10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 33 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 11 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 13,969 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
When I am driving my Toyota Prius 2010 and the vehicle goes over a bump or hole in the road the vehicle "jumps" especially is I am braking to slow the vehicle down.
- Albuquerque, NM, USA
2010 Prius purchased in August 2009. Surge when applying brakes. Occurred 4 times including 2/15/2010. Has occurred in same place 3 times. Each time there were potholes. When they were fixed, did not happen until they returned. Complained to Toyota dealer and was told this was normal when hydraulic and electronic brakes exchange. I suggested it was a dangerous normal. No damage or injury in any case. Was always able to push harder on brake to stop car. Stuns you when it happens because it is not normal. Since first instance, have tried to keep distance when slowing and braking.
- West Lafayette, IN, USA
We have experienced engine surges/lack of braking with our 2010 Toyota Prius on 5 different occasions during Aug 2009 - Feb 2010: -1: hit pothole with right front tire and experienced surge. -2: hit exact same pothole on another day and same result (surge). -3: while driving on paved road hit some ice and experienced surge. -4: while approaching stop light, applied brakes, when front right side of car hit gravel, experienced surge. -5: while preparing for left hand turn on busy street, when car went over a large drainage grate in the turn lane, experienced surge.
- Colorado Springs, CO, USA
I have a 2010 Prius. Everyone in the media is talking about brake issues but the real problem is that the car accelerates after it hits bumps in the road. It feels like an electronic problem. The brakes aren't the issue.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
My 2010 Toyota Prius does not always recognize the key and will not open doors and not start the vehicle. The gear shift jumps out of gear going from reverse to drive and vice versa. The heater does not work properly. I am afraid to drive my newly purchased vehicle. Please advise.
- Mill Valley, CA, USA
I have a 2010 Prius. Occasionally when I go over a bump (pothole, train track, rough road) my car feels like it jolts forward for a few seconds. This happens when I am not hitting the brakes so I don't think it is covered by the anti-lock braking recall. It is difficult to replicate this and I haven't reported it to the dealer because of this, but it happens about 1-2/week. It could be a problem in a traffic situation where cars are following closely.
- Cambrdige, MA, USA
This problem has existed since the vehicle was purchased. Cruise control either does not function at all or fails to function correctly. Sometimes the cruise control will not engage. Sometimes the cruise control will engage properly, but after applying the brakes (and disengaging the cruise control) the cruise control cannot be reengaged. Two operations will cause the cruise control to begin functioning properly again: 1) turn the vehicle off; 2) put the shift lever into the neutral position, then back into drive. Returned vehicle to dealer three times for repair. They did not fix the malfunction during any of the three repair visits. Their final response was to claim that the vehicle was "functioning as designed".
- Loveland, CO, USA
Using cruise control feature, when I hit the brake for split second the car speeds up before disengaging cruise control this happen all the time not on just the date below.
- New York, NY, USA
I have a 2010 Prius. We have had the problem with the brakes when we go over a bump. In addition, if I am driving in cruise control and have to put my foot on the brakes, there is a brief feeling of acceleration so instead I have gotten used to turning off the cruise control before putting my foot on the brakes thereby delaying braking for a brief moment.
- West Hartford, CT, USA
I own a Toyota 2010 Prius. I complained to the dealership where I bought my car in July at my first service/oil change about a sudden surge in speed while driving over bumpy surfaces. I presented them with internet information I had copied from consumers having the same problem but they would not take them from me. They serviced the car, drove it and returned it to me saying they found no problems and that I was the only person who had ever complained about it. They said they knew of no other similar complaints. I asked them to put on my bill the fact that this was happening to my car so that it would be documented for the future. They did not seem at all concerned at the time. It remains an ongoing problem when I drive.
- Ridgewood, NJ, USA
2010 Toyota Prius, purchased Nov. 2009. Using cruise control, the car accelerated quickly on it's own when I attempted to change speed by using the cruise control lever on the steering wheel. Happened twice, then I stopped experimenting for reasons of safety. The problem is identical to the one described by steve wosniak in public two weeks ago--one that got a lot of press. Acceleration stopped when brake pedal was tapped or cruise control was turned off.
