general problems of the 2009 Toyota Prius - part 1

When I am coming to a stop or need to put on my brakes my car will accelerate at a jump ahead pace as if to take off instead of slowing down and stopping. Regardless whether I’m turning a corner or I’m continuing straight when I have to put on the brakes it speeds up instead.

I went to park in a parallel space when all of a sudden my abs, (!), vsc light come on with the loss of brake power and a loud beeping noise. With this sudden loss of brakes in the middle of driving, I could have harmed myself and others in any cars around me because I also lost steering capability. This is a problem that there was an extended warranty for, but there should be a recall. My car is a 2009 and was only covered before the pandemic and now it is 2021 and I have no recourse, but to try and fork over $3500. 00 for which I don't have. I am a second owner and this is a very common problem amongst Prius owners. I didn't have any other symptoms that I could point out prior to this situation. I have had my hybrid battery, engine, ecu and most recently a stolen catalytic converter replaced. This abs actuator problem needs to be addressed for another 5 years with a free repair. I would hate to have hit some other car and had my car smash into a wall, another car, pedestrian, pole or any other object based on it's ability not to stop.

My Prius now has all those dash lights !, abs, vcs. I was driving yesterday, on a city street and the lights came on, and the brakes suddenly did not work-hard to push. For months, when I would drive over rough terrain, I had the loss of braking, accelerating, and the slick road icon would illuminate. The is exactly the same abs module problem affecting 2010 Prius, ands needs to be recalled and repairs covered. If I didn't stay so far behind other vehicles, I would have rear-ended someone.

~tl the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While driving 2 mph and making a left turn, the vehicle accelerated and the contact lost control. As a result, the contact crashed into a garbage truck. The vehicle was turned off, but was able to restart. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and drove home. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repairs. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 2,312,000.

Driver went to park and the brakes did not respond! in fact the vehicle went from 2-5mph to approx 30+ & kept picking up speed and went into storefront. Driver was able to wrestle vehicle into reverse and it went equally fast back into a parked car where it finally came to a stop. Hugely frightening and potentially lethal.

Toyota Prius 2009 headlights were on and off finally the left side went off totally. The seal outside the headlight didnt prevent of water came into the system and damged it . Also while driving the car acelarated and desacelated by itself . And while stopping the car jump.

Driver intentionally accelerated to avoid collision, then Prius unintentionally accelerated after impact with the other vehicle, crossing the median and crossing the opposite direction street lanes then up on to the sidewalk and hit the concrete bridge rail and finally stopped. Have contacted Toyota, they want up to a month to pull the crash data from the car. I asked if they could pull the data in a week, they said up to 30 days the car will have to sit at the dealership. A month is unreasonable to go without a car. They refused to send the investigator to pull the data at the body shop, said it must be done at the dealership. I gave them the name & address of the body shop.

A year ago, upon taking off from a stop my car began to stall. I drive two blocks it continues to putt along and stall, then after less than a mile it starts to run as normal. I take my car in to be told it is out of gas, which it did not indicate low fuel, it had over a quarter of a tank. I insist they continue to check my car over days of them driving it, after a week they experience something similar and replace my junction box. Since then I've replace the water pump, taken my car in for a steering recall. Also, there are instances where my car upon take off stalls, but nothing severe, just something you feel when accelerating. Recently, 6/5/14, I experienced the same issue, but this time I immediately put gas into my car even though my indicator panel shows I have fuel. Only this time I start my car and the air conditioner is not working and it continues to stall, after turning my car on and off several times and driving a few blocks the ac cuts on and my car begins to run fine. I have been told by Toyota that bc there is no indicator light and it's running fine there is nothing they can do. There was a recent recall in February of 2014 with similar issues I am experiencing but my car was not apart of the recall. Not sure what else I can do. Numerous Toyota dealerships have been of no help and I fear that my safety is at risk.

