2012 Toyota Prius V

MY HORN NO LONGER WORKS. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A FAULTY SPIRAL CABLE. ACCORDING TO INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET, THE SPIRAL CABLE ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER AIRBAG. THIS PART WAS UNDER A RECALL FOR VEHICLES A COUPLE OF YEARS PRIOR. I FEEL THAT IF THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE THEN IT SHOULD ALSO BE FIXED UNDER RECALL. THE DEALER PRICE TO FIX THIS IS OVER $800. I HAVE OPENED A CASE WITH TOYOTA #210-128-2281, BUT THEY DON'T SEE IT AS A SAFETY CONCERN AND WILL NOT OFFER ASSISTANCE TO REMEDY THE FAULTY CABLE.

ON 11/3/2020, SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED ON THE DASH. AFTER RESEARCHING THE COMBINATION OF LIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL I DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR IS FAILING. PER MY RESEARCH, CONTINUING TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF BRAKING ASSISTANCE. OTHER TOYOTA PRIUS MODELS ARE COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTIES (REFERENCE ZJB), BUT THE PRIUS V MODELS, WHICH USE THE SAME ACTUATOR, ARE NOT. AN ACCIDENT/INCIDENT HAS NOT YET OCCURED, BUT THIS SEEMS LIKE A HUGE CASE OF NEGLIGENCE ON TOYOTA.

A RECENTLY PURCHASED USED TOYOTA PRIUS V WHICH WAS OWNED BY A DEALER A MATTER OF 2 MONTHS AGO WAS SOLD TO ME AND THE ABS/BRAKE ACTUATOR FAILURE BEGAN. THE VEHICLE IS OUTSIDE OF THE 150K/10YR WARRANTY THEY WANT TO COVER, HOWEVER IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND HAS ALREADY NEARLY CAUSED ME TO BE IN AN ACCIDENT AS THE BRAKE POWER MASSIVELY FLUCTUATES. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE 75MPH FROM PHOENIX TO TUCSON APPROX 120 MILES. THE LIGHT CAME ON PART WAY THROUGH AND SUDDENLY THE BRAKES WENT FROM BEING SENSITIVE AND RESPONSIVE TO NEEDING A LOT OF PRESSURE APPLIED TO PROPERLY SLOW. WHEN A DIESEL BIG RIG SWERVED IN FRONT OF ME TO AVOID AN OBSTACLE THAT I WOULD EASILY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BRAKE FROM TYPICALLY, I WAS NEARLY SLAMMED INTO THE BACK END OF HIM WITH VERY LITTLE POWER. THE LIGHT FLIPPED BACK OFF ABOUT TIME I MADE IT TO TUCSON, THEN WHEN COMING TO A STOP AT A DANGEROUS INTERSECTION ON MY WAY THROUGH CITY STREETS HOME CROSSING KOLB AND VALENCIA (A SITE OF MANY AN ACCIDENT), I NEARLY WENT INTO THE INTERSECTION WHEN THE BRAKE SYSTEM SUDDENLY CUT OUT AGAIN. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING THEY TOLD ME THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM BUT SINCE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY I'D HAVE TO COVER 2500 TO REPLACE WHAT IS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THIS VEHICLE. THAT'S [XXX] AND DANGEROUS. REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE CONTACT TURNED LEFT WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSED HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO EXCEED 9 MPH. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO LIBERTY TOYOTA (4397 ROUTE 130 SOUTH BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY 08016, (609)-386-6300) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MECHANIC LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE INVERTER. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

THE ABS BRAKE PUMP EXPERIENCED AN "INTERNAL FAILURE" AT MILEAGE OF 113K. THERE IS A CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTICE THAT COVERS 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS AND PRIUS PLUG IN FOR THE SAME ISSUE REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE UNTIL 2019, AND THEN UP TO 150K MILES AFTER THAT. HOWEVER, MY 2012 PRIUS V WAS NOT COVERED. THIS ABS BRAKE PUMP JUST SUDDENLY FAILED, THERE WEREN'T ANY LEADING INDICATORS. TOYOTA KNOWS IT SUPPLIED DEFECTIVE PARTS FOR THE ABS BRAKE PUMP. THERE IS ALREADY A LAWSUIT OF OTHER 2012 PRIUS V OWNERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME. HOWEVER, TOYOTA HAS NOT CORRECTED THEIR SERVICE NOTICE. THEY WON'T RELEASE THE DETAILS OF HOW THEY CAN JUSTIFY COVERAGE TO ALL OTHER 2012 PRIUS, AND PRIUS PLUG-IN, BUT NOT PRIUS V. THE REPAIR IS SIGNIFICANT ~ $3,500. ALSO, LAST YEAR MY ENGINE BLOCK WAS CRACKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THANKFULLY, THIS HAPPENED ~ 80K MILES, SO IT WAS STILL UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. BUT THIS FAILURE WAS SURPRISING FOR A TOYOTA. I HAD WONDERED WHY I HAD TO CHANGE THE OIL MORE QUICKLY THAN THE RECOMMENDED 10K, I WOULD CHANGE IT EVERY 5-7K, OR AT LEAST HAVE IT CHECKED. IT SEEMS THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUES WITH THEIR 2020 RAV 4S. I'M SURPRISED THEY HAVEN'T FIXED AN ISSUE FROM A 2012 VEHICLE YET BY 2020.

AT ABOUT 100,000 MILES THE ENGINE BEGAN USING (BURNING) OIL AT THE RATE OF ABOUT 1 QUART EVERY 1000 MILES. NOW AT 150,000 MILES THE OIL USAGE IS 1 QUART PER 500 MILES. THE OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED USING THE RECOMMENDED LUBRICANT MORE OFTEN THAN REQUIRED SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS REDESIGNED THE PISTONS AND RINGS BUT BUT OFFERS NO FINANCIAL HELP FOR CARS OFF WARRANTY. THE DEALER ESTIMATED REPAIR COST IS OVER $5000.