Catastrophic failure, no brakes at 50 MPH

The emergency brake supply can also run the accumulator pump a bit, not just the valves. It was removed in GenIII, so apparently not a compelling advantage to keep it.

 

i think your good and i would get that in writing.

 

Was this reported to NHTSA? Just checking.
File a Vehicle Safety Complaint Form | Safercar.gov | NHTSA

I still find hard to believe that bad 12v battery disabled the whole car including brakes.

 

If 112 pounds (500 newtons) of brake pedal force was applied, and the underlying manual hydraulic brakes still did not work, then it is prima facie evidence of failure to meet federal passenger car braking regulations. It very much should be reported.

 

If a dead 12 volt battery caused these issues the Prius would quickly become a pariah.
Dead 12 volt batteries is what built this forum. Biggest thread maker here.

And why is Toyota reimbursing you for anything?

 

If a simple dead 12V battery caused the brake system to fail completely, so even the underlying manual hydraulic system (without power boost) didn't work when the driver applied full body weight, then the design would flunk federal passenger car regulations. A recall would be mandated.

There have been hints of possible problems in past threads, but not enough reports to form a critical mass to distinguish actual problems from operator errors.

 

between u/a and no brakes, it's amazing they sell any.

 

It's official: these cars are death traps.

 

Motor vehicles in general are death traps.

The Prius is no worse than normal. In fact, with its IIHS Top Safety Pick rating, it is better than average.

 

Using any machine that propels you has a risk of death, so its not fair to say that Prii are death traps. I am sure many on this site who have been in an accident would say otherwise.

 

See this thread, for example:
New Prius C Crash | PriusChat

 

Maybe Toyota US should use the softer brake discs and pads we have over here. Sure they don't last as long but they do work very well (even without regen).

What do you want? Brakes that really bite and last 60,000 miles or brakes that are hard but last well over 100,000? I know which I'm happy with

 

I had the same issue happen on three occasions to my car (2004 Prius, about 114K miles on the car)! The last time it happened was on Monday, August 18, 2014. My car is in the shop right now and Toyota is scratching their heads after they thought they had fixed the issue on two other occasions (May 2014 and January 2013). Luckily no one was killed or hurt.

Please shoot me an email at carol . soppe at gmail . com. I'd like to get your Toyota case number as Toyota is telling me that they haven't run into this problem with any other vehicle. Like you, I do not feel safe driving the car ever again and if this is part of a larger problem, they need to address it. Thanks!

 

Hi. Do you have a Toyota case number for when it happened to you? I've had this happen to me on three occasions over the last two years. They replaced the a computer chip the first time around (about $3K) and then checked all the wiring (they found rust on one of the wires and thought that was an issue). The third time just happened this week and Toyota is scratching their heads as if they have never seen this before.

Of note, I did have the 12 volt battery replaced between the 2nd and 3rd time it happened. Be safe in your car! Based on my experience, I think it could happen again.

 

^^ Did you put your full body weight into the brake pedal, or at least 112 pounds (500 newtons metric?) If so, and the brakes still didn't work like old fashioned manual (no power assist) brakes, then this would be evidence of failure to meet federal passenger car braking requirements. Proven failure would force a recall.

But even at lower pedal forces, it could point to a potential serious problem.

Any evidence pointing to such problems needs to be documented here:
NHTSA: File a Vehicle Safety Complaint

 

what if you only weigh 111?

 

Most people can brace against the seat well enough to press with considerably more force than their body weight.

 

Fat is good!

 

fat, is where it's at.