Braking problem

Perfect! Thank you!

This is what I mean by being part of the solution ... bringing facts and data to share with the community.

Bob Wilson

 

Re: Floating feeling when braking

Hey, egalmainz,
It took over 7 months, but isn't it good to know that back in June you weren't crazy when you thought you noticed something?

 

I am speechless.

You saw the interior, you rode in it, you tested the layout. Then you bought. You had a chance to cancel. You did not. Now you say the seats are uncomfortable and the layout bad?

I don't know where to begin except in this narrow aspect, I am totally on manufacturer's side regardless of whether it is Rolls Royce or Yugo.

It was an arm's length transaction. You don't have to buy. Nothing was hidden with respect to the interior. You could have asked for a second test drive. As an adult, once you made your choice with respect to the interior, you have to live with it.

You can complain like this about any car. I bought a __. I test drove it. I checked it out in the showroom. My wife looked at it. After we got it, we found that the layout was all bad.

 

And he wonders why nobody likes him. lol

 

I was told by my Toyota service department that the brake problems have only been found in cars that were made in Japan. She said that mine was made in the US and I should not be worried. Is that true or more coverup????????????

 

If you look at the sticker on the inside of the driver's door frame you will see that your Prius was make in Japan just as all Prius have been. You can also check the VIN if it starts with J that means Japan.

 

Do you have a 2010 Prius? They are *only* made in Japan, I understand. So, that is true. This is a 2010 Prius issue.

BTW, there are two issues being discussed: (1) unintended acceleration [some people are calling it WOT which may/may not be accurate]; and (2) braking dropout [as the drive-time computer system switches from electronic to full hydraulic braking]. The issues seem to be unrelated but would be remarkable if taking place together ...

 

Re: Floating feeling when braking

I noticed the delay between dynamic and hydraulic braking the 2nd day I had my '10 Prius, and thought to myself, "I hope this is an isolated incident."

Clearly, it was not isolated. It happens to me a few times a week, and has since it was brand new. The NHTSA has received 124 complaints from consumers about the braking problem, along with four reporting crashes. Another 77 complaints have been logged in Japan.

Let's hope Toyota does the right thing, swallows another bitter recall pill and fixes this problem before someone gets hurt. It sounds to me like it's a mere software change that's already been implemented in current production.

 

Re: Floating feeling when braking

When traveling forward over uneven, bumpy pavement, pot holes, or speed bumps and applying the brakes at the same time the car suddenly accelerates very strongly. The acceleration happens even though you are pressing on the brake pedal and your foot is completely off the accelerator. The sudden acceleration is so strong that it nearly jerks the steering wheel out of your hand. This incident has happened once when my wife was driving the car and three times when I have been driving. It almost feels like the brakes stop working for a second or two and the car accelerates by itself. When it happens it is quite startling. I took the car to the dealer and they said nothing was wrong with it. This is a serious safety issue that needs to be looked into.
My Prius is a 2010 III the braking broblem first started when the car had about 6,000 miles on it.

 

Re: Floating feeling when braking

Apparently I live in the worst possible place to own a Prius. I happen to live on a dirt road and the approach to my driveway is downhill. There's even a downward lip to my driveway.

I've experienced it a couple times, the first time I ate a snow bank at the top of my driveway. The instant the tire went over the lip, there were no brakes and I slid into the snow bank.

I have to say I'm pretty pissed off right now as I took it to my Toyota dealer about three weeks ago because I thought something was wrong with the ABS the first time it happened. They told me everything checked out.

Come to find out Toyota was already aware of the problem and had fixed the firmware on the production line by that point. So either the dealership lied to me, or Toyota kept it a secret from their dealers. Either scenario is unacceptable.

 

Re: Floating feeling when braking

Not to put too sharp of a point on it, but I don't believe this post for a second. The braking issues being discussed have at their root the loss of braking action. No acceleration occurs. Perhaps you have mistaken the loss of braking for sudden acceleration, but the two are really not related at all. I suspect strongly that you are mistaken.

Tom

 

Re: Floating feeling when braking

You clearly have a major issue that was not addressed. It's just very fortuitous that you just found this forum. I ran over both my cat's tail, and a small roly-poly bug in a similar scenario. The cat is fine, we can't even find the bug. Snuffy is doing fine, and remarkably, shows no signs of pain......

I really feel your pain...

 

Thinking back, this happened in a variety of temperatures, though probably not very hot. So, in a range from around 20C down to -5C. We've had winter tires from Toyo on since late October, so it's happened on two sets of tires, too.

Road conditions were dry for most, if not all of the times as best as I remember.

