This has been the worst year Toyota has ever had for recalls (4.8 million), but so far its reputation for quality seems to be weathering the storm. Even with the sudden acceleration issues, rust problems, deaths, and Toyota’s generally poor handling of it all, consumers so far seem to be willing to forgive. Granted, Toyota’s sales numbers are off by about 24% this year, but I think that largely mirrors the same declines most automakers are seeing, rather than some cognizance of quality problems on the part of the consumer.
Regardless of Toyota’s issues, certainly the Prius has remained a strong competitor in the US, with the 2010 Prius receiving good reviews and stomping the feet of the other hybrid players. The Honda Insight has been universally panned as a bad car—so it’s essentially DOA—and even though the only major competition, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, has received rave reviews—including one from yours truly—the Prius still outsells all the other hybrids combined.
Yet is Toyota’s Prius reputation on track to take a hit in the coming year with reports of brake failures starting to rise? If so, it could mark a major setback for a company apparently on track to use the luster of the Prius name to drive sales of a whole subset of dedicated hybrids as well as another, and potentially more disastrous, blemish on Toyota’s name.
The Braking Issue
The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has started tracking customer complaints of brake failures and lackluster braking capabilities in the just-released 2010 Prius. To date, there have only been 33 complaints lodged, but given the nature of the problem, it seems that as the issue gets more and more coverage, owners will start to realize that what they may have attributed to personal fault is more of a mechanical problem with the car.
The issue stems from the operation of the brakes after the car hits a bump or a pothole while braking. Apparently, the transition from regenerative braking to hydraulic braking that occurs in such a situation is slow enough to be perceptible to the driver and results in a period of time after the regen shuts off and before the hydraulic braking kicks in that no braking is occurring. This has caused drivers to feel a sudden sense of acceleration and loss of control while stopping at intersections—in some cases only leaving inches between other vehicles and pedestrians.
The NHTSA investigation is only just now beginning and no recall or engineering investigation has been initiated. According to The Detroit Bureau, Toyota says that it is aware of the situation, but that it is too early to tell if the NHTSA will deem the issue a true problem.
A New Line-Up of Hybrids
This development is coming at a time when, according to reports, Toyota is planning on taking the success of their Prius brand and bundling it into a subcompact dedicated hybrid to be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in early January. Based on previous rumors and reports, this subcompact hybrid is likely only the start of a whole line of Toyota hybrids that use the Prius name to provide an indication of quality, stature and fuel economy.
According to The Detroit News, the subcompact hybrid is scheduled to begin construction in Japan in late 2011 with a US debut in early 2012.
It will be interesting to see how this all develops, but if Toyota is banking its future on hybrids based on the Prius, any major dent in the Prius name could spell disaster.
Image Credit: Toyota
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The “lurch” the driver experiences when transitioning from regenerative braking to friction braking is normal in the Prius, and has been there since the first-gen Prius.
It is a predictable behavior in the car, and the Prius driver learns to anticipate it and compensate accordingly.
That is not a “brake failure.”
A brake failure would be when a car simply fails to slow down and come to a stop no matter how hard you stomped on the pedal, which has NOT happened in the Prius.
The “lurch” the driver experiences when transitioning from regenerative braking to friction braking is normal in the Prius, and has been there since the first-gen Prius.
It is a predictable behavior in the car, and the Prius driver learns to anticipate it and compensate accordingly.
That is not a “brake failure.”
A brake failure would be when a car simply fails to slow down and come to a stop no matter how hard you stomped on the pedal, which has NOT happened in the Prius.
Now that Toyota it number one, I hope they are able to keep up their quality. I personally don’t like the look of any of their cars (but the new Tundra looks great!), but their presence in the market has improved the quality of all the other makers.
Now that Toyota it number one, I hope they are able to keep up their quality. I personally don’t like the look of any of their cars (but the new Tundra looks great!), but their presence in the market has improved the quality of all the other makers.
It happens to me at the same bump on the same road at the bottom of the same hill several times a week. You lose braking for just a fraction of a second but that’s enough to notice the transition. It feels like you hit a patch of ice that is about six inches long.
Nothing lasts forever but when the Prius line finally ends, lets hope it ends because of a competitor with truly superior engineering and not because of a lay press feeding frenzy.
It happens to me at the same bump on the same road at the bottom of the same hill several times a week. You lose braking for just a fraction of a second but that’s enough to notice the transition. It feels like you hit a patch of ice that is about six inches long.
