿ the car slowed its acceleration, but did not slow its overall speed. as soon as i lifted my foot from the brake, the car accelerated. i did this three times, becoming increasingly afraid. i then jammed my foot hard on the brake and pulled off onto the side of the highway. i turned the car off, and it finally stopped. i sat there for a few moments, then turned the car back on and got back onto the highway. as soon as i got up to highway speeds, the same thing happened again ¿ the car accelerated on its own and the brake would not stop the car. i pulled over a second time and turned the car off as the only was i could find to stop it. i turned the car on again, and this time was able to reach my destination with no more incidents. i reported the problem to the carmax dealer from whom it was purchased and have been on hold to report this directly to toyota for over 30 minutes, but have been unable to get through. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Fax on behalf of re a safety concern related to their 2009 toyota prius; respond attn caroline/nyc office. *tgw four days after purchasing the vehicle, the consumers wife was heading down a gentle incline toward a traffic light at an intersection shortly after a light snowfall, the street was wet, but there was no ice on the road. as she braked to slow down, she noticed there was no deceleration and continued to press down on the brake pedal to no avail. to avoid crashing into other cars, she veered sharply to the right into a curb and came to a stop. the vehicle sustained extensive damage to the wheel, axle and undercarriage. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and after the inspection, the consumer was informed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. the dealer implied the consumers wife must have applied the brakes incorrectly and was not accustomed to abs. a few months later on another wet rainy day, there was a similar incident of brake failure. *jb

Petition for safety recall of any vehicle without a single function, directly acting, fail -safe, off switch or button. *tgw document added and scanned into the system ref: petition for investigation of dtcs and missing dtcs (toyota) *tgw

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving approximately 55 mph across the railroad tracks, the brakes would release momentarily before being reapplied. the contact also experienced the identical failure after driving over a pothole. the failure occurred about two hundred times. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the contact had not called the manufacturer when the complaint was filed. the current mileage was approximately 33,000. the failure mileage was approximately 10.

When braking on the prius if you hit a pothole the car loses traction and skips ove the pothole. loss of feeling for the control of the vehicle of a second or two. it happens every time when braking and hiting a pothole or manhole

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated to 60 mph after he applied pressure to the accelerator pedal at a traffic light. the driver was able to stop the vehicle and drive onto the emergency lane where the vehicle was left overnight. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but no repairs were made when the complaint was filed. the failure mileage was approximately 18,000. the current mileage was 18,224.

2009 toyota prius. consumer states extraordinary experience with brake/acceleration problems. *tgw the consumer stated while waiting for her husband, she put the vehicle in park mode. she then decided to return to the front entrance of the building. she put the gear into reverse and let the vehicle go at its own speed. she stated she never touched the accelerator, but as she was about to turn the wheel to go through the front entrance, the vehicle then accelerated quickly. the consumer quickly put her foot on the brake, but they didn't work. she quickly turned the steering wheel to the right to avoid hitting a pedestrian. she ran over 2 trees, which brought the vehicle to a stop. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that on eight different occasions, the vehicle suddenly lost power. when the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle did not respond and speed up. at times, it would eventually increase in speed and then immediately stall thereafter. the failure mileage was approximately 17,000. the current mileage was approximately 20,000.

Re: 2009 prius > upon arrival at church, engine would not shut off. returned home, engine would not shut off. could not remove 'key' from slot. about 2 hours later, car could be shut off. > called dealer and explained. dealer said 'this has never happened, we will get back to you' which did not happen. since then, there have been several times that the power switch had to be pressed several times to make the car shut off. > this is a very dangerous situation in the event of a crash or stuck accelerator. dot should require manufacturers to use a conventional key switch to allow the driver to shut off the engine. *tr

This is extremely urgent! i own a 2009 toyota prius with no floor mats in it at all and the gas pedal stuck once a few days before the driver in california(2008 prius)was stuck speeding on highway and stopped by police. after seeing that story, i was compelled to share my story. toyota refused to help me saying my year wasn't in recall list. it happen the same way it happen to him in calif. i was accelerating on highway to pass driver and it stuck for 20 seconds then unstuck. i slammed on brakes which didn't help much. i started going upwards to 70 mphs with braked to the floor. there were no floor mats in car at the time. i'm afraid i will be the next prius that may cause accident or even kill someone. please help! toyota refuses to see my car! i don't know what to do...maybe i should go to the news. i'm scared! *tr

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 rented a 2009 toyota prius. while driving at speeds of 40 mph up hill, the vehicle abnormally accelerated and crashed into an 18-wheel truck. the driver sustained a broken leg and was transported to the hospital via helicopter. the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged and was towed back to the rental car company. the contact secured legal council to handle the matter. the failure mileage was 12,299 and the current was unknown.

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

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 2 mph in reverse, the contact shifted the vehicle into drive and noticed that the vehicle was still reversing. the vehicle was then shifted back into reverse and then back into drive before the vehicle would drive forward. the failure has occurred on three different occasions the vehicle had not been diagnosed by the dealer. he contact also stated that when pressing the start button the vehicle would not start. the brake light also illuminates on the instrument panel even though the brakes are not engaged. the failure mileage was 5000 and the current mileage was 10000.

Previous to the accident at the 5,000 mile check up i had reported to the toyota dealer that the car would sometimes jump forward when the engine transitioned from electric to gas mode. they assured me that this was normal. on february 4th at 1035 i was stopped at an intersection behind a large van. the car was in the electric mode when the gas mode kicked in and the engine raced up and the car lunged forward striking the van in front of me. there was no damage the van, the front of my car was damaged. i called the police. the van driver had a disabled passenger and left as there was no damage to his vehicle. the police arrived and i explained that my car had for some reason lunged forward striking the other vehicle. since no one was injured he wasn't required to take a statement from me the next day february 5th i took my car to the toyota dealership for my 10,000 mile check up and again explained about the car lunging forward during the transition from electric to gas mode. no action taken other than assuring me that this normal. on march 4th while sitting at another intersection the car again lunged forward for about 6 feet before the full depression of the brake caused the engine rpm to come down and the car to stop. at this time i called and spoke to the general manager of the toyota dealership and he said to bring the vehicle out to the dealership and they would run a full set of tests. on march 10 i returned the vehicle to the toyota dealership and they kept the vehicle overnight and returned to me the next day march 11, 2010. according to the maintenance chief there was nothing in the tests that indicated any problems. unsatisfactory answers each time i have complained about the problem, now my car is damaged and toyota says everything is fine, i think not. *tr

I have a 2009 prius. the issue that i experience which is giving me concern is that when i'm pressing on the brake and i pass over a bump or rough terrain or something, all of a sudden, i feel the braking to stop and the car seemingly accelerate or lurch forward and the slippery road indicator signal (sorry i don't know what it's called) will pop up for a second. *tr

2009 toyota prius: when driving over pot-holes, bumps, or uneven patches of road at all different speeds, the car's "traction light" will flash and the car will momentarily surge forward. it seems at this time that the brakes also temporarily lose power. this happens several times a week. this worries me as i feel this could lead to car accidents or put pedestrians in danger. spoke with many other prius owners and they report the same problem. contacted the dealership where i bought the car and the service manager told me this was a "normal function" of the abs. i still feel this is a safety issue that is not being properly addressed. i've driven many other cars with abs and none of them behaved this erratically. *tr

I have a 2009 toyota prius and the brakes sporadically don't work/respond when i got uneven road, hit a pot hole, or corner. it doesn't last long. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 70 mph with the cruise control engaged the contact applied the brakes and noticed that the cruise control would not disengage.the contact had to apply the brakes three times in order for the cruise control to disengage. the manufacturer was called and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealership. the contact stated that the failure with the cruise control was directly related to the sudden acceleration with his toyota vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 6,200.

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while the vehicle was traveling at a speed of 60 mph the vehicle suddenly shut off without warning and would not restart. the vehicle was towed to the dealership who stated that the failure could not be reproduced. the failure occurred twice prior to the recent failure. the vin was unavailable. the current and failure mileages were 20,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while the contact was driving 75 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated. in order to stop the acceleration the contact had to apply the brakes and shift the vehicle into neutral gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the cause of the failure could not be determined. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 15000 and the current mileage was 18000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated as she was driving there was unintended acceleration which happen twice. to stop the vehicle she had to pull to the side of the road or run the vehicle into the curb. the dealer was called and stated she can bring the vehicle in for them to take a look but there is no fix for the failure. the toyota manufacturer was called and they stated there is no fix and gave her a claim number. the failure mileage was 25,000.

My 2009 toyota prius was stopped at a traffic light when it suddenly lurched forward. my foot was on the brake at the time. i brought my car to my toyota dealer, where they inspected it and told me that they couldn't tell me why it happened. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) several electronic malfunctions, all occurring when my blue tooth is connected. some inadequately shielded wiring or connector(s) could account for this. i saw in the congressional testimony by a lady in a lexus used her blue tooth connection to call her husband during the 6 minutes of struggle to stop her car's out of control acceleration by various methods including both feet onn the brake. i have a 2009 toyota prius that the dealer says is working "normal." these events have not been normal, and on one occasion my energy screen that was doing wierd things actually changed to the speed dial screen. in another incident, (smart key feature is disabled because it drains the battery) i locked the car with my key fob as usual, and when i returned could not unlock it that way and had to dig out the "key" to open the door so i could start the car. my battery has died 3 times and was finally replaced. i bought this prius touring march 26, 2009. the dealer has no idea of what's going on, only tells me the car is "normal." i suspect something so simple as shielding from the weak blue tooth signal could well be causing a variety of problems, probably depending on where the faulty wiring is located. if nobody is investigating this, iit is a mistake!. [xxx] *tr

I was driving my 2009 toyota prius, exiting the staten island expressway and as i approached the intersection the light began to turn yellow and i tried to stop (the road surface was uneven). when i put my foot on the brake the car lurched forward into the intersection so i had to go though the red light and i was lucky that the oncoming traffic hadn't begun to move yet. *tr

2009 toyota prius. consumer expresses discontent due to a break in of his vehicle. consumer questions the smart key keyless/wireless entry design. *tgw

Collapse of fuel bladder cause the prius to run out of fuel with 2 gallons of gas in the vehicle while on freeway. caused towing to dealership. when fuel was added to car only 8.9 gallons could be added to a reported 10.9 gallon tank capacity. *tr

I have a 2009 prius that is not a part of the "braking/traction" recall, however i've experienced the same exact problem from day one of driving the vehicle. on wet or uneven surface the traction control kicks in and car seems to lose power in the brake and accelerator for a few seconds and it is not possible to control the vehicle. in other words, you should be able to either brake and prevent a bad situation or accelerate your way out, and neither are possible for a few seconds. this happens nearly every day on the 2009 prius. looking at consumer blogs, it is obvious this has been a consistent problem with the prius, and not just the 2010 model. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact was driving approximately 2 mph into a parking space with pressure applied to the brake pedal. the vehicle slowed down, followed by an unexpected acceleration. the vehicle crashed into a handicap parking pole. there were no injuries. there was a separate occasion when the gear selector failed to shift into reverse gear or park position. the failure occurred intermittently vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. the technician stated that the vehicle was functioning properly. the vehicle has not been repaired at this time. the failure mileage was 36,000.

