15 problems related to cruise control have been reported for the 2007 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The main dash. Display, speedometer, will not show up due to electric problem. Power from rear, aux, battery is interrupted some how. The cruise control will be inop in this situation. There is no way of knowing when the condition will show up, but when door is opened, the indicator light will not come on. Car will have been parked, turned off. Different fixes on the net. My fix is to in plug rear battery's 2 connections, wait then hope, and try again.
The electronic dash (heads up instrument display) on our 2007 Prius has intermittently failed to light over the last year. Yesterday, it failed and also wouldn't turn off. We always use the remote (keyless) ignition system. But, after the failures yesterday I put the electronic key fob into the hole in the dash thinking that might help. Instead, I couldn't remove it. I tried every combination of pressing buttons (the park and power buttons) and other controls, brakes pedal, shifter and it still wouldn't shut off or light up the display. After holding the power button in for an extended amount of time, it turned off and ejected the key fob. But then the car wouldn't light up the instrument display or start. This morning, again, it would not start. I was told by an experienced Prius mechanic (also an owner) that these were classic symptoms of a failing power amplifier for the display and that it was a "secret warranty," a voluntary repair to avoid a government recall, but that Toyota would only do it for 10 years. The dealer refused to do it under warranty even though the symptoms began before the car was 10 years old. They told me the recall was only good for nine years. They want $765 for the repair. It strikes me that this is a safety failure and should be covered, period. With no indication of speed or other functions (abs function, traction control, etc. ), or to turn the vehicle off, it is unsafe to operate the vehicle. The various failures, including loss of cruise control while in motion, took place when the car was cold and when it was warmed up. At rest and in motion.
I use my cruise control as often as possible, so I believe that if the lever is flexed even a little bit 20-30 times a day the stress will eventually break it. Mine didn't just snap, it refused to function for a day or two when the amount of flex in the nearly broken lever didn't make the cancel switch engage. It broke completely while engaging it. I found out that others are having the same issue by doing a simple search on the web.
My cruise control lever broke off right at the base. There's nothing but the wires keeping it on. I had to tape it to the steering wheel so it wouldn't make noises from flopping around when I made turns. I have never used excessive force, and my hands aren't all that strong. The cruise control lever is supposed to be used regularly and therefore should be constructed in a way to withstand regular use. However, it's obvious Toyota used faulty cheap parts here that don't withstand the intended use. There are numerous complaints here and on other websites regarding this issue affecting numerous cars so it's not a ramdon but rather commen issue. Toyota should offer a customer support program to replace this part free of charge.
2007 Toyota Prius accelerated to 93mph when trying to engage cruise control.
Yesterday I was driving back from dropping off my son at school, getting on the freeway, my gas pedal was about 1/2 way depressed, the next thing I know the gas pedal is leaving my foot as if in cruise control and flooring itself, the car engine is racing full speed, fortunately I had run this through my head before, and I was competent enough to apply the brakes as hard as I could, put the car in neutral and safely pull off the freeway and turn off the car. So I was towed into Toyota, given a loaner car and told that someone from the factory would come out to run some tests. First let me state, that after this was over I did look down to see if my floor mat was a factor in this, but also knowing that the pedal had left my foot and headed for the floor, the floor mat was a good 2 inches from the pedal. So this morning Toyota calls me to say that they have determined that it indeed was my floor mat, no doubts in their minds about that, so they have given me a new floor mat and told me my car is fine. There is no doubt in my mind that this is an electrical problem, not a floor mat issue.
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) 2007 Toyota Prius (VIN: [xxx] ) - cruise control malfunction. Set cruise control for speed limits between 55 mph and 75 mph; within a few seconds of the cruise control being switched on, car automatically accelerates to an uncontrolled higher speed until the brakes are applied (usually in panic of plowing into another vehicle's rear end).
My 2007 Toyota Prius accelerated unintentionally during a lane change. I hit the brakes and this remedied. The floor mat was not involved. I might have had the cruise control on, but I don't remember for sure.
My 2007 Prius touring can/does experience braking issues when slowing/braking downhill and coming in contact with a manhole cover, pothole, or other "even" road surface. Thought it was the tires, so replaced the original bridgestones for nokians, but the issue still occurs. The "sensation" is you feel like you've lost control of the car momentarily. As a result, I've changed my commute route home and drive much slower (was already driving slower since Prius mileage is dependent on mph). On occasions, the speed (on a straight away) set with cruise control will increase by itself . . . By a couple mph . . . . W/o me doing anything or touching anything. So I'm forced to tap brake . . . . . . . . Occurred this weekend with passengers - they said they felt the surge . . . . .