Nothing lasts forever but when the Prius line finally ends, lets hope it ends because of a competitor with truly superior engineering and not because of a lay press feeding frenzy.
I had the similar issue with a Chevy 2002 Cavalier. If I hit a pothole or dip in the road, the car would lurch with my foot on the brake. Unlike my Prius, however, on the Cavalier I had to let go of the brake pedal and reapply pressure to stop. On the Prius it is scary, but the vehicle stops – the Cav. sometimes felt like it never would. Brakes in Prius are more responsive.
I had the similar issue with a Chevy 2002 Cavalier. If I hit a pothole or dip in the road, the car would lurch with my foot on the brake. Unlike my Prius, however, on the Cavalier I had to let go of the brake pedal and reapply pressure to stop. On the Prius it is scary, but the vehicle stops – the Cav. sometimes felt like it never would. Brakes in Prius are more responsive.
The Honda Insight has not been universally panned as a bad car. It received one over-publicized bad review by Consumer Reports, but there are lots of favorable reviews for the Insight. Anyone considering a hybrid should test drive the 2010 Insight and compare it to the Prius – you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I am a happy Insight owner and have found it routinely exceeds the EPA estimated MPG ratings.
The Honda Insight has not been universally panned as a bad car. It received one over-publicized bad review by Consumer Reports, but there are lots of favorable reviews for the Insight. Anyone considering a hybrid should test drive the 2010 Insight and compare it to the Prius – you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I am a happy Insight owner and have found it routinely exceeds the EPA estimated MPG ratings.
Only 6 days until we see this new hybrid from Toyota! Hopefully it is “production ready”.
Neil
Only 6 days until we see this new hybrid from Toyota! Hopefully it is “production ready”.
Neil
I had my 2005 Prius for 4 1/2 years and just traded it in on another (non-Toyota) car. I have experienced several issues including the “sudden acceleration/loss of braking” power after hitting a bump or pothole. I am sorry but this is a partial brake failure. Although you do eventually regain control of the car, the several second lag may be enough to cause an accident. There is no reason to justify this as normal behavior. It should not occur.
Another problem that I experienced was also related to the brakes. Sometimes, after sitting overnight, I would drive the car in the morning. During the first 5 minutes of driving, I would experience a lunging forward of the vehicle after pressing the brake pedal at a stop sign or light. After a few minutes this problem would go away. I talked to the service manager at my Toyota dealer and he explained that others had reported the same problem. He told me that the issue occurs usually after the car sits overnight. When you park the car in the evening, the brakes are very hot. In cooler night weather, condensation starts to form on the brakes which may cause some unresponsiveness during the first several minutes of driving in the morning. Eventually, the condensation burns off and the brakes start to function normally.
Once again, this condition should not occur in a vehicle. I never experienced either of these problems on any other vehicles I have driven.
I had my 2005 Prius for 4 1/2 years and just traded it in on another (non-Toyota) car. I have experienced several issues including the “sudden acceleration/loss of braking” power after hitting a bump or pothole. I am sorry but this is a partial brake failure. Although you do eventually regain control of the car, the several second lag may be enough to cause an accident. There is no reason to justify this as normal behavior. It should not occur.
Another problem that I experienced was also related to the brakes. Sometimes, after sitting overnight, I would drive the car in the morning. During the first 5 minutes of driving, I would experience a lunging forward of the vehicle after pressing the brake pedal at a stop sign or light. After a few minutes this problem would go away. I talked to the service manager at my Toyota dealer and he explained that others had reported the same problem. He told me that the issue occurs usually after the car sits overnight. When you park the car in the evening, the brakes are very hot. In cooler night weather, condensation starts to form on the brakes which may cause some unresponsiveness during the first several minutes of driving in the morning. Eventually, the condensation burns off and the brakes start to function normally.
Once again, this condition should not occur in a vehicle. I never experienced either of these problems on any other vehicles I have driven.
This has happened to me about 20 times since we got the Prius a few months ago. It is very scary! I’m at least relieved that I found other reports of this so I have something to back up my claims. But what do we do? The dealer says they can’t recreate the problem so can’t help!
This has happened to me about 20 times since we got the Prius a few months ago. It is very scary! I’m at least relieved that I found other reports of this so I have something to back up my claims. But what do we do? The dealer says they can’t recreate the problem so can’t help!
I have a 2010 Prius. The first time that the sudden acceleration after hitting a bump happened was kind of scary. I was going down a steep hill, so I attributed to my foot lifting up off the brake because of the bump.
