Traction Control Light On Problems of Toyota Prius

Tl the contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 20 mph and depressing the brake pedal to attempt to stop the vehicle, the vehicle proceeded to roll forward while the pedal was still depressed. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 209,000.

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When I brake and also go over a bump my 2008 Prius lurches forward. The traction control light illuminates. The brakes become ineffective. This caused me to have an accident last night. The cars before me came to a sudden stop. I was driving 15-20mph but unfortunately I hit the brakes while unknowningly simultaneously going over a bump. The faulty traction control system sent me into a 1-2 second lurch forward with zero brakes. When I finally was able to have brakes I had to maneuver the vehicle to the left of the car ahead scratching the aura and denting my front right panel. This is not the first time the brakes have failed but it is the first time I was involved in an accident because of it. Toyota drivers need to leave a 4 sec. Space between cars to make up for the 2 sec. Lapse in brakes.

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My 2007 Toyota Prius accelerates while braking after hitting bumps on the road. I was braking to come to a stop, the car propelled forward 2-3 times, the traction light flashed twice all why I had full pressure applied to the brake pedal. Luckily the car in front of me had not stopped completely otherwise there would have been an impact as I had no method of making the car stop moving forward. The car will also propel forward when going over rail road tracks or other bumps/potholes in the road. From a driver standpoint, if the car loses contact with the road there is something electronic that causes it to accelerate even if the brake pedal is depressed.

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2008 Toyota Prius. Consumer states problem with traction control the consumer stated she was driving in the rain at a speed of 40 mph when she noticed the traction control light was flickering on and off more than she previously experienced. She also smelled an odor similar to something burning. She opened the windows to let it clear. However, the smell seemed to linger in the vehicle for at least a mile. As she approached a town, the speed limit was reduced from 45 mph to 25 mph so she slowed down and continued to experience the flickering of the traction control warning light while driving on wet pavement. As the consumer approached a controlled intersection at a speed of approximately 20 mph and was applying the brakes to stop for the red light, the vehicle suddenly shut down as she was unable to steer and had no brakes or traction. As she was about to hit the vehicle in front of her, she slammed on the brakes one last time and was able to stop at the last second. When the light turned green she proceeded to drive in the rain at a maximum speed of 40 mph and the traction control warning light came on only one additional time until she reached her destination 20 minutes later.

Traction control light flashes and car accelerates when encountering sudden bumps in the road. This occurs when hitting bumps while the brakes are being applied. I have informed Toyota about this and they never replied. The affected car is a 2005 Toyota Prius with 65,000 miles. Purchased cpo in August of 2009 from a Toyota dealer. This issue is a repeat occurance. I have encountered this issue in excess of 20 times since I've assumed this car and noticed prior to the massive recall noise in the media. Thank you for your time.

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2009 Toyota Prius: when driving over pot-holes, bumps, or uneven patches of road at all different speeds, the car's "traction light" will flash and the car will momentarily surge forward. It seems at this time that the brakes also temporarily lose power. This happens several times a week. This worries me as I feel this could lead to car accidents or put pedestrians in danger. Spoke with many other Prius owners and they report the same problem. Contacted the dealership where I bought the car and the service manager told me this was a "normal function" of the abs. I still feel this is a safety issue that is not being properly addressed. I've driven many other cars with abs and none of them behaved this erratically.

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When braking while driving over potholes, speed bumps, manhole covers, or any kind of bump in the road, car lurches forward, and brakes do not work at that moment, in addition, the traction warning light flashes telling driver car has lost traction with road. It occurs every single time the brakes are depressed while driving over a bump, pothole, manhole cover, or any kind of bump in the road. Have come extremely close to rear-ending an individual in front of me at an intersection because there was a bump as I approached the intersection, and was braking to slow down. Have taken to dealer once and told brakes are fine, unable to duplicate problem. Taking back again to have service technician ride with us so we can demonstrate problem.

