2013 Toyota Prius

VEHICLE BRAKE ACTUATOR CONTINUOUSLY PUMPING AND RUNNING EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS OFF OR STOPPED, ABS LIGHTS CAN LIGHT UP UNDER MODERATE BRAKING ON DRY ROADS. EARLIER GENERATIONS OF THE PRIUS HAD SIMILAR ISSUES AND TOYOTA ADDED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER A RATHER EXPENSIVE REPAIR THAT COULD COMPROMISE THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. THERE IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS BRAKING SYSTEM WHEN READING FURTHER ON TOYOTA PRIUS FORUMS.

CAR FAILS TO STOP AND/OR LOSES TRACTION WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES AT LOW SPEEDS. MY TIRE SHOP HAS INSPECTED BOTH WINTER AND SUMMER TIRES FOR TREAD AND INFLATION, SO THOSE FACTORS WEREN'T AN ISSUE DURING THE TIMES I LOST TRACTION CONTROL. EXAMPLES INCLUDE: 1) SKIDDING AND FAILING TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT THE EXIT TO A DRY, PAVED PARKING LOT (FORTUNATELY MY CAR STOPPED BEFORE ENTERING TRAFFIC, BUT I SLID PAST THE ACTUAL STOP SIGN IN LINE WITH THE SIDEWALK - IT FELT LIKE I WAS ROLLING ON LOOSE GRAVEL BUT WHEN I GOT OUT AND CHECKED THE PAVEMENT WAS CLEAN); 2) FAILING TO STOP WHEN APPLYING BRAKES ON A STRAIGHT ROAD IN SNOW AS I APPROACHED A LIGHT THAT WAS CHANGING WHILE GOING ABOUT 30-35 MPH (I HAD ENOUGH STOPPING DISTANCE TO TEST EVERY BRAKING TECHNIQUE, FROM NORMAL BRAKING TO PUMPING THE BRAKES TO PUSHING THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR; I ENDED UP MAKING AN EMERGENCY RIGHT TURN INTO THE SHOULDER OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH THE LIGHT INTO THE PATH OF OTHER CARS); 3) SLIDING AND FAILING TO STOP ON WINTER SIDE STREETS DESPITE ONLY TRAVELING 5 MPH BECAUSE I DON'T TRUST MY BRAKES. I'VE ALSO HAD THE TRACTION LIGHT COME ON AND FELT MY CAR SLIPPING WHEN DRIVING NORMALLY (20-25 MPH) THROUGH DRY RESIDENTIAL INTERSECTIONS WITH ENGINEERED DRAINAGE GUTTERS RUNNING PERPENDICULAR TO THE STREET, OR WHILE MAKING SLOW TURNS THROUGH INTERSECTIONS WITH UNAVOIDABLE SHALLOW POTHOLES. I TOOK THE CAR TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN OCTOBER 2019 IN RESPONSE TO A CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM NOTIFICATION THAT INDICATED MY MAKE AND MODEL MIGHT BE AFFECTED BY A BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLY ISSUE, BUT THE DEALERSHIP FOUND "NOTHING WRONG" (NO WARRANTY RELATED DIAGNOSTIC CODE PER TOYOTA'S GUIDELINES) AND SUBSEQUENTLY DID NOT PERFORM ANY REPAIRS. I'VE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE SPORADICALLY FOR OVER A YEAR, MOST RECENT INCIDENT ON 2/3/2020.

ON MONDAY JAN, 27, 2020, I WAS INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT WITH MY 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS I WAS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY WITH REGULAR TRAFFIC. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME SUDDENLY CAME TO A STOP. I IMMEDIATELY SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES VERY HARD. I HAD PLENTY OF SAFE DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO CARS. I ENDED UP RUNNING INTO THE REAR END OF FRONT CAR WITHOUT ANY NOTICEABLE SLOWDOWN. THE BRAKES DID NOT COME ON. THERE WAS NOT ANY FEELING OF GRABBING OR TIRE MAKING ANY SCREECHING NOISE. ALSO I DID NOT SEE ANY TIRE MARKS ON ROAD. ALL OF THE AIR BAGS WERE DEPLOYED AND THERE WAS A FRONTAL IMPACT. I ALSO DID NOT FEEL MY SEAT BELT TIGHTENING UP.THE BRAKES WERE NEVER FELT LIKE BEING EXERTING AT ALL. THE CAR WAS BADLY DAMAGED IN FRONT.