When this happened again going up hill I started to worry, called the dealer and they gave me several possible reasons of why this happened. None of them were convincing to me. Reading now about other drivers with the same problem is eye-opening. I hope Toyota will rectify this and similar problems, and be more honest about them.
I have a 2010 Prius. The first time that the sudden acceleration after hitting a bump happened was kind of scary. I was going down a steep hill, so I attributed to my foot lifting up off the brake because of the bump.
When this happened again going up hill I started to worry, called the dealer and they gave me several possible reasons of why this happened. None of them were convincing to me. Reading now about other drivers with the same problem is eye-opening. I hope Toyota will rectify this and similar problems, and be more honest about them.
I bought my 2010 Prius in October of last year. I noticed the braking issue and my wife did as well within weeks. I tend to keep a large distance from cars in front of me, so this isn’t a big issue. But it is an issue, especially if I don’t have a buffer to a car in front of me, and I can easily have an accident going over a pothole. The service center had never heard of the issue and had an engineer call me. He left a voicemail saying that he would like to explain to me how the car is designed. In other words, they may not admit that it’s a problem, which it clearly is. I’ve owned 10 cars in my life and never had something like this ever happen to me while braking. Regenerative braking bla bla bla, it’s a problem…fix it.
I bought my 2010 Prius in October of last year. I noticed the braking issue and my wife did as well within weeks. I tend to keep a large distance from cars in front of me, so this isn’t a big issue. But it is an issue, especially if I don’t have a buffer to a car in front of me, and I can easily have an accident going over a pothole. The service center had never heard of the issue and had an engineer call me. He left a voicemail saying that he would like to explain to me how the car is designed. In other words, they may not admit that it’s a problem, which it clearly is. I’ve owned 10 cars in my life and never had something like this ever happen to me while braking. Regenerative braking bla bla bla, it’s a problem…fix it.
2009 Prius brake problem. Woke up on Jan 30 (a very cold day) and found the brake warning lights (ABS and the Canadian version of brake problems — i.e. circle with exclamation point) and VSC (vehicle stability control) lights to be on. Called Toyota dealer and was told to bring in, which I did immediately.
The mechanic looked the car (which has less than 15,000 miles) over and told me they needed to replace several brake related parts (can’t recall the names of the parts but he said all were under warranty). I was given a loaner (a 2010 Camry) and was told car should be ready by Wednesday.
My wife and I have a 2009 Prius and the car has less that 35000 miles on it. THREE TIMES SINCE WE’VE HAD THIS CAR, We have had the ABS, VSC, Warning light and emergency brake go on, along with a general braking problem (the car will brake, but it is not nearly as responsive a braking as you would get with the ABS working correctly. The dealer has changed sensors twice but it still happened a third time. Has anyone besides Rob and me have this problem? If so, how did your dealer correct it?
My 09 prius with only 25,000 mi has the same problem ,its brakeing ok but could be better,brake lights on,abs and the vsc on the dash,pronly not under warnty ,whitch way to go……
2009 Prius brake problem. Woke up on Jan 30 (a very cold day) and found the brake warning lights (ABS and the Canadian version of brake problems — i.e. circle with exclamation point) and VSC (vehicle stability control) lights to be on. Called Toyota dealer and was told to bring in, which I did immediately.
The mechanic looked the car (which has less than 15,000 miles) over and told me they needed to replace several brake related parts (can’t recall the names of the parts but he said all were under warranty). I was given a loaner (a 2010 Camry) and was told car should be ready by Wednesday.
I have owned all three generations of Prius. This is much more noticable and disconcerting in the 2010 Gen III.
I have owned all three generations of Prius. This is much more noticable and disconcerting in the 2010 Gen III.
I have had my 2010 Prius since September. The first few times of this same problem were scary for me also. Was it me, my imagination, or what? I am somewhat used to it now, but when I read that some people have not regained their breaking control with this problem and then end up hitting a car in front of them, I am now getting concerned all over again. If you have put your foot on the break, you shouldn’t have to begin thinking about that foot and the break pedal. Your mind should be on the traffic around you, but sometimes we all have other thoughts in our heads. That’s when something major could happen. And why does this problem exist and we were not warned of it when we bought our cars. Some others have said we should sell our cars if we can’t adjust to this quirk of our Prius. But that doesn’t seem fair, since I thought I was buying a good and safe vehicle in the first place! And not one that I must be alert every time I apply my foot to the break pedal if I’m in the vicinity of bumps or potholes in the road. I like my Prius otherwise, but I’m beginning to think I was cheated when I purchased this car.
