The deluded statements about Prius brakes NOT being a safety issue

Sounds more like loss of traction perhaps secondary to over-speeding than an intrinsic failure of the braking system, no?

 

Right...because large circulation publications always speak the truth and never skew stories to sell subscriptions to their publications do they?

I noticed you chose not to respond to my post about how the shift lever in the Lexus ES works. Just for fun today I accelerated and bumped the shifter up into neutral (which didn't require an advanced driving degree regardless of what the Times says) guess what happened? The engine revved and the car slowed down. Travesty averted!

Look, I'm not saying there is no issue. I'm just saying its been totally blown out of proportion by the media.

 

No - this has happened a few times (5), I was under "slow" braking - meaning the brake pedal was pressed - but slowing me on a hill. near the end, the slowing stopped, and I was now moving forward - on a hill (that's why the feeling of acceleration - if you're on a hill, if braking stops, you move forward more fast).

It didn't cause an accident - my point is only to those saying "this isn't an issue" - it is.

The brakes still work. When it happens, you just press harder, and the car stops. The issue stems from that point where the brakes stop, and they start again. For me, I know the issue, have posted a few times on it over the last few months, and am OK that something will fix this.

This post is for both those saying it isn't an issue, and those jumping and screaming the sky is falling. Though truth be told, I've been on the wait and see (knowing there is a solution coming) - but this weekend wasn't a fun experience.

I love the car, and the only knock I can give at Toyota is that they have clearly known about this, "fixed it", but we still don't have a solution (general public). I'm not worried, but it is strange knowing the liability Toyota has in this issue...

 

Large circulation news organizations have no special knowledge about anything. They print what is given to them to print. They have no special access to any facts or knowledge that the Feds or the vehicle makers don't have. They print stories in order to sell papers.

Do you understand how this process works?

1. The floormat / pedal reshaping / floor padding recall is bogus so that the NHTSA could show that it was doing something. It's completely bogus, but it's been announced and it's in process.
2. The sticky pedal issue is very likely the real issue ( see above ). That's already been announced also and it too is in process of being completed. probably two more weeks.
3. The Prius brake feel issue is being discussed with NHTSA. Nothing can be announced until NHTSA gives its blessing.

So what more do you want done?

 

Best post I've read here today. Nice job. Seriously, this constant hue and cry from some is tedious. All too soon we'll know more and, most likely, Toyota will address this issue reasonably and, for most of it, solve it to our satisfaction.

 

That isn't always true. Sometimes news orgs do real investigative journalism and do obtain information not available from normal sources. that doesn't seem to be happening here, but . . .

Oh and are you saying that giant multinational industrial corporations never do anything wrong and never hurt people and are always cooperative and forthcoming in resolving any issues? History would disagree.

 

Just love how all the EXPERTS come out of the woodwork - on both sides of the issues. Case in point >>> above....

 

Well, I have to hand it to Mr. Bob Wilson here on PriusChat- he's done a great job getting measured data on the effect using accelerometers. And, from what his preliminary data shows, there is a brief time period where the brakes are NOT being applied and the car seems to be in coasting mode...folks, it may honestly be NOT just a sensation or feeling by the driver, the car may, in fact, not be "continuing to brake" during the event. So, if Bob's data does, in fact, indicate- or if other independent testing labs find out similar results, will it then be a defect that needs a fix or will you all who say it's the driver's ineptness with the braking system in a Prius, still content that it's just a "normal characteristic" of the car? The truth will come out eventually- and I don't want us to be on the denial end of things... I would rather believe this group is an unbiased group of Prius enthusiasts who are more accountable to imperical data than they are to brand loyalty. There's a lot more respect to be lost here if not.

 

No on point 2. I'm not so naive. I was an officer of a huge multinational steel company ( now No 1 in the world ) until I retired 10 yrs ago. Business is an alley fight.


However having been in similar situations and having to explain major problems to my clients, such situations require

1. first gathering all the facts;
2. figuring out a solution to solve the issue;
3. then analyzing the business, legal and regulatory risks;
4. then deciding how the solution is going to be implemented.
5. then getting regulatory approval if necessary

This is done before announcing anything so that everything is in place when the announcement is made.

