Why no software patch fix for ABS response time in Gen II Prius?

Re: Why no software patch on Gen II?

I would like to know that also. Does the Gen2 and 3 behave the same way?

If they do I don't see what the problem is.

 

It is the same thing with accelleration. I hate it when I pull out into traffic, then hit a bump and the accelleration quits for a couple seconds. I just chalk it up to the problems inherant in making the system work perfect, but it is annoying.

It is annoying that it is a problem during accelleration as well as braking. Although I could see the braking problem contributing more to an accident than the accelleration problem.

I was wondering this too. If there is a programming fix for the Gen III I would think they could do the sam for the Gen II.

 

Toyota was forced into admitting the problem on the 2010 by the Japanese government, but still (as of today) refuse to recall the early 2010's. I doubt they will admit to the same problem existing in the Gen II (which it does, and worse on pre-2008's) until some government agency somewhere slapes them good. Their reaction to the throttle and brake issues has been to pretend it isn't happening.

 

Neither my 2005 prius recently traded in for a 2010 Prius (in Dec) have exhibited the braking problem

 

My $0.02.

On Monday, the head of Toyota USA was on NPR program "All Things Considered". One thing that he said really bugs me. He said that "all of these costs will be covered by warranty." (Transcript: Toyota President Stresses Safety Of Pedal Fix : NPR)

So if my recalled Toyota is out of warranty... Does that answer your question, ystasino?

(wild guess: one more day of recall delay, another 500+ Prius run out of warranty)

 

A recall is independent of warranty. A TSB is generally only for cars in warranty, that fit the TSB.

If I were to guess, Toyota might make the brake issue a TSB, meaning, if you are in warranty, and your car demonstrates the issue, and you contact the dealer and show them the issue, they will do an update. Otherwise, I do not seem them contacting all Gen II Prius owners to proactively bring their cars in for an update.

Of course, I could be completely wrong, but since they are not "recalling" the 270,000 affected 2010's, I don't see them recalling a vast number of older cars.

 

How do you come to that conclusion? The headline I saw used the word recall pretty clearly:
Toyota to recall Priuses - report - Autos- msnbc.com

Frankly, this looks like the tip of the iceberg.

 

NHTSA is doing a pretty compelling job of slapping Toyota. There will be a fine after everything gets sorted out in addition to Toyota's out-of-pocket expense for the various recalls. If GenII Prius owners want a fix for the brake problems they are experiencing, they need to report the problems to NHTSA. NHTSA only responds when it receives reports from owners.

 

My 2005 does not have a braking problem. It stops when I want it to. I notice no difference in my other vehicles with regards to bumps and ABS.

There is a very pronounced bump in the road on a downhill section of road right before a stop sign and in the last 2 years of commuting I have not experienced any braking concerns there or anywhere else except maybe a large metal grating that is covered in water.

Futhermore, after nearly 5yrs on this forum I noticed no rash of posts concerning braking problems with the GenIIs. It wasn't until the GenIII came out that a braking problem was observed in any quantitative way and even then it concerns the GenIII almost exclusively. Now every other 3rd post is about braking concerns. This was not the case until the GenIII came out.

 

from prius chat front page

#7:00pm Update#
An anonymous source within Toyota has told PriusChat that "A fix for the 2010 Prius brake issue is on the way." It is unknown if the fix will be in the form of a full-fledged recall or a SSC. It sounds like this issue will be cleared up pretty quickly.

 

My 2009 doesn't need a patch. abs works fine. as does tc and vsc.

 

My 2005 has had the problem since the first time I drove it down a nearby hill that has a bump about 20 feet before the stop sign at the base of the hill. After the first few times of being worried about stopping before entering the traffic which goes straight through the T-intersection (I have to turn left or right to proceed), I learned to avoid the bump, or to begin braking earlier. I haven't wound up in the through traffic lane yet.

This early "forced learning" has prevented me from having a problem in other locations that have similar bumps before a stop. I don't have access to a 2010 to compare its response to my 2005.

Perhaps my hill is steeper than F8L's hill, or he has better control over the braking than I have.

 

My 2007 has the problem. I cross a bridge near work that has several steel expansion joints in it. The joints are only a foot or so wide. Traffic often backs up so I usually have to brake on the bridge. I have learned to let off the brakes as I come to those joints when the road is wet. If I am on the brake as I hit those wet joints, the TSC light comes on and the car seems to slip forward for a second, then the brakes take affect again. Foot off the brake over the joints and there's no slip at all. It's something I got used to; I never complained to the dealer about it.

 

This situation is apparently different than that being described by the 2010 owners. Your situation is not a dangerous one nor would it cause an accident unless you were following someone WAY to close. All my GM cars and trucks would do the same thing you describe. My 2005 sometimes does it too but a reduction in breaking power for a second or less is nothing to be alarmed about in my opinion. The 2010 owners make it sound as if they cannot stop a runaway car and as one poster stated, they rolled an extra 20' into an intersection because of this issue. That is a far cry from anything I have experienced in my GenII.

 

FWIW, I have had my 2007 for about 3 weeks, and I have been unable to replicate any braking loss (I have tried a few times when there were no other cars near me on rough roads). My brakes thankfully feel solid and secure. However, I am aware of a loss of braking sensitivity with advanced safety systems on several vehicles I have owned. The event happens over rough roads or bump, and only lasts an instant. Since the problem with the 2010s, it is obvious that a software problem exists with the braking relative to the transition between the engines. I wonder if the Gen II is less susceptible to this for some reason, but it happens to either certain vehicles or only under rare circumstances that are occur more frequently for some drivers......

 

Aye, there is something different about the 2010. I've driven my 2005 over some pretty serious bumps and "offroad" terrain and never have issues with braking. Traction control is another monster though.