2005 Toyota Prius VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WHEN I WAS PULLING SLOWLY INTO MY REGULAR PARKING SPACE AT WORK, MY 2005 PRIUS SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD AND SMASHED INTO A CEMENT WALL THAT WAS ABOUT 4 - 6 FEET IN FRONT OF ME. THERE WERE CARS PARKED ON EACH SIDE OF ME; I DIDN'T HIT EITHER OF THEM. I WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE WALL AT THE FONT OF THE PARKING SPACE. NO WATER OR ICE OR BAD CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT. THE SURGE WAS MUCH FASTER THAN WOULD HAVE OCCURRED HAD I MISTAKENLY HIT THE ACCELERATOR RATHER THAN THE BRAKE. OVER $3300 WORTH OF DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE FRONT OF MY CAR. MY ANKLE BONE WAS CHIPPED, MY WRIST WAS SORE, I HAD MINOR WHIPLASH. I WAS ALONE IN THE CAR. I FEEL STRONGLY THAT THIS WAS NOT A RESULT OF DRIVER ERROR ON MY PART, NOR DO I THINK IT IS A RESULT OF THE FLOOR MAT CATCHING THE ACCELERATOR. WHAT I EXPERIENCED MATCHES MUCH MORE CLOSELY WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF A FLUKE COMPUTER ERROR CAUSING THE CAR TO SURGE FORWARD WHEN I TOUCHED THE BRAKES. IT WAS A STRONG, FAST AND SUDDEN SURGE; MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN WHAT I EXPERIENCE WHEN I USE THE ACCELERATOR. I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO TOYOTA (REFERENCE #200710181201). THEY SENT SOMEONE OUT FROM THE CHICAGO REGIONAL OFFICE TO INSPECT THE CAR IN MINNEAPOLIS. THEY CLAIMED EVERYTHING WAS WORKING FINE AND REFUSED TO DO MORE. AFTER I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND MY FEAR ABOUT DRIVING MY CAR, THE LOCAL WALSER TOYOTA DEALER DID ANOTHER VERY THOROUGH CHECK AND RESET ALL OF THE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. IT HAS WORKED FINE SINCE. PRIOR TO THIS 2007 INCIDENT THERE WERE A COUPLE OF OTHER TIMES WHEN THE CAR SEEMED TO SURGE RATHER THAN BRAKE AT STOP SIGNS. NONE CAUSED CRASHES. AND ONCE, ALSO PRIOR TO 2007, THE ANTILOCK BRAKES DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE. I NARROWLY AVOIDED A CRASH THAT TIME. *TR

THERE WERE THREE ONE-CAR CRASHES IN MY 2005 PRIUS, THE FIRST ON 1 MAY 2007, THE SECOND ON 16 NOV 2009, AND THE THIRD ON 1 DEC 2009. ALL WERE IN FORSYTH COUNTY, NC. THE FIRST WAS AN INEXPLICABLE CRASH INTO THE EXIT GATE FROM MY COMMUNITY; THE SECOND AND THIRD CRASHES WERE SUDDEN, UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATIONS INTO BRICK WALLS WHILE TRYING TO PARK THE CAR IN DESIGNATED, MARKED PARKING SPACES. THE FIRST CRASH CAUSED PERSONAL INJURY AND WAS REPORTED TO THE LOCAL POLICE. THE SECOND AND THIRD CRASHES WERE NOT. ALL THREE CRASHES CAUSED SIGNIFICANT VEHICLE DAMAGE. I BECAME AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR ANY LONGER, AND SO I TRADED IT IN TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER ON 1 DEC 2009 FOR A NEW 2010 PRIUS. I HAVE WRITTEN TO THE LIABILITY CLAIM DEPT OF TOYOTA, ASKING FOR COMPENSATION, BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY, AS OF THIS DATE (17FEB10). THE DATA BELOW REFERS TO THE FIRST CRASH. *TR

I LOVE MY PRIUS BUT A DIFFERENT STORY HERE, I THINK. I BOUGHT A NEW 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHEN IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS OLD WITH APPROXIMATELY 40 THOUSAND MILES ON IT (3 YEARS AGO) THE GAS PEDAL STUCK AND IT WAS NOT RELATED TO A FLOOR MAT. I WAS ACCELERATING GETTING UP TO THE 55MPH SPEED LIMIT WHILE ALSO CLIMBING A HILL GOING OUT OF TOWN INTO THE MOUNTAINS. WHEN I CRESTED THE HILL AND LET UP OFF THE GAS IT JUST KEPT GOING. IT WAS QUITE LUCKY THAT IT HAPPENED ON A STRAIGHTAWAY JUST BEFORE THE MOUNTAIN CURVES AND DROP OFFS. AS A LIFELONG PROFESSIONAL DRIVER WITH EXPERIENCE OPERATING JUST ABOUT ANYTHING MY FIRST LEARNED REACTION WAS TO DIG MY HEELS IN AND PULL THE FLOOR MAT BACK, IT'S HAPPENED TO ME IN OTHER VEHICLES. I GLANCED DOWN AND THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS AT THE PEDAL. MY SEVERELY DISABLED SON WAS WITH ME. AUTOMATICALLY, I STARTED KICKING THE GAS PEDAL. AFTER SEVERAL KICKS IT SLOWED. NO PROBLEM SINCE. NEVER REPORTED THE INCIDENT. JUST FIGURED A WEIRD GLITCH. HAD NOT TRIED BRAKES YET, NOR NEUTRAL, IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF CAR, A BIT SCARED TO TRY TO TURN IT OFF WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD. I HAD ALREADY SPOTTED A DECENT PLACE TO DITCH THE CAR WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE. I HAD REACHED 75 TO 80 MPH WHEN KICKING THE PEDAL STOPPED IT. IT'S A COMPUTER THING. *TR

WHEN I AM BRAKING AT ABOUT 30 MPH AND HIT A POT HOLE OR SOME OTHER ROAD DEFECT, MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATES/BRAKING DOES NOT FUNCTION FOR ABOUT 1/2 A SECOND. IF I HIT 2 POTHOLES CONSECUTIVELY, THE PROBLEM WILL OCCUR EACH TIME. I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR AS IT OCCURS FREQUENTLY. THE DEALERSHIPS COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, BUT IT SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE THE PROBLEM WITH THE 2010 PRIUS RECALL. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHEN IT WAS 8 MONTHS OLD, PROBABLY ALREADY WITH MORE THAN 10,000 MILES ON IT, IT SUDDENLY STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN IT WAS RUNNING. IT WAS FIXED BY A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN WELLESLEY, MA AND THEY SAID THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE CODES FOR THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE (SOMETHING I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT AT THE TIME). THEY SAID HOWEVER THAT THEY NEEDED TO GET CODES FROM CALIFORNIA. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY KNEW AT THAT TIME ABOUT AN EXISTING BROADER PROBLEM BUT DIDN'T WANT TO TELL ME, SINCE I WAS A NEW TOYOTA PRIUS OWNER AT THE TIME. I FOUND IT PUZZLING THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM LOCALLY. LATELY, I'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT THE RECALL OF VARIOUS TOYOTA CARS SO I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT MY PRIUS JUST IN CASE: 1) SOMETIMES, WHEN THE CAR IS PUT IN PARK, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY REVS UP FOR NO REASON (I'M NOT PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL) 2) VERY OCCASIONALLY, I DRIVE OVER A POTHOLE AND AS THE CAR IS RE-CONTACTING THE GROUND, THE ENGINE AGAIN SEEMS TO REV UP. THIS HAS NOT RESULTED IN AN ACTUAL SERIOUS ACCELERATION YET I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANY PROBLEM WITH THE FLOOR MATS OR PEDALS. THE FLOOR MATS FIT NICELY AROUND THE PEDALS. ASIDE FROM THE ABOVE, MY TOYOTA, WHICH I DRIVE A LOT (IT HAS MORE THAN 100,000 MILES ALREADY) HAS DONE RATHER WELL, WITH MINIMAL SERIOUS PROBLEMS. I'VE BEEN GOOD ABOUT GETTING IT SERVICED REGULARLY. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME WITH QUESTIONS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS AT 35MPH (ON CRUISE CONTROL). TRAFFIC SLOWED, I TAPPED THE BRAKE TO DISENGAGE CRUISE CONTROL, THE CAR SPED UP, WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN DESPITE MY STANDING ON THE BRAKE AND I REAR-ENDED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. MY PASSENGER WAS BADLY INJURED, BOTH CARS WERE TOWED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH ATTEMPTING TO PARK HER VEHICLE IT ACCELERATED INTO A TRAILER HITCH ON A TRUCK. THE CONTACTS LICENSE PLATE FELL OFF OF THE VEHICLE, THE BUMPER AND VEHICLE HAD MINOR DAMAGES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THERE WAS NO NEED TO CONTACT THE POLICE AND THERE WERE NO DAMAGES TO THE OTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

