general problems of the 2005 Toyota Prius - part 2

I was driving with my three children coming from school and slowing down us 301 towards traffic light when t tried to apply the brakes, the car did not stop. I had to reapply the brakes and the pedal went down very deep before the car jerked and slowly stopped. Thank god there was no car in front, otherwise would have been a collision. Went to the Toyota car dealer and they said that the failure code was dtc c1247 and told us to replace the skid control unit. Basically, the ecu of the brakes malfunctioned and the car did not have brakes on it. Please do a recall before anyone gets hurt on this.

I was pressing the brake, but instead of stopping my Prius accelerated,and jerked under the stopped vehicle in front of me. The brakes acted like accelerated pedal. Prius occasionally had the accelerating jerks without pedal input, but after fixing all the recalls, I thought the car is fine. But this time, it was not a jerk, it was a full leap, that destroyed the whole front of the car. It was towed from teh accident and it is beyond the repair. I had it only for 9 months.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. While driving in rainy conditions, the rear brakes engaged with a grabbing force. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the rear brake drums were cleaned; however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

I am the first owner of this 2005 Prius and have kept up with all maintenance and recall issues. This is my first complaint. On a perfectly fine weather day, I was driving my usual route home coming to a line of stopped cars in the left turn lane on a relatively flat, unbumpy surface street and was about 1 car length from the stopped car in front of me when I applied my brake. To my astonishment, with the brake fully engaged, my car kept going forward as if I had no brakes and rear ended the car ahead of me. Luckily neither of us were hurt as I had already slowed down for the stop. There was no damage to my car (my license plate holder hit her bumper and caused a couple of paint chips on hers, which will probably cost me thousands of dollars to repair) but I can tell you I was thoroughly shaken up. No emergency lights or code lights went on inside the car. From reading other complaints on this site, I see this is not a new problem. I will be reporting this to my Toyota dealer and to Toyota.

Headlights go out while driving. Driver headlight went out while driving 55mph. Pulled over & noted driver headlight out. Turned car off & then restarted & both headlights went on. Drove a couple miles & noted headlight out & this time it was the passenger headlight that was out. This has happened a few times in the year @ 1/2. We also had a problem in the past with the headlights being aimed too low in front of the car causing trouble seeing. It turned out to be the auto aiming computer was malfuntioning & it was replaced by warranty. We also had to have the skid control brake computer ($2500. ) replaced 12/06/2012 due to brake malfuntioning (brakes would hardly stop the car).

I rolled slowly (<1 mph) uphill to the parking slot (l. A. Code, 2%grade down away from buildings) up to the parking cement stop, and was ready to shut it down. The engine started to race, about to go over the cement stop when I put my foot on the brake. The car continued over the cement stop. I pushed harder on the brake and the car started to drive over the sidewalk. Then the car drove through the plate glass of the studio and then came to a stop inside. I put the car into neutral and tried to turn the car 'off'. The car's engine was still on after several tries to turn it off and I had my foot off the brake and on the floor. Then the car took a turn to the left and drove through the wall (my foot was still on the floor). I got out of the car without taking it out of neutral and it was still "on". I took the key with me to the middle of the room (I used the keyless ignition) so the car should have "chimed" because; the passenger side door was open, I was out of the car, and the car was still left "on". However, the car did not chime (indicating it did not detect I was 12 feet away). My teacher came up to the shattered glass window of the studio at the same time the security officer for the Mini mall a few minutes after I got out of the car. I was looking for my insurance card in my purse when the three of us witnessed the car "rev" again and the wall began to shatter with plaster and wooden studs falling around the car with no one driving (the car was in neutral). Because of the movement of the car, without a driver and in the wall, the security guard tried to get people out of the building. The towing company could not 'pull' the vehicle out of the wall with their tow truck for more then 20 minutes so, I gave my car key to the police officer and he gave it to the towing company. The man from the towing company drove the car out of the wall and out of the studio.

