2015 Toyota Prius V

TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, I HAD JUST TURNED INTO A DIAGONAL PARKING SPACE IN A CUL-DE-SAC AT ABOUT 10AM AND THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD AND HIT A YELLOW IRON POST BEYOND THE FRONT OF THE PARKING SPACE. IT HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF 2-3 SECONDS AND I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR BY BRAKING. THE POST STOPPED THE CAR AND CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE CAR. IT WAS EXTREMELY PERPLEXING AND I STILL DON'T THINK IT WAS CAUSED BY MY ACTIONS DUE TO THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. I NO LONGER HAVE PHOTOS OF THE DAMAGE. I CONTACTED MY INSURANCE CARRIER AND MY RATES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BUT I STILL FEEL STRONGLY THAT I DID NOT CAUSE THE ACCIDENT. I HAD BEEN DRIVING AT 20MPH THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD PRIOR TO PARKING. REPAIRS TOTALED ABOUT $2400.00.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020, DRIVING ON QUIET RESIDENTIAL STREET, INSTRUMENT PANEL LIT UP WITH MESSAGE "HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE. PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY". BEFORE WE COULD FIND A SPOT AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND WOULDN'T TURN BACK ON, BLOCKING TRAFFIC. VEHICLE TOWED TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. ENGINE TURNED ON AT DEALERSHIP. DEALER RAN DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH CAR. SENT US HOME SAYING CAR WAS FINE. NOVEMBER 24, 2020 RECEIVED NOTICE FROM TOYOTA ABOUT CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR FAILURE OF "INTELLIGENT POWER MODULE (IPM) LOCATED INSIDE THE INVERTER ASSEMBLY OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM". CONDITION DESCRIBED AS "HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING" SHOWING ON INSTRUMENT PANEL AND VEHICLE GOING INTO "FAIL-SAFE DRIVING MODE". CALLED PHONE NUMBER ON THE NOTICE AND WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM WE HAD WITH THE CAR WAS THE CONDITION DESCRIBED IN NOTICE, BUT NOTHING COULD BE DONE UNTIL IT FAILS AGAIN AND THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTS ARE POSITIVE. IF THEY KNOW THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM, AND IT ALREADY HAPPENED ONCE IN OUR CAR, THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE FAULTY PARTS, NOT WAIT FOR US TO GET INTO A WRECK ON THE FREEWAY.

VERY LOUD , ROUGH, ALMOST PULSATING ENGINE NOISE AT LOW SPEED (ABOUT 20 MILES OR LESS), AFTER THE CAR BEING DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 20-30 MINUTES, THE WEATHER WAS ABOUT 35-40 DEGREES OUTSIDE IN THE MORNING. ROUGH ENGINE RUNNING LASTS FOR ABOUT 1 MINUTES, IT HAPPED 4 TIMES IN JAN/20 AND FEB/20. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE, DEALER REFUSED TO SCAN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, UNLESS I PAID $189 FEE.

ISSUE STARTED AFTER 2 YEARS, WHEN WET AND COLD AS I BACK UP AND PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, A VERY LOUD NOISE HEARD COMING FROM THE BACK? IT LASTS AS LONG AS I PUT MY FOOT ON THE PEDAL. EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS AT PETERSON TOYOTA DEALER LOCALLY, BUT THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT "IT'S NORMAL", COULD BE THE BRAKE HYDRAULIC BOOSTER SYSTEM? THE ISSUES STILL CONTINUE AS OF TODAY. I DO RECORD THE NOISE WHEN IT HAPPENS

THIS IS AN OCCASIONAL AND INTERMITTENT ISSUE. AT 35 TO 45 MPH, TRAVELING STRAIGHT, ON CITY AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. WHEN BRAKING IN AN URGENT FSHION (NOT PANICK AND NOT EASY) THE BRAKE PEDDAL IS SOFT AND TRAVELS SIGNIFICANTLY FURTHER THAN USUAL BEFORE THE CARS BREAKING SYSTEM TAKES EFFECT. THIS WAS ON DRY ROADS AND ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES. WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED ANY ACCIDENTS DUE TO THIS BUT THERE HAVE BEEN MOMENTS OF NEAR PANICK PRIOR TO THE BRAKES WORKING AS EXPECTED. AS A SEPARATE BRAKE ISSUE, ON TWO OCCASIONS WHEN PANICK BRAKING FROM APEEDS OVER 50 MPH, TRAVELING STRAIGHT, ON FREEWAYS THE BRAKES HAVE LOCKED AND THE CAR HAS SKIDDED. THIS WAS ON DRY ROADS DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS, DRY ROADS AND ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES. THIS VEHICLE HAS ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER WAS ADVISED OF THIS LOCKING ISSUE AND REPORTED THEY FOUND NO ISSUE. WE HAVE OUR BRAKES INSPECTED BY A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALRE AT MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED INTERVALS AND HAVE BEEN GIVEN A 'GREEN' RATING FOR PAD THICKNESS. THE ABOVE EVENTS STARTED LATE IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP AND WE ARE THE FIRST OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE. I AMA RETIRED ENGINEER WITH A FAIR BACKGROUND WITH PERFORMANCE DRIVING ON CLOSED CIRCUITS. I HAVE A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF PROPER BRAKE PERFORMANCE. I FOND THE ABOVE EXPERIENCES DISCONCERTING AND OF CONCERN. THE BELOW DATE OF OCCURRENCE IS FOR THE LATEST SLOW BRAKE RESPONSE, NOT THE LOCKING UP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 TOYOTA PRIUS V HYBRID. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY BETWEEN 5-10 MPH. THE SPEED INCREASED TO 20 MPH AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A FENCE. THE CONTACT APPLIED SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL DURING THE FAILURE, BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR SORENESS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE CRASH, WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND DEEMED DESTROYED. STEVE LANDERS TOYOTA (10825 COLONEL GLENN ROAD, LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS 72204) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIATELY 59,100. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

2015 TOYOTA PRIUS V: THIS CAR HAS A BRAKE SYSTEM ACCUMULATOR THAT ACTIVATES AFTER THE CAR HAS SAT FOR A SUFFICIENTLY LONG TIME (OVERNIGHT, DURING THE WORKDAY, ETC). WHEN YOU OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, THE ACCUMULATOR ACTIVATES AND PRESSURIZES THE BRAKE SYSTEM. HOWEVER, WHEN USING THE BRAKES WHILE DRIVING FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER THE ACCUMULATOR ACTIVATES, THE BRAKES ARE WAY TOO SOFT/SPONGY - SO SOFT THAT IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR WILL NOT STOP AND THE STOPPING DISTANCE IS LENGTHENED, SOMETIMES MORE THAN DOUBLED. MY LOCAL DEALER CLAIMS THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM TO FIX IT. I HAVE HAD OTHER MODEL PRIUSES WHERE THEY HAVE SAID THE SAME THING, YET THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE A SYSTEMIC ISSUE IN A CERTAIN PRIUS MODEL. I FEAR THAT THIS IS ANOTHER PERVASIVE BRAKE ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS TRYING TO HIDE.