2017 Toyota Prius

For the second time (first in 2019) I was seconds and maybe two feet from stopping the car to park when, with my foot on the brake, the car suddenly and without warning lunged forward at what seemed like full throttle. The first "crash" was in my driveway. The force was shocking and took off the front of the car. I insisted Toyota investigate and they ultimately denied any liability. After the car was allegedly repaired, I started noticing another phenomenon: every time I would slow down to brake--approaching an intersection or stop sign, etc.--the car would briefly lunge forward before the brakes engaged to stop the car. I reported this to the dealer 2-3 times and each time I was assured that this was "normal" for a hybrid transitioning from gas to electric at a lower speed. Two weeks ago, with a friend in the car, I was pulling into a parking space, foot on the brake and about to stop, when the same thing occurred: without warning, the car lunged forward, at what seemed like full throttle, and crashed into a low concrete wall. Had it been seconds later, we would have had our seatbelts off and gone into the windshield. There were injuries. FYI, I have a pretty much perfect driving record and log thousands of miles each year. I had ZERO problems with the Prius I owned prior to this one. I will never drive this car again.

THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING AND STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. WHEN ACCELERATING TO PROCEED FROM THE STOP LIGHT THE VEHICLE WOULD BARELY ACCELERATE NO MATTER HOW FAR WE PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL DOWN. THE ENGINE WAS NOT REVVING FASTER IT JUST APPEARED TO STAY IN EV MODE WITH VERY LITTLE ACCELERATION. FINALLY AFTER ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS THE CAR STARTS ACCELERATING. WE ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT IF THIS OCCURS AT A TURN ONTO A BUSY ROAD WE COULD BE IN A POSITION WHERE WE ARE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF ONCOMING CROSS TRAFFIC. THIS IS VERY INTERMITTENT, MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE PER SUMMER (USUALLY IN THE HOTTER TIMES OF THE YEAR). WE'VE HAD THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP AND BOTH TIMES THEY HAVE SAID THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM. SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET THIS SOUNDS LIKE TSB-0241-17, WHICH I HAVE SHARED WITH THE DEALER BUT BOTH TIMES THEY HAVE INDICATED THEY SEE NO SIGN OFF A PROBLEM.

MY 2 YEAR CHECK UP W/14,932 MILES I WAS ADVISED MY FRONT ROTORS NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO POOR PAD CONTACT AND REAR ROTORS ARE GROOVED HEAVILY AND NEED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. I WAS SHOCKED. I DID NOT HAVE REPLACED . MECHANIC SAID WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION. IS THERE A RECALL? WHAT IS GOING ON W/TOYOTA PRIUS BRAKES. AM AFRAID TO DRIVE CAR AND CAN'T AFFORD TO REPLACE ROTORS EVERY 15,000 MILES.

EVEN THOUGH THIS VEHICLE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS CASE, I CONSIDER THAT IT IS VERY RELEVANT THAT I EXPRESS MY CONCERNS WITH THIS VEHICLE DUE TO THE FACT THAT I TRADED IN MY 2015 TOYOTA PRIUS FOR A VEHICLE THAT PROVIDED AN UNSAFE DRIVING EXPERIENCE TO MY FAMILY WHICH WAS THE 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH VIN NUMBER [XXX] AFTER TAKING IT TO THREE DIFFERENT TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS TO BE EVALUATED BY TWO DIFFERENT TOYOTA FIELD INSPECTORS FROM TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS, TOYOTA MOTOR VEHICLES MADE THE CHOICE NOT TO LISTEN TO OUR CONCERNS AND REJECTED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY PROVIDING ME A SAFETY HAZARD PRODUCT IN ORDER TO AVOID LEMON LAW AND/OR MAKE ME AWARE OF THE HIGH LEVELS OF EMF THAT THE VEHICLE HAD. ON APRIL 18 2019, WE NEVER WERE TOLD BY THE SECOND FIELD INSPECTOR SENT BY TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS THE RESULTS OF HIS FINDINGS. BIG TWO TOYOTA TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION AND CONVINCED US TO TRADE IN THIS VEHICLE FOR A NEW 2019 TOYOTA SIENNA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE COVERING ON THE STEERING WHEEL AT THE HAND LOCATIONS HAS EXCESSIVE WEAR AND THE PLASTIC IS ROUGH ON SKIN. THE MANUFACTURE WILL NOT WARRANTY THE STEERING WHEEL COVER BECAUSE OF BEING OUT OF WARRANTY I DO NOT FEEL THAT A STEERING WHEEL COVER SHOULD WEAR OFF IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE WHICH IS CURRENTLY AT 139000 MILES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 19 MPH AND APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE MILLENIUM TOYOTA, 257 N FRANKLIN ST, HEMPSTEAD, NY 11550, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND AN INSPECTOR WAS SENT OUT TO RETRIEVE INFORMATION FROM THE VEHICLE DATA RECORDER. THE CONCLUSION WAS DRIVER ERROR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LONGO TOYOTA (3534 N PECK RD, EL MONTE, CA 91731, (855) 415-6497), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,825. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO TURN, THE STEERING ABILITY BECAME VERY DIFFICULT WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DMARK TOYOTA (15933 N IDAHOCENTER BLVD, NAMPA, ID 83687) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A SENSOR ON THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

I HAD AN SUA (SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION). I DROVE UP AN INCLINE INTO THE "DRIVEWAY" OF THE HOLIDAY IN IN DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO, PULLED UP INTO A SMALL CIRCULAR AREA/DRIVEWAY WHERE YOU CAN REGISTER FOR YOUR ROOM OR PICK UP OR DROP OFF PEOPLE. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, I WAS STOPPING THE CAR TO PICK UP MY DAUGHTER AND HER BOYFRIEND. AND THE CAR TOOK OFF ON IT'S OWN. I TRIED DESPERATELY TO USE THE BRAKES, BUT THEY WOULDN'T WORK, SO I KEPT DRIVING AROUND THE CIRCULAR DRIVEWAY TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE CAR WHILE I KEPT TRYING TO STOP THE CAR TO NO AVAIL. THE CAR KEPT ACCELERATING AND SCREECHING AROUND THE DRIVEWAY AND THEN I FINALLY LOST CONTROL AND THE CAR HIT A WALL TO MY RIGHT, THEN MOVED A BIT FORWARD AND BUMPED INTO A CURB ON THE LEFT AND FINALLY STOPPED.MY OTHER DAUGHTER WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT.WE WERE BOTH TERRIFIED! I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND FROM THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT (10/28/19) TO THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO TALK WITH A PERSON IN THEIR CLAIMS DEPT OR RATHER RECEIVE AN EMAIL RESPONSE, IT WAS 64 DAYS LATER (10/31/19). AND THAT IS ONLY BECAUSE I CALLED THEM. I TALKED TO SEVERAL CASE MANAGERS ON DIFFERENT DAYS WHO SEEMED UNHELPFUL UNTIL FINALLY ONE OF THEM GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE CLAIMS DEPARTMENT AND TOLD ME THEY WOULD CALL ME. TOYOTA WILL NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS AND I AM REALLY UPSET THAT NOW I WILL HAVE AN ACCIDENT ON MY RECORD AND MY INSURANCE WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY FOR SOMETHING THAT ISN'T EVEN MY FAULT! I AM AN EXCELLENT DRIVER AND HAVE NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT THAT WAS MY FAULT. I WAS ALERT AND COHERENT AS WAS OBVIOUS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE I SPOKE TO DIRECTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT. MY DAUGHTER, IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, WITNESSED ALL OF MY ATTEMPTS TO USE THE BRAKES TO STOP THE CAR.