Hi. I have a 2009 Prius that has had 5 separate episodes of accelerator sticking. Since I bought the car 11-09. The last incident was Oct 09. No floor mats in the car. It has only occurred when, at 55+ mph, I accelerate rapidly to pass another car. The accelerator felt like it had remained depressed with continued speed acceleration. This did not respond to pushing down on or pulling up on the accelerator, or to depression of the brake pedal. The episodes lasted less than 10 seconds and resolved spontaneously. I was unable to identify why the acceleration suddenly stopped, but when it finally did stop, the speedometer indicated over 70+ mph. I pushed continuously on the brake pedal to slow the car during the episodes, with only minimal slowing of the vehicle. I have not taken the car to the dealer yet, as everything in the media indicates that they deny any problems with the care and have had no explanation for the events except the car mats.

- Flagstaff, AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While making a turn at 25 mph, the vehicle accelerated without intention. After repeated brake application the vehicle would not stop. He struck a curb which damaged the front driver side tire. The vehicle has not been inspected. The current and failure mileages were 4000.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While applying pressure to the brake pedal at 10-15 mph, the vehicle forcefully surged forward. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer on a separate occasion for the identical failure which there was no resolution. The failure mileage was 5,000. The current mileage was 10,000. The vehicle identification number was unavailable. Updated 2/26/10 the consumer stated the vehicle would surge at times upon starting the engine. It would also lurch while in park. The consumer stated there were 2 incidents where her foot was still on the brake and the vehicle accelerated which caused 2 minor accidents. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for electrical and brake work. However the vehicle continued to surge when started intermittently. Updated 08/24/10

- Bondurant , ID, USA

I was first in line at a red light. The light turned green. I accelerated aggressively in order to change lanes as I pulled away. When I was across the intersection I lifted my foot off the gas pedal and it continued to accelerate. Shocked I depressed the brake, but it had no effect on the acceleration. There was nothing in front of me so I pulled to the right side of the road and hit the power button and the car stopped. I got out and immediately checked the mat. They were not near the gas pedal. I started the car again and it seemed fine. I took all side streets to get home and stayed away from all cars and people. I brought the car to Toyota the following morning. They could not duplicate the event and said there was nothing wrong with the car. My car was a Prius 2009 package #3 with 7500 miles on it. Until that day, it drove perfectly and I was very happy with it. I won't drive the car again.

- Clark, NJ, USA

I am writing to let you know of a problem I am experiencing with a 2009 Toyota Prius that I purchased new just one week ago and which still has less than 500 miles on it. A couple of days ago I was approaching a stop at an intersection, in town where my speed had been only about 15 mph. While my foot was on the brake, just prior to a full stop, the car accelerated on its own. I kept my foot on the brake, pressing hard, and the brake eventually overrode the accelerator and stopped. Looking at the dash I saw that the ABS brake light flashed on briefly. It was a sunny day, no rain, no slick surface. No one was in front of me, so no damage to me or anyone else. Another incident happened this morning in my garage. I got into the Prius, foot on the brake, pushed the power button, and then a moment later, still in park, I felt a surge. The car did not lunge forward, but I strongly felt the revving and surge of power, and the car lifted from the power. These incidents caused me to search the web for similar experience of others, and I have found many, some with severe consequences. I would also like to add that in hindsight I realize that two other things I have noticed about the brakes might be important to relate. I sometimes hear a slight grinding disk sound when I brake, and I have on a few occasions noticed that the brakes are skipping and the ABS engaging, as if I were on a slippery or graveled surface. Yet that was never the case; the road conditions were dry and tar was in good condition. I know this because I looked back each time to see what might have caused the brakes to act strangely. There was no apparent cause. In retrospect, after having experienced the acceleration at the stop sign, I realize that these other odd braking issues might be symptoms of the bigger braking issue.

- Arrowsic, ME, USA

My 2009 Toyota Prius was less than 4 months old. As I was parking in front of my apartment, I could feel the car still accelerating while I had already moved my foot to the brake. Braking as hard as I can I realized my car wasn't responding at all. The car climbed on to the curb into the grass, hit a light pole, tilted to its right side (I was parking to my right) and fell down on its side. I tried to turn the car off, but wont turn off. The wheels were still accelerating as I was trying to get out of the seat belt, called out for help and got out through the driver side window. I called 911. Police helped me turn off the vehicle; until that time, the car was still accelerating on its own. This seems to be a common issue with the Toyota Prius 2nd generation. This happens when the car is at very low speed (like in my case, while parking) or when its floored all the way. This should be thoroughly investigated. The car is with geico, my insurance company for further investigation.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA