2002 Toyota Prius

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. SHE STATED WHILE PULLING OUT FROM A DRIVEWAY AND APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE AND CAUSED HER TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGES TO THE ENTIRE FRONT STRUCTURE AND WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A COMPLAINT FILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 24,000.

MY 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS'S ELECTRONIC MOTOR STEERING ASSEMBLY STOPS WORKING AFTER APPROXIMATELY 1HR OF DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. AT 75 MILES PER HOUR, WARNING LIGHTS TURN ON AND STEERING ASSIST FAILS. STEERING THE CAR FROM THE ROAD IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, THE STEERING WORKS ONCE AGAIN. THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AS THE STEERING FAILS UNEXPECTEDLY AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE DEALER STATES THAT THE FIX WILL COST $3200, WHICH IS OVER HALF OF THE VEHICLE'S KELLEY BLUE BOOK TRADE-IN VALUE. *TR

THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY MALFUNCTIONS AND STOPS PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO THE DRIVER ON A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS, ON ONE INSTANCE THE GASOLINE MOTOR STOPPED WORKING AND I WAS LEFT DRIVING AT LOW SPEED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE ELECTRIC MOTOR ONLY. THE LATEST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON MAY 31ST, 2010 WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 65 MPH ON A FREEWAY, THE CAR LOST THE POWER STEERING OPERATION, MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON THE SCREEN, THE GAS MOTOR SHUT DOWN AND THE SPEED OF THE CAR DROPPED TO AROUND 23 MPH. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS RESPONSIVE ONLY IN THE RANGE OF 0~23 MPH. I TOOK THE CAR TO A SERVICE CENTER AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. REVIEWING THE SERVICE RECORDS FOR THE CARS I FOUND THAT IT PRESENTED THE SAME SYMPTOMS ONCE IN 2006 AND THREE TIMES IN 2008. THE SERVICE CENTER EITHER CLEANED A SENSOR OR COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE PART WAS NEVER REPLACED. WHILE RESEARCHING NHTSA SITE I FOUND THAT TOYOTA HAS FILE TSBS BACK IN 2004 RECOGNIZING A PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR COMPONENT AND IN SOME CASES EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THE PART. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY REFUSE TO ASSIST IN THE COST OF THE CAR REPAIR. *TR

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS ACCIDENT *GR THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS LEAVING A MEETING WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO RELEASE HER EMERGENCY BRAKE. SHE WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINE AND HAS PARKED THERE ONCE A MONTH FOR OVER A YEAR. BEFORE SHE KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS AT SUCH HIGH SPEED THAT SHE WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL IT BY BRAKING. THEREFORE, SHE SIDE SWIPED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND CAUSED OVER $10,500 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO BOTH CARS. *JB

I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES ABOUT SHAKING IN THE STEERING COLUMN. AFTER SEVERAL INSPECTIONS WHERE THEY FOUND NOTHING, I TOLD THEM TO CHECK THE RACK & PINION. THEY FOUND THAT TO BE THE CAUSE. TOYOTA PAID FOR THE NEW PARTS AND I PAID FOR THE LABOR TO GET IT REPLACED. LESS THEN 13 MONTHS LATER, I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF MY POWER STEERING GOING OUT MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE DEALER ACKNOWLEDGED THERE IS A PROBLEM, AGAIN, WITH THE RACK AND SAYS I NEED TO REPLACE IT.

SINCE I PURCHASED MY TOYOTA PRIUS IN LATE 2001, IT HAS INTERMITTENTLY SURGED WHEN THE BRAKE IS PRESSED. WHILE I DO NOT HAVE THE HIGH SPEED SURGES THAT OTHER DRIVERS HAVE REPORTED, PERIODICALLY WHEN I AM AT LOW SPEEDS AND PRESS THE BRAKE TO STOP, THE CAR WILL SLOW TO A STOP, THEN LURCH FORWARD, REQUIRING ME TO PRESS THE BRAKE HARDER TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA IN 2001 AND 2002, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NORMAL FOR A HYBRID, WHICH WAS FAIRLY NEW TECHNOLOGY AT THE TIME. I AM CONCERNED THAT IN THE FUTURE I MAY HAVE A HIGHER SPEED SURGE. SO FAR MY SURGES HAVE BEEN LOW SPEED, AND I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THEM BY PRESSING THE BRAKE HARDER. *TR

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS BRAKING PROBLEM*CW THE CONSUMER STATED HE DIDN'T SEE THE ISSUE AS A BRAKING PROBLEM; RATHER A CONTROL CONFLICT. WHENEVER THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING DOWN A SLIGHT GRADE ON A ROAD SURFACE HAVING ITS SHARE OF PAVING PATCHES, FROST HEAVES, ETC. THE SLIGHT DOWNGRADE CAUSES THE VEHICLES SPEED TO INCREASE, OR PERHAPS AN INTERSECTION APPEARED AHEAD AND FOR WHATEVER REASON THE BRAKES WERE GENTLY APPLIED IN ORDER TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE SYMPTOM WAS A BRIEF INTERVAL AND THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO ACCELERATE AND THEN NORMAL BRAKING RESUMED AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. JUST PRIOR TO THE BRAKE ACTIVATION, THE VEHICLE IS IN REGENERATION MODE, IN WHICH THE ELECTRIC PROPULSION MOTORS ARE ACTING AS GENERATORS, WHERE ENERGY MOTION IS BEING EXTRACTED AND CONVERTED TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY TO BE STORED IN THE VEHICLES BATTERY. WHENEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ACTIVATED, THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE MOTOR NOW BECOME GENERATORS ARE FORCED BY THE CONTROL SYSTEM TO CONVERT SIGNIFICANT ENERGY OF MOTION INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THE NORMAL BRAKING SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE ABS.

CONSUMERS 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS LOSS OF POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND VIOLENT SHAKING IN THE STEERING SYSTEM. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER MADE ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE ELECTRONIC MODULE EXCHANGE AND THE GAS TANK. HOWEVER, THE ATTEMPTS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. ALSO, THE VEHICLE HAS AN ONGOING, UNRESOLVED PROBLEM WITH VIOLENT SHAKING IN THE STEERING SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY THE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND AT OTHER TIMES DURING COLD WEATHER. THE POWER STEERING WILL COMPLETELY CUT OUT AFTER HOURS OF OPERATION, ESPECIALLY DURING HOT WEATHER. *JB

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN IN MY 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY LOCKED. I DID MANAGE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN AND FORCED THE WHEEL INTO COMPLETING THE TURN AFTER HEARING A CRACKING SOUND. I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A FAULTY SENSOR AND THE ENTIRE STEERING RACK HAD TO BE REPLACED. I HAD JUST EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND WAS LUCKY THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS AROUND. THIS SITUATION OCCURRED 08/15/08. THIS IS AFTER I HAD BROUGHT IN BOTH MY 2002 PRIUS AND MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN FOR NUMEROUS SENSOR DEFECTS THAT WERE EITHER FIXED OR REPLACED. I CONTINUED TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AS WELL. THE LAST ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE WAS OIL THE CONSTANT LOSS OF ENGINE OIL. TO BE MORE DETAILED, I LOST 8 QUARTS OF OIL IN APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES. THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION GIVEN CONSIDERING THERE WERE NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF LEAK OR BURNING. THIS WAS THE REASON I NO LONGER OWN THIS VEHICLE BUT UNFORTUNATELY STILL OWN THE PRIUS. [XXX] *TR