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Save up to $379 on Your Auto Insurance. Compare Quotes from Top Providers Now! Find the Best Deal and Apply! - Adv.
Consumers have complained for years about unintended acceleration in the Toyota Prius, but their complaints — like those below — have fallen on deaf ears. Conversely, consumers who live in snowy regions complains of a complete loss of forward motion when roads are slippery.
Andrew of Leverett, MA June 25, 2009
I experienced unintended acceleration with driving my wife's 2005 Toyota Prius. We had driven this car approximately 65,000 miles without incident. I was driving alone to Montreal. In traffic on a multi-lane highway in Canada, the car did not slow when I let up on the accelerator, and then I realized that it was actually accelerating. I used the service brake repeatedly to keep the speed down to the speed of the traffic (probably about 60mph) until I found a place to pull off.
Between applications of the brake, the car continued to gain speed. One foot was on the leftmost footrest, the other on the brake, so I was not inadvertently depressing the accelerator. Upon pulling off, I used the service brake to stop, noticed some unusual noises, then shut off the car with the button. Got out. Brakes were very hot. After a few minutes for me to calm down and the brakes to cool, I got in, started the car and it has behaved normally ever since (probably about 1,000 miles so far).
When I arrived at my destination, I went online and Googled "Prius runaway" and found numerous entries, some completely consistent with my experience. It was not caused by floormats. It is conceivable that I accidently engaged the cruise control, but repeated hard application of the service brake did not cancel it. I felt that it would have accelerated to top speed without my aggressive application of the service brake. I braked intermittently to prevent excessive fade. The period of time from when I noticed the uncontrolled acceleration to when I shut the car off was on the order of a minute or two at the most, though it seemed very long at the time as I maneuvered through the traffic. Radha of Philadelphia, PA May 29, 2009
My 09 prius was just 4 months old. 3K+ miles. Parking lot, less than 10mph speed, my foot was already out of the accel when I found unintended accelerating, at a slow but steady speed. Feeling strange, I went all in for the brakes - no reaction from the car. Car crashed into a light pole, tilted to its right crashed down in parking spot right next to where I wanted to park. With me hanging by the seat belt, car still accel-ing, I went for the power button. No response to that either. I opened the window, freed myself from the seat belt, called for help to get out through the window. The car wouldn't stop acceling until the cops came over in response to my 911 and helped me switch the car off. Insurance said my car is totaled. Toyota has scheduled to look at my car next week. I hope they have a good answer. I would like to know if there is a law suit in the works, I see that several others have faced what I went through with my brand new prius.
Car is totaled, I am at about 4-5K loss for using this fancy car for about 4 months. Stuck with an accident history on my driving history and above all emotional trouble and time with Toyota, Insurance, Car Dealer, Lien holder, Government agency to see if they have a solution to my problem. I wonder how many others are out there with same issues with their wonderful hybrid.
Kristen of Elgin , IL May 26, 2009
I was driving my 2007 Toyota Prius on I-90 westbound in Wisconsin heading toward Minnesota. I was driving at or around 68 mph (speed limit 65)as I had the car on cruise control. There was a sign that the left lane was going to end, so I started to speed up to pass a freight truck that was in the next lane. Concurrently, I saw two police cars on the left shoulder. As I started to accelerate, the truck sped up and I realized that there was no way I would be able to pass and eased back the accelerator. The problem was that the accelerator stuck and the car started speeding forward. The good news is that I was in the free lane with no one in front of me to hit, the back news is that it took me a bit of time to use my shoe to disengage the accelerator. I was startled and shaken by the experience and had planned to get off at the next exit to re-group. That is when one of the police officers pulled me over for speeding. He said he clocked me at over 85 miles per hour in a 65 per hour zone. I told him that the accelerator stuck and told him that I thought it may have been the rubber mats (bought at Toyota dealership for the car) in the car. I had recently had the car cleaned inside and out and once stopped I noticed that they had not put them back in the spot where they won't move. While the officer was checking out my license, etc., I looked to adjust the mats and found that while they did not seem to be in the correct slots, they weren't anywhere near the accelerator. Also, the accelerator stuck on the "top" of the pedal, not the bottom. I would think that the officer could see that I was noticeably rattled when he returned to my car as I explained what had transpired, but it did not prevent him from issuing the citation.
