55 problems related to brakes failed have been reported for the 2008 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
About once a month the brakes partially fail then I press the brakes harder and they reengage fully. This happens after I've had my foot on the brakes for 5-10 seconds when I am trying to come to a complete stop. This has never led to an accident. I'm planning to take the car into the dealer to have it inspected.
Brakes fail if the car is driven over even a very small bump in the road. Brake failure is very sporadic.
2008 Toyota Prius. Brakes fail/inoperative when driving over bumpy roads and/or potholes. It seems as though the abs or the electronic stability control engages when there is no need. This is the same type of incident that is being reported in newer Prius models as well.
Brakes momentarily fail and/or the car lurches forward when applying the brakes while driving on top of a pot hole or other similar obstruction.
Proceeding to get on highway and in gravel driveway vehicle lost traction and brakes failed. (at least 5 or 6 times in 2009 and most rescent 2/03/10)\headlight and relay switch failed\front running light not working all the time\radio switching from fm,fm2and am randomly\car for no reason going dead at a store orbeing parked for an hour or 2and having to be jumped\main batteries losing charge(most of these issues have already been documented at Toyota with the response that there is nothing wrong with the car as far back as August and most recent in December '09) also the tires went bald after 20,000 miles\can't put more than 8 gallons of fuel in tank'ever.
I purchased 2008 Toyota Prius from anapolis Toyota. The brakes failed on three occasions since purchasing car on January 18, 2010. Car was taken in during the first 7 days after purchasing it. Service departmdnt and used car sales management claimed nothing was wrong. Problem occurs when I hit a bump in the road. Brakes competely fail. Very dangerous. It is not just the 2010 model that should be questioned. All Prius' should be recalled until this is solved.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. On January 19, 2010 while driving approximately 65 mph and applying the brakes to slow down with traffic flow the brakes failed to respond. The vehicle responded as if he was stepping on the accelerator pedal. He was able to change lanes and avoid a collision. He did not take the vehicle to the dealer, because he thought it was drivers error. The failure mileage was 19,000 and the current mileage was 20,000.
2008 Toyota Prius brakes failed while driving causing and accident. The consumer stated the vehicle in front of him began to brake and he thought he had plenty of time to brake. In fact, his foot was already on the brake pedal, with the system he believed was already in regenerative braking. In fact, it actually seemed to decrease significantly for about a second while exhibiting none of the foot pedal vibration characteristic of anti-lock brakes. Only after the second long period of no braking capability did any braking force seem to occur which the consumer believed was when the system's mechanical braking took over.
Brake failure on my Toyota Prius is something that happens every so often, so far about 20-30 times since I have owned the car (June 08). I will begin braking with the car and all of a sudden the brakes will lose pressure and it does not brake, only to regain the braking ability about 2 seconds later. This mostly occurs in wet weather and I have narrowly avoided a few crashes because of the failure. It is not a function of sliding on the wet pavement but the brake failing momentarily. I contacted Toyota who told me that they had not heard of my problem but that I could take them for a drive and hope that the failure happened while they were in the car. I did not pursue this since it does not happen regularly and they told me there were no other fixes.
I have a 2008 Toyota Prius and on December 4, 2009, I rear-ended another vehicle after my brakes failed. I applied the brakes as I was coming upon the car, and the car just kept going. Fortunately, I was going at a slow speed. I immediately reported the accident to my insurance company and I did tell the representative that I hit the brakes but the car kept going.
Momentary brake failure on 2008 Toyota Prius. So far the brakes appeared to fail for a fraction of a second on three occasions. In all three instances this happened when I was going over a defect in the pavement (not a pothole, just a rough section of paving).