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

My 2009 toyota prius has had occasional bursts of energy and jolts forward on is own. luckily i was in "park" each time it happened. i wasn't even pushing the gas pedal. it was a very sudden thing, i had no warning. it's definitely not a floor mat issue. now i'm afraid to drive it. the last time this happened was approximately a month ago, i asked if there was recall for my car, and the dealer said no. what's making me worry now is the story on the news about a "runaway" prius. i thank you in advance for anything you can do to help. *tr

I just bought a 2009 prius & there are so many issues with unexpected acceleration & vehicle not going into park or reverse just stops in neutral, i was at a heb sore trying to park, all of a sudden my car sped up an hit a pole in front of me, i was trying to park, with my foot on break, so as to slow down, yesterday i had my wife drive the prius & the car suddenly stopped would not go into reverse or drive, that was very dangerous then they pull into a target parking lot i had to drive out there to meet them, it took almost 1hr & 3mins to get the car in reverse, off course i called my toyota sales guy this being the third time i have reported this incident & the keep down playing it saying there is nothing wrong, not really looking into it. *tr

We rented a 2009 prius when we were in las vegas. we almost got into a collision in the parking lot of a casino when someone pulled out in front of me all of a sudden. i pressed on the brake pedal as hard as a could and the car did not want to stop. i t was if the pedal was pushing on air. it did not go down as expected and the car barely came to a stop. this happened well before all the recalls with gas pedals sticking and such. i think that the sudden application of the brake pedal might of locked up the cylinder. the effect was similar to trying to push on a shock absorber really fast. they lock up and don't move very much. i am no small person 6'-2" and 285 lbs. and i was stomping on it ! *tr

2009 toyota goes forward when i put it in reverse. i apply brakes, try again, and it goes into reverse, sometimes after two tries. toyota service here claims they can't reproduce this. i don't believe them. it doesn't do this every time, but most times. afraid to parallel park. have you heard this one? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving approximately 65 mph on a cold day, the vehicle accelerated up to 108 mph. the contact stated that the accelerator pedal was stuck. the vehicle was placed in neutral gear in order to stop it from accelerating. the vehicle did not crash and there were no injuries. the failure mileage was approximately 10,000 miles and the current mileage was 11,000. updated 03/24/10 *bf upated 07/07/10.*jb

S10 appropriate handling re toyota brake problem fm owner of a 2009 toyota prius. *kb four days after purchasing the vehicle, the consumers wife was heading down a gentle incline toward a traffic light at an intersection shortly after a light snowfall, the street was wet, but there was no ice on the road. as she braked to slow down, she noticed there was no deceleration and continued to press down on the brake pedal to no avail. to avoid crashing into other cars, she veered sharply to the right into a curb and came to a stop. the vehicle sustained extensive damage to the wheel, axle and undercarriage. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and after the inspection, the consumer was informed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. the dealer implied the consumers wife must have applied the brakes incorrectly and was not accustomed to abs. a few months later on another wet rainy day, there was a similar incident of brake failure. *jb

Tl*the contact owns 2010 toyota prius. while driving 25 mph in the rain or turning a corner the tire warning light illuminated and the brakes would not engage. she will take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. the failure mileage was 250. the current mileage was 900.

1. after turning off cruise control, vehicle accelerated on its own up to 95m.p.h. until i was finally able to get it stopped by pressing the brakes to the floor. after getting the vehicle pulled over to the side of the interstate, there was a lot of smoke coming from the front brake pads. i restarted the vehicle in an attempt to get it off the interstate for further inspection. as i exited the highway, i turned the vehicle onto the off ramp but the vehicle did not turn and drove us directly into the guard rail. i contacted toyota and they have denied there was anything wrong with the vehicle and dismissed my complaint. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. he stated that while driving at low speeds less then 5 mph when braking and going over a slight bump on the road the brakes disengaged momentarily. the failure occurred frequently and continued to do so whenever he drove on an uneven road. the dealer has not been notified. no repairs were made to the vehicle. he also stated that he does own another vehicle experiencing the same brake failure. the failure mileage was 2 and the current mileage was 27000.

I keep hearing about prius brake problems on 2010 models but my 2009 has the same problem. i read this in an article online and realized that my 2009 model has the braking problem as the 2010 model. article: "going downhill and approaching a stop sign. my foot is steady on the brake and i am gradually coming to a stop. then, i inadvertently go over a bump in the road and the prius lunges forward. i had to immediately slam hard on the brakes in order to keep the car from going into the intersection. fortunately, there was no car or person in front of me as i was stopping." *tr

Multiple issues with 2009 prius. first: loss of air pressure in front left tire from time i picked up the vehicle to present. i continually need to put air in the tire, usually on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. the other tires are fine. second: for the same tire, the tire pressure light would not be triggered until ~23 pounds, should have been triggered in same tire at 33 lbs. third: vehicle would not stop when applying pressure on brakes at slow speed. this has occurred about 6 times in a 6 month period. simultaneously, the vsc light went on and the slid indicator went on. the terrain was on either asphalt or concrete roads, slightly downhill (concrete) and one street is a bit rough (filled in pot holes). also, both areas are within a quarter mile of each other and near the ocean. with each occurrence the vsc went into effect. on 11/21/09 it jolted hard much more than the other occasions; this date was the incident on the bridge when the car was going in a slight downward direction. i lost control of the vehicle for several seconds and was afraid that i would hit the car in front of me; i beeped my horn to warn the driver in front of me. my vehicle did stop in time but it took alot longer than it should have taken. on a later occasion, i was going about 5-10 mph faster on a nearby street and attempted to stop for a stop sign and it did the same thing, however the vsc did not jolt back as hard. the vehicle was not angled down as much as the 11/21/09 incident. on 11/21/09 i took the vehicle to cabe toyota dealership and they looked at the car but found nothing wrong with it. i also had the car looked at by toyota corp today and was told that the driver feels that i felt the abs brakes only. this is not the case. when i stepped on the brakes each occasion it was as though there was nothing there and i had no control in stopping it. this was especially true when the vsc kicked in (the jerking). each time it lasted many, several or more seconds. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact was driving approximately 25 mph on an uneven road. suddenly, when pressure was applied to the brake pedal there was a temporary delay of braking power. the vehicle was able to continue in normal operation. the failure occurred whenever encountering an uneven road surface. the vehicle has not been inspected for the malfunction. the failure mileage was 28,000.

I have had more than 10 occasions of braking problems with my 2009 prius. most recently, in january 2010, but also prior to that. after the last problem, i called the local dealership to see if a brake recall existed but was told "no" only recall for floormats on my model. the issue has occurred on pavement and gravel road, in school zone, traveling at less than 20 mph. when slowly pulling up to stop sign and applying even break pressure the car will suddenly come to a jolting stop before the anticipated stop. all the kids in the car look at me like i'm crazy for making their heads suddenly hit the back of the seat. fortunately, no one has been driving closely behind me during these abrupt stops. i am very familiar with the feel of this vehicle, as this is my 3rd prius and i drive many miles. *tr

Automatic prius 2009 sometimes even though i shift to a new gear it sticks. so if i went in reverse and shifted out so that i should now go forward, the car goes in reverse. this happened the opposite way too. it has happened at least once a month. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 5 mph toward a stop sign and applying the brakes, the vehicle failed to stop. the traction control light illuminated as soon as she removed her foot from the brake pedal. when the light was not illuminated, the brakes functioned normally. the failure mileage was 50. the current mileage was 33,000.

Braking issues with a 2009 toyota prius model. under rough road condition the brake system does not seem to engage immediately causing a overrun of the distance needed for the vehicle to stop. *tr

We bought a 2009 prius on 2/14/09. on 2/18/09 while driving 25mph on a local road during light snowfall, the brakes failed. to avoid hitting the car in front of her, my wife steered into the curb sustaining extensive damage to the wheel, axle, and undercarriage. the car was towed to our local toyota dealership. they found nothing wrong with the braking system and maintained the accident was her fault. a few months later we experienced another brake failure incident, this time without any accident as we were traveling at a slow speed and were able to decelerate by turning up an empty incline. again the dealership maintains there is no problem. since they can't find anything wrong with the brakes when they test them, they say there is nothing to fix. we speculate that there is a computer software problem, but toyota is not yet acknowledging that this is the case for the 2009 model. *tr updated 04/19/10

On a daily basis, my 2009 toyota prius loses control, skids, (the traction light goes on), fishtails and has brake failures on ice and snow. when i hit potholes or big bumps, the car accelerates and i have to quickly brake. the northbrook toyota service manager drove it today. the car lost control, skidded, the traction light went on, it fishtailed, and the brakes failed on the ice and snow. his comment was "that's the way the car is. it doesn't drive well on ice and snow". we couldn't find a good pothole for the car to demonstrate the acceleration today. i was told by an automechanic that works on our other cars that the 2009 and 2010 prius have problems with their brakes. presently there is no recall for the 2009 prius. i am afraid i am going to kill someone at an intersection when i can't stop. yesterday i had 2 catholic nuns in the car and the car failed to turn left at an intersection, almost fishtailing into an embankment before it righted itself. a lexus suv behind me almost hit me while trying to avoid me. i am hoping that no lives will be lost, or severe injuries occur, before these problems are acknowledged by toyota and fixed. *tr

