My 2005 Toyota Prius arbitrarily lost braking ability as I approached a ramp to enter another highway. Many lights went on including the red triangle with an exclamation point. I used the emergency brake to stop the car. I have been told that the skid control unit is broken and needs to be replaced. I will need to replace this part at a cost of $2200. Is this unit a safety threat?

- New Hartford, NY, USA

2005 Toyota Prius. Consumer writes to express discontent regarding the dealership and the handling of recall repairs.

- Crawfordville, FL, USA

My 2005 Toyota Prius has a problem when I hit a bump when I am applying the brakes. The brakes momentarly stop funtioning. I never thought much about it thinking I hit a slick spot. I was talking to anothr 2005 Prius owner today who told me he had this problem, and that it is a know problem with the newer Prius. I just wanted you to know it is happening with the 2005 model as well.

- Pollock Pines, CA, USA

Continuation to incident# 10310144, the problem showed up at the dealer's service bay. The service technical people saw that but still wanted a separate diagnostic fee of $57 to tell me the real issue. I am sure they would have seen this before.

- Naperville, IL, USA

Car seizing up in 2005 Prius when I go over large bumps in the road-- have experienced this problem continuously over past 2 1/2 years since I bought the car in May 2007 with 19,000 miles. I have seen reports that this problem has been reported in the 2010 Prius and a very large recall is about to happen, but I just want you to be aware that I have experience the same problem in my 2005.

- Manhattan Beach , CA, USA

During a drive on US224 in Ohio, my husband was driving my 2005 Toyota on cruise control. After passing a vehicle, he attempted to slow down by braking but the car was still trying to accelerate. It took four iterations of pushing on the brake to finally make the car slow down. We were able to pull off of the highway and stop. During the incident, we could feel the pull of acceleration even when he was depressing the brake. If he let off of the brake the car would begin accelerating again. We did have an aftermarket floor mat on the driver side, however it is a very heavy, thick mat that does not move. We are 100% convinced that the floor mat was not on top of the accelerator pedal during this incident (as proven by the car finally slowing down and stopping with out the floor mat being adjusted).

- Findlay, OH, USA

We have a 2005 Toyota Prius. We have experienced the braking problem that has been noted with the 2010 models - the brakes seem to pause, especially when stopping on rough or slippery pavement. We had not reported this earlier, because we didn't know if this was just an illusion resulting from the hybrid system. Now that the recall is in full effect, we believe that this is the same defect that is being reported. This has been a consistent item since we bought the car in 2005. At this time, we have done nothing to correct the issue.

- Thiensville, WI, USA

Wanted to let you know the problem with braking on rough pavement is not limited to the 2010 Prius. We have suffered with this problem on our 2005 Prius since the beginning

- Herndon, VA, USA

2005 Toyota Prius. Similar "braking" problem as is in news for 2010 Prius. After going over a (even a small) bump, car almost lurches forward; glad I wasn't near another car, or might have hit it. Has happened a few times when going over small bumps took to dealer-did not find anything. Seems like more of an acceleration. Drivetrain problem. Second possible Prius issue: A few times when I pushed down accelerator to enter highway from full stop, nothing for a second-a delay that could be lethal. Seems as bad as nader's corvair-based "unsafe at any speed". would not buy another Prius.

- Caldwell, NJ, USA

I have a 2005 Toyota Prius. When I hit a bump and try to slow down, the car jumps forward. When I hit the brakes the car accelerates. This does not happen all of the time but is intermittent. I have tried to complain to Toyota but cannot get through.

- Sherman Oaks, CA, USA

The car suddenly and momentarily accelerates when coming out of a dip or pothole, or over a speed bump. Momentarily sounds unimportant but one speed bump was ahead of a crosswalk at the zoo, with many people crossing. It has also accelerated for longer periods (30 seconds) on the highway. I did not report this to Toyota because my in-laws Prius did the same thing, only they almost had an accident and when they reported it to Toyota, they were told that there was no problem with their car. They ended up selling it out of fear. The momentary accelerations happen frequently. The longer acceleration has happened twice, about 6 months ago.