I own and operate a logistics company in southern maine. Part of our fleet is three 2008 Toyota Prius'. In reading the description of your 2010 Prius brake failure investigation, I can say for absolute sure that this same problem exists in the 2008 model year. In all three of our Prius', on several occasions, I have experienced this problem. We aren't known for having the most wonderful roads in the northeast and we also have many railroad tracks. The problem as I see it is that when you hit a large pothole/ railroad track there seems to be a 0. 5 - 2 second lag time before the brakes actually respond. We have many different employees drive our cars and in asking them they all, at least on one occasions, have experienced this problem. Please look into years beyond just the 2010. I can assure you that if you sent out a survey there would be a large percentage of people who have had this problem. We drive these cars for a living and we rely on you to make sure that what we drive is safe for us and our employees.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. While parking the vehicle, the brakes failed. As a consequence, he crashed into a fence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. Since September 29, 2009 the dealer has had possession of the vehicle, but they haven't identified the cause of the failure. He filed case #0910101726 with the manufacturer. The vehicle identification number was unavailable. The failure mileage 7,800.
2008 Prius hybrid. Brakes failed at low speed on September 19, resulting in a collision with an on-coming car. I was pulling out of a parking lot very slowly when I observed a car making a right turn into the street I was attempting to enter. I immediately applied the brake, with absolutely no response. No one was injured because it was a very slow speed impact. I have consequently read of other drivers' exact same experiences. Toyota has modified their braking system for the 2010 model. From what I can read, the problem lies in the computer system which has trouble deciding which system to use, resulting in a delay which causes a collision.
Brakes totally failed on 2008 Prius, causing it to crash into car ahead, which in turn was pushed into the car ahead of it. Wife driving, granddaughter in back seat. Reported to Toyota, which investigated and claimed no problem with the brakes. $16000 repair tab. Same syndrome (no brakes) in same car encountered by husband last month (Jan 2010). Accident avoided due to car ahead pulling out. Car taken to Toyota dealer who kept it a week, reported no trouble found.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius purchased new. He stated while braking at speeds less than 10 mph, the vehicle would violently jerk forward. This incident was described as, the brakes momentarily failing and attempting to accelerate but then would catch itself. The contact stated the failure occurred over 15-20 times within a year and a half. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor were there any recalls for his vehicle. The failure and current mileages were under 10,000.
On September 1, 2008 I had an accident involving my 2008 Prius. While driving south on 295 near richmond, va, traffic came to a total stop near the virginia beach exit. I was unable to stop and hit the SUV in front of me. After seeing the traffic stopping, I applied my brakes as hard as I could but the car did not stop. I also did not feel the abs engage. Naturally, I was charged with causing the accident. When the Prius was repaired (~$12,000), I requested Toyota to check for a failure of the abs. They reported that the computer did not register any malfunction. I am submitting this now after hearing through the media that the Prius has had reported brake problems. I have always believed that my accident was caused by the Prius' brakes failing to stop in a reasonable distance. I was driving in the right-hand lane, not exceeding the speed limit, but the car just would not stop when I braked very hard. I had no visible or tactile indication that the abs had engaged. Thank you for considering my issue.
The contact owns 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that when driving at any speed over a road bump, the brakes would fail momentarily. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop but the contact was advised that the vehicle would need to be diagnosed by an authorized dealer. The manufacturer advised that the vehicle would be inspected within sixty days. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 40,000.
I have a 2008 Toyota Prius. From day one, I have had a problem with braking over uneven terrain. When the vehicle goes over the uneven terrain, and you are braking, the stability control light goes on the dash and the brakes stop working until the vehicle is past the uneven road. This also happens on icy roads when the vehicle starts to slip, the brakes fail. I did not think there was anything wrong until I heard of similar complaints. I am taking the vehicle in to the dealer this week for it's service and will be reporting the problem to them at that time.
Pulling into a driveway, my brakes failed to hold, my 2008 Toyota Prius car jumped forward while my foot was still depressed on the brake, and my car hit a parked car. I reported the accident to my insurance company. Damage was done to the parked vehicle; only minor damage was done to my car. I advised my dealership of the incident, and I was told that they could inspect the brakes, but there was nothing else they could do regarding the incident that occurred.