2009 toyota prius issue: dealership: there has been no response/recommendation despite multiple voicemails and email dated 2/6/10 to [email protected]. toyota: awaiting response from toyota case manager after two phone calls, once on 2/9/10 and one on 2/10/10. summary: 1. i want to bring to your notice that i experienced a sticking accelerator problem several weeks back, while pulling out of the driveway, when the car was moving in reverse and would not stop despite the brake being pumped a few times. the car was finally brought to a stop by pressing the power button for an extended period. i do not have any additional floor mats in the car, besides whatever was available with the basic package. 2. when braking on puddles/pot-holes the car seems to stall and the orange light turns on. *tr

Loss of engine power in 2009 toyota prius. when accelerating into traffic in wet or low traction conditions every time one of the front wheels looses traction, the engine abruptly goes to idle for 3 seconds and the car severely decelerates. only by removing your foot completely from the gas pedal and reapplying throttle will the car start going again. this extreme over-reaction of the traction control system is very dangerous in traffic. this over-reaction is most pronounced if turning to the right when a front wheel starts to slip. there should be a way to turn off the traction control system manually. *tr

When putting the prius into park and shutting off the car, it rolls back every time. putting on the emergency brake helps but it still rolls. also putting the car into neutral (ie going through a automated car wash) the car does not stay in neutral, it pops out and is very hard to put back into neutral. *tr

2009 toyota prius, brakes do not hold on uneven pavement or icy roads. you lose contact with the road which is very dangerous. the first time i noticed the icy road problem was november 2008, and the uneven lane/washboard road problem was in the summer of 2009. it was mentioned to the dealership but since they could not duplicate the problem no repairs were made. *tr

2009 toyota prius my 2009 exhibits similar braking issues to those being recalled on the 2010. at least weakly during slow braking over a bump, pothole, or damp surface, the "slip" indicator comes on and the car lurches forward for approximately one second. *tr

I was sitting on a road in traffic with my car running but in park because i was waiting for a train to pass before proceeding. the car jumped forward when the vehicle changed fuel modes from the electric engine to the gas engine. i almost hit the person in front of me. when i contacted the dealership service department and had them check the car they told me this was normal. no one ever informed me of this when i bought the car. this is a hazard in the above situation as well as if people have their cars in their garage and running or in a number of other situations. *tr

2009 prius (not 2010). when applying brakes on bumpy surface, brakes will momentarily stop working. occurs all the time. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while approaching an intersection the contact tried to apply the brakes and stop the vehicle. the contact stated that he was driving approximately 15 miles per hour when the brakes did not engage. the contact crashed into a vehicle in front of him. the vin was not available. the failure mileages were 7,000. the current mileages were 21,000.

I keep hearing about the momentary loss of braking on the 2010 toyota prius. however, i have encountered the same problem on my 2009 prius. when passing over a slick, bumpy, or icy surface, i experience a momentary loss of braking, and a warning light that looks like a car skidding comes on for less than a second. this generally occurs at slow speeds, but has occurred at speeds up to 25-30 mph. *tr

I have the exact same problem with my 2009 prius as described below. i have had it into the dealer 3 times and have gotten no satisfaction. i have had 4 friends with prius cars drive mine and they all agree that my car's steering is bad. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/17/financial/f012558s46.dtl smaller, less-expensive vehicles such as the 2009 and 2010 corolla use electric-assist power steering. they are usually equipped with power steering systems that are aided by a small electric motor, a system known as electric-assist steering. the motor essentially helps align the steering wheel with the movement of the tires. the system is cheaper to install than steering systems that rely on hydraulics. problems can arise if the motor is out of sync with the steering wheel, which could potentially cause the vehicle to wander without any turning of the wheel, he said. "car companies work on it a lot," said jim de clerck, a professor in the michigan technological university's mechanical engineering department and a former general motors engineer. "it is a pretty well-known customer-satisfaction issue." *tr

While driving on a wet city road, the car in front of me stopped abruptly. when i applied my brakes, my car was over railroad tracks. initially the brakes didn't respond and my car didn't slow down. i didn't hear anti-lock or other brake noises. after a 2-3 second delay, the brakes began to work normally. had the brakes delayed much longer, i may have collided with car in front of me. i have about 6,000 miles on the car, and this is the only incident when the brakes didn't respond as expected. *tr

The car in front of me slammed on the brakes and i followed suite. however, as had happened in many occasions before the brakes were delayed for a second or two and the light showing that the care is slipping came on. as usual it felt as if i was sliding on ice although there was none. i don't know if i could have stopped in time but the delay was definitely a factor. *tr

I was driving a 2009 toyota prius and came to a stop at a friend's garage. all of a sudden the car accelerated forward, it hit an old fir tree and a brick wall. i checked and the floor mat was in the same position it always was. a friend pushed the fender back into place and the toyota dealer buffed out the scratches. i have contacted the dealer several times about checking out the accelerator. but they always tell me that i have to wait for a letter. i am very nervous about driving this vehicle and am having nightmares about this incident. *tr

I bought my 2009 prius in april 2009. i have been having the same brake slipping problem that the 2010's are being recalled for. i have had my car to the dealership three times to have this problem addressed. each time it was no fault found and "gosh these brakes are complicated and you would have an idiot light go off if there was a problem". i am feeling very unsafe with this vehicle and want to know when my software will be updated. *tr

Three events describe safety incidents concerning the brakes in my 2009 prius; 1) descending a ramp onto rock creek pkwy at calvert street, washington, dc, where road flattened out, car in front stopped abruptly on a dry surface. i responded quickly, applying the brake with hard, lasting pressure.the car slowed but not to match the pressure on the brakes i was applying--i had the pedal to the floor. the car coasted smoothly, seemingly slowly to a stop, terrifyingly about 1 inch from the stopped car. the brakes did not grip sufficiently but miraculously i avoided a crash. 2) at times when i go over a bump in my prius and hit the brakes, the car "kicks" and jumps to the right or to the left or a bit ahead. this is not an unusual occurrence and happens mostly on dry road surfaces 3) i was descening a very slight incline on a city street--reno road. the road was partially damp from a shower an hour or two before, but not puddle. i was going about 28 mph. the car ahead stopped abruptly because the traffic light at tilden turned yellow. i hit the brakes and the rear of the car bucked a bit and then slid into the left lane. luckily there was no one in that lane and i was able to regain my position in the lane in which i'd been traveling. 15 seconds earlier and i would have hit someone in the left lane. nb--on this form i am not sure i chose the right type of brakes. i have regular prius 2009 brakes in my car and i do not know if they are known as hydraulic brakes. *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

When driving my 2009 prius in either wet or snowy conditions, i've noticed that the car "skips"/doesn't hold the braking when i apply my foot steadily to the brake pedal. i've noticed this in wet conditions from the time of purchase, in june 2009, and again more recently in snow. i've wound up not driving the prius when the roads are either wet or snowy now, but obviously have been caught in these conditions when rain or snow started while i was on the road. it is not a safe feeling to feel the car slipping. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact was driving approximately 20 mph. whenever encountering a bump or pothole in the road the vehicle began to operate uncontrollably with an illumination of the warning light indicator. also, the failure occurred while making a sharp turn. the vehicle was taken to a dealer regarding the failure. the contact stated that the malfunction could cause a potential crash. the failure mileage was 20,000. updated 3/8/10 *cn the consumer stated the yellow brake system warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost traction momentarily. updated 05/11/10.*jb

I live on a dirt road 2 miles long with 1 mile uphill. i bought my new 2009 prius on march 10th 2009 and on march 12th could not drive out. going up the hill when ever the drive wheel slipped the traction control would brake the wheel until, with many brief braking, the prius came to a stop. i was unable to go forward and had to back down the hill till i could find a place to turn around. this created a very dangerous situation. i had the car towed out and toyota checked it and said all systems were working properly. i asked for an off switch and they said impossible. when i came home the same thing happened again and was towed out and again toyota refused to deal with it. i went to arbitration and presented my information along with articles i found on the consumer affairs website about this same problem affecting people all over the nation, some with bad results, especially on ice, stranding them, in intersections. toyota said this was not covered in the warranty so all my information and my case were totally disregarded. this is the same thing that has happened to others with the same problem. toyota refuses to acknowledge the problem or add an off switch. i also called the manufactures of all other hybrid or electric cars with traction control and they either have an off switch or offer one just for this reason. i was lucky that my road association spent $16,000 on the road shortly after this happened but as the road is deteriorating and there wont be enough money for several years i may be stuck again in the future. every other car can get up the road, even at its worst, including a 2003 prius without traction control. this happened again on another dirt road but i was able to get out thru the use of ropes and rocks and a shovel. is there anything you can do to help as i don't want to hire an attorney to follow through . thank you *tr

Momentary brake failure when driving over potholes. also, brakes are "grabby" at very low speeds. both conditions have existed for several months. nothing has been done to correct the problems. *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

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving approximately 30 to 40 mph, the driver encountered a bump whenever she drove over a bump or a pothole. the vehicle resumed normal operation; however, the failure occurred whenever encountering a bump or pothole in the road. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician stated that the occurrence was normal contributing to the anti-lock brake system. the failure mileage was 500. updated 4/27/10 *cn the consumer stated while braking, there was a momentary lapse in the brakes. updated 05/17/10

2009 toyota prius. strange behavior of antilock brakes/traction control system when hitting a single pothole or small patch of ice on otherwise clear road surface. vehicle significantly dampens brake response and does not recognize that the tires are now on a good contact surface and continues to be in tc mode for excessive time period. only way to assure you will stop within reasonable distance is to lift up on brake pedal and redepress (now out of tc mode car will stop quickly). this problem presents itself regularly when road conditions are right. the problem is the most noticeable at moderately low speeds i would estimate 5-25 mph but likely occurs at higher speeds which is less noticeable. it seems to be a factor of distance or the fact that the car does not realize the wheel is getting traction again. *tr

