2012 Toyota Prius V

NOVEMBER 4, 2017 - CAR WAS PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY. PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY. THE BRAKES FAILED. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS REPEATEDLY PUSHED DOWN, THE CAR JUST WOULD NOT STOP. IT ACTUALLY FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING! THE CAR RAN OVER OUR MAILBOX AT THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY. THE MAILBOX GOT DRAGGED UNDER THE CAR AND THE CAR ROLLED OUT ONTO THE STREET. FINALLY, WE PUSHED IN THE POWER BUTTON AND THAT WAS HOW WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO STOP. OUR MAILBOX GOT TOTALED AND DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF OUR CAR, AS THERE IS TWISTED METAL HANGING DOWN SCRAPING THE GROUND. THE BRAKES STARTED TO WORK AGAIN A FEW MINUTES LATER, AS I WAS ABLE TO PULL IT BACK INTO THE DRIVEWAY OFF OF THE STREET. ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 ' CAR WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. WHEN REVERSING OUT OF THE PARKING SPACE, THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. AFTER REPEATEDLY PUMPING THE BRAKES, THEY FINALLY ENGAGED JUST BEFORE IT HIT A CAR PARKED BEHIND US. WE THOUGHT THIS WAS A FREAK ONE-TYPE EVENT, SO WE DIDN'T REPORT IT.

NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 15V449 MANUFACTURER RECALL: FOR / HYBRID INVERTER/POWER MODULE (IPM) CRASH INVOLVING PRIUS V (OWNED BY ANOTHER PERSON - MY MOTHER WAS HIT AND KILLED BY PRIUS V) OCCURRED ON SR 105. PRIUS V TRAVELING N ON OUTSIDE LANE CROSSED INSIDE LANE AND 11' GRASS MEDIAN BORDERED BY CONCRETE INTO S BOUND INSIDE LANE AND COLLIDED MY MOTHER DRIVING ONCOMING VEHICLE ON INSIDE S BOUND LANE. WOMAN DRIVING PRIUS V WAS KILLED ON IMPACT, AND MY MOTHER DIED LATER THAT DAY AT UF HOSPITAL JACKSONVILLE. TWO WITNESSES DRIVING BEHIND MY MOTHER SAW CRASH AND SAID THE PRIUS V APPEARED TO BE ACCELERATING ACROSS MEDIAN. CRASH OCCURRED APPROX. 2 MONTHS BEFORE TOYOTA'S RECALL ON JULY 15, 2015 OF 109,000 PRIUS V HYBRIDS. THE PRIUS V THAT KILLED MY MOTHER WAS PART OF THIS RECALL. IN FEB 2014, THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE PRIUS ECU. THE PRUIS V HAD THE SAME ECU, BUT TOYOTA CHOSE NOT TO RECALL THE PRIUS V UNTIL ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, 2 AND A HALF MONTHS AFTER MY MOTHER'S FATAL CRASH. IF THEY HAD RECALLED THE PRIUS V IN 2014, WOULD MY MOTHER STILL BE ALIVE?

WHEN DRIVING ON UNEVEN GROUND, LIKE POT HOLES, THE BRAKES FAIL. LITERALLY IF YOU HAVE YOUR FOOT ON BRAKE WHEN DRIVING OVER A POT HOLE, YOU CAN FEEL THE BRAKES RELEASE AND THE CAR WON'T STOP. I'VE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES ON BUMPY GROUND. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS HAD THE PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED IT, PROBABLY ON A WEEKLY BASIS, AND I'VE WONDERED ABOUT THE SAFETY AND WHETHER IT'S JUST RELATED TO ABS. I'VE ALSO INQUIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP. LUCKILY, I'VE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. BUT, THIS WEEKEND MY FRIEND WITH A PRIUS HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM, SO I DECIDED TO REPORT MY COMPLAINT.

MY 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V (MILEAGE: 55155) HAS HAD A FAILURE OF THE REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUSTING. PLEASE NOTE THE FRONT BRAKES ARE IN GREAT SHAPE AND SHOW VERY LITTLE WEAR. THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT THAT HE WAS ONLY A FRANCHISE STORE AND WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESIGN OF THE REAR BRAKES. HE STATED THAT THIS HAPPENS OCCASIONALLY ON THE HYBRID CARS THEY SERVICE AND IF THE MANUFACTURER HAD COATED THE BRAKE (I BELIEVE HE WAS REFERRING TO THE SLIDE AREA OF THE CALIPER WHERE THE BRAKE PADS RIDES) THAT THE BRAKE PAD WOULD NOT HAVE HUNG UP AND WORN OUT ALONG WITH DESTROYING THE ROTORS. I AM A FORMER LICENSED AIRCRAFT MECHANIC AND A LICENSED ENGINEER WITH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. CLEARLY THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE REAR BRAKES TO FAIL BEFORE THE FRONT BRAKES AND CERTAINLY NOT THE ROTORS. THIS CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALER EVERY 5000 MILES, WHICH DEMONSTRATES THE FAILURE WAS NOT DUE TO NEGLECT. THIS FAILURE MECHANISM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE IT CAUSES AN ACCIDENT.