I have owned my Prius for just over 2 years and have it serviced regularly. I absolutely love the car, but this was alarming. This had happened once before right after I got the car, but the speed and circumstances were such that I shrugged it off as a fluke. Patricia of Westport, MA May 4, 2009
I had an unexpected acceleration incident with my 2007 Prius Hybrid on March 25, 2009. As I was backing into a parking space, my Prius accelerated, and jumped the curb within seconds and hit a brick pier atteched to the roof of the building. The bricks flew off. Fortunately, there was no one on the sidewalk. The bricks were on the facade with a metal pipe in the middle which remained intact.
David of Morganton,, GA October 23, 2008
We live in a mountainous area of North Georgia. We purchased our 2005 Toyota Prius three years ago, and almost immediately got stuck on the gravel road leading up to our home. If the car hit a bump, all forward motion would stop and the wheels would individually 'take turns' in trying to motivate the car forward. The only way to get started again was to back down the road and get a running start in order to get back to our home. On several occasions, because this has happened after dark, we have had to leave the car and walk the remainder of our driveway, because of the danger in backing up....long sheer drops.
Thinking that we could solve the problem, and make it easier for visitors at the same time, we decided to pave (asphault) the driveway to our home (.6 miles) at a cost of 30,000. Since then, we have had no problems for most of the year, until last fall, when leaves fell on the pavement, and we had a slight rain. The Toyota Prius again would break traction on even the smallest quantity of wet leaves and slow to a crawl. Then, when it hits the next section of fallen leaves, it stops completely and refuses to budge.
I have talked to my Toyota dealer about shutting off the traction control and they have said that it cannot be done. I them called Toyota (International) for the second time, and they have stated that the traction system is working the way it should..... I have essentially purchased an automobile that cannot reliably get me to my home whenever gravel and fallen leaves are present. We just don't go out whenever it snows, or, we drive our Honda /Civic, which never has trouble with our road or driveway. This does not seem right. In all other respects, the Tyota is great, but because of my recent heart surgery, getting stranded on my driveway is a definite liability.
I think that Toyota has the capability to modify its traction control software, or provide a button to temporarily disable it, but for some reason, Toyota has decided, not in favor of the consumer, but for Toyota's bottom line..... to ignore issue. We will be willing to take an active role in any class action suit that may be brought against Toyota if this issue is ever brought to court.
Miriam N. Ramirez of Oakland, CA August 13, 2008
On June 17th, 2008 I was driving down Grand Ave. in Oakand at slow speed due to traffic conditions when suddenly my 2007 Toyota Prius felt as if it uncontrollably sped up and lunged forward. I hit the brakes but it did not stop it from running into the back end of the car in front of me. It was very unnerving. The damage has been repaired by my insurance company and I had been driving the car again. Yesterday, August 11, 2008, as I was pulling into the Safeway parking lot in Montclair, I again was going at a very slow speed when again the car inexplicably lunged forward uncontrollably accelerating on its own. I once again hit the brakes and was able to abruptly stop the vehicle. It is very scary that this has happened twice. Fortunately the second time there was no damage done but the possibility of hurting someone is too much for me. I am afraid to drive this vehicle at this point. I am taking it in to the dealership today to see what their story is. After this happened a second time I googled problems with toyota priuss run away acceleration and I found your site. The experiences of other folks on your web site were so similar to mine that its so disturbing that this might be such a huge problem.
There was approximately 6,000 worth of damage to my vehicle and 800 worth of damage to the vehicle I collided with. The emotional stuff I am feeling right now has no price tag. Thank God there was no bodily harm done. I am angry that toyota might know that there is a huge problem with this vehicle and are sitting on their hands. Priuss NO! I want some answers.
