2006 Toyota Prius SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

2006 PRIUS BRAKE PEDAL SLOWLY MOVES TO FLOOR WHEN FOOT HELD ON BRAKE PEDAL, I.E., AT A STOP SIGN. TOYOTA SERVICE TECH SAID THIS IS NORMAL AND THAT BRAKE WOULD HOLD EVEN WHEN PEDAL IS FULLY DEPRESSED. I THIS TRUE? *TR

MOMENTARY BRAKE SLIPPAGE AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN WE HIT SOMETHING SLIPPERY LIKE A WET MANHOLE--MUCH AS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED ELSEWHERE. IT HAS *NOT* YET BEEN A MAJOR PROBLEM. *TR

ISSUE RELATING TO PRIUS BRAKES. I HAVE A 2006 PRIUS AND HAVE EXPERIENCED THE BRAKE ISSUE EVER SINCE I'VE OWNED THE CAR. I DON'T THINK IT IS ENTIRELY BRAKES, BECAUSE I'VE ALSO EXPERIENCED IT WHILE ACCELERATING AND ONE OF THE WHEELS LOSES TRACTION. I THINK IT IS THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM / ABS. ANYWAY, I'VE LEARNED TO COPE WITH IT, THE DROPOUT IS ONLY FOR LESS THAN A SECOND, AND THERE'S NEVER BEEN AN ACCIDENT (OR EVEN NEAR ACCIDENT) BECAUSE OF IT. THIS LATEST EVENT WAS SLOWING DOWN FOR A TURN AND ONE OF THE WHEELS WENT OVER A MANHOLE COVER. THAT WHEEL LOCKED UP AND THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE BRAKES CUT OUT AND THEN BACK IN. *TR

BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS IS REDUCED OR NON EXISTENT WHEN HITTING A BUMP, POTHOLE OR UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE AT SLOWER SPEEDS AS REPORTED BY 2010 PRIUS OWNERS. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE I TOOK DELIVERY OF THE NEW VEHICLE IN JUNE 2006 AND HAVE BEEN TOLD BY VARIOUS DEALERS THAT "THIS IS HOW ABS WORKS IN THE PRIUS, JUST KEEP APPLYING STEADY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, THEY WILL EVENTUALLY CATCH AGAIN AND YOU'LL STOP". UNTIL HEARING NEWS REPORTS TODAY OF OTHER OWNERS WITH SIMILAR ISSUES I THOUGH THIS WAS NORMAL (THOUGH SOMEWHAT UNNERVING BEHAVIOR) FOR A HYBRID WITH REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEMS. *TR

I READ THE ARTICLE TODAY REGARDING PRIUS BRAKES AND I DEFINITELY HAVE THAT ISSUE ALL THE TIME IN MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHENEVER I HIT A POTHOLE OR A SLIPPERY SERVICE AND APPLY THE BRAKE, IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKE STOPS WORKING AND THE CARS MOVES FORWARD MORE QUICKLY. THEN, IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR RE-ENGAGES THE BRAKES. I HAVE NOT YET HAD AN ACCIDENT RELATING TO THIS, BUT IT IS MOST DEFINITELY SOMETHING I HAVE EXPERIENCED MANY TIMES. I HAVE NOT APPROACHED TOYOTA OR MY DEALER ABOUT IT (IN PART BECAUSE I AM NOT NEARBY TO MY DEALER). *TR

I HAVE 2006 PRIUS AND I HAVE BRAKE FAILURE FREQUENTLY IF I HIT A BUMP, POT HOLE, MANHOLE COVER, RAILROAD TRACK ETC. IT IS UN-NERVING AS I FEEL AS IF I AM AIRBORNE FOR A WHILE AS I KNOW I HAVE NO CONTACT WITH THE ROAD. *TR

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, I WENT OVER A POTHOLE AND THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD BRIEFLY. UNSURE IF AN ACCELERATION ISSUE OR A BRAKING ISSUE. IT HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT HAS BEEN MINOR. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA, BUT THEY IGNORED MOST OF MY EMAILS TO MY SURPRISE AND DISAPPOINTMENT. TODAY, I TURNED THE CORNER AND HIT A SMALL POTHOLE. I FELT IT LURCH, BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. I PUMPED THEM AND NO BRAKES. I PUSHED THE ON/OFF BUTTON AND HELD IT FOR THE 3 SECONDS THEY RECOMMEND AND IT DID NOT TURN OFF THE CAR. IT TOOK OVER 5 SECONDS BEFORE FINALLY TURNING OFF AND I COASTED TO A STOP. IT WAS TERRIFYING!!! ONCE I CALMED DOWN AND TRIED TO START THE CAR, IT WOULD NOT TURN ON AND THEN ONCE IT DID, IT WOULD NOT GO INTO DRIVE ... ONLY NEUTRAL. THIS HAPPENED 4 OR 5 TIMES BEFORE I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET IT INTO DRIVE TO GET HOME. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED TOYOTA ON AMHERST DR. IN SPRINGFIELD, VA AND SPOKE. HE SAID IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR A RENTAL CAR. I LET HIM KNOW HOW DISPLEASED I WAS AND HE WAS KIND AND SAID HE'LL TALK TO HIS BOSS IN THE MORNING. I HAVE TOLD TOYOTA THAT I AM AFRAID OF MY CAR ........ UPGRADE THAT TO TERRIFIED! THIS WAS A VERY SCARY EVENT. THE 2010 CAR OWNERS SHOULD NOT BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THOSE OF USE WITH AN EARLIER MODEL OF THIS CAR. IT'S NOT THE FLOOR MATS. IT'S NOT THE STICKY ACCELERATOR PEDAL. IT'S THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM AND I NEED TO HAVE TOYOTA RESPECT MY SAFETY TOO AND SUPPORT THIS DANGEROUS CAR THAT I'M STUCK WITH. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR HELP. *TR

WHEN DRIVING OVER A BUMPY ROAD OR A POTHOLE WHILE BRAKING THERE IS A SUDDEN LOSS OF BRAKING FEEL BEFORE IT RETURNS, SEEMS TO BE A SLIGHTLY LESS THAN A SECOND DELAY WHERE THE BRAKES JUST CUT OUT. THIS SOUNDS TO BE RELATED TO THE ISSUE TOYOTA AND NHTSA ARE INVESTIGATING WITH THE 2010 PRIUS, BUT MINE IS A 2006 AND SEEMS TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME SYMPTOMS. *TR

WE HAVE A 2006 PRIUS AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE BRAKES FEEL THAT THEY GIVE OUT WHEN A BUMP IS HIT. OUR DEALER SAYS THAT TOYOTA SAYS TO PUSH HARDER ON THE PEDAL. THIS HAS HAPPEN ABOUT 8 OR 10 TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR. THE CAR DOES STOP BUT YOUR AREN'T SURE IT WILL. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 25 MPH ON A SIDE STREET DURING BROAD DAYLIGHT. I APPLIED MY BRAKES TO STOP BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO ROLL FORWARD. THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT DEPRESS TO THE FLOOR - RATHER IT JUST REMAINED IN THE NORMAL DEPRESSED CONDITION AND DID NOT STOP THE CAR AT ALL. I THEN PUMPED THE BRAKE AND IT FINALLY ENGAGED ON THE THIRD TRY ALTHOUGH I WAS ALREADY THRU THE STOP SIGN AND INTO THE INTERSECTION. LUCKILY, THERE WERE NO CARS AHEAD OF ME NOR WAS THERE ANY CROSS TRAFFIC AT THE INTERSECTION. THERE WAS NO SNOW OR ICE ON THE GROUND. MY CAR IS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH 24,400 MILES TRAVELED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. IT WAS PURCHASED IN JULY OF 2006. A FOLLOW UP CHECK OF THE BRAKES ON TUESDAY AT A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER ON THE 16TH RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING" "CHECKED FOR DIAGNOSTIC CODES - EVERYTHING FINE." HARDLY CALMING. THE PAD WEAR INDICATOR WAS NOT DISPLAYED. *TR

NHTSA ID: 193333 I UNDERSTAND THAT THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT IS INVESTIGATING A BRAKING ISSUE ON 2010 PRIUSES -- INVOLVING SLIPPING OR SURGING FORWARD WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO THE 2010 MODEL; OUR 2006 PRIUS SLIPS IN THE SAME WAY, UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES: WHEN THE DRIVER BRAKES AT SLOW SPEEDS ON A WET SURFACE LIKE A LIGHT RAIL TRACK, OR GOES OVER BUMPS OR INTO POTHOLES WHILE BRAKING. IT FEELS AS IF THERE ARE NO BRAKES, AND THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED ONLY ON FLAT STREETS -- NEVER ON HILLS. THE PROBLEM OCCURS ABOUT TWICE A MONTH. IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THE TOYOTA DEALER TELLS ME ANY VEHICLE WILL DO THIS, BUT THE ANOMALY IS ONE I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED IN ANY OTHER CAR I'VE OWNED, INCLUDING 2 TOYOTAS. IN OTHER WORDS, NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO ADDRESS THIS SITUATION, BECAUSE THE DEALERS SAY THERE IS NO DEFECT. "APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE" QUESTION BELOW MAKES NO SENSE, BECAUSE THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM. ALSO, "MILEAGE" INFORMATION IS USELESS, SINCE THIS HAS HAPPENED DOZENS OF TIMES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS WHICH WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS MORE THAN 5 MPH OVER RUMBLE STRIPS IN THE ROAD, IF THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED, THEY WOULD NOT RESPOND IMMEDIATELY. THE FAILURE WOULD ALSO OCCUR DURING RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS. AN UNKNOWN WARNING SYMBOL BRIEFLY ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL, THE CONTACT ASSUMED THAT THIS WAS A NORMAL OCCURRENCE FOR HER BRAKING SYSTEM. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED TO REPORT THE FAILURES. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 35,700.

BRAKES SEEM TO FADE OR RELEASE UPON STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN. IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKE JUST GIVES UP FOR A SECOND. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES. I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THE ROAD WAS SLICK BUT IT HAS HAPPENED 20 TIMES. I USED THE YESTERDAYS DATE SINCE. *TR

ON 1/30/2010 AT OR ABOUT 9:00AM. MY DAUGHTER'S 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS BRAKES FAILED ENROUTE TO MAMMOUTH. NO SNOW OR RAIN WAS ON ROADWAY. WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REACH HE SINCE, BUT OUR SENDING THIS COMPLAINT TO DOCUMENT THIS INCIDENT IN THE EVENT AN ACCIDENT OCCURS. *TR

IT WAS RAINING HEAVILY WITH POOR VISIBILITY. I DROVE ABOUT 15 MILE MPH ON A ONE-LANE ROAD WITH NO TRAFFIC LIGHTS OR SIGNALS. I SAW A CAR AHEAD OF ME AND SLOW DOWN EVEN MORE TO ABOUT 10 MILES MPG AND KEPT DISTANCE. WHEN THE CAR STOPPED SUDDENLY ABOUT 30 FEET AWAY, I ENGAGED THE BRAKE. HOWEVER TO MY DISMAY, THE CAR KEPT ROLLING. WHEN I REALIZED THAT I SHOUT IN PANIC "PLEASE STOP, STOP!" FOR ABOUT 8 SECOND I HOPELESSLY WATCHED MY CAR SLOWLY RAN INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AT A SPEED ABOUT 5 MILES MPH. BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A SLOW SPEED, MY CAR'S FRONT BUMPER WAS ALMOST INTACT BUT MY HOOD WAS DAMAGED BY THE REAR BUMPER OF THE SUV. I HAD AN ESTIMATED DAMAGE ABOUT $1100. I THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE SLIPPERY ROAD. AFTER SEARCHING INTERNET, I REALIZED THAT THE SLOW SPEED BRAKE FAILURES ARE WELL-DOCUMENTED BY MANY DRIVERS. OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE WERE VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT I EXPERIENCED. THEREFORE I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER MY COMPLAINT. *TR