Were driving a 2005 Toyota Prius, when the brakes suddenly started behaving erratically, would not depress when pressure was applied. All abs /vsc lights came on, drove to the nearest dealership (glendale, CA Toyota). They said that the brakes had short circuited and needed to be replaced. ($2500 part), subsequently they said that the skid control ecu was also gone and had to be fixed. This was another $1500 part. On reading other complaints, this sounds like a major and common issue, does not appear that Toyota is addressing or even reviewing the problem. This is a single owner car, all maintenance service followed and with only 62,000 miles on the car.

Note: the date above does not reflect first date of occurance. This is the event date that led to Toyota admitting something is wrong with the car. Please read narrative: on three occasions the car has died while being parked at work and at home. On one occasion the car died in my garage. After the vehicle was jumped it seemed fine. No lights were left on nor were any electrical devices plugged into the accessories. When it started up the car stated that the parking brake was not properly engaged and the vehicle needed to be moved to a level surface. It was in my driveway. Another time the car did the same thing, dying at work in the airport employee parking lot. The car required being jump started and again it gave the same message. A CO-worker stated that they had heard the car alarm go off at one point about an hour prior to shift change. Both times the vehicle was checked and the report was “nothing was wrong with the car. €� most recently on 3/27/2011 the same thing occurred. This time when jump starting the battery the car’s engine started and the car lunged forward at me with lights and alarm sounding. I was unable to shut down the alarm and went into the car and pressed the power button to shut the engine down. When I powered the engine back up the car alarm was again sounding and all the lights on the dash were illuminated. Powered it down and up again and this time no audible alarm but the exclamation mark in the triangle was illuminated as well as the message about the parking brake. I powered it down and up one last time and, with the message still illuminated, drove off. The message shut down when I got to the security gate. Toyota tested the vehicle on 4/1/2011 and reported that c1300 and c2300 faults were found (ecu and abs actuator). As the car is out of warranty, cost will be about $3,000. 00. (more info exists but no room here).

Nov 15 2010 the car was in service for 5000 miles check. The dealership declared that the brakes and coolant flow valve needed replacement and stated the car was unsafe to drive. Upon agreeing for repairs the dealership said the car was safe to drive and it will take 2 weeks for parts to arrive. 15 Dec 2010 the car was taken in for stated repairs ($2000), since then the car has have intermitteted braking failures at low speeds under 20 mph and at stops on a downgrade. The car was taken in for repairs again in 16 Jan 2011. The car stills has intermitted failures, the lights to the parking brakes, abs brakes, vbc lights and the warning lights are still on since the repairs. While replacing the tires firestone on 30 Jan 2011 found the code 1247 on the ecu by their techinian. The lights on the dash board are still on at all times. After leaving firestone, the car surge forward while stop on a downgrade while the brake depress, I felt the pressure release thus I depress harder on the brakes petal until it was on the floor, I had to use the emergency brake to stop. I will take the car into the Toyota dealership for the third time 31 Jan 2011.

During wet weather, the brakes grab. This usually occurs during the first 10 mins. Of driving. Based on the recent recalls, I decided to do some research online to determine if others owners had similar problems. I have not taken the car in to the dealership. The brakes have been this way since I've owned the car.

We have noticed repeatedly (a dozen or more times) over three years of owning this car and 100k miles, that as we brake going over a bumpy section of road, the braking system fails and the car actually accelerates for one or two seconds. This is especially alarming when we need to brake suddenly in a curve on a bumpy road as it seems we will lose control of the car. I always brake with my right foot and my right foot remains off the accelerator and on the brake throughout these episodes. Our car is equipped with the vehicle stability system and the passenger notices that the stability system warning light comes on during these episodes. It is not simply that the car coasts when the braking fails, the engine actually sounds like it is revving up and the car noticeably speeds up. Once the bumpy section has been passed, normal braking resumes. This has nothing to do with the floor mat. This situation should be reproducible thru testing.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph and attempting to decelerate, the vehicle would not stop and the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact received injuries to the neck and chest. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured. The contact was transported to the hospital via ambulance. A police report was available. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 30,000. Updated 01/24/11 updated 04/18/11.

My car, a 2005 Toyota Prius, was stationary at a stoplight on a clear, sunny day. My foot was on the brake and the brake was fully depressed. I could feel a sudden pressure change in the brake, and warning lights came on. I drove the short distance to work, but the car was handling badly (wobbly) and the brake was very soft and only partially effective. After work, a few hours later, the car seemed to be handling normally and braking normally, but I drove to the closest dealer as a precaution. They checked the computer and found code c1357 (decreasing pressure solenoid malfunction). They replaced the brake actuator assembly.

2005 Prius with abs/vsc and caution light on. Reduced braking power traced to bad anti-skid computer. Ordered part and was cautioned to limit driving. Later that day, exited fast-food drive-thru and sailed into street. No braking power whatsoever even with standing on pedal. Stopped vehicle by plowing into curb. Vehicle then towed to shop awaiting parts.

2005 Prius: when I brake as I drive over any kind of variation in the road (which is quite often), my vehicle lurches forward and I am unable to come to a stop right away. I have to depress the brake quite hard to make it stop and it is very dangerous. I have taken my vehicle to the dealership for this issue twice and they have not been able to duplicate the issue. I have also called Toyota and opened a case with them which they closed without inspecting my vehicle.

When I go over a bump or hit a pothole in my 2005 Prius and I am braking it feels like my brakes disengage for just a second and the car seems to go faster. I have never felt comfortable with this situation but since I don't know a while lot about cars I thought it might be normal until I saw an article in the newspaper from another Prius owner with the same complaint. This article suggested a complaint be filed with NHTSA. I am filing this with the date of the newspaper article although the strange braking feeling has been ongoing since I purchased the vehicle in June 2005.

I have a 2005 Toyota Prius and have concerns about its braking system. This has been a constant occurrence that, to date has not caused a crash. When braking on a bumpy road it feels like the braking system does not engage for about a second and the car surges forward. This is only when there is a bump in the road and does not occur when braking on a smooth surface. Even when I apply my brakes slowly this occurs when there is a bump in the road.

The brakes on my 2005 Prius appear not to grab immediately when I am driving over a rough surface. This has happened since I have owned the car but on an irregular basis. Since it occurred generally when I was moving very slowly I didn't view it as a safety problem but a couple of times recently I have been driving over a very rough road at higher speed and the same lack of braking occurred. It is as if there is a pause before the braking system kicks in.

I drove a 2005 Toyota Prius VIN#[xxx] until 5/13/2010. At around 10am I was driving on the hwy in the lft lane. With cruise control on going 75mph. I had a gps on and navigating. And I had my blue tooth earpiece on. Then all at the same time my blue tooth shut down. My gps shut down. And every warning lite came up in the car. Even the display that usually shows how the hybrid systems works was blinking problem!! problem!! so I let off the gas and started to move to the rt side of the road. Thats when I realized that I had no power steering. There was an exit coming up so I let the car slow down to about 50mph. As I started to exit I put my ft on the brakes. Thats when I noticed that the pedal was very stiff and vibrating. I was coming to a blind intersection and I had the red lite. So I pushed on my brakes. Instantly I could hear screaching tires. So I looked in my side mirror. And to my suprise im looking at a large amount of smoke coming from me! my rear tires had locked up and my front tires werent doing anything. So I started fishtail back and forth like I had my ebrake on. I put all my wt on the pedal cause the intersection was really getting close. And without power steering it was very hard to keep the car from crashing. I came to a stop just before the light. Then drove my car to the nearest dealer at in berkeley CA at 10mph. I told them everything. Even about my blue tooth and garmin. They got me a rental car then 4day later they said if I give them $2000 for a part and $1000 in labor it might fix it but there not sure cause they never saw this problem before. And they werent going to pay for my rental cause the part was out of warrenty after 36000miles. I have had every svc done at Toyota. And if theres a computer pt that Toyota knows can brake easily. Which they do. Thats why its only warrenty to 36000miles. It shouldnt result in the loss of your brakes and power steering. Very dangerous!! I could of died. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Braking momentarily fails after hitting a bump, pothole, or other road irregularity. This article describes the issue perfectly. . Read more...