CLEARANCE PROBLEM BETWEEN BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR. WHILE EXITING FROM A MAJOR HIGHWAY AS I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN ON THE OFF RAMP MY FOOT GOT TRAPPED BETWEEN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE ACCELERATOR. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO ACCELERATE AND I TRIED TO BRAKE WITH MY LEFT FOOT WHICH CAUSED MY RIGHT FOOT TO FURTHER DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR. I WAS NOW AT THE END OF THE RAMP AT AN INTERSECTION WHERE I WAS ABLE TO TURN RIGHT AND I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE MY LEFT FOOT FROM THE BRAKE, FREE MY RIGHT FOOT AND BRAKE WITH MY RIGHT FOOT. IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY CARS COMING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR NEEDS TO BE INCREASED OR PERHAPS INSTALL A SMALL FLOOR MOUNTED DIVIDER BETWEEN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR SO THAT THE RIGHT FOOT CAN NOT GET UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL. *TR

I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT, BUT I HAVE HAD SUDDEN ACCELERATIONS OR SURGES ON MY 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS. THEY HAVE BEEN BRIEF, AND THE VEHICLE HAS NOT REACHED A HIGH SPEED, SO I WAS NOT TOO CONCERNED. I JUST ASSUMED THE PROBLEM WOULD BE ADDRESSED BY REGULAR SERVICING. THESE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ACCELERATOR BEING STUCK. A FRIEND'S CAMRY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED THROUGH THE WALL OF HER GARAGE. SHE ALSO BELIEVES THIS WAS NOT RELATED TO A STUCK ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I URGE YOU TO REVISIT THE POTENTIAL OF SOFTWARE PROBLEMS CAUSING SUDDEN ACCELERATION ON TOYOTA VEHICLES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE OVER DRIVE SYSTEM ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING WHEN BRAKES WERE ENGAGED. IMMEDIATELY, THE OVERDRIVE CONTROL SWITCH WAS DEACTIVATED AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAD CONCERNS OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 33,000. UPDATED 12/18/09 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE ISSUE WAS NOT CAUSED BY FLOOR MATS, BECAUSE SHE INSTALLED RUBBER MATS SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 12/22/09

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING THE DRIVER SIDE FLOOR MAT SHIFTED UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. CONSEQUENTLY SHE COULD NOT DECELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. SHE WAS ADVISED THAT THE FLOOR MAT HOOKS NEEDED TO BE REPOSITIONED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 37000.

I AM ATTACHING A LINK TO A STORY IN THE HOUSTON PRESS ABOUT UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OF TOYOTA PRIUS AUTOMOBILES. I TRULY BELIEVE THIS STORY DESERVES INVESTIGATION, AND AS A TOYOTA PRIUS OWNER, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TOYOTA INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THIS POTENTIALLY TRAGIC ISSUE AND RESOLVE IT BEFORE A FATALITY RESULTS. HTTP://WWW.HOUSTONPRESS.COM/2009-04-23/NEWS/WILD-RIDES. *TR

I EASED TO A STOP IN A PARKING SPOT IN A PARKING LOT. WHEN I EASED OFF THE BRAKE MY PRIUS SURGED FORWARD, JUMPED THE CURB, GRAZED A LIGHT POST & STOPPED AGAINST A BUSH. THE GAS PEDAL DID NOT CATCH ON THE FLOOR MAT. *TR

2005 TOYOTA PRIUS, 10 MONTHS OLD, 14,000 MILES. MY WIFE EXPERIENCED AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE COASTING DOWN INTERSTATE AT 65 MPH WITH FEET OFF PEDALS. VEHICLE SURGED TO 90 MPH EVEN THOUGH SHE APPLIED BOTH REGULAR AND EMERGENCY BRAKE DURING ACCELERATION. SHE CHECKED BOTH FEET ON BRAKES NOT OBSTRUCTED. SHE EXITED INTERSTATE AND CAREENED THROUGH SMALL TOWN EVENTUALLY DITCHING VEHICLE THROUGH FOREST, ENDING UP IN A RIVER AFTER SOMERSAULTING END OVER END 3 TIMES, CLIPPING OFF TREES 10 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. STATE PATROL INVESTIGATION CONCLUDES ACCELERATOR CAUSED ACCIDENT. NUMEROUS CONTACTS WITH TOYOTA BEGINNING DAY OF ACCIDENT. NO ACTION BY TOYOTA AS OF MARCH 2007. *JB **12/10/09 CW ** UPDATED 12/14/09