Since owning our 2007 Toyota Prius, we have called at least 4 times with a problem we have been having. Crazy accelerating at high speed with cruise control. It usually happens when we resume cruise control. Sometimes it extremely speeds up and keeps going beyond the speed set. The only way to get it to stop accelerating is to brake or reset the speed control.
Sudden acceleration in 2007 Toyota Prius when using cruise control to increase speed in small increments. Canceling cruise control and resuming manual control regained control of the vehicle. This happened twice. I have not used the cruise control since this incident and have told my wife not to use it either.
1. Safety while driving on a bumpy road in darien (west avenue near the train station) last year the Prius brakes did not stop the car. Although the speed was low (about 5mph), the resultant accident damaged its front end and the car in front of us. 2. Drivability and safety the cruise control holds the minimum speed but allows over speed conditions. While returning from danbury on route 7 the cruise control holds 40mph until going downhill. On downhill slopes the speed increases and intervention is required to turn off the cruise control and apply the brakes. 3. Drivability during cold weather the main battery accepts a charge but does not return much energy to the drive system. The mileage decreases by 10-15mpg. Toyota of stamford refused to do a free safety inspection.
First time the Prius surged the car had just left the freeway and the cruise control was still engaged. The Prius surged at 55 miles an hour for a hundred feet till we gained control. The second time several months later we left the freeway with the cruise control still engaged and could not slow the car. We raced through hood river, or at speeds in excess of 60 miles an hour riding the brake through traffic and pedestrian crosswalks- our brakes smoking. Finally the driver found a parallel parking place to slide into and were able to punch the button and turn off the car. The driver having the car in park turned the car on again . The motor was still in full throttle. The driver left the car to find a restroom. I stayed in the car with the engine off. I reached down to the accelerator pedal and with light pressure pulled the pedal up. When the driver returned and started the motor it was at normal speed. We took the car to griffith motors in the dalles ,or on the Dec. 10, 2009. The factory rep drove the car ( w/ 21,690 miles on it after he drove it) and on his report wrote "no problem found".
Unexplained spontaneous acceleration in 2007 Toyota Prius. In mid-may of last year I was driving alone on the hollywood freeway in approximately 45 mph traffic. Suddenly the car accelerated dramatically, as if I had punched the accelerator, or the cruise control suddenly kicked in but at full speed (the cruise was not on). I was shocked and scared, and I hit thebrakes, nothing happened, and the car kept accelerating. I thought about the mat and hooked my foot around the pedal to see but the pedal was up. I kept hitting the brakes again, and also pumped the accelerator to make sure it wasn't stuck and then the car stopped accelerating. The whole thing lasted less than 10 seconds, but was pretty scary as I got pretty close to traffic in front of me. It immediately occurred to me that it could have been the mat as that had happened in another car, but the mat was clipped to the floor, and was not in any way interfering with the gas pedal. Also, bear in mind, as I'm writing about this it sounds as if I was analytical and methodical, but actually I was pretty frantic and my feet were flying on the pedals. . . . I told my partner mark about it, told him to watch out for it, but then in June we bought another car and mark primarily drove the Prius after that. I then I forgot about it, as I thought it was just an anomaly and based on what we paid for the car and Toyota's reputation for safety. I had not heard of any acceleration issues at the time, and in fact didn't until much later after the chp officer's crash in the Lexus. I'm actually now pretty freaked out about it in hindsight, and we have gone over the drill repeatedly to make sure mark knows what to do if it happens again. I sincerely doubt it had anything to do with the pedal or the mat, and in my gut I suspect it is electronic in nature. I am pretty nervous about it.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. While decelerating from 25 mph, the vehicle began accelerating. The contact depressed the brake pedal, however, the acceleration continued. The vehicle then drove over a curb, struck some bushes, drove down an embankment, and came to a stop when it became stuck in the mud. A tow truck removed the vehicle from the embankment and the contact drove it to her residence. The vehicle will be taken to the dealer for a diagnosis. She stated that the floor mat was locked in place. The manufacturer was notified and they will have an investigator look into the failure. The current and failure mileages were 80,000. The consumer stated after the cruise control was deactivated the light stayed on. The consumer believed the acceleration happened due to a glitch with the cruise control. Updated 12/11/07.