The problem is that our 2009 prius at times seems to accelerate momentarily when the brakes are applied. my wife and i drove this car for eleven months and didn't realize we had a problem until i had to drive the car during the start of the snow storm with 2" of snow. i was going down a hill that i have driven on in different cars a number of times in the snow. with the prius, everytime i applied brakes to keep the car at slow speed , it seemed to accelerate a bit before the brakes would work, thereby causing the rear of the car to slide sideways. the loss of control was of great concern to me (i had my wife and granddaughter in the car). so i inched down the hill. a considerable number of cars backed up behind our car. since then i have noticed the momentary acceleration before breaking on a number of occasions in dry weather as well.. today, i took the car into newark toyota world in delaware and explained the problem to them, including the service manager. they drove the car and said they ran the diagnostics but couldn't find the problem. i am sorry but, to me, that's not satisfactory because neither my wife nor i trust this car in inclement weather. someone should look into this problem before something serious happens. *jb

I own a 2009 toyota prius and when the vehicle encounters a pot hole or any rough road service, it jumps ahead and there is a delay when i attempt to brake. on the dashboard the icy roadway indicataor appears at these times. this siituation has been ongoing since i purchased the vehicle in april 2009 *cn

The unintended speeding also happens on 2009 toyota prius when driving on a bumpy road, this happens every time when i hit a pot hole on one tire, car pulls to the opposite side at an increased speed and brake seems too slow to react. *tr

I have a 2009 prius, purchased in march 2009. several times my brakes have stopped working on rough surfaces and the surged forward. each time i was attempting to stop for a traffic light. i would brake, the brakes would work, and then i would hit a rough patch in the road, the brakes would stop working, and the car would surge forward. the most recent incident was in january of this year. each time i was able to stop the car by letting up on the brakes and then braking again. luckily i have never had a car in front of me when this happened. one time though i almost went into the intersection before being able to stop. *tr

The problem with the prius is the enhanced vsc, not the brakes! i have been reading about the braking problem in the toyota prius and they all seem to occur under rough or slippery driving conditions. i own a 2009 prius and the same thing happens but it seems to be a problem with the enhanced vehicle stability control (vsc). please look into the enhanced vsc for the problem because i don't think it's the brakes. *tr

I was driving home from work in my 2009 prius. when coming to a traffic light (icy conditions) i took my foot off of the accelerator, started to coast and then began to brake. i had total brake failure. the car kept going and i heard a thumping like the anti-lock brakes were trying to engage. i finally had to throw the car into neutral. *tr

I have a 2009 toyota prius. the problem i describe has been happening since i first purchased the car, it is not a new problem. occasionally, when i step on the brake to slow down when approaching a stop sign, stopped car or red light, the car does not stop immediately it seems to be delayed in it's response and then i have to step down harder on the break to make it stop and then it becomes a "hard" stop. this happens usually at slow speeds. 20-55mph. i've notice this problem occurs many times during the week, today i already experienced it once and i am becoming afraid to drive this car. i never know when the problem will occur, there is no forewarning. i have been concerned for a long time and fear that it's just a matter of time before this breaking problem results in an accident. i took my car in yesterday to my local toyota dealer and they said everything checked out fine and they could not find/recreate the problem. i have mentioned it to them in the past and they told me it was just a different feel because of the brake "vacuum" design. *tr

Toyota 2009 prius brake problem 15 jan. 2010 i took my 2009 prius to lakeland toyota (my dealer), lakeland florida, usa 33880. the brakes had gone all the way to the floor. they have a maintenance record of the event. at the time they could not find any mechanical problems in the brake. i was driving on a rough road on a cold day just prior to the brake failure. please expand the prius recall to include the 2009 year. *tr

2009 toyota prius vehicle slid into intersection, no collision occurred. approx 3 ft past stop point. during moderate to hard braking, if a wheel hits sand or a pothole, the "traction control" system engages, causing the brakes to release for approx .25 to .75 second. it is very unnerving (to say the least) to be out of control of my vehicle. it is also repeatable when accelerating on a short entrance ramp around a corner. this ramp is very uneven. the traction control engages and the car seems to steer straight, towards the outside of the curve. i spoke to the dealer about the issue, and was told that the vehicle is behaving normally, and there is no way for an operator to disable the traction control. i thought i would have to live with this, and assumed it was something about this vehicle... but now with the investigation on 2010 i am wondering if my report is similar and if the investigation should be expanded to include 2009. *tr

I own a 2009 prius and i have noticed numerous times when i am driving at a slow rate of speed and i hit a bump, i lose control of the car for a split second. it seems the brakes lose traction. when this happens, i notice a orange light on the dash lights up for a second. *cn

Last may, i purchased a 2009 toyota prius. for some time now, i have been aware of braking issues that sound eerily similar to what is being described with the 2010 prius recalls. i have not reported anything until now because i was able to identify when the problem occurred, and adjust my driving accordingly. whenever i hit the brake pedal, while simultaneously going over rough, bumpy, or potholed areas of road...my "slippery road conditions" light flashes momentarily on my dashboard. additionally, it almost feels as though the car accelerates in that split second, but as long as i keep my foot on the brake pedal, i have always been able to stop the car. i make sure to keep adequate space between my car and the cards in front of me, but if i ever had to stop too quickly on road conditions such as i have described above i am certain that i would crash into the other car before my brakes actually took over. i am simply reporting this issue because i wonder if, despite toyota's claim that only the 2010 model is being affected, other year models of the prius are having issues as well. i am entering an approximate incident date below, however, i really can't pick just one. this has happened on a multitude of occasions since i purchased the car in may of 2009. *tr

I own a 2009 prius, purchase dec 2008. i have experienced similar brake problems as 2010. when i hit a rough or bumpy road, the brakes get squishy & less effective. i note the anti-skid caution flashes, brakes do become slightly less effective. i am an engineer. i reported this to toyota 2/8/2010.

I have a 2009 prius. i've been complaining to friends and family, since i got it about six months ago, about its instability when i go over small bumps and ruts in the road. the car seems to surge ahead, swerve a bit, and lose contact with the ground. the other major problem is the car's horrible traction on wet highways. if i'm traveling over 45 m.p.h., my car begins to hydroplane. the experience is unnerving. i've never driven a car that feels so unsafe and that makes me feel such a lack of confidence, and i've been driving for 35 years. plus, during the last snowstorm, when i put my prius in park on a slight incline on the road in front of my home, the car slid about 20 feet, in park. i had to put on the emergency brake to stop. it slides all over the road, in snow. i hate this car and wish i'd never bought it. i believe that its merits were misrepresented. despite the chosen date that you've required me to enter, unfortunately these problems are ongoing. *tr

Snow covered road, was braking for stop sign, went over manhole cover, abs (electronic stability control) kicked in, lost braking for about three feet. *tr

Brake failure when going over rough pavement or pothole in both 2005 and 2009 toyota prius. we have owned two prius, a 2005 and now a 2009, and both have exhibited the braking anomoly that is being described in the press as only occuring with the 2010 prius. i experience this failure frequently. the failure occurs only briefly -about one or two seconds and we have never had an accident because of this. however, it is disconcerting and if this is a malfunction, it should be taken care of for all prius, not just 2010. *cn

Toyota prius ii brake issues. i have a 2009 prius that exhibit similar braking problems as the recalled 2010 prius. when i'm coming to a stop and hit a bumpy patch, the brakes will release momentarily. the release is for a second resulting in the car traveling 3 feet before i have to apply additional pressure to the brakes. this could easily mean a fender bender if i'm a bit closer to the vehicle in front of me. it is especially an issue when stopping down hill which is not uncommon here in seattle. i bought my car (brand new) in spring of 2009. i've always noticed the problem but thought it was just the nature of the hybrid drive. my concern is that this may worsen with the age of the car. please advise. i would hate to see this issue disregarded. *tr

2009 prius displays erratic braking behavior when brakes are applied on irregular surfaces...rr tracks, gravel etc. *tr

2009 toyota prius - delayed braking has been experienced several times. seems to be related to hard braking. it only last about a second but is very unlike any other car i have driven. i had passed it off as just something weird but then i heard others describe it on the tv and i said that happened to me too!" as a safety engineer in the aerospace industry, it does seem to be related to the delay from switching from regular braking to hydraulic braking...sometimes it seems to switch in a weird way. *jb

I wish to report a breaking problem with my 1999 toyota prius. this occured in about sept. 2009. i have a 2009 toyota prius that had about 18,000 miles on it at the time of this failure. i had just pulled out of a gas station (for gas only) when i got a number of warning lights on the dash board. (about 4 as i recall) all the warnings were either tire of break related warnings. i immediately noticed a big problem with the breaks. only maximum foot presure would actuate the breaks and then they would grab very hard. fortunately, the local toyota dealer was just around the corner, so i carefully limpped the car in. no damage or accident was caused by this failure. toyota did fix the problem the next day and reported that the front breaks had stopped working and only the rear beaks were stopping the car. if i recall the fix correctly, they replaced some part called the "break actuator" since then, no problem has been noted *cn

Accelerator sticking on 2009 toyota prius

I own a 2009 toyota prius and i have experienced the same issue as the reported 2010 brakes. when i drive over pot holes or street covers, my vehicle feels like it's out of control. what is the difference between the braking system in the 2010 with the 2009 models? *tr

Purchased a 2009 toyota prius. after a week, i started to notice serious issues in keeping the vehicle tracking straight, especially at highway speeds. brought vehicle to dealer twice and was told there was no issue. decided to bring vehicle to another toyota dealer and was told that alignment was definitely off. issue was fixed, but has come back. *jb

I have read about the brake issues with the gen 3 2010 toyota prius. my gen 2 2009 prius has the exact same issues with brakes releasing after driving over a pothole. i can demonstrate this issue to anyone at will any day of the week. it is quite easy to reproduce. there is a pothole near my work that i drive over often and there is a traffic light shortly after the pothole. if the light changes and the car in front of me brakes for the light, i have come very close to crashing into the car in front of me several times. i have learned to leave an extra amount of space between me and the car in front to allow for this situation. but that only works for potholes that i know are there. a new or unknown pothole is still a danger. this really needs to be fixed as i said, i can demonstrate this issue at will to anyone who doesn't believe it. *jb

I own a 2009 toyota prius. i was pulling into a parking spot in a shopping center when my car suddenly accelerated. i hit a small tree and the car beside me. the car is being towed to camelback toyota in phoenix az. the car seemed to accelerate even though i stepped on the brake. i did not step on the breake hard but the car just pulled ahead *cn

1. driving normally under normal conditions 2. 2009 prius purchased in april of '09 loses traction over potholes, bumps in the road. this happens almost every time i drive, since i live in a city and go over potholes and uneven roads often. it is not a particular issue in the snow- in fact it happens more often on clear roads. 3. nothing has been done to correct the issue, because my prius was bought one month before the recall covers (april of '09, versus the new recall that goes back to may of '09). my car without a doubt has the same issue. *cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving approximately 20 mph and engaging the brake pedal and making contact with a pothole the vehicle would accelerate. the dealer has not diagnosed the failure and it continues to occur. the failure mileage was 16,000.