The solution apparently will be announced tomorrow morning. This past weekend and today were likely used for presenting the solution to the regulatory bodies in Japan, US, Canada, EU and elsewhere so that all customers in the world are treated similarly and fairly. This takes some coordination because each of these regulators like NHTSA has to sign off on the solution and the course of action.

 

Wow! Nobody but efusco-genius can make a derogatory comment about someone (re: ozboy-genius) and not get banned by Danny boy. You two are a matched set.

 

I think the people who poo-pooed the brake problem were lucky enough NOT to have experienced the problem. Went to get the recall done today and even when I told the guy I experienced the slippage 3 times- he asked well have you ever driven a Prius? He said people are overreacting.
STILL!!!!! IN DENIAL!!!! The company has acknowledged it- why is the worker there still trying to make the consumer feel like they are crazy? Very frustrating.

 

The worker you talked to probably doesn't work for Toyota. On the other hand, he didn't say you hadn't experienced the brake issue- just that it was overblown. If it was a life-and-death safety issue it seems that Ford would have had to officially recall it's Fusion and Milan Hybrids to fix the same problem. NTSA let Ford do it as part of a "customer satisfaction program." Ford already had the software fix programmed...

 

I believe that the question about whether the brake pause in the 2010 Prius constitutes a safety issue is substantially dependent on whether it really exists. From my reading of various posts and surveys on this site, most 2010 Prius drivers have never experienced the "problem." Under varying conditions, I was never able to produce the signs and was left wondering whether my car was immune to the problem. I did have the brake ECU reflashed, although I am left with the original questions. Was this an issue on more than a handful of Priuses? Because I never witnessed the alleged brake pause, I cannot directly evaluate whether a little more brake pressure was the most reasonable remidy or the recall of nearly half a million cars, in which most may have had no brake problem.

 

I think Danny should create a thread, with a sticky, and the only people who can post in it are those who think the Prius is a deathtrap and want whine and cry and wring their hands at how horrible this "brake issue" is.

Then the rest of us can do what we do everywhere else.

 

Thank you so much for your contribution

 

Well, this did happen to me. I was approaching an intersection, a 4 way stop sign and I ran over some ICE on the road about 10 feet from the crosswalk. I live in D.C., we got dumped the last couple weeks. The brakes failed and then worked again, causing me to stop in the middle of the intersection. I am lucky that I didn't get hit. But there was no one at the intersection at the time. Toyota should call you and schedule an appointment to have the computer reprogrammed. It only takes one (1) hour. I have scheduled an appointment. This is the only time my brakes have failed. I just take it slow and keep my foot close and ready to use the E-brake.

 

Unless you collide with a large pothole or bump, that's a tire/traction issue.

The brake update to deal with collisions is unrelated to slipping on ice or snow.
.

 

A- Well just how fast were you going when you hit the ice???
B-No matter how good brakes are, ICE is ICE, your gonna slide...
C-The sky is falling...?

 

Instead of answering the questions about whether there is a safety problem with the 2010 Prius, we could assume the answer and move directly to the solution. Perhaps use of lower weight, non-ferrous materials that lighten the weight of this fuel-efficient machine produced two related, but slightly different physical conditions that have been missed by most drivers. The first property is the reduced gravitational pull between the Prius and the Earth because of the cars lower than average mass. This reduced attraction reduces friction with the road and increases the height the car bounces when stoping on a surface that projects it upward. The second property is known by most middle school children. The lower iron content in this advanced technology machine must also minimize the slight magnetic attraction between this exotic-alloy car and the Earths magnetic core. Rather than recalling the Prius for the claimed brake problem, perhaps we should call for legislation that restricts the sale of this machine that is presumed to be dangerous by a few. I move that we restrict the sale of the 2010 Prius to planets not having iron-nickel cores or, alternatively, have heavy magnets retrofitted to all lightweight low ferrous cars to maximize their mass and magnetic attraction to the Earth. Lets dispense with the questions about whether there is a "problem," given that we already have solutions.

 

Yeah, only during "Sweeps", or it does'nt cost too much, or they blow it up way out of proportion to "Hook" the audience into thinking they have to tune back in for more "Breaking News"....

Bullshit!!