Tawnya of Havelock, NC July 30, 2008
I bought a new Tpyota Prius April of 2006 and paid 2,500 extra for a 8 year 80,000 mile warranty. On July 21, 2008, I was driving the Prius 35 MPH, went to pass a slow moving vehicle when the car suddenly surged and accelerated down the road for about 1.5 miles and on up to 62 MPH before the acceleration stopped. In this event I had tried to stop the car and could not. Pushing on the brakes, I went through a stop sign at a busy T intersection but was able to manage the turn without loosing control. Not knowing what to do and fearing damage to the engine if I pushed the POWER OFF button. I raised my feet off the floor and held tight to the steering wheel, as I anticipated what my next action would be, the car continued to speed up until it reached 62 MPH, then as mysteriously as the acceleration started, it stopped. I used to love my car... now I am afraid of it. This was not the first time. In the last year or so it has occurred about 6 times, but only lasting for seconds. Before we could figure out what it was doing, it would stop. We took the car back to the dealer, Toyota of New Bern. They had the car for a couple hours, said they could find nothing and then charged us 80.00. We argued that this was suppose to be warranty work as we confirmed before we set up the appointment. But they refused to give our money back saying since they could find nothing, they could not charge it against our warranty and we had to pay. What good is this bumper-to-bumper warranty that we paid for to protect us from unexpected costs in our retirement if it is only as good as the mechanic who works on our car! That was our argument with them that got us no where.
Now I am 80 poorer and my life is in danger everytime I drive my car. Since we are retired and living off social security, we are unable to get another vehicle. Our only hope is that Uncle Sam will force Toyota to do a recall for this very serious problem. I have more than 39 years of driving experience and I have never had this problem with any car before. Toyota says it is the car mat and I read the Feds agree. Who at Toyota is paying off who? This problem is affecting my entire life. We used the last of our savings trying to set us up for retirement, a new car to hopefully service us for the rest of our life, the Prius because then we could afford to drive it. Is this problem giving us economical strain? You bet. That 80 was groceries for 2 weeks. And now I fill with anxiety every time I need to go anywhere. Will today be my last?
Addis of Flint, MI June 25, 2008
My Grandmother bought a 2007 Camry. She had mention that the car would accelerate on its own at times. These comments were made a few weeks before she died in her Camry. My Grandmother was in great shape, great vision and no reasons that would have caused her to crash her vehicle. She was driving down a neighborhood street. When eye witnesses saw the vehicle all of a suddent accelerate to about 60 miles per hour. They seen my grandmother struggling to keep control of the car. She passed a red light and a stop sign. She swirved away from bystanders. Finally airbourne into a huge tree. Which smashed the front part of the car into my Grandmothers chest. Causing her to die at the scene.
From what the eyewitnesses seen. It was certain the car had accelerated on its own and when she tried to brake it failed. We have wrote to Toyata and they deny that the car had any defects. They would not release the black box info that is in the vehicle to see what exactly happened. The autopsy confirmed our grandmother did not die of a heart attack or any thing other then what the crash did to her. We need justice! We need the media to know what kind of Company Toyota is. Ted of Eagle, CO May 26, 2008
On August 10, 2008 my wife, Elizabeth James, experienced an unintended acceleration of our Prius resulting in a totalled car and long term minor injuries for her (chronic back pain, obstructed intestines). I am pasting her accident report to the police below.
NHSTA has checked out our after market floor mats which could have caused the problem but my wife claims that they were not the problem, that she looked at her feet to be sure they were on the brakes and the mats were still in their usual place as they had been for almost 10 months.
Here is what she states on the morning after the accident:
I was alone, driving my 2005 Toyota Prius. I was traveling from my home in Eagle, Colorado, in route to Denver International Airport to fly to Little Rock, Arkansas to visit my father. At approximately 7:45 am I was driving eastbound on I-70. I had passed the intersection of I-70 and US Hwy 40 and was watching my speed, as the limit was 65 mph. I was in the right hand lane. I had to apply my brakes to keep the speed at 65 mph. I noticed that when I let up on the brake the car was starting to speed up even though I was not pressing on the accelerator. I had not been using the cruise control. I was going downhill so at first it did not occur to me that there was a problem. Suddenly the car started to accelerate. No matter how hard I pressed on the brake, the car would not slow down. While keeping my right foot on the brake I slammed my left foot on the emergency brake and saw the red light go on, indicating that I had engaged the emergency brake. The car continued to speed up. When I looked at the speedometer I was going 90 miles per hour. I was quickly approaching the car in front of me, unable to slow down. I passed that car on the right hand shoulder and then saw an exit ramp ahead (exit 233, Lawson).
