I just got my 2010 prius a month ago, and before I ever read about it on the forums, the braking "surge" when hitting bumps problem was blazingly obvious to me (I realize it's not actually a surge). It's pretty noticeable in my car, especially when going down a hill, and on the bumpy Boston roads I experience it at least once a drive. Since I just got the car, how can I figure out if the software TSB has been applied to my car for this issue? I checked my VIN on Toyota's website, and it comes up with no "recalls"... But I'm sadly too much of a noob to know if a TSB is the same as a required recall, so I'm unclear if the VIN check is actually telling me anything. Thanks!
This was actually a service campaign, so your recall check would have shown this. If you're concerned, have your dealer check for you. Shouldn't cost anything to ask, and the campaign is considered warranty work.
I bought my 2010 Prius used and the toyota owners website said that the brake TSB has been applied but I think I still feel the slight 'loss' of braking when I hit a pothole with brakes lightly applied. I've learned to anticipate it but I'm still curious if it was much worse before the TSB.
Well my car is in the effected VIN range (I know my car was built in the 2009 timeframe too). The dealer gave me a few free oil changes, so I'll probably ask them to confirm it was applied when they've got it in there anyway.
Had mine applied and you should be able to log in to Toyota Owner's website and see that it has been applied under the service records (if it has been done). Now with that said, for the first time, I experienced the surge in a major way. I was heading down a pretty steep mountain road 12%+ and hit some broken pavement (at about 15-18mph) and boy did it let go! Wasn't frightening but was very noticeable. Good reminder to me not to follow traffic too closely. Should look something like this:
