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Toyota Prius Traction

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Toyota Prius • General Complaints • Acceleration • Availability • Battery • Fuel Gauge • Headlight • Insurance Costs • Service Delays • Tires • Transmission • Traction --- • Happy Hybrid Owners --- Test Drive • Three Lead Feet Meet Little Fuel Sipper --- News • Toyota to Roll Out Plug-In Electric Car in 2011 • Toyota Announces Recall to Fix Runaway Acceleration • Toyota Ready to Expand Safety Recall Beyond Floor Mats • U.S. Prius Sales Drop 45 Percent • Prius Tops Consumer Reports Best New-Car Value List • Toyota Parks Plans For New Prius Plant • Prius Vandalism On the Rise in California • Toyota Plans Prius Plant in Mississippi • Solar Panels to Power Prius Air Conditioning • Unexpected Problems Confront Prius Owners • NHTSA to Hear 'Silent Killer' Complaints • Reports of Prius Price Gouging Rise with Gas Prices • Prius, Porsche Models Top Most-Satisfied Lists • Should You Buy a Second-Hand Prius? • Winter Weather Warning for Prius Drivers • Prius Again Tops Owner Satisfaction Survey • Prius Helps Toyota Knock Off Ford for #2 Spot • Toyota Recalls Floor Mats, NHTSA Warns Prius Owners • Feds Probe Prius Runaway Acceleration • Prius Owners Report More Unintended Acceleration Incidents • Runaway Acceleration Plagues Prians • Toyota Delays Third-Generation Prius • Sales Top 1 Million but Some Owners Find Prius Doesn't Age Well • Prius Owners Losing Ground in Traction Battle • Prius Traction Control Complaints on the Rise • Prius Stalls in Snow; Owners Steamed • Prius Shuts Down in the Snow, Reader Complains • Prius Supplies Increase as Sales Slow • Prius Discounts Popping Up in Showrooms • EPA Finds Prius #1 in Gas Mileage • Prius Owners Question Mileage Claims • Prius Tops Consumer Satisfaction Survey • Hybrids Don't Always Deliver the Expected Fuel Economy

Many consumers tell us they like their Prius just fine, if only it would go in snow. Ironically, it seems that the traction control is to blame.

John of Phoenixville, PA January 7, 2010

Even with a small ammount of snow I am unable to "burn" my way through even the smallest ammount of snow the way I should be able to in my 2008 Toyota Prius. As soon as the wheels start to spin engine power automatically cuts off. This is very frustrating. I recently had to completely clear the snow from my driveway just to make it up. This is a safety hazard.

The car won't go over even the smallest snow rut. This could cause accidents when backing up to get momentum to drive over the rut. It causes getting stuck in rediculously small ammounts of snow. This front wheel drive car should go through small ammounts of snow easily; it is a major problem. Heart attacks will be caused by people having to get out of the car and clear snow that the car should go right through.

Michael of Spencer, IN December 7, 2009

I own a Prius and it is absolutly worthless in the snow! I guess Bill K. is the spokes person for Toyota and defends it's product, but my question is-- has he ever driven in snow and ice conditions? My guess is not. Someone is gonna get killed and Toyota is gonna get sued over it! They need to change something. I'm an experienced driver in the snow and it takes your experience and throws it out the window. It causes you to loose control of your vehicle.

Kelly of Colorado Springs, CO November 9, 2009

In regard to the Toyota Prius, I had a similar accident with my 2007 Prius on 8/16/2008. I was driving home on a wet morning when my Prius began to hydroplane. I hit the left guardrail and when the car spun and headed right it catapulted me across the interstate.

At this point the brakes would not work nor could I steer the car. I hit the right guardrail and rolled my car onto the driver side. The car was totaled. Bodily harm (no hospitalization) and loss of work days. Not to mention, no car.

David of Port Jervis, NY August 29, 2009

My 2008 Prius traction control system will cut power to the drive wheels on slippery inclines, forcing me to back down hills or leave me stuck without power in the middle of a highway. The anti-lock brakes will cut off braking to the front wheels in similar conditions. The situation is aggravated by the emergency brake being actuated by a foot-operated pedal which locks-on the emergency brake until it is pushed down again to release it (no capability to vary emergency brake pressure or duration and quickly release). In slippery weather the combinations of these flawed designs are absolutely treacherous and are guaranteed to cause accidents.

Toyota, understandably, is reticent to admit this, as it does not want to accept any liability. This is a short-sighted attitude. Failing to address these well-recognized and documented problems squarely and attempt to make corrections for which, due to the highly complex design they are almost exclusively qualified, will, in time, INCREASE Toyota's liability for the resulting property damage, deaths and injuries.

If I have an accident with my Prius, occurring on a slippery road, I will definitely sue Toyota and have an easy time proving the faults of these equipment designs and combinations.

Tracy of Aurora, CO April 28, 2009

I was driving my Prius and was approaching a red light. The vehicles in front of me were braking. I was braking as well, but the Prius was not stopping. It started swerving all over the place and the warning light concerning traction lit up. Gratefully I don't tailgate at all or I would have rear ended the person in front of me. At the last moment, the car managed to get traction and barely stopped in time. It was in the middle of the day and the roads were completely dry. I had just purchased the vehicle and hadn't even had the new plates on it yet when this occurred.

Camilo of Purcellville, VA January 29, 2009

Camilo of Purcellville VA (01/29/09)
Engine cut off in slippery up hill conditions. On the evening of Jan. 29, 2009, our 2005 Toyota Prius cut off while we were attempting to approach our home. Our driveway is approximately a quarter mile long with some inclines and declines. As we maneuvered our vehicle over the icy surface, the wheels started to lose traction then the car cut off... completely. We turned the car back on but were stranded since we were in a low area of the driveway. Whether in forward, or reverse, the car lost traction on ice and automatically cut the motor off.

No immediate damage. We were not physically hurt, and the car seems to be intact. However, if this incident were to happen on a highway, we would have been in danger of getting struck by another vehicle.

Darla of Purcellville, VA January 29, 2009

Bill of Half Moon Bay, CA January 28, 2009

Bill of Half Moon Bay CA (01/28/09)
I own a 2008 Toyota Prius. It is a fantastic car except for the traction control malfunction that has been pretty well documented all over the web - for example see: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-modifications/12261-thinking-about-disconnecting-traction-control-4.html

In my case, I live in California and drive mostly in dry terrain on good roads. I have upgraded the tires from the original tires to get a little more grip. Nonetheless, the problem persists. When I commute to work (or go anywhere for that matter) I have to pull out onto Highway 1 from a dead stop. This is a 50 MPH road with out a stop light and lots of traffic. On several occasions I have had the traction control kick in as I was pulling out into traffic, causing my car to slow significantly to the point where I almost do not make it out onto the highway without being hit. This is definitely a design flaw as I am not accelerating at any great pace (not possible in a Prius) and could certainly cause an accident.

Blaine of Macedonia, OH January 15, 2009

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