Applying light to moderate pressure on the braking pedal of my 2009 prius while simultaneously going over a pothole at low to moderate speed (such as in traffic) causes the braking system to release and the car will fail to stop. removing pressure from the pedal and reapplying pressure to the brake pedal usually regains braking function but causes a few seconds of lost braking. this is easily repeatable and frequently occurs in the same spots on a daily commute for the past year i have owned this car. on two occasions soon after purchasing the car in october 2008 i was still unfamiliar with this braking "quirk" and rear ended two separate cars on different occasions. there was minor damage to both bumpers of the vehicles. both occasions were in heavy traffic traveling under 10 miles per hour, attempting to brake with unwittingly hitting a pothole at the same moment.*tr

My 2009 prius consistently experiences locking brakes when small bumps are hit. i can recreate this issue consistently on specific roads. *tr

2009 toyota prius while driving on uneven pavement or icy roads, when depressing the brake pedal the car slides and it feels as if you are losing control over the car. this happens on any uneven surface like speed bumps and or wash board roads, and during the winter months for icy roads. i have an appointment with toyota in colorado to fix since it is still under warranty but they say no recall has been initiated on the 2009 model. *tr

When i go over a railroad track or large bumps the braking system of my prius stops operating for a moment. *tr

Every day i encounter a large pot hole on my way to work. it is about 20 feet from a stop sign, so at this point i am already driving slow and braking. however, when the one wheel dips into the hole, the yellow traction system light comes on, and i feel what could be a slight loss in braking, as if the car is coasting for a split second (versus braking/slowing) or perhaps accelerating forward. the car/system recovers as soon as all wheels pass the pothole. not having had a traction control system prior to this car, i didn't know what was normal so i didn't pursue it, but i know i don't like how it feels! this has been happening every time i drive over that pothole since i bought the car. luckily they just paved the hole last month finally. otherwise i try to avoid rough roads as a matter of course. perhaps a related problem is when trying to go up an icy/slushy slope and the traction control shuts off the wheels to keep them from slipping/spinning. since i live on a hill, this makes winter especially stressful and makes me fearful of driving to from work and encountering even a slight incline that is not plowed or salted --what if the car stopped and i got hit? toyota says this is "normal" to keep the electric engine from being over stressed or some such thing. *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.

2009 prius - i've had what felt like the car was recovering from a skid but there was no skid. during this time i sometimes see the skid warning light on and hear one wheel spinning fast. it occurs very rarely but when it does occur the road is wet or bumpy. an easy way to see this problem is to drive down the fdr north of the triboro bridge. if you want a test track of bumps this is it. it has occurred randomly since i got the car. a friend with a 2004 prius reports the same problem. i guess we just thought it was something the prius did. i haven't thought of it as a safety problem. *jb *tr

I own a 2009 toyota prius and am experiencing the same problem with braking that the 2010 prius' are having. when braking on an uneven or bumpy surface, it seems like there is a momentary pause or hesitation. *jb

I have a 2009 prius, and the brakes seem to disengage when going over a bump or pothole. i notice it everytime, in particular when exiting the freeway, if there are bumps on the off ramp. *tr

My 2009 toyota prius is exhibiting the same braking behavior as previously identified in the 2010 models. there is a manhole cover on a street i frequently drive near a stop light. on numerous occasions when i apply the brakes to stop i have hit the manhole cover and at which point the car seems to loose control. while most days this is not an issue because there is no one in front of me, on occasion i have come close to rear-ending the car in front of me because of this issue. at first i thought it was due to the design of the hybrid, but the recent articles about the 2010 models have pushed me to bring this issue to the forefront. it might not be simply the 2010 models. *tw

My 2009 pruis had a braking problem i took it back to dealer i told them i thought it was a software problem and it caused my car to spin out on a wet road it is fixed now and has not done it again. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 30 mph going down hill on a wet road the vehicle surged forward when she engaged the brake pedal and crashed into a vehicle. the brakes fully engaged after she crashed. the failure only occurred whenever she drove over a pothole. the dealer advised the contact to have the vehicle diagnosed and stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. the failure has occurred 5 to 6 times. no repairs have been made to date. a police report was unavailable. the failure mileage was 12000. the current mileage was 15500.

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that when driving approximately 15 mph over an uneven surface and trying to depress the brake pedal, the abs light illuminated and seemed to hydroplane for a short time. the failure never occurred on smooth surfaces. she called the dealer and was told that the brake system was "too perfect" which was why she experienced the failure. she had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. the current mileage was approximately 10,000. the failure mileage was approximately 10.

I am an owner of a 2009 prius. i have experienced from day one, an issue when braking over a bump or pothole in the road. the brakes do not grasp. a picture of a swirving car appears on the monitor of the car showing out of control vehicle. this appears to be the same problem as the 2010 recall. please recall all affected prius' which now include 2009.

1. brakes fail to work properly 2. occurs at least once or twice weekly; consequences -- emotional duress and concern; no accidents yet, thank god. 3. nothing has been done to correct this yet. i went to my toyota dealer, toyota cavender in san antonio, tx 48 hrs ago to get usual oil change and to get the brakes checked for this problem. i was told by the service dept. that they were closing in an hour and the toyota prius technician was not there. i had to call for an appointment with him -- even though my brakes had nearly failed to stop when i pulled into the dealership service area. *cn

I have the brake problem being reported for the prius, but mine is a 2009 model. when braking on rough surfaces, the brakes quit for a moment. since i don't tailgate, i've never felt in danger. but it is a slightly out of control feeling. i've filled in the date below as may 2009, when i purchased (leased) the car. but the situation has been continuous. *tw

When braking on rough road, like when you hit a small pothole, our 2009 toyota prius handles improperly. the "slip indicator" light flashes. it briefly feels like there is a loss of control. *tr

I bought a 2009 toyota prius in march 2009. on several occasions, while braking over rough roadways, the brakes have seemed to skip (and the abs dashboard light comes on). my wife has also experienced the same issue several times. while we initially thought it was due to the road conditions, after the announcements regarding the brake issue with the 2010 model, i had to report that this issue is also present in my 2009 model. *tr

The braking problem that has been reported in the 2010 prius is not limited to that model year. i have a 2009 (2nd generation) prius and i have at times experienced the same slight braking problem when going over a bump or a railroad track. *tr

At all speeds below 15mph, the prius' electrical braking system "pulses" the brakes resulting in a deceleration that is not smooth. the effect is similar to that you might expect as the transmission downshifts. but...the transmission effect can be eliminated since the brake pulsing effect remains after the vehicle's transmission was placed in neutral and the brakes were applied. the local albuquerque prius dealership indicated this pulsing is "normal" for the prius. on slippery pavement, this effect could be deadly. the braking should be smooth throughout the braking cycle. it is not. disregard date - this is an ongoing problem. *tr

I drive a leased 2009 prius. this is my family's first hybrid vehicle. enroute home after work each weekday (a drive totalling 5 miles), i drive down a typical los angeles main street, that has numerous potholes. if braking when riding over the potholes, the car surges forward for a second, and seems uncontrollable. because it has done this since our lease of the prius (we got it last march, new), i attributed it to my needing to get used to the difference between a hybrid and the 2008 camry we own, and try to refrain from braking over potholes when possible. now that i know this is a defect, i am concerned about continuing to drive either car with my 3 year old in it..... please expand the research on toyota's braking system for prius beyond 2010 models. *tr

2009 toyota prius also suffers from temporary loss of braking after hitting potholes or other rough road surface. this problem has existed since the car was new. this is an ongoing problem. *tr

Continual problem whenever we try to brake, the car will begin to accelerate. this problem has been apparent since we purchased the car and each time we mention it at the servicing, we are told the brakes are working fine. *tr

Prius braking failure. i have experienced several instances (four or five) of a braking failure on my 2009, second generation toyota prius. it has occurred during relatively slow speed braking, such as approaching a stop sign, coincident with hitting a severe bump, such as a pot hole or crossing rough railroad tracks. there appears to be a surge where the brakes are ineffective for a short period of time---less than a second. i describe it as a surge but it may well be just a total release of the brakes. it seems to be most severe the greater the bump. i have only experienced this at speeds less than 30 mph or so. there has been no loss of control of the vehicle. normal braking returns immediately. i have owned the vehicle since november, 2008. this problem was reported to my dealer who suggested that it was normal anti-lock braking action and expressed little interest in trying to determine the cause. i've been driving for over 50 years and at least 10 years with anti-lock brakes and have never felt this type of action from any other vehicle. *tr

I have a 2009 toyota prius hybrid . occasionally when i step on the brake the car does not stop immediately even at slow speeds when braking. i now hit the brakes about 10 feet before a stop sign or light, so i wont go into the oncoming lane. i have not taken it in to get looked at yet. *tr

2009 toyota prius hit pothole and car lurches forward. brake light comes on for a second. *tr