On a daily basis, my 2009 Toyota Prius loses control, skids, (the traction light goes on), fishtails and has brake failures on ice and snow. When I hit potholes or big bumps, the car accelerates and I have to quickly brake. The northbrook Toyota service manager drove it today. The car lost control, skidded, the traction light went on, it fishtailed, and the brakes failed on the ice and snow. His comment was "that's the way the car is. It doesn't drive well on ice and snow". We couldn't find a good pothole for the car to demonstrate the acceleration today. I was told by an automechanic that works on our other cars that the 2009 and 2010 Prius have problems with their brakes. Presently there is no recall for the 2009 Prius. I am afraid I am going to kill someone at an intersection when I can't stop. Yesterday I had 2 catholic nuns in the car and the car failed to turn left at an intersection, almost fishtailing into an embankment before it righted itself. A Lexus SUV behind me almost hit me while trying to avoid me. I am hoping that no lives will be lost, or severe injuries occur, before these problems are acknowledged by Toyota and fixed.

I have a 2007 Toyota Prius and have experienced the same braking issue that is being reported about the 2010 Prius. I have noticed that when I am driving or braking while going over pot-holes, railroad tracks, or very bumping roads I can feel a sudden and momentary loss of braking and/or acceleration. I also noticed that the traction control indicator light on the dash always turns on when this happens. I took the dealer just after I purchased the vehicle and was told that everything was normal. This has been happening for the last 2 and a half years. It has happened 3 or 4 times this week alone. I have gotten used to this happening but have also been very concerned that it will cause a rearend collision, or something even worse. This needs attention ASAP. Thank you.

I own a 2007 Toyota Prius and have experienced occasional momentary loss of braking (my foot firmly on the brake pedal) while driving over a bumpy surface. While braking over small pot holes, railroad tracks, rough patches, etc. , the car seems to lunge forward apparently as the brakes release for a split second (approximately 1/4 to 1/2 second). The road conditions can be wet or dry. At the same time, my traction control light will flash on and off until the road smoothes out. That split second is enough to cause an accident with the car in front of me if I don't give myself extra room or slow down prior to the bumpy condition (1/2 second at 20 mph = 15 feet of unwanted travel). I drive over the same railroad tracks just prior to a traffic light every day and I have had to adjust my driving habits to keep this dangerous, additional stopping distance from recurring. This has occurred approximately 15 to 20 times in various bumpy conditions since I bought the car over 3 years ago. I have had some close calls, but no accident yet. I have not complained to Toyota, but due to all the complaints I have read about online, I assumed they would do something eventually.

I have a 2007 Toyota Prius and have experienced the same braking issue that is being reported about the 2010 Prius. I have noticed that when I am braking while going over pot-holes, railroad tracks, or very bumping roads I can feel a sudden and momentary loss of braking. I also noticed that the traction control indicator light on the dash always turns on when this happens.

When braking, if the car hits any kind of pothole, speed bump, or imperfection in the road that causes the traction control light to illuminate, all braking power is lost and the car glides (as if neither the brake or gas pedal are depressed) until the traction control light goes off, at which point braking power is returned. The traction control is very sensitive and many small bumps or imperfections can set it off, and the lack of braking power has caused me some close calls in the past.

I have noticed that while driving my 2006 Prius, that while traveling over an uneven road surface or pothole, there are times where the traction control light will come on, on the dash, while simultaneously, it feels as if the car is uncontrollable. Its a similar feeling as driving on a snow covered surface. Not sure if its just a flaw in the traction control system (may include a braking issue as well). I did contact my local dealer, who was not familiar with this issue, yet if you were to do a search online, you will see that other Prius owners have experienced this as well.

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I have an ongoing problem with my 2007 Prius with braking and traction control in slippery conditions (rain, snow, ice), and on slippery or uneven surfaces (railroad/trolley tracks, manhole covers, etc. ). I have reported it to the Toyota dealer several times starting in the summer of 2007 and have been told there is no problem. The car seems to lurch or slide under these conditions which is alarming even at very low speeds. The traction control light flashes, and there is a momentary inability to brake or stop the car.