I have had my 2010 Prius since September. The first few times of this same problem were scary for me also. Was it me, my imagination, or what? I am somewhat used to it now, but when I read that some people have not regained their breaking control with this problem and then end up hitting a car in front of them, I am now getting concerned all over again. If you have put your foot on the break, you shouldn’t have to begin thinking about that foot and the break pedal. Your mind should be on the traffic around you, but sometimes we all have other thoughts in our heads. That’s when something major could happen. And why does this problem exist and we were not warned of it when we bought our cars. Some others have said we should sell our cars if we can’t adjust to this quirk of our Prius. But that doesn’t seem fair, since I thought I was buying a good and safe vehicle in the first place! And not one that I must be alert every time I apply my foot to the break pedal if I’m in the vicinity of bumps or potholes in the road. I like my Prius otherwise, but I’m beginning to think I was cheated when I purchased this car.
DEFINITE BRAKE FAILURE !!!!
We purchased a 2006 Prius and on multiple occasions, my wife infomed me of a braking problem. When she would come to a stop, the brakes would not work…and she would end up in the middle of the intersection. This started happening once a month. I would test drive the vehicle, and nothing would happen, for me. Until one day I was driving with the wife and two small children in the car. I was approaching an intersection and the brakes would not work. I ended up rear-ending a truck who was parked at the intersection, causing apprx. $1,500 in damages to our Prius. Luckily, the truck stopped me from getting T-Boned in the intersection.
I immediately drove the car straight to the Toyota dealarship in North Arlington, TX and left it there. They ended up driving it for minutes and could not get the brakes to fail. I had informed them that they would need to drive it for a month (since it happened once per month). They ended up sending me packing, with a $1,000 rental car bill as well as a damaged Prius that they claimed no responsibility for.
TRUST ME……THEY HAVE A BRAKE FAILURE PROBLEM.
Somebody needs to check how many people have perished from driving into intersections because their brakes have failed.
I almost lost my wife and kids on multiple occasions, because of their faulty brakes.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
And yes, I immediately traded the car in on a new car that was not a Toyota.
DEFINITE BRAKE FAILURE !!!!
We purchased a 2006 Prius and on multiple occasions, my wife infomed me of a braking problem. When she would come to a stop, the brakes would not work…and she would end up in the middle of the intersection. This started happening once a month. I would test drive the vehicle, and nothing would happen, for me. Until one day I was driving with the wife and two small children in the car. I was approaching an intersection and the brakes would not work. I ended up rear-ending a truck who was parked at the intersection, causing apprx. $1,500 in damages to our Prius. Luckily, the truck stopped me from getting T-Boned in the intersection.
I immediately drove the car straight to the Toyota dealarship in North Arlington, TX and left it there. They ended up driving it for minutes and could not get the brakes to fail. I had informed them that they would need to drive it for a month (since it happened once per month). They ended up sending me packing, with a $1,000 rental car bill as well as a damaged Prius that they claimed no responsibility for.
TRUST ME……THEY HAVE A BRAKE FAILURE PROBLEM.
Somebody needs to check how many people have perished from driving into intersections because their brakes have failed.
I almost lost my wife and kids on multiple occasions, because of their faulty brakes.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
And yes, I immediately traded the car in on a new car that was not a Toyota.
I have a 2010 Prius. I love the car but there have been situations when braking when the pavement is wet or slippery that it feels that the brakes have disengaged and the car seems to surge forward. There does seem to be a legitimate problem.
I have a 2010 Prius. I love the car but there have been situations when braking when the pavement is wet or slippery that it feels that the brakes have disengaged and the car seems to surge forward. There does seem to be a legitimate problem.
I own a brand new 2010 Prius. I have experienced the brake problems described and I have to admit that they are more serious than Toyota is willing to admit. On one occasion I slid approx one quarter of a car length into an intersection because I hit a pothole while braking. This could have ended in a very unpleasant way if any other cars would be traveling through the intersection. I am now very vigilant about road surface conditions when I approach a stop sign or a red light, but what will happen in an emergency if I have to apply extreme braking on a rough surface???? will I slide right into an accident?
I own a brand new 2010 Prius. I have experienced the brake problems described and I have to admit that they are more serious than Toyota is willing to admit. On one occasion I slid approx one quarter of a car length into an intersection because I hit a pothole while braking. This could have ended in a very unpleasant way if any other cars would be traveling through the intersection. I am now very vigilant about road surface conditions when I approach a stop sign or a red light, but what will happen in an emergency if I have to apply extreme braking on a rough surface???? will I slide right into an accident?