I pulled my Toyota Prius into my driveway, stepped on the brake, opened the garage door and waited for my husband to get out of the car.  he opened the passenger side door and started to move his foot out the door but before he even got one foot out, the car surged ahead and ran into the garage, pretty much destroying all the storage units on the right side of the garage.  my husband thinks the car was going between 35 and 40 mph. Since my accident there have been two other incidents of Toyotas accelerating independently in palo alto. One ran into a house on park avenue, destroying the front wall and front door of the house. A few days later, a Toyota ran over a curb, across a lawn and into a corner of a house on north California Ave. Both of these incidents were reported to the police unfortunately, I cannot get the name and contact of the other two drivers because my name is not on the police reports.  my questions are these:  is there any legal way to get the information about these other 2 drivers? also, someone told me they thought there is a class action suit out against Toyota because of acceleration problems.  is there any way to find out about that? I am aware that this is probably just a problem I will have to deal with but I always try everything.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while the brakes were depressed the vehicle accelerated abnormally. The contact crashed into a post office building as a result. The contact sustained injuries to the head, shoulder, neck and back. The police were contacted and a report was taken. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 32,000.

I have a 2009 Prius base with 42k miles. After placing the vehicle in park and waiting in the vehicle, it suddenly lurched forward about 1 or 2 inches and with enough force to shatter a light post. This seems a dangerous flaw. It happens frequently; after speaking with a repair shop, I was told this is normal for a Prius and is part of the recharging design of the hybrid system. I was advised to use the parking brake whenever possible. This seems dangerous.

Event: incomplete brake feel, during slow and steady application of brakes on slick or rough road surfaces, when the anti-lock brake system (abs) is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction. The system engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to the tire slippage. If the same brake force is applied under these conditions, in the worst case, this may lead to an increase of vehicle stopping distance and thus raise the possibility of a crash. Toyota says that the older Priuses, like mine, use a different abs system, and so are not subject to recall. But it seems like a similar issue. Failure: whenever there is a slick, wet road. Correction: I checked with the dealer, all systems were checked safe, tires' psi were adjusted, it was felt that there was some tire noise. Incident continues intermittently.

I was driving my newly purchased 2009 Toyota Prius (VIN# [xxx]) on rt 66 in arlington virginia on March 31, 2010. I was driving approximately 50-60 miles per hour and accelerating. I took my foot off the accelerator to slow the car and the car kept accelerating. I then depressed the brake, but the car did not slow, and in fact I heard what sounded like the engine gunning and it continued to accelerate. I pressed the brake down as far as it would go and while the car slowed its acceleration, it did not slow or stop the car. As soon as I lifted my foot from the brake, the car began to accelerate again and I could hear the engine racing. I pressed the brake again, and the same thing happened the car slowed its acceleration, but did not slow its overall speed. As soon as I lifted my foot from the brake, the car accelerated. I did this three times, becoming increasingly afraid. I then jammed my foot hard on the brake and pulled off onto the side of the highway. I turned the car off, and it finally stopped. I sat there for a few moments, then turned the car back on and got back onto the highway. As soon as I got up to highway speeds, the same thing happened again the car accelerated on its own and the brake would not stop the car. I pulled over a second time and turned the car off as the only was I could find to stop it. I turned the car on again, and this time was able to reach my destination with no more incidents. I reported the problem to the carmax dealer from whom it was purchased and have been on hold to report this directly to Toyota for over 30 minutes, but have been unable to get through. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I just bought a 2009 Prius & there are so many issues with unexpected acceleration & vehicle not going into park or reverse just stops in neutral, I was at a heb sore trying to park, all of a sudden my car sped up an hit a pole in front of me, I was trying to park, with my foot on break, so as to slow down, yesterday I had my wife drive the Prius & the car suddenly stopped would not go into reverse or drive, that was very dangerous then they pull into a target parking lot I had to drive out there to meet them, it took almost 1hr & 3mins to get the car in reverse, off course I called my Toyota sales guy this being the third time I have reported this incident & the keep down playing it saying there is nothing wrong, not really looking into it.

