2013 Toyota Prius V

THE ENGINE OIL RUNS LOW BETWEEN OIL CHANGES AND NO WARNING LIGHTS ARE DISPLAYED. THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND SHAKING AND JERKING OCCURRED. THE CAR WAS ON A CITY STREET. I ADDED THE APPROPRIATE TYPE AND WEIGHT OF OIL. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE FIRST TIME BUT I CHECK IT REGULARLY. I KNOW ONE OTHER PRIUS V 5 2013 OWNER WHO HAS THE SAME ISSUE.

2013 PRIUS, MILEAGE 100,590 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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS V. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF A PICKUP TRUCK. THE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WAS NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000. *LN*JB *DT*JB

OWN A 2013 PRIUS V. NOTICED ABOUT 5 TIMES OVER PAST 2 YEARS-WHEN CAR STARTS AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT (12 HOURS) AND PUT INTO GEAR, CAR WILL ROLL BACK WHILE FOOT IS DEPRESSED ON BRAKE. AFTER A FEW FEET OF ROLLING AND PUMPING BRAKES, CAR WILL STOP.NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE SUSTAINED AS CAR WAS IN FLAT CARPORT. OVER PAST 6 MONTHS, BRAKING WHILE AT LOW SPEEDS (LESS THAN 5 MPH), PRODUCED A RHYTHMIC JERKING TYPE OF STOP. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS NEEDING REPLACEMENT OF BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP AND MASTER BOOSTER ASSEMBLY. DROVE CAR WITHOUT REPAIR FOR 1.5 MORE MONTHS WHEN ABS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE ON THE FREEWAY. STOPPING DISTANCE GREATLY INCREASED AND NEED TO PRESS THE BRAKE DOWN HARD WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE. WROTE TO TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS AS WELL AS LOCAL SERVCO WHICH IS THE MAIN TOYOTA/LEXUS/SUBARU DEALER IN HAWAII. THEY DECLINED TO MY REQUEST TO REPAIR THE DEFECT AT NO CHARGE STATING CAR IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE ZJB CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM THAT TOYOTA ALREADY HAS IN PLACE FOR 2010-2015 PRIUS AND PRIUS PLUG IN (BUT NOT THE PRIUS V). DEALER STATES THE ZJB PROGRAM IS A "COURTESY" FOR THOSE COVERED VEHICLES. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART THAT TOYOTA AND SERVCO KNOWINGLY SOLD TO THE CONSUMER-IT IS A CONSUMER SAFETY ISSUE.

I WAS LEAVING WORK AND AS I GOT ON TO THE FREEWAY, I NOTICED THAT WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATION, THE CAR WOULD REV AND JERK. DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT THINKING I WOULD MAKE IT HOME. BY TIME I MADE IT TO THE FREEWAY, MY CAR BEGAN TO REV LOUDLY AND I NOTICED I WAS LOOSING ACCELERATION. AROUND THIS TIME I WAS GOING ALMOST 65MPH. SO I PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY AND INSPECTED THE ENGINE, DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY SO TRIED TO CRANK IT UP AGAIN. CAR CRUNK, 'READY' LIGHT CAME ON AND SO DID ELECTRIC VEHICLE MODE. AS THE CAR WENT START THE ENGINE, THE LOUD RATTLE AND SHAKING OF THE CAR COULD BE HEAR AND FELT. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ANOTHER HALF A MILE BEFORE THE CAR JUST SHUT DOWN. THEY CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE OVER 5 MILES PER HOUR. WHEN IT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SMOKE SO I KNEW THAT COULD NOT BE GOOD. I TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON AND AT THE POINT I NOTICED I COULD NOT PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE NOR DRIVE. THE 'READY' LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AND I NO LONGER HAD POWER STEERING. THE FOLLOWING DAY I GOT IT TOWED TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT I HAD 'THREW A ROD.' I LOOKED AND SAW THAT OTHER OWNERS HAD SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT WITH VERY SIMILAR ISSUES. THOUGHT THAT SUBMITTING THIS WOULD BE EFFECTIVE AS IF THIS ISSUE PERSIST. THERE MAY NOT BE OTHER OWNERS WHO ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO MAKE IT OFF THE FREEWAY WITHOUT HAVING ANY ACCELERATION POWER.