I purchased a 2009 toyota prius from dunning toyota in ann arbor, michigan in october 2008. unfortunately i, as well, have absolutely experienced sudden brake loss when hitting my brakes "hard and suddenly". it feels like you are sliding on ice and the vehicle is "locked" - you have no control. as others have stated recently, this suddenly locked brake loss occurs for approximately a second to second and a half. this has occurred to me 4 or 5 times in the past year. i didn't think too much about it until the news reports, and my wife indicated that it too has occurred to her 3 times in the past year. i noticed that when it does occur that if i take my foot off the brake and then slowly depress down i regain my brakes again. although the service has been good through the dealership, i had to be honest in filing this complaint for myself and the publics safety. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated while driving at 45 mph he had to brake hard and fast. the vehicle slowed down but crashed into a truck. the contact stated the vehicle was totaled. updated 04/28/10.*jb the consumer stated he never felt the abs activate. updated 02/24/10.*jb updated 3/8/10 *cn the consumer stated he did not hear the anti-lock system sound or feel the usual brake pedal vibration. the vehicle slowed initially, then deceleration began with no lock up of tires and no apparent anti-lock system engagement. the accident was due to the vehicles failure to stop as expected. updated 05/11/10. *jb

My 2009 model toyota prius is having similar braking problems being reported on 2010 model prius. car loses braking power when driving over uneven surfaces. *tr

Waiting for my husband at his mother's assisted living residence, i put my 2009 prius in park mode. deciding to return to the bldg entrance, i put the car in reverse (out of parking mode) and let it go at its own speed. my foot never touched the accelerator. i was about to turn the wheel to reenter the entrance area, when the car started to accelerate. i quickly put my foot on the brake but the brakes didn¿t work. i then saw a woman in the rear view mirror, about a foot from me standing on the curb in front of the bldg's glass faÇade. i turned the wheel just missing her as well as the bldg. frantically pressing the brakes while the car continued accelerating more, i almost went on to a busy st. across from a mall. somehow i saved myself & others by turning the steering wheel to the rt, reentering the property via a curb cut for wheelchairs, etc. i missed hitting a pole but ran over 2 trees, which the car severed & which abruptly stopped the car, just before hitting a brick wall. this all happened at night, in the dark, in reverse.the policeman & the tow truck operator were incredulous how the car got into that space. it was towed to a nearby toyota dealer, where the brakes were pronounced "perfect". so my husband insisted i be checked out. while relating the incident to the doctor, the dr. googled "prius brake/acceleration problems" & found many & printed 1 of a 2009 prius where the driver encountered 3 such occurrences "due to a combination of mysterious acceleration and loss of brakes". the dr. was certain i was the ¿victim", but suggested i have an mri "to be sure"--which i did & i'm fine. that i was in control in a totally uncontrollable situation at night with a car in reverse, where i almost killed someone & possibly killed or hurt others, including myself, and done considerable damage along the way is a miracle and the culprit, i'm convinced, is/was a "glitch" in the car's computer. *tr

Brigham physician killed in car crash top internist was loved by patients, hospital's staff she was a mother, wife, doctor, and supervisor. globe staff / april 23, 2009 email| print| single page| yahoo! buzz| sharethistext size ¿ + the popular medical director of a major physicians' group at brigham and women's hospital died tuesday after she was involved in a head-on car crash near her home in needham. police and relatives said it appeared that an internist who for the past 27 years served as medical director of brigham internal medicine associates, crossed into oncoming traffic shortly before 6 p.m. as she was driving home from work in her 2007 toyota prius on greendale avenue. the 60-year-old relatively small hybrid car collided with a toyota sequoia. the woman who was driving the sport utility vehicle and her two passengers suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. their names were not released. investigators said it does not appear that speed or alcohol played a role in the crash, but police said they are investigating whether she was using her blackberry at the time. the speed limit on the road is 40 miles per hour. they also said it does not appear that she was wearing a seat belt. the three in the sequoia were wearing seat belts. *tr

I am experiencing momentary loss of braking capability while driving over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump. this happens frequently in my car. sometimes even on a stop sign and making a right turn into a state high way it feels like jumping off with no control of the car. *tr

Braking over uneven road surface such as manholes, railroad crossings and broken pavement, the car's rate of deceleration is briefly halted (giving a sensation of acceleration). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that in slippery weather, when he depressed the brake pedal, he did not notice an immediate response in the braking system. it seemed to "lag" so he would continue pressing down until it kicked in. he noticed the issue everytime it was raining or there was slippery weather. he took the vehicle to the dealership but the dealer could find nothing wrong with the vehicle. he had not called the manufacturer to-date. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current mileage was 11,248. the failure mileage was approximately 50.

My company provides for me a 2009 toyota prius and it has been my primary vehicle for the past 36,000 miles. i've noticed braking issues ever since i got it brand new at the dealership. the brakes normally work exceptionally well. this car stops extremely well under normal conditions. however, if while braking, i hit any type of bump or hole or any rumble strips or anything like that, the car feels like the brakes just go away. sometimes it even feels like the car begins to accelerate for a brief moment! again, this only happens if i hit a pothole, bump, etc. it happens enough that i've thought of setting up an experiment of running over a whole row of rumble strips just to see if the car would stop at all. it's almost like the car won't begin to stop until it's on smooth pavement again after the bumpy part. it's unfortunate because under normal conditions the prius has excellent stopping power, in my opinion. anyway, that's about it. i can't explain it much better than that. *tr

Acceleration of 2009 prius when braking and hit a pothole. *tr

In may 2009 i purchased a 2009 toyota prius my prius has had similar braking problems as those described as affecting the 2010 prius models. in august 2009 i brought my prius in to the toyota service department because i had experienced a significant lag in braking (more than 1 second) while slowing to a stop. since then i have experienced the same problem on several other occasions. unlike the first time i experienced the problem, the recent occurrences have happened when i was trying to brake and hit a small pothole and when braking and hit a lane divider. although the media reports do not indicate that this problem affects prius models other than the new 2010 models sold prior to january 2010 i would like toyota and the nhtsa to be aware of the fact that my 2009 prius is having similar problems. *tr

The brakes on my 2009 prius are dangerous. when i go over a bump or rough part in the road, i can feel the pedal roll under my foot and it feels like i momentarily lose control of the brakes. *tr

On the morning of june 9, 2009 i was traveling south on i-93 near the town of medford, ma. i was on my way to logan airport to return the 2009 toyota prius i had rented that previous wednesday. it was approximately 9:30 am; the freeway was still bumper-to-bumper with rush hour traffic. i was in the left-hand lane of the highway and traffic was stop and go. a gap opened up in traffic and i accelerated. the car in front of me (approximately 60¿) suddenly stopped. i slammed on the brakes but my car kept going. there was nothing i could do as my car plowed into the car in front of me, at the speed of approximately 10 mph. the impact was sufficient to dislodge my front license plate. there was no apparent damage to the car in front of me, however the two passengers were extremely shaken up. there was a massachusetts state trooper on the scene who took all the information but did not file a report. as soon as i could, at about 11:00 am, i called my insurance company, usaa to report the accident, and i explained all of the details to them. *tr

Toyota prius - are you guys paying attention to this? *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

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that whenever the brake pedal was engaged while decreasing the speed driven, the vehicle lunged forward and accelerated. the dealer advised the contact that when the electrical engine switched to the gasoline engine it was normal for the vehicle to lunge forward. the contact stated that the malfunction occurs frequently when the brake pedal was engaged. the dealer has not diagnosed the failure. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 26,500.

I noticed on my toyota prius 2009 takes about a second or two to actually brake. i noticed that even when i start braking slightly the car does slow down but i have to press harder (more than half way in) for the car to respond on braking. *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

2009 prius brake failure in less than 1" snow covered road. car slid to stop with no brake control. pedestrian in road uninjured because they moved out of car path!! second time no brake control in snow. car had been recently inspected with no brake findings. will no longer drive car in snow until remedied. *tr

I recently read the following article http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/03/autos/prius_complaints/index.htm and would like to report that this problem occurs in my 2009 prius. i have had it since 4/09 and it occurs consistently when i am exiting my workplace. i descend a fairly steep paved road and when i hit a specific bump in the pavement, my car accelerates for a split second. this is a regularly repeatable occurrence. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while the contact was driving 50 mph he attempted to stop the vehicle and noticed that the brakes were taking longer than usual to stop the vehicle. the contact also noticed that the vehicle lunged forward before coming to a complete stop. the vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer who stated that the failure could not be reproduced. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 9500.

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

My 2009 prius, which i leased in november of 2008, has had brake problems since the day i drove it home. occasionally the brake will catch (when applied), then release, then catch again. i've reported it to toyota 3 times and told each time by the service dept that they can't find anything. it happened as recently as 3 weeks ago, while traveling 70 mph on a highway in arizona in 22 degree weather. it was a little scary to say the least. i can't get toyota to respond to my inquiry - and haven't driven the car since. *tr

Any time the "slippery condition" light comes on (for instance, when going over a pothole or a patch of water on the road), my 2009 prius jumps forward. i told the dealership about this in the fall and was told that the car was working properly. now, it appears that there are others with 2010 priuses with the same problem, but mine is a 2009. i have a young daughter and i won't put her in this car anymore because it's winter now and it happens on slippery roads nearly every time i drive. *tr

I own a 2009 prius, purchased april 2009. i have more than once, if braking in a section of bumpy road or on slick surfaces (such as in snow or ice), experienced the car jerking forward/accelerating for a split second. it almost seems to stutter as if the abs brakes are engaging, but doesn't feel like they are working. i thought it was my inexperience with the braking system and computer software in the prius, but i am realizing now that it could possibly be a potential safety issue for me. *tr

I own a 2009 toyota prius and notice a delay in braking specially over bumpy roads or ice, also at higher speeds. when you apply the brake the vsc light comes on in the dashboard and the car travels freely for a couple of meters sometimes even accelerating a bit before the brakes actually engage. this is observed very often. *tr

I purchased a 2009 toyota prius from my local dealer and have had the brakes do the same skipping as the 2010 model. when brought to the local dealers attention they stated that is the way the brakes work in anti lock mode. this has happened several times to her and just recently to me at night. so far there has been no accidents but i am concerned that it is only a matter of time. thank you. *tr

Driving car on los angeles freeway during a gentle rain. i was going slow and a car cut in front of me and when i went to brake, the car began to accelerate. took car to hamer toyota in mission hills and they tested the car and said the brakes were fine. today's headlines that i am not the only person that is experiencing this problem makes me all the more concerned. *tr

I have a 2009 toyota prius, and the brakes do not always engage. there have been several instances where i felt that the car would not stop, one time i even engaged the emergency brake to stop it from going into my garage wall. i have had it into my dealer about 4 times, and each time they haven't found any problem and that "it is just the way the car works" .*tr

I own a 2009 prius and anytime that i apply the brakes and hit a pothole or any raised object on the roadway the vehicle skids or accelerates forward. the prius was purchased in february of 2009. this failure occurs everytime i hit a pothole, manhole cover or any raised object in the road while braking. when the failure occurs the yellow skid warning light in the dashboard illuminates. i have no control over the automobile while this failure is occurring. *tr

In march 2009, we purchased a toyota prius at the toyota of northwest arkansas toyota dealership of rogers, ar. on july 29, 2009, i pulled up to the curb to park at a strip mall. upon applying the brake, the car lunged forward. i turned right on the sidewalk and the right side of the car ran into a post/upright that holds up the roof over the sidewalk, damaging the right side of the car (both doors, etc) and the post/upright. the cost to repair the car and the post/upright was approximately $5,300. there were no personal injuries (thank heavens no one was on the sidewalk). the police were called and the policeman said it was a non-reportable accident since it did not occur on a street and no personal injuries were involved. we saw press releases concerning floor mat problems and removed the floor mat. we also stopped at the dealership to inquire if there was something more we should do and were given a telephone number to call. the person we spoke with assured us that the problems did not pertain to the 2009 car we have. however, with the washington post saying "toyota said it had corrected problems with the antilock brake system in prius models sold since late last month. but the company was still deciding what steps to take to fix the problem in prius cars sold . . . . before late january. our question: what is the best course of action for us? *tr

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.