I have been driving a 2010 Prius since August 2009. I have not heard about any Toyota brake problems until very recently. I had 4 instances which appeared to be sudden accelerations when going down a hill and braking continuously, near the bottom of the hill. It may have been just a second-long loss of braking action; subjectively (not just to me) it felt as if the car actively accelerated. It is quite scary. Strictly speaking, it is not a “brake failure”, as stepping on the brake slows down or stops the car. However, an inexperienced driver, or one with a poor reaction time may panic and lose control. I am almost convinced that it happens when there is a transition from friction braking to regenerative electric braking. As the car goes down the hill with moderate braking, it slowly accelerates and ultimately goes fast enough to engage the regenerative brake. It may be that instead of braking it drives the car forward, or perhaps it disengages the mechanical brake before the electrical brake engages. It is probably software-related. For an alert, responsive driver with good reflexes it probably not a serious issue. I think that Toyota should look into it.
In spite of this, I love the new Prius. It appears to me that under normal driving conditions, I out-accelerate almost all other cars from a standing start to, say 35 mph. However, I hesitate to let my wife drive it, although it was originally meant for her, because of this brake issue.
I have been driving a 2010 Prius since August 2009. I have not heard about any Toyota brake problems until very recently. I had 4 instances which appeared to be sudden accelerations when going down a hill and braking continuously, near the bottom of the hill. It may have been just a second-long loss of braking action; subjectively (not just to me) it felt as if the car actively accelerated. It is quite scary. Strictly speaking, it is not a “brake failure”, as stepping on the brake slows down or stops the car. However, an inexperienced driver, or one with a poor reaction time may panic and lose control. I am almost convinced that it happens when there is a transition from friction braking to regenerative electric braking. As the car goes down the hill with moderate braking, it slowly accelerates and ultimately goes fast enough to engage the regenerative brake. It may be that instead of braking it drives the car forward, or perhaps it disengages the mechanical brake before the electrical brake engages. It is probably software-related. For an alert, responsive driver with good reflexes it probably not a serious issue. I think that Toyota should look into it.
In spite of this, I love the new Prius. It appears to me that under normal driving conditions, I out-accelerate almost all other cars from a standing start to, say 35 mph. However, I hesitate to let my wife drive it, although it was originally meant for her, because of this brake issue.
My wife has a 2006 Prius, I have 2010. I have known about this problem (and yes it is a problem) for years. While braking on a bumpy or icy road, the brakes cut out for a fraction of a second. I have had several cars with anti-lock brakes. They never behaved like these cars do. I have also mentioned this to the dealer for years. They basically shrugged it off. Don’t get me wrong, I love the car, or I would not have bought a second one. But these brakes needs to be fixed.
My wife has a 2006 Prius, I have 2010. I have known about this problem (and yes it is a problem) for years. While braking on a bumpy or icy road, the brakes cut out for a fraction of a second. I have had several cars with anti-lock brakes. They never behaved like these cars do. I have also mentioned this to the dealer for years. They basically shrugged it off. Don’t get me wrong, I love the car, or I would not have bought a second one. But these brakes needs to be fixed.
I filed my complaint today with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) through their website. I first noticed the issue when approaching a traffic light that had turned red. I was braking as I hit a small unavoidable pothole, and to my surprise, my car lurched forward for about a second, nearly hitting the car in front of me. Even at just 25mph, 1 second of brake loss means the vehicle will travel over 35 feet without slowing! For almost two month I have had to routinely drive that road, and consistently when I am braking as I hit the pothole, the brakes fail for a brief second. I now give myself a rediculous amount of space to stop whenever I approach this intersection – that has saved me from getting into a wreck – but I am now familiar with that intersection/pothole scenario. It’s far too easy to get into an upredictable stop scenario. Hit a bump – and you might not be able to stop in time – leading to a possible brake related fatality.
I called my dealership today – they offered me a rental car while they wait for a fix from Toyota. I am nervous about that – they have no concrete word from Toyota as to when the fix will be released.
Please! For your own safety, if you have a Prius (especially 2010), do the following test:
1. Find a street or parking lot with a small pothole or uneven pavement (doesnt have to be huge – just enough to cause a good bump as you drive over it) where you can safely test the brakes.
2. Drive over the pothole at about 20mph – making sure brakes are applied before you drive over the bump
3.) As soon as you hit the bump, you will feel your car ‘lurch’ as the brakes shut off.
4.) If your car exhibits this behavior – file a report as soon as possible with NHTSA.