(Both an my wife and I did have an episode on snowy/slushy conditions that felt like we just hit an ice patch for a moment when braking. I kind of hate to mention this, because when it happened to me, it didn't feel quite the same as the brake phenomena that is the subject of this thread. Maybe it was actually ice? Anyway, Toronto has gotten a pitiful amount of snow this year, so we don't have much experience yet in icy/snowy conditions.)

 

We have a 2010 package IV bought in late August. Sometimes I think I have felt the braking problem but not sure. But it happened to my son driving the Prius in September. I was not there so this is hearsay. But the description fits very precisely and it was related to me from September 2009 when it happened, long before the present uproar.

For those who know New York, this happened as he was leaving exit 45, between LaGuardia Airport and the Triboro Bridge in the Astoria area. At the top of this exit, before you approach the second traffic light at the elevated train (and with the ramp to the Triboro straight ahead), in the leftmost lane there is a very rough little patch of road. There is where it happened. He was driving slowly he said.

We love our Prius and have no intention of parting with it. But this needs to be fixed pronto.

 

Re: Floating feeling when braking

I have experienced this twice. Once as you described, ie when braking while hitting a small pothole, and the other time while braking on some iced surface. On the iced surface (only happened one time so far) I first felt the regenerative braking taking effect and then for a second or so it felt like the brakes let go and I returned to my previous speed before I pressed on the brake harder which then worked. I would not call this an acceleration but rather a loss of deceleration being applied by the brakes.

I am not very concerned about this for now. I understand what the issue is and also think Toyota will provide an update. I am an engineer who works on similar control systems and thus maybe am more appreciative and understanding of how these things work. But I also hope that an update will be forthcoming.

 

Yesterday, I submitted a formal complaint to NHTSA about braking problems on my 2010 Prius (see below). I also contacted the dealership Weise Toyota (Columbus, Indiana), and they told me to wait for a letter or notification from Toyota, which indicated to me that a fix is on the way. The service center receptionist also took my name and number.

If you are having problems with your Prius brakes, please file a complaint with NHTSA (online or by telephone (888 327-4236). Toyota has already remedied the problem in January 2010 production but needs to quickly fix the cars that are on the road now.

My NHTSA Complait:
"The brakes on my Prius have failed three times in three weeks in both city and rural driving conditions--two times I was braking while driving down a hill (both under 30 mph) and once while driving on a secondary blacktop road (35 mph). When brake failure occurs, the Prius brakes not only disengage (fail) but the car seems to lunge forward. It's as if I am braking with my foot on the gas pedal and then let up on the brake while the gas pedal is still depressed. It's a nauseating feeling when this happens. I was planning on taking the Prius on a cross-country trip in the spring but will not now because of this braking issue. It is not a safe vehicle. I have great concern for my safety and the safety of others, particularly pedestrian safety at intersections. I am also going to post my complaint on PriusChat.com (online Priusphile community of which I am a member) in hopes that others will come forward with their braking problems to NHTSA, forcing Toyota to fix this problem. I completed a complaint form for last week on your site (didn't require VIN number) but since brake failure occurred again today, I realize that this is not an isolated incident. Therefore, I am filing this formal NHTSA complaint."

 

This quote describes exactly what is happening with the brakes--having experienced three times in the last three weeks.

 

One more easily to be ignored. F8L was already in the list.

To say that one should recognize all problems in a car during a test drive is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life.

There is only so much you can do with certain people. Time to move on...

It took me 2-3 months until my bad experience with my Prius started. I was loving it before that. Go to my earlier posts from July 4 to September to check it. I'm being honest.

But then, starting in Sept, in this order, it came... the insane rattles... the twice more expensive cost of maintenance compared to my Hondas... my back pains started... the huge MPG drop during winter... the flying wheel cover that almost caused an accident... the trouble of making all theses stupid tricks to minimize the winter MPG drop... my back pains got worse and the doctor siuggested I change the seat support or the whole seat... the near accident caused the brake lunge... the poor quality recalls... the poor resale value.... and finally the sensation that the stupid HSD computers may stop working and may not stop the car at all.

How people expect me to like a car like this?

I'm not trying to convince anyone this car is not good for you, especially in this site, I'm just being honest about the way I feel about this transportation appliance called Prius.

That's it. Don't expect me to change my mind because I won't... as I don't expect any of you to change yours!

 

Up in Binghamton NY the roads are just as bad. My wife experiences this every day. I have told her I want her to park it and drive my HHR SS until it's fixed. I'll drive my dads Silverado or my step moms Escape Hybrid while they are away. It's a scarry thing.

 

I also submitted a formal complaint. I think we're just a few days away from a recall.