On my 2009 toyota prius, i consistently experience braking difficulties on rough or uneven surfaces. if i am pressing on the brake and pass thru a hole or hump in the road, the car flashes the stability control warning lights and i have no brakes what-so-ever for what feels like a few seconds. if i release the brake and press down again, i then have brake control back. i reported this to my dealership several times in the past year and continue to receive the same response 'that is the way the brakes are on the prius.' *tr

Fuel bladder seems to have collapsed. when i am showing 1/4 tank left i can only put 6 gallons in the tank. *tr

Toyota prius yr/mdl 2009/1224 a i have attempted to have the following checked with toyota of hickory where i purchased the prius and was told that i needed to allow the battery to heat up before trying to place it into reverse or drive. my prius will go into n, it will lock all doors and windows and not go into gear or start. i have been locked in the car during this past summer without air and i attempted several times to cut the car on and off before it would go into gear. this is very horrific to say the least. i was at lake norman toyota yesterday and was told this was a common complaint. yet no one offered to take this car in and check for problems. from the day i drove off the lot until now this hybrid gas/elec sedan has given me nothing but trouble. *tw *tr

November of 2008 i bought a 2009 toyota prius. since then i have experienced 4 incidents where the accelerator became partially depressed causing an unprovoked acceleration, the most recent being on sunday, january 24, 2010. i contacted the toyota dealership where i bought my car the very next day (1/25/10) and reported all 4 incidents. i was told by the toyota representative that there was nothing that they could do. i was given an 800 number to call to report my concerns. i received an automated reply telling me to call back at another time. i have been calling back but to no avail. i live in the high desert where it sometimes snows and the highway can get icy during the winter. i fear for my safety and the safety of other motorists if i continue to drive my prius due to the unpredictability of the accelerator sticking. i am retired and live on a modest income and cannot afford to pay for the repair of the accelerator problem. in the incidents that i have described the sticking of the accelerator was not caused by the floor mat or any other accessories. *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 purchased a new 2009 toyota prius hybrid (gas/electric) on march 31, 2009. the car worked great, but with only 490 miles on the odometer, i did a routine shut down of the car on may 20, 2009 which turned out to be anything but routine. during this event, i shut the car off using the procedure taught to me by the dealership salesman, which was the same procedure outlined in the user manual. however, at this shut down, a very dramatic power surge went through the system, jolting the engines in their motor mounts (i heard an extremely loud squeal when the engines, both gas and electric, jolted to a stop, which i assume was the motor mounts taking the force of the power surge), and moving the car violently forward stopping with the transmission lock and brake which i had set). this was a very unpleasant and un-natural event. following this event, the car did start and operate through its functions, but the driving characteristics changed dramatically. what had been a smooth operating synergy drive system was now slightly grabby both in acceleration and deceleration, and i experienced hard ¿clunk¿ shifts when driving. approximately every 15th gas engine shut down, the gas engine would ¿diesel¿ and have a disturbing long cycling shut down vibrating and jolting the car in an alarming fashion which is not safe. on june 2, 2009, i brought the car into my toyota dealer service department, was told the car "can't do that" and was told the computer showed nothing wrong. on july 8, 2009, i went to another toyota dealer service department, they said the car was rough, and tried to re-seat the engines in the mounts, which temporarily corrected the problem until a major gas engine jolting shut down occurred again. i took it in again on 24 september, 2009, and asked to have the engine mounts replaced. they tried to reseat the engines again, with no success, and the random jolting gas shutdowns on the hybrid system continue, which are a safety hazard during operation. *tr

On dec 11, 2009, i was driving down a street in cambridge, ma (i had a coworker in the car) and we were in stop and go traffic at a stop light. the car in front of me crawled up to approach the light after several cars had gone through-then stopped @ the red light. i proceeded to do the same. when i applied my brakes to stop there was no response, so i pressed down harder-still no response. i then began to pump my brakes to avoid the accident but there was still no response from the braking system. if the braking system had not failed i would have more than enough response time and distance to stop but my car kept @ a steady speed and ended up rear ending the car in front of me. no one was injured but there was minor damage to the car in front of me and $1800 damage to my car. i've had other instance where i've hit potholes in the past while slowing down- and the brake system would stop momentarily from working. i work in the boston area- where i'm constantly in stop and go traffic. i've experienced 2 previous times slight brake delay-which i've compensated for and give myself more room between my car and the car in front of me. in addition there was one instance 4months ago where i was coming to a stop- and i heard one of the motors (i'm assuming the electric b/c it charges as you stop) rev up and my car jilted forward- as if i had stepped on the gas but i had my foot on the brake the whole time. that was the only instance of that. i've had my car since april 2009 and when the two instances of brake delay occurred, i had the toyota service center check my brakes and they came back stating they were fine. after the accident i did report the failure to toyota and have yet to hear from them about it. i would like to note that there are several sites online with customers complaining about brake failing/delaying at speeds less than 20mph. *tr

2009 prius purchased may 15, 2009 has 4,675 miles on it. acceleration/surging forward or not properly accelerating at other times. i do not have the floor mats mentioned in the recent recall. i am concerned about other possible issues with sudden engine acceleration and problems controlling vehicle . have taken car to dealer several times and they told me it is "bad gas" or my driving habits. called toyota and they told me to take car to dealer for them to try and repair it. dealer still claims they cannot "replicate the problem" therefore there is no problem. car mileage now down to less than 17 mpg. lacks heat or heat does not properly function. have had 5 instances of surge /acceleration "incidents. some when going up hill and had trouble gaining power then when i put foot on brake it suddenly lurched forward rapidly;maybe to 60 or more mile per hour at an exit ramp. had to keep braking in order to stop. other times only leaving driveway..went from reverse to drive and car hesitated then "surged" forward rapidly before i was able to brake approximately 20 ft ahead. this had happened three times like this & twice when going up hills where i lost power and then the car suddenly surged forward and i had trouble stopping it. very frightening, especially when dealer tells me nothing is wrong with my car and won't do anything about it..even when i have contacted them numerous times and have driven there to speak with them about this. something is wrong with this car. now the mileage has dropped right off to 17 mpgs. what is going ? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving approximately 55 mph on normal road conditions. the cruise control selector was activated. the driver's hand slightly hit the gear shifter in which the shifter moved out of gear. the contact had concern of the safety risk regarding the poor manufacturer design. immediately, the gear shifter was moved into the proper gear. the failure mileage was 7,000. the current mileage was 8,000.

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.

Hi. i have a 2009 prius that has had 5 separate episodes of accelerator sticking. since i bought the car 11-09. the last incident was oct 09. no floor mats in the car. it has only occurred when, at 55+ mph, i accelerate rapidly to pass another car. the accelerator felt like it had remained depressed with continued speed acceleration. this did not respond to pushing down on or pulling up on the accelerator, or to depression of the brake pedal. the episodes lasted less than 10 seconds and resolved spontaneously. i was unable to identify why the acceleration suddenly stopped, but when it finally did stop, the speedometer indicated over 70+ mph. i pushed continuously on the brake pedal to slow the car during the episodes, with only minimal slowing of the vehicle. i have not taken the car to the dealer yet, as everything in the media indicates that they deny any problems with the care and have had no explanation for the events except the car mats. *tr

On our 2007 toyota prius the drivers headlight will go out shortly after turning it on i have replaced the bulbs with the same problem recurring currently trying to get toyota to resolve problem at no cost to me. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while making a turn at 25 mph, the vehicle accelerated without intention. after repeated brake application the vehicle would not stop. he struck a curb which damaged the front driver side tire. the vehicle has not been inspected. the current and failure mileages were 4000.