- Hood River, OR, USA

Accelerator on 2005 Prius stuck

- Trinidad, CA, USA

In 2005 Toyota Prius, even slight wheel slippage engages the vehicle control system and cuts power to the wheels. When it is sometimes necessary to accelerate quickly into traffic, acceleration cuts off completely and leaves one in a dangerous situation. Even if I back off the accelerator it takes several moments for the vsc to cut out before acceleration can resume. The vsc cannot be turned off as it can in most other cars. It is most likely to occur when entering a highly traveled highway from a side street and I have no choice but to accelerate quickly. Toyota provides no warning re: This dangerous feature. I believe it causes accidents.

- Sagamore Hills, OH, USA

The consumer stated there was no alarm to alert him the emergency brake was on. The manufacturer has been contacted. Updated 07/03/06.

- Linn Valley, KS, USA

I have a 2005 Toyota Prius. I got my car 8-23-2005 and on 10-13-2005 I was hit on the passenger side while making a left hand turn. The intersections was just after a traffic circle, signs was missing, it was raining, dusk and the person who hit me did not have her lights on and was driving too fast for conditions. My car stopped, and could not be restarted. It was towed. I called my insurance company and was sent to a repair facility. After several days they got my car, but because it would not start, towed it to a Toyota shop. It sat there for 10 days, until I called, then it was sent back to the repair shop. It took 6 more weeks for the car to be repaired. One delay was in getting the seat-belt, which was supposed to come with the seat, but did not. It had to be shipped from Japan (I was told). After the repair was done, 9 weeks after the accident, the car would not start. It was towed to another Toyota dealership. Two weeks later, I am told that a wiring harness was the problem. This has to be shipped from Japan, and the expected date of arrival is 1-11-2006. Meanwhile, I have not had my car for nearly 3 months. My insurance paid for 30 days of a rental car (I waited a week to get the rental car), then I paid for another 4 weeks. I have notified Toyota 2 times about this situation. I have called the dealership, where I have a "special" customer convenience card. This card only seems to be good for purchases, and not for actual assistance. I think Prius owners need to know that their cars can only be repaired at a few locations, and most dealerships can not repair them properly. Additionally, I think the car has a significant blinds pot, as I am frequently surprised by other cars suddenly appearing.

- Timonium, MD, USA

The shift-by-wire transmission selector in my 2005 Toyota Prius ignores my shift if I move the shift lever too quickly. This has almost led to several accidents. On my first day driving my Prius, I was parked in a diagonal, on-street space. My view of approaching traffic was blocked by the vehicle beside me. When I backed out far enough into the traffic lane, I realized that traffic was coming. I needed to move forward quickly to avoid getting hit. I quickly moved the shift lever to D and accelerated. The car lurched backwards instead of forwards. I hit the brake and quickly but carefully shifted to D again. Approaching traffic was now almost at my location. I accelerated again but the car lurched backwards, not forwards, again. The car had ignored both inputs from me and remained in reverse. Luckily the approaching traffic slowed to avoid crashing into me, giving me time to slowly and deliberately move the shift lever to D. this time the car moved forward. I can easily shift the lever too quickly, which results in no gear change. Toyota said this dangerous condition is normal for the Prius. Also, there is a column-mounted stalk too close to the dash-mounted gear shift lever. It is easy to momentarily put your hand on the wrong stalk when trying to shift gears. Finally, the car loudly beeps whenever reverse is selected. This is inside, not outside I assume to let you know that you are in reverse. That loud, distracting interior beeper is a safety hazard. I was not aware of hearing it when I had the backing incidents described above but I am very aware of it when I am carefully backing up and trying to watch and listen for pedestrians, cars, etc. Behind me. My Toyota dealer told me that it cannot be disconnected. All drivers from owners to valets, expect the gears to change when they shift. The public should be warned about the Prius until Toyota makes a transmission fix such as retrofitting the cars with a conventional shift mechanism.

- San Diego, CA, USA