2007 Toyota Prius breaks fail to work for a split second when the car hits a bump and brakes are applied. With the car slowing down and the brakes are applied, if I hit a bump, the brakes will stop slowing the car for about 0. 5 seconds and the low traction light will blink.

When going downhill and approaching a right turn near my home I apply the brakes and often runover the same uneven surface on the road. That triggers my 2008 Toyota Prius' traction control light to blink on and off a few times and my brakes seem to stop applying pressure at that point while my car's speed increases for 1-2 seconds then the traction control light goes off and the brakes work fine. I am just worried about all the issues with Toyota cars and want to make sure my family is safe. Hence, telling my small story before it happens and I can't control it.

I own a 2008 Toyota Prius and it also has a problem when braking while driving over a rough surface or pot holes. The traction control light comes on and there is a 1-2 second delay before the real brakes kick in. I have learned to be aware of this issue and press the brakes harder until the brakes start to work.

I drive a black 2008 Toyota Prius and after reading the news reports, I think there might be similar braking issues with my vehicle. The condition definitely does not happen very often, but I would say at least 5-10 times over the 23 months (March 08 - present) that I have had the vehicle. With the brake pedal applied after going over a rough spot or pothole in the road, it felt like the car was skidding or sliding. The car would resume normal operating conditions within a few seconds. The car was never out of control, but the steering wheel and brake pedal definitely felt very loose which is different than under normal circumstances. Also, when this condition occurs, the low-traction indicator light on the dashboard illuminates for a few seconds. These incidents occurred when there was not other traffic around. Up to this point, I attributed the condition to driver error, but I would rather add my description and err on the side of being overly cautious.

I bought a 2010 Prius in October 2009. I brought the Prius back to the dealer, stevenson Toyota, for a problem that would occur when the vehicle brake was completely depressed and the traction control light would come on. I also mentioned that when I would hit a bump or drive on ice, it did not seem that the vehicle would stop properly and that when hitting a bump, the vehicle would seem to "lurch forward". The dealer said this was a safety aspect of the vehicle and was normal operation. A few weeks later, I called the dealer again to reiterate my concerns about the braking problem and the lurching forward when hitting a bump, they again repeated that it was a safety measure new on the 2010 Prius models. Now that the recall is out, I am skeptical on the validity of their statements saying that it was a new 2010 safety feature. My wife who also drives the vehicle does not feel safe driving in the snow because of the feel of the brakes when attempting to stop. I bought the car for her but now drive it more because she does not fee safe in the vehicle.

Approximately five times while driving my 2010 Toyota Prius I have experienced problems with stopping when one of my tires either is on a manhole cover or on uneven road(one tire in a pothole). When this occurs I am usually going approximately 30 mph. I apply the brake slowly to start to slow down for a stop sign. My right front tire rolls over a manhole cover and while my foot is still on the brake my car accelerates, lunging forward. This lasts for 1-2 seconds when I have no control over the vehicle. After this 1-2 seconds my brakes stop the vehicle. The entire time my foot has been on the brake. I know that if a car was in front of me at the time, I would have rear-ended it. Every time this has occurred my traction control light goes on. I have had my car to the dealer 3 times with the same complaint. They even took the car out for a drive with me and of course we could never recreate what has happened to me. I was never told that other people were experiencing the same problems. However, in talking to people at the dealership, they said it may be the traction control because it is supposed to make your tires spin slower if you loose traction. It seems as if it does the opposite and speeds the tire up. I asked if there was any way they could check my traction control system to make sure it was working properly, but was told there is no way to check it. I am not sure if anyone has thought about the traction control system. It seems like everyone is pointing fingers to the braking system. It might be worthwhile to check into the traction control as well. It seems like a short amount of time to not be in control. But for that 1-2 seconds my heart always drops because I have no control over my vehicle.

