2022 Toyota Redundant Sienna

When braking, the vehicle "releases" and lurches forward at a faster rate, but then catches again and continues to brake as it was before. It does not flash or light up on the dash with any issues when this happens. We have tried to find how to specifically recreate this issue to show to the dealership, but it just happens randomly anywhere from 2-12 times a day. This is especially terrifying coming down steep hills or taking quick offramp with stopped traffic in front of you. It began about a year and a half ago and used to take place once every few weeks, it is now happening daily, with increased "release" strength and time. It is still only about 1-2 seconds of released brake pressure, but again is terrifying when behind the wheel and expecting your vehicle to continue to brake as normal while foot is on the pedal. The brake pedal does not depress further or move from its position when braking. The car is acting and performing just as it should be 'normally', except that the brakes give way for 1-2 seconds.

Unexpected sudden acceleration (when braking) as I was slowing down from exiting a highway, just as I was approaching full stop, it felt like the regenerative braking stopped grabbing momentarily and I violently lurched forward for what seemed like a feet or two. I thought it was a fluke back then and thought nothing of it. It just happened again today as I approached a stop sign - again as I neared complete stop with brake depressed it felt like the brake stopped working for a second and the car again lurched forward violently as if I had lost control for what seemed like a foot. Would have hit the car in front of me if there was one.

On May 18, 2025, 4:00pm, my wife was applying brakes to stop for a stop sign at a T-intersection. Suddenly, the car lurched forward and accelerated uncontrollably. Despite her attempts to stop, her vehicle crossed four traffic lanes, vaulted over curb, nosedived into turf, and then crashed through brick wall into a fire station. My wife was unable to brake and stop the forward progression of the vehicle. My wife steered to avoid hitting trees but could not avoid the brick of the fire station wall. The airbags did NOT deploy. My wife sustained back injuries and bruising of the front torso. Her right foot is bruised from pressuring the brake pedal. The vehicle sustained heavy damage as did the fire station.

The brakes temporarily let up and the vehicle lurches forward before the brakes re-engage, resulting in an unpredictable, delayed stop. It is unpredictable and can result in the driver's stop being dangerous. This usually takes place at stop lights, stop signs, and parking spots, where the vehicle is under 20mph. The car sometimes does not brake as it should, meaning that the nose of the vehicle or the majority of the vehicle will extend past a stop sign or stop light, or contact in a parking lot could occur. The dealer was unable to reproduce the problem. The dealer inspected the vehicle twice. They turned the rotors (unrelated to the issue) the first time I took it in. The second time I took it in, I made them apply the T-SB 0047-24 software update. The T-SB 0047-24 update says that some drivers might be "sensitive to the momentary transition from regenerative braking to hydraulic braking under certain driving conditions." The update to the software was designed to "improve the feeling" for the condition. The brakes are not slowing the vehicle predictably. There are no warning lights or errors given by the vehicle.

During braking the vehicle will lose braking force and “lurch” forward before regaining braking power. It usually happens at about 15-20mph decelerating. There are no warning lights associated with this. The dealer recommended we brake harder to prevent the issue. It still happens and the extra braking force leads to unnecessary wear on braking and suspension components. This caused us to have a near-mis accident while braking in traffic. It also causes quite a distraction during deceleration because it’s unpredictable and uncomfortable when it happens.

When coming to a stop at various speeds the car will sometimes surge during the braking process. It feels like either a brief acceleration or a release of the brakes. It then continues to brake as normal. It is an intermittent issue and can occur when coming to a slow stop or at faster stops. It started in November of 2023, and started happening only once a week or so. As time went on, it became more frequent until it was happening several times a day. By the summer of 2024, the Toyota dealership was finally able to replicate it, and they fixed it with a “computer update” as best I understood. The problem was fixed for a while but began again a few months later. The frequency at this time , early 2025, is every 1-2 days. I have returned multiple times to Toyota, and they have no fix since they have not been able to replicate it this time. I have pointed out to them that they did replicate it when they had previously fixed it. This issue presents a danger when the driver is coming to a stop. The first time it happened my reaction was to move my foot to the accelerator and I jumped a small curb. Although I am prepared now for this to happen, it is possible my instinctive reaction could happen again, resulting in a collision or injury. There are multiple forums and I see multiple complaints on this website, but I see no investigation cases. Please help me understand why this safety issue has not been investigated.