I have been experiencing some problems with my headlights. I changed the bulb and a month later the light stopped working again. I took it to the dealership they blamed it on the bulb, I tried to return the bulb to the store and they tested it and said everything was ok with the bulb so it had to be the headlights. I'm also having problems with the dashboard lights. The speedometer and gas gage completely failed. At the same time I was told my abs brake system needs to be replaced! this is too much happening at the same time and I have to pay for all of it out of pocket.

My 2005 Toyota Prius arbitrarily lost braking ability as I approached a ramp to enter another highway. Many lights went on including the red triangle with an exclamation point. I used the emergency brake to stop the car. I have been told that the skid control unit is broken and needs to be replaced. I will need to replace this part at a cost of $2200. Is this unit a safety threat?.

I have been routinely bringing my 2005 Prius to a Toyota dealership every 5k miles according to manufacturers suggested maintenance schedule and never had a problem reported to me. (one time the software needed to be reloaded. ) on the evening of the incident that I am reporting, I had traveled on the mass turnpike and rte 495 (~38 mi) home from work (~9:30 pm) and successfully slowed and stopped my 2005 Toyota Prius as needed. As I got into on local roads, I suddenly lost my braking ability. Fortunately I was going slowly and was able to roll to a stop. There was a really shrill alarm and a red light showing abs (antilock brake problem)--I'll say. I tested to see if there was any braking power so that I could get the car home. If you pressed the brake to the floor--there was some residual slowing--so I crept home. Aaa towed my car to Toyota the next day and Toyota ultimately identified the problem as a computer problem. They replaced the 1 89540-47130 computer assembly, skid. Aside from the cost ($2250), its the possibility that I could have lost my brakes on either of the two highways that I take on the way home, exit ramps, toll booths, and that I or some others could have been seriously hurt, really upsets me. And how do I know that this will not fail again? regular service does not check computer status. I think that you should look into computer problems with Toyota and also what Toyota includes in regular service. They say that they haven't seen this before, and that may be true: I have a 5 yr old Prius with more than 110k miles on it and I'll bet that is a lot of mileage for a Prius. As more people drive Prius's for longer times and accrue higher mileage, I would bet that Toyota will see a lot more of these incidents. I think that you should be proactive and deal with this before people get hurt.

Our 2005 Toyota Prius has exhibited the same braking problems as described in the news. When you are applying the brakes and hit a bump or pothole the car feels like it lurches forward. I now understand that what I was experiencing as a "lurch" or "skidding" sensation was probably caused by the momentary split second failure of the brakes. These brakes are also extremely touchy when it rains. They grab as if you had slammed on the brakes. It is hard to deal with and we have not found a way to avoid the problem by somehow altering our braking. I mentioned these two problems to the Toyota dealer after we bought the car and then again when all this was on the news. They said they'd had no complaints and dismissed my concerns. However, when I looked online there are other 2005 Prius owners who have experienced the same problems. I feel it is unsafe for the car to do this. I think the earlier Prius models need to be included in the investigation and fixed.

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) 2005 Toyota Prius [xxx] when braking on uneven/bumpy road (even freeway lane divider bumps), skid light come on and braking force is reduced. Has happened at both low and high speeds. No issue on smooth roads. Has occured several times, over several years, have never had the brakes serviced. Last occured 3/3/2010.

2005 Toyota Prius - slipping brakes - multiple occurrences over the years, one today while approaching a traffic light. As car slowed, brakes slipped during transition from regenerative to mechanical. Car's nose passed about 1 foot beyond white line demarcating intersection. No crash or damage to vehicle or occupants - this time. Why is Toyota Prius brake recall limited to 2010 year model when these events are occurring in earlier year models? I have submitted two requests to Toyota customer service to understand the problem in the last two weeks with no response.