2010 Toyota Prius brake failure. Everytime while braking if there is a bump or on even a slight bit of ice on 1 wheel only, the brakes will release completely and go back to accelerating rather than braking. It happens when I exit the highway and there is a change in surfaces from tar to concrete. It happens very often and can happen anytime. This occurs at any speed from 10mph up and I have experienced it from 10mph and as high as 55mph. The problem first occurred around 500 miles on the car and I now have over 8500 miles. This started in August around the 15th. I have a 2007 hummer h3 and I have compared the braking with the same conditions and speeds and the Prius is not responding correctly. The hummer brakes even with the changes. I have also compared on a 2006 Volvo s60. These brakes are failing and it will eventually result in a crash or a pedestrian being struck. There is no pulsing of the breaks there is only releasing for ice or for any surface other than perfect. There should be some type of repair or recall immediately. I have noticed this but thought it was only me until I saw the msnbc article. I will not let my wife drive this car since she is pregnant. It is not safe. While sitting at traffic lights the traction control light keeps turning on and blinking and will lock the brakes until the gas pedal is pressed. I have never had an anti-lock or any type of breaking issue in 15 years of driving various vehicles.

We have a 2008 Prius which has a couple of dangerous things about it which the dealer says is the way its designed to work. 1. I believe they are recalling the 2010 Prius for this problem, but the 2008 has it also. The cars braking system completely releases all the brakes, so far I've just noticed it in the rear wheels, when going around a curve and the wheel hits a bump and looses traction. The traction control light goes on and all the brakes are gone for a short period of time. It feels as if the car is also accelerating during this period of time, but that could just be a result of loosing the braking system. 2. The engine completely shuts off when the front wheels spin. In snow on a grade which can easily be driven on with a vehicles slipping from time to time, the Prius motor shuts down when a driving wheel spins and all forward momentum is lost ie after spin, no engine, power, spin, no engine several times the car comes to a stop in the road. I also cant get up my neighbors driveway if it rains because of this. If crossing a lane of oncoming traffic from a stop sign and the wheel spins we are in mortal danger of being hit.

When approaching a light, I changed lanes into the left turn lane, applied the brake to slow down, let up on the brake to go over a depressed area where a pipe was being replaced and the road repaired. I then applied the brakes firmly to stop the vehicle. Unfortunately, nothing happened. The traction control light went on when I went over the bump and it took about 2 seconds of heading towards the back of a truck for the breaks to engage at all. When they finally engaged, the car stopped very quickly (as I would expect) and I was almost rear ended by the person behind me. I have had the brakes not engage on one other incident that also involved switching lanes and a bump. Traction control and abs on this Prius need to be replaced with something that will not kill. I was very disappointed that the "braking problem" was "limited" to 2010 Priuses. It is not. This issue has clearly occurred twice for me in the past 5 years of moderate driving (about 10k miles per year). To address the issue, Toyota told me that I was making it up, it never happened, I must have not pressed the brake pedal. I never released my foot from the pedal and the car stopped just fine after a significant delay. They did not replace any parts or make any changes to the vehicle.

Reproducible lag in brake response when driving over bumpy conditions at low speeds (8-20mph) on dry road conditions. If I brake before a sharp bump (e. G. , pothole before stop sign), there is a delay in brake engagement on the order of second(s), and the traction control light flashes on the dashboard. The brakes will eventually engage. This is most noticeable and reproducible when I am driving on a university campus that is in the foothills of salt lake city on a declining and curvy road. However, I have encountered this brake issue periodically when hitting potholes or sharp bumps on slight declines at other venues. However, this has led to several episodes of the car stopping later than anticipated, and I worry that my scenario represents a "sentinel event" for future safety issues. I inquired about this at a dealership, and their response was that "you just have to adjust to the brake feel compared to your old non-hybrid car. ".