TOOK CAR IN FOR SERVICE AT 40,251. WAS TOLD BRAKE PADS ARE AT 1MM FOR BOTH REAR BRAKE PADS, AND THAT ROTORS WERE RUSTED. TOLD FOR SAFETY IT SHOULD BE REPLACED AT THIS TIME. THERE HAD BEEN NO INDICATION THAT BRAKES WERE FAULTY. NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO NOISE, NO CHANGE IN BRAKING SENSATION. PRIOR SERVICE AT 35,397 INDICATES BRAKES IN GOOD CONDITION WITH BOTH REAR PADS AT 7MM. ALSO, NO MENTION OF ROTOR RUST. SERVICE DONE AT 30,109 ALSO INDICATES BRAKES IN GOOD CONDITION WITH REAR PADS AT 7MM. MULTIPOINT INSPECTION PAPER FOR 40K SERVICE WAS NOT ATTACHED TO BILL. REQUESTED INSPECTION PAPER FOR 40,251 SERVICE, AND ALL OTHER INSPECTION PAPERS. CAR WAS BOUGHT AT WARREN OHIO TOYOTA, AND WAS ALWAYS TAKEN THERE FOR SERVICE. WAS TOLD NO INSPECTION PAPERS ARE KEPT LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS, AND THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CARS PREVIOUS INSPECTIONS RESULTS. THE MOST RECENT INSPECTION PAPER WAS MAILED TO ME. IT INDICATES THE REAR BRAKE PADS WERE AT 0MM AND 1MM. A 0MM PAD. THERE WAS NOTHING THAT OCCURRED DURING DRIVING TO INDICATE THE PAD WAS DOWN TO METAL. I HAVE CONTACTED THE WARREN OHIO TOYOTA GENERAL MANAGER AND SERVICE MANAGER WITH MY CONCERNS OVER THIS RAPID DECLINE IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM WITH NO WARNING IN LESS THAN 5,000 MILES OF DRIVING. MOST OF THE DRIVING I DO WEEKLY IS HIGHWAY MILES. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER OR SERVICE MANGER DESPITE REPEATED CALLS AND EMAILS. THIS RAPID DECLINE IN MY BRAKING SYSTEM WITH NO WARNING IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. EITHER MY 2012 PRIUS V HAS A FAULTY BRAKING SYSTEM, OR THE BRAKES WERE FINE AND TOYOTA OF WARREN OHIO LIED ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE BRAKES. *TR

I OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE BRAND NEW. IT HAD HAPPENED MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES. WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS OR UNEVEN SURFACES, WITH THE SAME PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BREAK, THE 2012 PRIVUS FAILED TO STOP AND LURCHED SEVERAL FEET BEFORE STOPPING. WE HAD AN INCIDENT THAT WE ALMOST RAN INTO PEDESTRIAN YESTERDAY WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS. THIS IS VERY CONCERNED TO MY FAMILY. WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICAL BACK TO THE DEALER SHIP WHERE WE PURCHSED IT.(EXPRESSWAY DORCHESTER TOYOTA IN MASSCHUSETTES) THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIX IT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCED AT THE DEALSHIP. THE SERVICE OF MANAGER CLAIMED THIS IS WORKING AS DESIGNED FROM THE (TRACKING CONTROL). I FEEL THIS IS A FALSE STATEMENT, THIS DOES NOT HAPPENED TO MY OTHER CARS THAT HAS TRACTION CONTROL. TOYOTA SHOULD REALLY STARTING FIXING IT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED! *TR

THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT OCCUR WITH MY BRAKES. ONE IS A CONSISTENT AND VERY LOUD GROAN WITH BRAKING AFTER ANY LENGTH OF TIME SITTING IDLE. THE OTHER IS WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED AND I MAY BE OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD OR A POT HOLE OR ROCKS THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD QUICKLY AS IF I HAVE LOST CONTROL OF BREAKING. ALMOST LIKE HYDROPLANING WITHOUT WATER PRESENT. I HAVE TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEAL CONSISTENTLY SINCE THE NOISE BEGAN AND YET TO HAVE A FIX FOR IT. THEY SAY THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. HOWEVER I SPECIFICALLY HAD SOMEONE SIT IN MY CAR TO HEAR THE GROAN BECAUSE THEY SAID THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE IT. THEY HEARD THE NOISE AND AGAIN COULD DO NOTHING TO MAKE IT STOP. *TR

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHEN BRAKING IF I HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD OR POTHOLE THE CARS SPEEDS FORWARD FOR A FEW FEET. IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKES RELEASE CAUSING THE CAR TO STOP SLOWING DOWN. THIS IS VERY DISCOMFORTING. SO FAR I HAVE NOT BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENT THOUGH I FEAR THAT THIS COULD CONTRIBUTE TO AN ACCIDENT IF I HAD TO STOP SUDDENLY. *TR