I was driving my 2009 Toyota Prius, exiting the staten island expressway and as I approached the intersection the light began to turn yellow and I tried to stop (the road surface was uneven). When I put my foot on the brake the car lurched forward into the intersection so I had to go though the red light and I was lucky that the oncoming traffic hadn't begun to move yet.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. The contact was driving approximately 2 mph into a parking space with pressure applied to the brake pedal. The vehicle slowed down, followed by an unexpected acceleration. The vehicle crashed into a handicap parking pole. There were no injuries. There was a separate occasion when the gear selector failed to shift into reverse gear or park position. The failure occurred intermittently vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The technician stated that the vehicle was functioning properly. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 36,000.

I keep hearing about the momentary loss of braking on the 2010 Toyota Prius. However, I have encountered the same problem on my 2009 Prius. When passing over a slick, bumpy, or icy surface, I experience a momentary loss of braking, and a warning light that looks like a car skidding comes on for less than a second. This generally occurs at slow speeds, but has occurred at speeds up to 25-30 mph.

Previous to the accident at the 5,000 mile check up I had reported to the Toyota dealer that the car would sometimes jump forward when the engine transitioned from electric to gas mode. They assured me that this was normal. On February 4th at 1035 I was stopped at an intersection behind a large van. The car was in the electric mode when the gas mode kicked in and the engine raced up and the car lunged forward striking the van in front of me. There was no damage the van, the front of my car was damaged. I called the police. The van driver had a disabled passenger and left as there was no damage to his vehicle. The police arrived and I explained that my car had for some reason lunged forward striking the other vehicle. Since no one was injured he wasn't required to take a statement from me the next day February 5th I took my car to the Toyota dealership for my 10,000 mile check up and again explained about the car lunging forward during the transition from electric to gas mode. No action taken other than assuring me that this normal. On March 4th while sitting at another intersection the car again lunged forward for about 6 feet before the full depression of the brake caused the engine rpm to come down and the car to stop. At this time I called and spoke to the general manager of the Toyota dealership and he said to bring the vehicle out to the dealership and they would run a full set of tests. On March 10 I returned the vehicle to the Toyota dealership and they kept the vehicle overnight and returned to me the next day March 11, 2010. According to the maintenance chief there was nothing in the tests that indicated any problems. Unsatisfactory answers each time I have complained about the problem, now my car is damaged and Toyota says everything is fine, I think not.

I recently read the following article. . Read more...

My 2009 Toyota Prius has had occasional bursts of energy and jolts forward on is own. Luckily I was in "park" each time it happened. I wasn't even pushing the gas pedal. It was a very sudden thing, I had no warning. It's definitely not a floor mat issue. Now I'm afraid to drive it. The last time this happened was approximately a month ago, I asked if there was recall for my car, and the dealer said no. What's making me worry now is the story on the news about a "runaway" Prius. I thank you in advance for anything you can do to help.

I noticed on my Toyota Prius 2009 takes about a second or two to actually brake. I noticed that even when I start braking slightly the car does slow down but I have to press harder (more than half way in) for the car to respond on braking.

My 2009 Toyota Prius was stopped at a traffic light when it suddenly lurched forward. My foot was on the brake at the time. I brought my car to my Toyota dealer, where they inspected it and told me that they couldn't tell me why it happened.

The unintended speeding also happens on 2009 Toyota Prius when driving on a bumpy road, this happens every time when I hit a pot hole on one tire, car pulls to the opposite side at an increased speed and brake seems too slow to react.

When at a complete stop at a stop light our 2009 Prius tried to accelerate on its own and my husband had to stand on the brakes to keep it from moving forward. Toyota was able to get info off their black box showing both the accelerator and brakes were applied at the same time. We keep hoping they are researching this problem but their call this week (after reporting this about 90 days ago and 2 black box downloads at the dealership) says it was driver error since they couldn't duplicate it and their engineers say it is within normal operating range. Toyota rep "l" says Toyota is not releasing how many unintentional acceleration issues they have had since it is proprietary information and that they will not discuss other trends or cases they are not looking for trends between reports only downloading each individual car's info not looking at what is written in the complaint. She says Toyota and your government can't find anything which means it must be safe. Safe? we have not let our kids ride in this car for over 6 months as we hoped a solution would come up from Toyota but now we just really need info to know what is really going on with these vehicles and how many accidents there really are. The Toyota rep on the phone says they have never duplicated a customer concern and that ours is unusual because people usually report right away and after an accident. I had asked how busy they are since it took so loooong to respond and she stated she takes about 2-5 calls a day, but previously had been taking 10-15 per day and there are about 40 people in her position. How many issues are there and is this a big deal about nothing or a big coverup? we just want to make a good decision for our family please help!.