I exited off I-70 and proceeded down the Lawson ramp, I continued to press as hard as I could on both brakes and the car was not slowing at all. In my rear view mirror I saw blue smoke coming out of the back of the car. I traveled through the stop sign and continued down the frontage road through the town of Lawson. I saw some pedestrians walking on the right hand side of the road. After passing the pedestrians I saw that the road was curving to the left, going under an underpass to 1-70. I went straight ahead, leaving the road and crashed through the forest. This whole time I had been pressing on both brakes, and the car was not slowing down at all. I felt the car tumbling and was aware of the air bags deploying. I finally came to a stop.
I tried to find my cell phone but when I saw that I was in the river I crawled out of the car, waded through the water, over rocks and tree limbs and climbed up a steep embankment to the highway to get assistance. I am hurt. I have intense back and neck pain, as well as pain in my right ankle and heel. I am extremely sore all over with some scrapes and bruises.
This is husband Ted again, I am working on a video to put on youtube where I have some photos of the car in the river plus video and photos I shot of the car and the accident scene plus footage I shot when the Toyota engineer was evaluating the vehicle.
Toyota's official postion at this point is that the accident was caused by her brakes being worn out prior to the incident.
Here is text from a letter sent by my lawyer to a legal claims employee with Toyota:
December 5, 2006
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Troy H Higa Claims Administrator
Legal Department
19001 South Western Ave Torrance, CA 90501
RE: Toyota Reference FCRP200609051499, 2005 Toyota Prius, VIN#JTDKB20U657045329 Dear Mr. Higa: I received your letter via fax, dated October 23, 2006. Frankly, I was disappointed in the approach taken by Toyota with regard to this accident and the defect in your product. I firmly believe this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of this defect, and it is clearly a problem which Toyota Motor Company needs to address.
By the grace of God, Elizabeth was not injured more seriously or killed as a result of this defect. It was only her quick reactions and level headedness which avoided injuries to the public or greater property damage.
The sales of Prius vehicles are quite brisk and this defect represents a huge safety concern for the public. The long-term cost to Toyota is going to be much greater if Toyota continues its present course and merely ignores this defect. This entire strategy is out of line with Toyotas stated policy and guiding principles. It is possible, I guess, that only Mrs. James vehicle was defective, but I will be surprised if that, in fact, turns out to be true. Continuing to ignore this problem in the long-term will mean greater injuries on the road and possible deaths.
One of Toyotas guiding principles is the protection of the public and the promotion of public safety. Ignoring this defect, particularly when Toyota is in a unique position to determine the source of the defect is unconscionable.
One of Toyotas guiding principles is that it strives to provide clean and safe products.
This defect creates a totally unreasonable risk to public safety. The current course taken by Toyota is not a morally appropriate or financially advantageous strategy. Toyota should be working, in earnest, to determine precisely what caused this vehicle to accelerate and why this acceleration was not disengaged when the brakes were applied. The goal of Toyota should be to earnestly investigate this defect and get it remedied before further injuries occur or lives are lost.
I am amazed at the shallowness of Toyotas analysis in this case. I expected more from the number one car maker in the world. The James have been loyal Toyota customers over the years having purchased three Toyota vehicles. The clinets have purchased Toyota vehicles for their quality and innovation. Toyota has always presented itself as company committed to quality and serving the needs of its customers. Ending the analysis with a determination of brake failure is extremely short-sighted and does not reflect a commitment to producing safe products or to meeting the needs of the customers.
Given this vehicles unintended and uncontrollable acceleration, one would expect the brakes on this vehicle to be completely used up. The fact that the brake linings are completely worn down to the metal illustrates only the efforts she was putting forth to attempt to stop this vehicle.
