Report: Toyota Admits New Prius Did Have Brake Problems
After pressure from the U.S. and Japanese governments, Toyota has admitted that there was an issue with the brakes on the all-new 2010 Prius hybrid. Over 100 complaints about braking related issues have been reported to the NHTSA and roughly a dozen such reports to the authorities in Japan.
According to Toyota, Prius models sold before the end of January have an electrical defect whereby there is a brief loss of braking during the transition from the car’s regenerative braking (which serves to power-up the car’s hybrid battery) to its traditional friction braking. This only occurred when braking on icy or bumpy roads. Toyota refers to this as “slight unresponsiveness” and says it usually lasts less than a second.
The automaker has corrected the problem on all Prius models built since the end of January but has not issued a recall for consumers. A recall is being considered.
The 2010 Prius is not currently covered under any of Toyota’s recalls, while the 2004-09 model is covered under the floormat recall.
See more Toyota recall news at our Toyota Recall News Hub.
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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This 2010 brake problem is BS. I have a 2007 Prius and it does the same thing. I've read complaints from lots of other owners of earlier models. Toyota better come clean or they'll lose the trust of their customers.