2009 Prius purchased may 15, 2009 has 4,675 miles on it. Acceleration/surging forward or not properly accelerating at other times. I do not have the floor mats mentioned in the recent recall. I am concerned about other possible issues with sudden engine acceleration and problems controlling vehicle . Have taken car to dealer several times and they told me it is "bad gas" or my driving habits. Called Toyota and they told me to take car to dealer for them to try and repair it. Dealer still claims they cannot "replicate the problem" therefore there is no problem. Car mileage now down to less than 17 mpg. Lacks heat or heat does not properly function. Have had 5 instances of surge /acceleration "incidents. Some when going up hill and had trouble gaining power then when I put foot on brake it suddenly lurched forward rapidly;maybe to 60 or more mile per hour at an exit ramp. Had to keep braking in order to stop. Other times only leaving driveway. . Went from reverse to drive and car hesitated then "surged" forward rapidly before I was able to brake approximately 20 ft ahead. This had happened three times like this & twice when going up hills where I lost power and then the car suddenly surged forward and I had trouble stopping it. Very frightening, especially when dealer tells me nothing is wrong with my car and won't do anything about it. . Even when I have contacted them numerous times and have driven there to speak with them about this. Something is wrong with this car. Now the mileage has dropped right off to 17 mpgs. What is going ?.

2009 Toyota Prius issue: dealership: there has been no response/recommendation despite multiple voicemails and email dated 2/6/10 to Toyota-service@daytontoyota. Com. Toyota: awaiting response from Toyota case manager after two phone calls, once on 2/9/10 and one on 2/10/10. Summary: 1. I want to bring to your notice that I experienced a sticking accelerator problem several weeks back, while pulling out of the driveway, when the car was moving in reverse and would not stop despite the brake being pumped a few times. The car was finally brought to a stop by pressing the power button for an extended period. I do not have any additional floor mats in the car, besides whatever was available with the basic package. 2. When braking on puddles/pot-holes the car seems to stall and the orange light turns on.

Multiple issues with 2009 Prius. First: loss of air pressure in front left tire from time I picked up the vehicle to present. I continually need to put air in the tire, usually on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. The other tires are fine. Second: for the same tire, the tire pressure light would not be triggered until ~23 pounds, should have been triggered in same tire at 33 lbs. Third: vehicle would not stop when applying pressure on brakes at slow speed. This has occurred about 6 times in a 6 month period. Simultaneously, the vsc light went on and the slid indicator went on. The terrain was on either asphalt or concrete roads, slightly downhill (concrete) and one street is a bit rough (filled in pot holes). Also, both areas are within a quarter mile of each other and near the ocean. With each occurrence the vsc went into effect. On 11/21/09 it jolted hard much more than the other occasions; this date was the incident on the bridge when the car was going in a slight downward direction. I lost control of the vehicle for several seconds and was afraid that I would hit the car in front of me; I beeped my horn to warn the driver in front of me. My vehicle did stop in time but it took alot longer than it should have taken. On a later occasion, I was going about 5-10 mph faster on a nearby street and attempted to stop for a stop sign and it did the same thing, however the vsc did not jolt back as hard. The vehicle was not angled down as much as the 11/21/09 incident. On 11/21/09 I took the vehicle to cabe Toyota dealership and they looked at the car but found nothing wrong with it. I also had the car looked at by Toyota corp today and was told that the driver feels that I felt the abs brakes only. This is not the case. When I stepped on the brakes each occasion it was as though there was nothing there and I had no control in stopping it. This was especially true when the vsc kicked in (the jerking). Each time it lasted many, several or more seconds.

I was driving a 2009 Toyota Prius and came to a stop at a friend's garage. All of a sudden the car accelerated forward, it hit an old fir tree and a brick wall. I checked and the floor mat was in the same position it always was. A friend pushed the fender back into place and the Toyota dealer buffed out the scratches. I have contacted the dealer several times about checking out the accelerator. But they always tell me that I have to wait for a letter. I am very nervous about driving this vehicle and am having nightmares about this incident.