Toyotas conclusion that this accident was caused by excessive brake wear is simply a diversion to avoid determining the true source of the defect. In our telephone conversation and in your letter, you indicate there were signs of previous brake wear. I would like to know what evidence you have to support this conclusion.
The brake shoes and pads were taken down to the shear metal in an attempt to stop this vehicle. I can see no evidence which would point to prior excessive brake wear. This vehicle was less than a year old and had approximately 14,000 miles on it. Brake wear is simply not an acceptable answer.
Your analysis in this case is an inch deep and falls far short of the rigorous analysis necessary to find the source of the defect and the remedy to ensure the public safety. Mrs. James was not the first one to experience this unintended acceleration. Apparently, an individual in Woodland Hills, California had a similar experience. See attached National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report dated June 15, 2006.
This is not an isolated incident. The grades and weight of this vehicle do not support a conclusion of improper brake usage. There was no problem with the brakes prior to the accident. My client is a 48 year old school teacher and mother of two. She is a highly experienced driver with an impeccable driving record. She has traveled the mountains of Colorado for many years and is very experienced with mountain driving. She has lived in the mountains of Colorado years without incident.
Driver error does not make any sense and is simply a rouse to avoid Toyotas taking responsibility for its clearly defective product. I have attached a series of photos for your review. The grades and weight of the vehicle do not support Toyotas conclusion of worn brakes. The James Prius was not heavily loaded semi where brake failure could be a plausible answer. This was a woman with no passengers traveling on a Blue Bird day that had her car take off like a missile.
She used everything within her means to get this vehicle stopped resulting in the brake linings being completely destroyed. Stopping the analysis at brake failure is simply Toyotas way of avoiding a truth that they have a defective product which needs to be fixed. I sincerely hope Toyota is not involved in some sort of cost benefit analysis in choosing to ignore this defect. Mr. and Mrs. James continue to be hopeful that Toyota will step up to the mark and take responsibility for their defective product. The Toyota literature is full of lofty goals and pronouncements about being a global citizen.
This is where the rubber meets the road, is Toyota going to stand up and be a responsible citizen and take responsibility for its defective product? I anticipate having the little black box and computer from this vehicle examined and the data from those components read. It is my understanding that we may need additional information from Toyota to understand the codes we get from these components. Please let me know if Toyota will agree to provide this information without the need for formal discovery, or not. Please let me know within ten days if Toyota intends to change its position from that which was expressed in your October 23, 2006 letter so I can begin to make preparations to file suit without delay.
At present, I dont have any indication that serious injuries were involved in this accident, but certainly with the vehicle crashing into a gas station the potential for a real tragedy was present. The defect in these vehicles needs to be remedied before someone is killed. By my count this is the fourth incident which I am aware of involving a Toyota Prius failing to respond to the driver and accelerating out of control.
These incidents have occurred in California, Michigan, Colorado and now Washington. I am sure Toyota has heard about many more. Contrary to Toyotas public statements, public safety appears to be low on the priority list. It appears Toyota has adopted the dollars and cents approach to defects i.e. until the costs get too high no sense in trying to figure out what the defect is or try to remedy it?. You are on notice, the Toyota Prius is defective and the defect is of such a nature that serious injury and death may occur.
My client continues to want to find the source of the problem and be sure it is fixed to avoid future injury and possible loss of life. If Toyota changes its position and wants to determine the source of the defect to avoid future injury or loss of life, my clients Toyota Prius remains available for analysis.
The car was totalled. We still have it stored away as possible evidence for a court case. Our statue of limitations in Colorado runs out on August 9th of this coming summer.
James of Depew, NY May 15, 2008
My 80 year old father experienced unintended acceleration while driving his 2006 Toyota Prius. He stood on the brakes, pulled over and shut the engine off. After restarting, the car behaved normally. The accelerator was not jammed by a carpet for floor mat. Contact with West-Herr Toyota has been initiated. The car cannot be trusted and will not be driven until the problem is satisfacorily resolved
No visible damage but the effect of the racing engine and full power braking on the car's longevity are unknown. My father will not drive the car so he has to drive his large pick up that guzzles gas and causes economic hardship. He also now owns a 23000 Prius that is unsafe to drive.
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