ATTEMPTING TO TRAVEL IN MY 2013 PRIUS FIVE DURING XMAS WAS DRIVING AND APPROACHING A RED AND WHILE TRYING TO STOP PEDAL WENT DIRECTLY TO FLOOR AND SKID LIGHT WENT ON AND BARELY AVOIDED WHAT SHOULD BE AN EASY STOP!! WEATHER CLEAR FELT A DRAG AND NO COASTING ABILITY... CAR HAS 21,000 MILES AND IS IN PERFECT APPEARANCE BUT FAR FROM IN PEAK CONDITION AS THIS CAR FROM BRAND NEW HAD ISSUES I GOT TIRED WAITING FOR TOYOTA TO FIX. CRUISE CONTROL, BRAKES, BLUETOOTH, ENGINE WRAPPING SOUNDS ON STARTUP, I AM TOLD THE BRAKE ISSUE SINCE NEW IS NOW A 3,000+ REPAIR AND SINCE IT SHOWED NO CODE AT DEALER I WOULD HAVE TO PAY! MERRY XMAS TOYOTA! WHAT IS NHTSA WAITING FOR??? I AM SHOCKED AT BOTH FOR INACTION SO I WILL MAKE SOME CALL TO MY ELECTED OFFICIALS THIS HAS TO BE FIXED. TOYOTA IS BECOMING GM WHO WOULD HAVE FIGURED?? MY OTHER PRIUS ISSUES MATTER LESS WHEN BRAKES DON'T STOP YOU REASONABLY AND THE REPAIR IS OVER 3,000 ON A CAR WITH 21,000 WELL CARED FOR MILES...

FROM DAY #1 THESE ISSUES WERE PRESENT ON 2013 PRIUS FIVE: LKA SUDDENLY STOPS CAR OVER MINOR CAR MOVEMENTS AHEAD,MAJOR KNOCKING SOUNDS FROM ENGINE ON COLD STARTS, BRAKE PEDAL HITS FLOOR AND SUDDENLY LOCKS UP! I NOW HAVE 20K AND HARDLY DRIVE IT NOW TRIPS SKID ICON?, BLUETOOTH IS ERRATIC, CRUISE CONTROL SHUTS OFF OR WON'T TURN ON WHEN ITS WET OUT, DRIZZLES OR RAINS! IS MY TOYOTA MY MOTHER WARNING ME NOT TO DRIVE IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC, AVOID RAIN OR SNOW, NOT TO USE ELECTRONICS OR LISTEN TO MUSIC WHILE DRIVING AND IF I USE THE TECH IN THIS 36K PRIUS FIVE ITS CAUSING ME TO DRIVE LIKE A 90 YR OLD WITH BAD EYES AND EVEN POORER JUDGEMENT! IT'S A WONDER WHY SOME PEOPLE HATE PRIUS DRIVERS..! THE 12V BATTERY DIES EVERY FEW DAYS SO I MUST KEEP IT PLUGGED IN. I EVEN WRAP MY FOB IN FOIL AT HOME AND KEEP IT AS FAR FROM CAR AS POSSIBLE TO NOT WAKE UP THE CAR IF I WALK BY A WINDOW CLOSE TO ITS PARKED TO AVOID POWER DRAIN. TOYOTA TELLS DEALER EVERYTHING IS OKAY? ....IN WHAT WORLD WOULD ANYONE PAY TO HAVE A CAR LIKE THIS AND TELL CUSTOMERS ITS OKAY?? I HAVE TO DRIVE AND OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE IN DANGER! MY SON IS NOW GETTING READY TO DRIVE AND I CAN'T IMAGINE HIM FIGHTING THE CONTROLS THAT TOYOTA BUILT IN TO KEEP HIM SAFE! I USED TO MANAGE A PORSCHE DEALERSHIP AND RACED ON MANY TRACKS AND CAN DRIVE FAIRLY WELL AND DON'T LIKE TO COMPLAIN BUT AFTER MY RECENT ISSUE AND RESEARCH FOUND A LOT OF COMMON PROBLEMS WITH OTHERS SO I CHIMED IN..

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE DRIVER PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE BUT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO A SECOND VEHICLE. DURING THE CRASH THE DRIVER SUSTAINED MULTIPLE CONTUSIONS TO THE BODY INCLUDING THE CHEST AREA WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED AWAY. A POLICE REPORT #159681-2019 WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE LOCAL DEALER TOYOTA OF RICHARDSON (1221 N. CENTRAL EXPY. RICHARDSON TX.) THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