The contact rented a 2009 Toyota Prius. While driving at speeds of 40 mph up hill, the vehicle abnormally accelerated and crashed into an 18-wheel truck. The driver sustained a broken leg and was transported to the hospital via helicopter. The front end of the vehicle was severely damaged and was towed back to the rental car company. The contact secured legal council to handle the matter. The failure mileage was 12,299 and the current was unknown.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While making a turn at 25 mph, the vehicle accelerated without intention. After repeated brake application the vehicle would not stop. He struck a curb which damaged the front driver side tire. The vehicle has not been inspected. The current and failure mileages were 4000.

I was first in line at a red light. The light turned green. I accelerated aggressively in order to change lanes as I pulled away. When I was across the intersection I lifted my foot off the gas pedal and it continued to accelerate. Shocked I depressed the brake, but it had no effect on the acceleration. There was nothing in front of me so I pulled to the right side of the road and hit the power button and the car stopped. I got out and immediately checked the mat. They were not near the gas pedal. I started the car again and it seemed fine. I took all side streets to get home and stayed away from all cars and people. I brought the car to Toyota the following morning. They could not duplicate the event and said there was nothing wrong with the car. My car was a Prius 2009 package #3 with 7500 miles on it. Until that day, it drove perfectly and I was very happy with it. I won't drive the car again.

Two unaccounted acceleration single vehicle accidents with 2009 Toyota Prius. After accident of April 30, 2010 per my request, vehicle was inspected by a consultant from Toyota. [may 26, 2010]. Toyota is saying car is safe. Car was returned to me on may 28, 2010. First accident occurred August, 31, 2009. Both accidents occurred under similar circumstances; driving at slow acceleration while making a right turn. Accident #1 turning a corner, accident #2 pulling into a parking slot in a parking lot. Both times engine revved and car lurched forward. In first accident car crashed into a tree, in second accident car ran over a landscaping boulder which stopped it from crashing into the street. The boulder was stuck under the middle of the car. Two wheels on each side of it and front wheels were off of the ground. The front wheels were still turning after I got out of the car. I got back in the car and turned off the engine. I am requesting Toyota replace this vehicle with a like value vehicle. I have pictures taken at the time of the accident of April 30, 2010 and detailed explanations of both accidents. Damages from both accidents was approximately 20,000 dollars . My insurance company found me at fault for the accident of August 31, 2009 because all of the car's warning lights came on and I glanced at the dash. The insurance company has found me not at fault for the accident of April 30, 2010. I received a recall notice from Toyota after the accident of April 30th. However, I was told that this had nothing to do with the accidents. My car has had a number of unusual issues since its purchase. This is documented with Toyota service. This car was purchased new and has 11,000 miles on it. Updated ivoq 09/08/jb.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While attempting to approach an intersection at 20 mph the vehicle would not decelerate. Consequently the driver rear-ended another vehicle, which caused that vehicle to rear-end another vehicle. A police report was filed. There were no personal injuries. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the front bumper was replaced. The failure mileage was 2,485. The current mileage was 5,023. The VIN was unavailable.

While crossing a small bridge over an expressway, applying brakes at the point of bumpy transition caused the vehicle to lurch forward for approximately one second. This caused a sudden panic, but no other effects. This is the second occurrence at the exact same bridge transition and bump over the course of 8 months. There are no recognizable side effects. This has not been reported to the dealer, nor to the company.

I purchased a 2009 Toyota Prius in April 2009. On at least four separate occasions I have had issues of my vehicle surging forward or being hard to stop after driving over a potholeand when driving on a washboard roads (1 time on the pot hole the other times were while on the dirt road). I just figured the vehicle didn't handle well dirt roads and pot holes so I am just extra careful in those conditions which is why I did not think to report this until now when I heard the report on brake issues with the Prius. I do not know if my problem is significant of not, I thought I would report it just in case. I do not have approximate dates, just between April and September 2009.