Headlamp failure on 2006 hid toyota prius. *tr

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

I have written toyota on several occasions and they have failed to respond. i own a 2009 prius. first,navigation system is very poor and sends you to wrong addresses. on aug 17,2009,the fuel gauge was at one bar and a red triangle came on dash and car started pulling and dragging. i pulled off of the road on the shoulder and tried to restart car. it started again and then it pulled and dragged and i got back on the shoulder. it would not move.i tried to place the vehicle in neutral but it would only stay in park. this created a dangerous problem especially not being able to move the car and then the tow truck had to make arrangements because car would not leave park. as i waited for 2 hours for the tow truck,the hazard warning lights i turned on and then they only would blink on the right side of the vehicle. this is very dangerous since it was my left side that was exposed to traffic. i was later told that the car ran out of gas. this does not explain the nonfunctional hazard light system,the vehicle being frozen in park and the pulling and dragging on the highway. was the gas gauge malfunctioning? i have written toyota many times and completed surveys explaining these concerns and they fail to acknowledge or respond. i think a safety issue is raised. *tr

Noxious fumes inside vehicle. smells like burning plastic / metal. fumes burn eyes and permeate clothing, cause light-headedness. dlr has tried 3x to repair, can not identify source. dlr's svc mgr confirms it is not a normal odor for this vehicle, agrees fumes give headache. mfr's tech dept claims it is normal, despite not having examined vehicle. (mfr is willing to send field svc tech in appx 1 month, will not provide loaner or otherwise accommodate me in the interim.) mfr suggested it is a personal health issue and that i "should consider if vehicle is right for me." *tr

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

I own a toyota prius. on june 22, the fuel gauge started to act up. i took it to the dealership after having my car for almost 2 weeks they claimed it was fixed. they replaced almost everything to do with the fuel. i then took it back less than a month later with the same problem. they told me there was nothing they could do and just to never let my tank go below 1/4. to me, this is a danger. i never know how much gas is in my gas tank or when i may run out of gas. i then took it to another dealership and they explained to me this is a problem with the prius, yet toyota does nothing to fix this. every few days i have to stop and get gas because my gas gauge does not work properly. i am driving around an accident waiting to happen. *tr

Passenger side headlight goes off intermittently. i noticed it around may 2009, and reported it during my may pre-paid toyota scheduled maintenance., which was the last one for my plan. toyota said they found no problem. the incident is noted on my toyota paperwork. *tr

I have noticed for some time now allot of toyota prius cars driving in dark conditions with no headlights on. the tail lights are on but no headlights. this would suggest to me that there is a manual headlight switch or else different parameters for the head and tail lights. as for the reason, i believe to conserve power on the electric batteries. if the driver is in control of the headlights this control should be taken away. it is rare in this day and age for a manual headlamp switch even on the most basic cars, so i believe toyota was fully aware of what they were doing and what the drivers were likely to do. but yet toyota made sure they were legally covered with the tail lights. after all if the driver hits a car or pedestrian its the drivers fault but if toyota prius cars suddenly start getting rear ended, its toyota's fault. if the headlamp is not in control of the driver why the difference in timing when they come on? i would suggest again to conserve power and make their cars go farther on electric power at the expense of public safety. i am writing this primarily from a pedestrian point of view because i am a runner and have had a couple of semi close calls because of the headlight issue and one closer call because they are so quiet. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. during the winter months, the vehicle became difficult to add fuel. the dealer has provided the contact with several options to avoid this problem which included turning the nozzle sideways and taking the nozzle out from time to time while adding fuel. the contact found that these techniques are difficult to perform. she also stated that the safety risk is higher since the limited amount of gas could cause the engine to shut off without warning. the current mileage was 9000 and the failure mileage was 320. updated 09/08/09 *bf updated 09/29/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. when ever the contact wore polarized sunglasses the instrument panel displayed dim lighting. the manufacturer was notified and there has been no resolution. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 7,400. updated 9/17/09 *cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. when ever the contact wore polarized sunglasses the instrument panel displayed dim lighting. the manufacturer was notified and there has been no resolution. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 7,400. updated 9/17/09 *cn updated 09/18/09.*jb

This is a request in order for the us department of transportation to begin safety and defect inspections for the following automotive dealers: toyota, honda, mitishibishi. *tr

While driving on several occasions either one head light will go out or on some occasions both headlights will go out. if i turn the lights off and then on they will come back on. *tr

We own a 2009 toyota prius and we're experiencing problems with the prius's steering while operating the car over 60 mph. the car wants to shifts from side to side. we are continuously moving the wheel , attempting to steer the car straight . during any cross winds the problem is worst. we contacted the local dealer and toyota's customer service rep and both indicated, "the car is working as designed." investigating my car problem on the internet, i discovered priuschat.com . there i found many other owners of different year priuses with the same steering problem. *tr

Hi there, i rented a new 2009 toyota prius. a couple of days ago as i was driving in one of the inside streets in a neighborhood, i got into an accident even though i was driving with a low speed of 15-20 mph i rear ended a car that slammed on their brakes all of a sudden. i slammed hard on my brakes and it skidded a little and hit the van rear end bumper ahead of me. the accident did a quite a bit of damage to my rental prius. the front bumper of the car is completely destroyed and will need to be replaced. i took the car back to hertz and they swapped the car; i told hertz to check the brakes thoroughly; because there is a definitely a problem with the brakes at low speed. please help. even though my insurance company will take care of the damage; i am concerned about the safety of the other people in the same situation of low speed and brakes do not work. *tr

Prius bladder tank is a bad and flawed design leaving the consumer with inaccurate tank and mileage readings. *tr

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

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

Hi there, i have a new 2009 toyota prius. a couple of days ago as i was pulling into the parking spot at the garage my foot on the brake, the car started all of a sudden moving very smoothly without any resistance regardless of my attempts to stop it. it was hitting the wall in front of it a couple of times until i managed to power down the car. the front bumper of the car is completely destroyed and will need to be replaced. i took the car to a dealer to check brakes thoroughly. they did and told me that everything is fine with the brakes. personally i strongly believe that the brakes have mind of their own and i sincerely hope that they will not fail on me in traffic since i am a mother, i have a 1-year old boy. his safety is a top priority for me. right after my car was purchased it had to stay at a dealer for a week since there was some electrical problem, i believe with doors. both that fact and now the brake failure make me wonder if my car is a lemon. please help to sort this out. thank you! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota pruis. while driving between 30-40 mph on normal road conditons, the contact rear-ended the preceding vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy and there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. there were no injuries, but the vehicle sustained severe damage. the police department was called to the scene and a report was filed. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the vehicle is currently under investigation and the cause of the failure has not yet been determined. the insurance company was notified. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 2,500.

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving 5 mph into a parking space, the brakes did not work when the pedal was depressed. on two separate occasions, the vehicle struck a garage door and the contact rear-ended another vehicle due to the brake failure. there were no injuries. the dealer has not been notified. currently, the vehicle is in the repair shop for the body damage, not for the brakes. a police report was filed. the failure and current mileages were 1,200.

2009 toyota prius ran out of gas when it "should" have had 3 gallons left (based on stated fuel capacity of 11.9 gallons, and on fuel gauge). apparently the fuel bladder does not contain a reliable amount of gas when filled, and the gas gauge warning (which the manual says goes on with about 3 gallons left) may not come on until less than a half a gallon remains. this is dangerous. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. while driving approximately 25 mph on a lightly snow covered road surface, the brakes did not respond when the pedal was depressed. the vehicle failed to slow down. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact crashed onto the curb in order to stop the vehicle. the driver was uninjured, but the vehicle sustained severe damage. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection, but they could not determine the cause of the failure. the vehicle is in the process of being repaired. the failure and current mileages were 480. four days after purchasing the vehicle, the consumers was heading down a gentle incline toward a traffic light at an intersection shortly after a light snowfall, the street was wet, but there was no ice on the road. as she braked to slow down, she noticed there was no deceleration and continued to press down on the brake pedal to no avail. to avoid crashing into other cars, she veered sharply to the right into a curb and came to a stop. the vehicle sustained extensive damage to the wheel, axle and undercarriage. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and after the inspection, the consumer was informed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. the dealer implied the she must have applied the brakes incorrectly and was not accustomed to abs. a few months later on another wet rainy day, there was a similar incident of brake failure. updated 04/15/10.*jb

Fuel tank capacity dangerously variable in toyota prius. our 2009 prius routinely is unable to fill to full capacity of 11.9 gallons. worse is cold temperatures. was not told of this issue at time of purchase. have since learned more about the fuel bladder from consumer chat forums, but toyota needs to disclose the range of fuel capacity in their manuals, or improve the design to *tr

Unable to properly fill the fuel tank. the fuel bladder collapses. *tr

We brought a new 2009 prius in september of this year, 2008. i was driving in the snow, and found that this car has a mind of its own; the traction control took total control of the car, and left me in the middle of the road in a curve as i was about to go up a hill. the car came to a stop; i could not accelerate at all! the sheriff, who was driving on the other side of the street had to go off the road to keep from hitting me head on, and the person behind me had to swerve to keep from hitting me. thank god i didn't have an accident! i contacted the two toyota dealers in our area, and i was told that the response from the prius was "normal." when i called the toyota 800 customer service number, i was again told that the car was designed that way. they also suggested that we try snow tires on the car. in spite of living where we are in johnson city, new york (near binghamton), we have always used all-season tires without any trouble. we had a 1995 intrepid which had traction control, and we had no trouble with it. it had a switch that you could use if you needed to turn the traction control off. i don't know why the prius has no way to turn the traction control off; i believe toyota's design is faulty and dangerous. it's a death trap, a serious safety hazard and needs to be changed! please help us in getting the attention of the toyota motor company to do a recall and make it so that this car has a way to turn off the traction control when it deems necessary. it should not be necessary for accidents to occur and people be hurt or killed to make it compulsory that a bad design be fixed. (please note: we wrote "camry" on your form under model selection because you did not have "prius" listed. we had to select some car model in order to proceed with the application). thank you. *tr

Four lights came on: emergency brake, abs, vsc, exclamation point an alarm will sound and the brakes will go out while driving in neighborhoods and on the highway. abs also turns on when car is off.

My car recently has a check engine light and the obdii scanner show the fault code p1121 which is a failed three-way coolant control valve. toyota has issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) on this problem: eg001-08 m.i.l. it should be a recall because it's a common problem for 2nd generation toyota prius.

My right headlight started going off without warning, now both lights are going off without warning. scary scary scary and dangerous. i have to turn the head lights on and off for them to come back on; it is dangerous when i have to drive at night. it makes if difficult to concentrate on the road, and it becomes hazardous and freighting. *tr

Headlight on right side (passenger) fades out randomly - getting worse over past 6 months. now both lights go out. turning off/on *usually* fixes, but doesn't last. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that while exiting a parking space, the brakes were applied and the vehicle did not respond. the vehicle instead accelerated while the contact had the brake depressed. the contact crashed into a truck. the contact did not sustain injuries. the passenger did sustain some minor cuts and a minor hit to the head. the vehicle was towed to a repair shop. the vehicle was not inspected or repaired. the police department was present and a police report was available. the vehicle had previously been repaired under the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number: 09v388000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal). the failure and current mileages were under 15,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. the contact stated that the headlights would stop working sporadically. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the bulbs needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 94,000.