BRAKE ACCUMULATOR FAILURE RESULTING IN NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP PROPERLY. BRAKES BEGAN PULSATING AND MAKING SOUNDS UNDER PASSENGER SEAT. ELECTRIC PUMPING SOUND BECAME MORE AND MORE PROMINENT OVER TIME. BRAKES FAILED AND WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, RESULTING IN INABILITY TO STOP PROPERLY, AND HITTING THE CURB IN A PARKING LOT. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE PRIUS. SERVICE MANAGER ADMITTED THEY SEE IT ALL THE TIME. WHEN I ASKED WHY WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED IN ADVANCE, THEY SAID A 'HIDDEN WARRANTY' EXISTED, BUT YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE PROBLEM TO HAPPEN. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED TWICE IN OUR 2005 PRIUS. THANK GOODNESS WE DID NOT HAVE ANY ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THE BRAKE FAILURE. BRAKES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT SYSTEM IN A CAR, AND WITHOUT THEM, WELL, YOU CAN'T STOP. PLEASE WORK WITH TOYOTA TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF THIS DANGEROUS DEFECT IN THEIR PRIUSES FROM THE YEAR 2004 ON.

I WAS IN LOS ANGELES PICKING UP MY TWO FRIENDS ON WHITLEY AVENUE, THIS STREET IS ON A BIT OF AN INCLINE. I WAS DRIVING MY TOYOTA PRIUS AND PRESSED THE "PARK" BUTTON. INSTEAD OF PARKING, THE CAR STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. THE GEAR SHIRT IS SEPARATE FROM THE PARK BUTTON SO I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT I DID NOT PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. I ATTEMPTED TO PRESS THE POWER BUTTON ON "PARK" BUTTON ON THE CAR. I EVEN TRIED TO CHAGE THE GEAR SHIFT TO "D" (FOR DRIVE) REPEATEDLY. NOTHING I TRIED AT THE TIME WAS WORKING AND WHITLEY AVENUE INTERSECTS A VERY HEAVY TRAFFIC STREET, FRANKLIN AVENUE SO I NEEDED TO STOP THE CAR BEFORE IT WENT INTO THIS STREET. I TURNED MY WHEEL TO HIT MY CARE AGAINST CURB SO THAT IT WOULD STOP ROLLING. THIS RESULTED IN MY CAR CAUSING A DOMINO EFFECT AND HITTING A SECOND CAR, WHICH HIT ANOTHER CAR, WHICH HIT ANOTHER CAR. IN TOTAL MY CAR AND THREE OTHER CARS WERE AFFECTED BY THIS IMPACT. MY TRUNK COMPLETELY SHATTERED AND THE STUFF FROM IT FLEW INTO THE CAR THAT I HIT DIRECTLY HIT (THIS TRUNK ALSO COMPLETELY SHATTERED). THE TRUNK OF THE THIRD CAR ALSO COMPLETELY SHATTERED. MY CAR IS NOW TOTALED AND I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. AFTER THE ACCIDENT I WAS SPEAKING WITH PEOPLE IN THE AREA AND ANOTHER LADY INFORMED ME THAT SHE HAD SEEN ANOTHER PRIUS ROLL UNCONTROLLABLY DOWN THAT HILL AS WELL.

2013 PRIUS, MILEAGE 29,409. CAR IN MOTION DRIVING ON CITY STREETS. WHILE BREAKING ON UNEVEN ROADS/POTHOLES, THE CAR SKIDS AND FRONT WHEELS LOCK UP AND TRACTION CONTROL/BREAK ASSIST LIGHT APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD. WHEN THIS OCCURS THE CAR IS DANGEROUSLY SLOW TO BREAK AND TAKES FAR TOO LONG TO STOP. THIS HAPPENS ALMOST DAILY ON MY COMMUTE TO WORK IN BOTH DRY AND WET CONDITIONS. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE BREAKING/STABILITY SYSTEM.

EXPERIENCED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON MALFUNCTION OF THE ABS SYSTEM. WENT OVER A REGULAR ROAD BUMP ON A CITY STREET, NOTHING DRASTIC, WHILE BRAKING. IMMEDIATELY AFTER, THE TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE, AND ABS LIGHTS CAME ON SOLID. THERE WAS STILL SOME BRAKING AVAILABLE, BUT IT REQUIRED MUCH MORE FORCE AND PEDAL TRAVEL TO ACHIEVE THE SAME LEVEL OF BRAKING AS BEFORE. THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IF SOMEONE THEN NEEDED TO STOP SUDDENLY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. FOUND SOME FORUMS ON LINE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, WHICH APPEARS TO BE WIDESPREAD. USING A PAPERCLIP, I WAS ABLE TO 'RESET' THE SYSTEM, CLEARING THE WARNING LIGHTS AND REESTABLISHING ABS AND REGENERATIVE BRAKING...BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT WHILE. LATER IN THE DAY, THE SAME MALFUNCTION OCCURRED, WITH THE SAME WARNING LIGHTS APPEARING, LOSS OF ABS AND REGEN BRAKING.