I filed my complaint today with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) through their website. I first noticed the issue when approaching a traffic light that had turned red. I was braking as I hit a small unavoidable pothole, and to my surprise, my car lurched forward for about a second, nearly hitting the car in front of me. Even at just 25mph, 1 second of brake loss means the vehicle will travel over 35 feet without slowing! For almost two month I have had to routinely drive that road, and consistently when I am braking as I hit the pothole, the brakes fail for a brief second. I now give myself a rediculous amount of space to stop whenever I approach this intersection – that has saved me from getting into a wreck – but I am now familiar with that intersection/pothole scenario. It’s far too easy to get into an upredictable stop scenario. Hit a bump – and you might not be able to stop in time – leading to a possible brake related fatality.
I called my dealership today – they offered me a rental car while they wait for a fix from Toyota. I am nervous about that – they have no concrete word from Toyota as to when the fix will be released.
Please! For your own safety, if you have a Prius (especially 2010), do the following test:
1. Find a street or parking lot with a small pothole or uneven pavement (doesnt have to be huge – just enough to cause a good bump as you drive over it) where you can safely test the brakes.
2. Drive over the pothole at about 20mph – making sure brakes are applied before you drive over the bump
3.) As soon as you hit the bump, you will feel your car ‘lurch’ as the brakes shut off.
4.) If your car exhibits this behavior – file a report as soon as possible with NHTSA.
the “lurch” or “brake release” that Prius owners describe happens – inconsistently – in my 2009 Venza when slowing down to a stop light or sign. It’s been happening since we bought it. Toyota just blows it off as if my wife and I are lying about it. Wonder if any other Venza owners are experiencing it
the “lurch” or “brake release” that Prius owners describe happens – inconsistently – in my 2009 Venza when slowing down to a stop light or sign. It’s been happening since we bought it. Toyota just blows it off as if my wife and I are lying about it. Wonder if any other Venza owners are experiencing it
My wife and I bought a 2010 Venza and during the test drive I mentioned the brakes felt a bit unresponsive to the salesman. My wife didn’t feel any difference when she test drove it. They both came to the conclusion that since I drove a pick up truck this vehicle has a different feel to it. I agreed and we purchased the car. I don’t know if the 2010 Venza has similar braking systems as the Prius, but I thought I was the only one feeling the sensation of hitting the brakes and not stopping. And it often happens as I drive the car first thing in the morning. My wife has gotten used to the brakes and as she drives it more often, I have agreed to wait to see if Toyota sends us a letter to “repair” the car.
As a post script I’d like to add that when I tried to sell the car to a Ford dealership they wanted to give me 20k for a 36k car which I bought a month earlier. Carmax also offered me 20k to take it off my hands. Toyota is no longer a company with a good reputation and that means low resale value.
My wife and I bought a 2010 Venza and during the test drive I mentioned the brakes felt a bit unresponsive to the salesman. My wife didn’t feel any difference when she test drove it. They both came to the conclusion that since I drove a pick up truck this vehicle has a different feel to it. I agreed and we purchased the car. I don’t know if the 2010 Venza has similar braking systems as the Prius, but I thought I was the only one feeling the sensation of hitting the brakes and not stopping. And it often happens as I drive the car first thing in the morning. My wife has gotten used to the brakes and as she drives it more often, I have agreed to wait to see if Toyota sends us a letter to “repair” the car.
As a post script I’d like to add that when I tried to sell the car to a Ford dealership they wanted to give me 20k for a 36k car which I bought a month earlier. Carmax also offered me 20k to take it off my hands. Toyota is no longer a company with a good reputation and that means low resale value.
I have experienced that lurch-while-braking-over-a-bump ever since I bought my 2007 Prius (new in May 2007). I wonder when Toyota will start admitting that it is a problem with models earlier than the 2010 model. Like many of you, I was blown off when I reported the problem to my Toyota dealer. I recently filed a complaint online with the NHTSA, and I STRONGLY encourage all of you to do the same. More of our numbers will add force to our argument. My Prius is otherwise such a wonderful car; let’s clean up its engineering.
I have experienced that lurch-while-braking-over-a-bump ever since I bought my 2007 Prius (new in May 2007). I wonder when Toyota will start admitting that it is a problem with models earlier than the 2010 model. Like many of you, I was blown off when I reported the problem to my Toyota dealer. I recently filed a complaint online with the NHTSA, and I STRONGLY encourage all of you to do the same. More of our numbers will add force to our argument. My Prius is otherwise such a wonderful car; let’s clean up its engineering.