MY 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS ACCELERATED EVEN WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WASN'T DEPRESSED. THE BRAKES WERE BURNED OFF THE CAR IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THE CAR CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF A GAS STATION. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO PEOPLE, BUT THE CAR WAS DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT AND A FIRE. THE SIDE OF THE GAS STATION WAS DAMAGED. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS, PURCHASED IN SEPTEMBER 2006. EVER SINCE I'VE OWNED MY 2005 PRIUS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ON A REGULAR BASIS. IT MOST OFTEN HAPPENS ON A PARTICULAR STREET IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE I NEED TO STOP BEFORE ENTERING A MAIN THOROUGHFARE. THERE IS A VERY SLIGHT DECLINE JUST BEFORE THE ROAD TERMINATES AT AN INTERSECTION. I'M ALWAYS TRAVELING AT A RELATIVELY SLOW SPEED (15-20 MPH), COASTING AND NOT DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDDLE WHEN IT OCCURS. JUST AT THE POINT WHERE I BEGIN TO BRAKE, THE CAR SUDDENLY LUNGES FORWARD AND ACCELERATES. I HAVE TO HIT THE BRAKES, AND THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT'S STILL GOING FORWARD, AND THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD COMES ON. THIS FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED WAS DURING THE WINTER FOLLOWING PURCHASE OF MY CAR. INITIALLY I THOUGHT THAT THE CAR PERFORMED POORLY IN SNOW BECAUSE THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT WAS COMING ON. BUT THEN AFTER THAT FIRST WINTER PASSED AND THE ROADS WERE COMPLETELY DRY, IT HAPPENED AS WELL AND CONTINUES TO HAPPEN REGULARLY. FORTUNATELY IT ALWAYS HAPPENS UNDER THESE VERY PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN I'M NOT TRAVELING FAST, OTHERWISE I FEAR NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP THE CAR AND PLOWING INTO A MAIN STREET, OR HITTING A CAR IN FRONT OF ME, OR WORSE HITTING A PEDESTRIAN. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. VEHICLE SUDDENLY WENT INTO UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION ON THE HIGHWAY. THE ONLY WAY THAT I WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE WAS BY RIDING THE BRAKES. I FINALLY SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE WITH THE BRAKES AND TURNED IT OFF. SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE WHEELS WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. *NM

THE CRITICAL SAFETY CONCERN IS NOTED AS FOLLOWS: ON OCTOBER 21, 2005, I WAS TRAVELING WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVE AT 55 MILES PER HOUR. UPON APPROACHING A SLOWER VEHICLE AND CHECKING TRAFFIC, I PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO QUICKLY PASS THE VEHICLE DRIVING BEFORE ME. UPON SUCCESSFUL PASSAGE OF THE VEHICLE, I LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND PRESSED THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE UNDER FULL POWER. UNDER THE CONDITIONS, I TRIED TO QUICKLY DISRUPT THIS SAFETY CRITICAL ISSUE. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION I TRIED TO SLOW THE VEHICLE BY PUSHING THE POWER BUTTON, MANIPULATING THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER, AND PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL. ALL ATTEMPTS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. UNDER CONSIDERABLE DISTRESS, TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES OVER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT AT THIS POINT, AND CONTINUING TO ACCELERATE, I ELECTED TO APPLY FULL BRAKING FORCE TO THE PRIUS WHILE "LABORING" THE VEHICLE TO A STANDSTILL ON THE GRAVEL SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. REGAINING MY COMPOSURE, I PUSHED THE POWER BUTTON, AND THE VEHICLE SHUTDOWN. THE CABIN OF THE MOTOR VEHICLE EXHIBITED A STRONG ODOR REMINISCENT OF ELECTRICAL MOTOR SMELL. NO ROOT CAUSE HAS BEEN FOUND TO DATE. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN BY DEALER AND ISSUE WAS RE-CREATED DURING INITIAL TEST-DRIVE FROM PORTER. *JB