- Stanford, CA, USA
I have experienced two problems with my 2010 Prius V that I purchased last summer. First, on approximately 6-8 occasions, my car has not stopped immediately when I applied the brakes. This occurred 3-4 times when I approached a stop sign on a road between my home and church. The surface of the road approaching the stop sign had been scraped and roughened to get ready for re-paving. As I approached and applied the brakes, my car surged forward for about a second, but I was able to stop. This happened 3-4 times in other locations, as well. It is an incredibly strange and helpless sensation. This problem was probably noted between late August 2009 and last occurred about three weeks ago. Even though I was forced to put an exact date in the field below, I have no idea now when the exact dates were in which this braking issue occurred. When I brought my car to the dealer for its first oil change, I described what had happened but was told this had nothing to do with the other problems that had been identified in the media as to other cars. The person at the service desk just kind of ignored my comments and was not interested in hearing about the braking issue further. The second problem I have experienced is that when using the cruise control accelerate function the car just continued accelerating even though I was no longer turning the cruise function lever. This stopped when I applied my brakes. It did cause me to stop using the cruise control during that trip though. The cruise control issue probably occurred last August in I-5.
- Shoreline, WA, USA
To the NHTSA: I am an owner of a 2010 Toyota Prius that I purchased in June 2009. Since owning the vehicle, I have had about a half-dozen to a dozen occurrences of the same problem. At low speeds, when the rear wheel hits a bump, for a split-second the car feels like there is a burst of acceleration and is out of control. This lasts only a split-second. I saw another consumer in a news article about the Prius brake issue describe it the exact same way. I actually mentioned this to my dealer (bernardi Toyota, framingham, MA) when I brought the car in for the 5,000 mile service a month or so ago. The service dept told me that the behavior is normal for the hybrid vehicles, and known by Toyota -- no fix or adjustment recommended. This seemed like an odd response, but because they told me there was no safety issue, I left it at that. I am providing my experience to aid the NHTSA apply pressure on Toyota to fix this problem in the Prius.
- Sudbury, MA, USA
The brakes on my 2010 Toyota Prius at times do not engage immediately. It may be necessary at those times to depress the brake pedal by 1/3rd before braking begins. There is a similar delay when braking is used to turn off cruise control. Neither of these have caused an accident, but in both cases there is some risk.
- Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Soon after I got my 2010 Prius in August, I experienced a braking problem. This has happened about 8 more times so far. While braking as I slowly approach a stop sign or light, if I simultaneously go over a bump or break in the road, the car will lurch forward a couple of yards requiring me to push harder on the brake which then stops the car. This problem has also happened 2 times in the last week while driving slowly and then braking when I encounter ice on the road. Luckily, no cars have been directly in front of me when this has happened. I have not reported this to Toyota because I have not yet serviced my car.
- New Providence, NJ, USA
2010 Prius, less than 5000 miles. On the I-5 (ca) going to san francisco on 12-24-09. On a slight/moderate downgrade with cruise set at 70 mph, the car was braking hard and was over 100 mph before I realized what the noise was - and immediately took it out of cruise and braked. It came under control. On or about 12-31-09 I was unable to engage cruise on the freeway but the following day it engaged normally.
- Palm Desert, CA, USA
1. I was driving in san francisco, ca on city roads. In both events, I was braking to minimize the impact of driving over potholes or uneven pavement (holes that were recently filled with asphalt) seen ahead. 2. when the brakes were applied, there was a brief, momentary surge in power followed by normal braking. On one occasion, a passenger riding in the front passenger seat also noticed the surge and commented on it. 3. no corrective action has been taken so far. Awaiting news on a possible recall and instructions from car marker on corrective actions to be taken.
- Fortuna, CA, USA
I purchased a 2010 Toyota Prius in August, 2009. During the fall, 2009, I experienced two incidents, which in retrospect, I think involved sudden acceleration. On both occasions, I was driving home from work and went over a spot on the road which, because it was dark, I couldn't see for sure, but which felt like a pot hole. (I also think it may have been raining on both of these occasions, although I can't recall for sure). Immediately after hitting what I think was a pot hole, I felt the car suddenly and dramatically accelerate. Both times I applied the brakes and the car stopped accelerating. At the time, it did not occur to me what was going on. But, now thinking about it, I think it likely that the sudden jolt to the car, perhaps combined with moisture, caused some type of electrical malfunction, which thankfully, was short-lived (or at least stopped by braking). Shortly after these incidents, I mentioned them to my wife. She reported that she had experienced very much the same thing on a separate (I.e., a third occasion) driving our Prius.
- Concord, MA, USA
Sudden acceleration when passing over rough spots(has happened with manhole cover). Braking stops the acceleration.
- Scarsdale, NY, USA
- Scotts Valley, CA, USA