LOS ANGELES — The latest Toyota product to be tarred with the brush of stopping problems is the already iconic Prius hybrid. The car is not part of the multimillion-vehicle recall Toyota has announced in countries around the world over a sticking accelerator pedal. Nor are the other Toyota and Lexus hybrid models, since they do not use the accelerator pedal made by CTS Automotive Products that is the object of the recall. But complaints about the Prius have surfaced anyway — with a celebrity complainer, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, in the spotlight.
Wozniak owns a 2010 Toyota Prius and said it has accelerated as high as 97 miles per hour when he was using its radar cruise control feature. Nevertheless, he was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying, "I would buy another one."
The Times has published a series of articles accusing Toyota of being slow to respond to complaints about unintended acceleration. On Tuesday, it quoted Wozniak as saying he has experienced the problem with his Prius. The paper said Toyota is about to borrow the computer magnate's car for a week so its engineers can diagnose the problem. Wozniak came to the automaker's attention both because he complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and because he appeared on CNN on Tuesday.
Although the Prius was not recalled over accelerator pedal issues, a separate major recall, in which the driver-side floor mat on some Toyota models is at risk of causing pedal entrapment, does include the 2004-'09 Toyota Prius.
NHTSA says it has also received some 100 complaints about ineffective brakes in the Prius, reportedly including two related to accidents in which there were injuries, the AP reported on Wednesday. The Japanese government said 14 complaints have come in about the issue there, including an accident that resulted in two injuries.
Toyota on Tuesday issued a statement acknowledging that it has received "reports that some customers have experienced inconsistent brake feel when the vehicle is driven over potholes, bumps or slippery road surfaces."
Meanwhile, Toyota's sales were down 16 percent in January over year-earlier figures.
Inside Line says: Maybe Wozniak can advise the automaker on how to upgrade itself to Toyota 2.0 after this growing mess is cleaned up. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
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sfwrx says:
06:36 PM, 02/03/2010
The Prius brake problem is quite similar to my 02 Subaru WRX. The ABS would be overly sensitive over rough pavement and the brake pedal would chatter while going down to the floor. Subaru had a technical service bulletin if the owner experience this problem. Subaru did not issue a recall. My dealer changed a ABS control module and I never had another problem. Seems with all the electronics and computers in new automobiles there will be some glitches. Quite ofter there are new software upgrades and revisions that are normally added when you take your car in for routine service. It's just like updating your operating system or browser on your computer, except the dealer does it.
dieseltc says:
11:34 AM, 02/03/2010
Good point 93aero... really steve how long did it take for you to react? Just goes to show that intelligence and common sense don't go hand in hand.
People have lost complete respect for cars and frankly are clueless. One would think that investing thousands and thousands of dollars would cause one to be intersted in knowing how something functions.
But with leasing and renting everything these days, there's no sense of ownership. People don't just treat Toyota's like appliances but every brand of car out there.
charlesncharge says:
10:35 AM, 02/03/2010
"reports that some customers have experienced inconsistent brake feel when the vehicle is driven over potholes, bumps or slippery road surfaces."
That's called what happens when your ABS brakes are functioning properly!
What's coming to light here, is that customers who purchase Toyota's appliance-based automobiles, really have no idea exactly how cars function etc., and just also reinforces the fact that Toyota owners are some of the most clueless drivers/owners out there-period!
93aero says:
10:06 AM, 02/03/2010
I'm just wondering how long he watched the spedo go up before he realized it was climbing....97mph in a prius.....he must have had minutes to rectify the situation!!!!
jepontiac says:
09:27 AM, 02/03/2010
Any one need some engineers? Spyker, New Hummer, Geely. I know where you can get some experienced ones really cheap in Japan.