My 2005 Toyota Prius brakes didn't engage when I pressed on them in stop and go traffic. I was behind a utility truck with a concrete post hanging about 10 feet off the back of it (properly marked), and I gave myself room behind the truck and was aware of the pole hanging off of the truck. Traffic started moving, and I was going between 5-15mph, and then the truck braked and I braked but my brakes didn't respond until the concrete pole had come through my windshield and roof, inches from my head. My engine/front of car was not damaged but my insurance adjustor has estimated damages at a minimum of $4,000-$4,500 for the windshield and roof, not including possible dash replacement from the shattered glass in the vehicle. The car was drivable to move off of the road, but failed to turn back on when the tow truck arrived. I have reported this incident to Toyota and am waiting for a case manager to get in touch with me. I was miraculously not cut, maimed, or decapitated, but have sustained shoulder, back, neck, and arm injuries and am seeing a chiropractor and awaiting x-ray results. I also have bruising from my knee hitting the dash board. My mileage is approximate based on an oil change receipt I found from last month.

Vehicle: 2005 Toyota Prius, currently not covered by brake recall. When I apply the brakes and drive over a bump or pothole, I experience a momentary loss of braking power. This happens consistently - there is one particular pot hole that always causes this to happen, so it happens at least three times a week. I took it to the dealership to have it fixed, and they told me to call Toyota directly. This has been happening since 6-28-09, two days after I bought the car, and happened again as recently as this morning.

If the car drives over an unlevel surface (e. G. Steel plate, manhole cover, transition from asphalt to cement road) and the brakes are applied, the car accelerates momentarily. This does not occur on a consistent basis, but is more random. I have repeatedly brought this to the attention of the dealer (russel Toyota in baltimore MD 21228) who keeps saying this is normal and expected for Priuses. I have repeatedly told them that this is not normal. When I hit the brakes in my other cars, it never accelerates. They have advised that I contact Toyota, but have requested that I not report this to NHTSA.

We have a 2005 Prius hybrid. It has, ever since we purchased it, occasionally accelerated when we have put on brakes. It stops after a second or two, and has never caused an accident, though it is scary when it happens. I believe the only recall that applies to this model year is the floor mat problem, which is not the issue. What I've read is that the older Prius's don't have the braking/acceleration problem. But ours certainly does. We love the car otherwise, but would like to know if there is some action we should take regarding this, and if other people have reported it.

2005 Toyota Prius has brake issue. When braking over pothole or bump, I momentarily loose all brake. The brake comes back about 1 sec later. This has always happened, I have talked to the dealer several times, but I am only told that I need to 'get used to it'.

This is an ongoing problem with a 2005 Prius. If you hit a bump or pothole while braking from a normal speed, the car will briefly accelerate on its own. This causes additional braking pressure to be needed and precise steering. Many Prius owners since 2004 have indicated this problem.

For a number of years I've noticed a strange sensation when going over a bump or ripples in the road while braking in my 2005 Toyota Prius but didn't think too much about it because it is a rare occurrence. After reading about Toyota's recent recall of the 2010 Prius I realized that what was happening is the brakes were releasing while going over the bumps. Recently while driving one of the few times in the snow, I had the sensation that the anti-lock function released the brakes for about 2 seconds during which I could not stop the car and there was no sensation of pulsing or skid marks. There is a rippled spot on a nearby road that I can always reproduce the brake release issue.

Brakes stop working intermittently when applied going over rough surfaces such as railroad tracks and potholes. This results in a brief suspension of braking activity. Occurs each time the above conditions are met and brakes are applied. This has happened since I purchased the vehicle new. Since I always reduce speed in these potential situations, no accidents have occurred, but it does result in an intermittent loss of braking which could result in rear end collisions. Previously my 1999 Chevrolet SUV did the same thing and I was told it was an inherent characteristic of the antilock breaking system.

We have the same brake defect in our 2005 Toyota Prius as the defect that is currently being reported in the 2010 Toyota Prius. In our car, when we go over a manhole cover or similar irregularity in the road while braking, the car feels like it is momentarily hydroplaning and you have lost traction. My wife stopped driving this car because of this sensation that the car is out of control. This has been going on since we first bought the car in 2005 and has happened many times. I thought it was because the car is light weight so I never reported it until I read people's descriptions of the 2010 Prius problem. Our problem is exactly the same thing.