With the brake pedal engaged, the brakes shut off temporarily while the traction control light is on. This failure occurs daily when I approach the stop sign in my neighborhood. As a approach the stop sign (brakes engaged), the road dips slightly which turns on the traction control. At this point the brakes turn off (with my foot still on the pedal) until the traction control light goes out indicating that the traction control has disengaged. So far I have been lucky and have not hit anyone after rolling through the stop sign. This is not a new problem as it has happened basically every day since I bought the vehicle. I have been dealing with it until I saw the notice about the 2010 Prius with exactly the same problem. I would like to submit a formal complaint so that the 2010 Prius brake investigation can be expanded to include the 2008 Prius.

I have read news reports about the 2010 Prius braking issues. As an owner of a 2008 Prius, I have experienced near identical behavior. When braking, if the car hits a pothole or a bump, I momentarily (maybe 1/2 -1 second of time) lose all braking power before braking then resumes. After this 'hiccup' the abs/traction control light blinks 3-4 times. The issue has never resulted in an accident, however I have changed my driving habits to ensure I have extra room to stop as the issue is both recurring and quite frequent (there is one offramp on my way home from work with a small bump that causes this issue 35-50% of the time). I know that the current story is that the 2010 Prius has a 'redesigned' braking system, so prior models and generations are supposedly not affected by the problem the NHTSA is currently investigating. My experience, however, leads me to believe the problem is more widespread and does in fact impact earlier generation Prius cars, possibly in a portion of the braking control system common to both the older and newer Prius models.

I own a 2007 Prius. I have noticed on many occasions that when you go over a pothole, or there is gravel on the road, the traction control light comes on and for a moment, the car loses its braking ability. You accelerate for a bit before the brakes come on again. It is very scary. Thank god nothing has happened, but how many injuries have to happen before Toyota does something?!.

1. Brakes on my 2006 Prius momentarily failed to respond, after a 1 - 2 sec delay they activated. At same time,the traction light flashes, but the car is not losing traction. This happened 4 x, one almost resulted in a crash. It is more likely to happen when braking while going over a bump in the road. There have been other times when the traction light flashes on unexpectedly, but effect on brakes is unknown: not braking then. 3 different Toyota dealers told me they couldn't find anything wrong. At one dealer, I went for a test drive with a mechanic. During the test drive, I was able to make the traction light go on when there was no loss of traction. The invoice stated "test drove and checked operations. At this time could not duplicate customer's concerns. " I wrote on the invoice "I was able to make the traction light go on when there was no loss of traction. I am not satisfied that the problem has been found and repaired. " & on the signature line "not satisfied, (signature)" I wanted them to change the computer, but they said if they couldn't duplicate the problem, they couldn't change the computer. I insisted that they replace one component, and if the problem didn't reoccur, I'd know they found the solution. They bled the brakes, which was unlikely to be cause of the problem. When I went to pick up my invoice up 2nd time, the copy on which I had written my comments was returned to me, and a freshly printed copy- without my comments - was given to me & kept for their records. 2. Same car: headlight go out at unexpected times. 2 Toyota dealers told me that the bulb would cost $300, and installation would be well over $100 because they "had to take off the bumper to change the bulb!" I replaced the bulb myself (without taking off the bumper) but now, 9 months later, it is starting to go again. Toyota sent a letter saying it was how hid bulbs burned out & not a pblm w/ controller. If true, how is it that new bulb is also burning out?.

This event has occured on a number of occasions with my 2007 Toyota Prius. When I am applying the brakes and go over a bump or pothole, the traction control light appears and the brakes weaken for a moment. The light will go off and the breaks feel like they go back to full strength. I am aware of this issue and have modified my driving becasue of it. Recently while approaching an intersection I had to slow very quickly and hit a pothole while the brakes were applied. I traveled several feet further because the brakes were not reacting at full strength when the light was on. I have heard of other 2007 owners complaining but when I contacted my Toyota dealer they said there was nothing they could do until there is a recall. That was the only time I contacted my dealer because it made me so upset. It is safe to say that from the moment I have purchased the car (within the first week) to current, if I am breaking and hitting a bump or pothole of significant disruptance at the same time - this situation replays itself. The date of incident is around the first date of the first occurance. It has happened nearly 100+ times since then.