TODAY, 9/11/2019. I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 405, MY CAR WAS GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AROUND 65. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A BEEP SOUND AND MY ENGINE LIGHT TURN ON. MY VEHICLE WENT INTO THE "LIMP HOME" MODE, THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THEN THE CAR RED LIGHT WAS ON, AND THE SPEEDOMETER WENT OFF AND THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. LUCKILY I WAS DRIVING ON THE SLOW LANE AS I WAS PLANNING TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY IN A MILE DISTANCE. MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATION PEDAL AT ALL, SO I PUT ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHING LIGHT UP AND SLOWLY ROW OUT TOWARD THE EXIT. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME HAPPENED TO ME, WITHIN THE LAST 30 DAYS. TWO INCIDENT HAPPENED ON HIGHWAY AND ONE HAPPENED ON LOCAL ROAD. THE FIRST TIME WAS ALSO ON HIGHWAY WITH SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. I HAVE BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER MAINTENANCE 5 DAYS AGO, 9/13/2019, WHERE THEY CLAIMED THEY HAVE CHECKED EVERYTHING AND TOLD ME THE VEHICLE WAS FINE AFTER CHARGING ME $150 ANALYZE FEE. THE VEHICLE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT FINE AND I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ON HIGHWAY. THE PICTURE PROVIDED WAS THE DAY BEFORE I BROUGHT MY CAR IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER.

TWO WEEKS AGO I WAS DRIVING 50MPH ON A STREET IN MY TOWN WITH MY 3 GRANDSONS WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR JOLTED ME FORWARD AND THE SPEED DROPPED TO 20MPH .I IMMEDIATELY TOOK EVASIVE ACTION AND MOVED TO THE CURB AND PUT MY EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON. THE CHECK ENGINE ,CHECK HYBRID SYS. ,CK BRAKING SYSTEM,AND THE ANTI SKID LIGHT ALL CAME ON. I STARTED TO DRIVE BUT THE ENGINE SPEED WOULD ONLY GO 20MPH SO I STAYED CLOSE TO THE CURB AND DROVE TO MY SON'S HOME WHICH WAS LESS THE A MILE AWAY WITH MY FLASHERS GOING. NEEDLESS TO SAY MY GRANDSONS WERE VERY SCARED WITH THE ABRUPT JOLT THAT OCURRED WHEN THE CAR SPEED DROPPED SUDDENLY.THANKS HEAVENS THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS NOT TOO CLOSE AND WAS ABLE TO AVOID HITTING ME. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO SAID IT WAS A HYBRID ISSUE SO I HAD MY CAR TOWED AGAIN TO AN INDEPENDENT TOYOTA HYBRID SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS A INVERTER FAILURE. I HAD PREVIOUSLY TAKEN MY CAR TO A CERTIFIED TOYOTA DEALER FOR 2 DIFFERENT SOFTWARE UPDATE RECALLS WITH THE 2ND ONE COMING THREE MONTHS AGO FOR THE NHTSA RECALL NO.18 V-684 HYBRID SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE. THIS FAILURE IS A VERY DANGEROUS FAILURE THAT COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS OR DEADLY ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENED ON AN EXPRESSWAY ETC. GOING 70MPH AND THEN SUDDENLY DROPPING TO 20MPH COULD RESULT IN ANOTHER CAR OR TRUCK FOLLOWING BEHIND TO RUN RIGHT OVER YOUR CAR. I AM SURPRISED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT TAKEN STEPS TO REPLACE THESE INVERTERS. IF I WASN'T RETIRED I WOULD IMMEDIATELY SELL THIS CAR AND BUY ANOTHER AS I NOW HAVE A CONCERN THAT THIS FAILURE COULD OCCUR AGAIN AND I MIGHT NOT BE SO LUCKY. MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS THERE IS NO ENGINE LIGHT WARNING PRIOR TO THE FAILURE WHICH WOULD GIVE YOU TIME TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED OUT.