EVER SINCE I PURCHASED MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS, I HAVE HAD INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES LETTING UP FOR A COUPLE SECONDS WHEN GOING AT SLOW SPEEDS (UNDER 25 MPH) AND HITTING A BUMP OR SHALLOW HOLE WHEN BRAKING. TYPICALLY, THE ANTI-SKID (VSC) LIGHT COMES ON FULLY OR FLICKERS FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AND THE CAR MOMENTARILY STOPS BRAKING (YOU CAN FEEL THE CAR ACCELERATE FORWARD SLIGHTLY AND THE PEDAL FEELS LIKE IT IS ON THE FLOOR). IT DOES NOT SEEM RELATED TO WET OR DRY CONDITIONS AS IT HAS HAPPENED IN BOTH. BUT IT DOES SEEM TO BE RELATED TO GOING OVER A SMALL BUMP OR EVEN MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN HITTING A SMALL POTHOLE/SEWER PLATE WHILE BRAKING. IF I HAVE THE REACTION TIME & FORETHOUGHT, IMMEDIATELY LETTING GO OF THE BRAKE PEDAL COMPLETELY AND PRESSING DOWN HARD WILL GET THE CAR TO STOP. FORTUNATELY, IT HAS HAPPENED ENOUGH TIMES (INCLUDING SEVERAL NEAR MISSES) THAT I ALLOW EXTRA DISTANCE WITH CARS IN FRONT OF ME AND BEEN LUCKY TO AVOID COLLISIONS. I ALSO WATCH THE ROAD SURFACE FOR BUMPS/HOLES WHEN BRAKING BUT AM WORRIED THAT I MIGHT NOT BE LUCKY TO AVOID 100% OF THE TIME AND COULD REAR END A CAR OR EVEN WORSE I COULD SERIOUS INJURE A PEDESTRIAN WALKING ACROSS A CROSSWALK AS I'M COMING TO A STOP AT A RED LIGHT. I HAVE HAD THE CAR INTO MY DEALERSHIP TWICE AND THEY HAVE TRIED TO REPLICATE IT BUT HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SO THEY HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT. IF YOU CHECK OUT THIS FORUM, YOU WILL SEE THAT I AM DEFINITELY NOT ALONE HOWEVER: HTTP://WWW.HYBRIDCARS.COM/FORUMS/BRAKE-FAILURE-2007-T1013.HTML. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE CAUSED HER TO REAR END ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 35 MPH. THE VEHICLE BEHIND THE CONTACT WITNESSED THAT HER BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

I HAVE A BRAKE PROBLEM WITH MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. SEVERAL TIMES (AT LEAST 6 TIMES) THE BRAKES HAVE FAILED TO FUNCTION WHEN I TRY TO STOP. THE CAR DOES NOT RESPOND WHEN I PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD SEVERAL SECONDS. SO FAR I HAVE BEEN LUCKY AND NOT HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT BUT IT HAS BEEN CLOSE SEVERAL TIMES. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE BUT THEY HAVE NOT FOUND ANY PROBLEMS. THEY TELL ME THAT IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, THEY MUST REPLICATE THE PROBLEM IN ORDER TO FIX IT AND SO FAR THIS HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE. THIS KEEPS HAPPENING AND I FEEL VERY UNSAFE WHILE DRIVING. *TR

I WAS COMING TO A STOP ON A BUSY STREET. AS I APPLIED BRAKES, THE BRAKES DID NOT "CATCH." I COULDN'T AVOID THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AS BOTH SURROUNDING LANES WERE FULL. I LITERALLY WATCHED HELPLESSLY AS I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. MY CAR IS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH 27,000 MILES ON IT. IT ALSO HAD ALL THE REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHECKS AS WELL WITH NO PROBLEMS NOTED. *TR

WHEN COMING TO A STOP THE BRAKES STUTTER OR GRAB. IT IS EXPLAINED IN DETAIL AT THIS THREAD: HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/-T11858.HTML AND HERE: HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/INDEX.PHP?ACT=ST&F=19&T=16922. *NM