NHTSA Complaint #10298375 — 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS

I AM WRITING TO REPORT TRANSIENT FAILURE OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM IN OUR 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS. SINCE MAY 2008 WE HAVE NOTICED EPISODIC ACCELERATIONS DURING LIGHT BRAKING (AT INTERSECTIONS FOR INSTANCE) WHEN THE CAR ENCOUNTERS POT HOLES, GRATES, RAILROAD TRACKS OR SLIPPERY PAVEMENT. WE SEEM TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE MOMENTARILY. ONLY WITH HEAVY BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSION DOES THE VEHICLE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. UNTIL JANUARY 2010 WE THOUGHT THIS WAS A UNIQUE FEATURE TO OUR VEHICLE AND WE WERE HYPERSENSITIVE TO ITS IDIOSYNCRASIES. UNFORTUNATELY, IN JANUARY 2009 THIS DEFECT LEAD TO A LOW SPEED MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION WHEREIN MY WIFE WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE WHEN ANOTHER DRIVER ABRUPTLY PULLED IN FRONT OF HER. NO ONE WAS HURT, THANKFULLY, BUT BOTH VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED. ALL OTHER NEARBY DRIVERS WERE ABLE TO STOP IN TIME AND NO OTHER COLLISIONS OCCURRED. ON DECEMBER 4, 2009 THIS SAME VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN ANOTHER LOW SPEED MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION WHEN A DRIVER AHEAD SUDDENLY STOPPED TO AVOID A PEDESTRIAN. THE PRIUS WAS UNABLE TO STOP IN TIME (EVEN UNDER HEAVY BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE) AND COLLIDED WITH REAR BUMPER OF THE CAR AHEAD. MORE THAN $5,000 IN DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE PRIUS ALONE; THOUGH NO ONE WAS HURT. IN BOTH INSTANCES NEARBY AND SUBSEQUENT VEHICLES EXPERIENCED NO PROBLEMS STOPPING. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF ICE OR SLIPPERY PAVEMENT EITHER TIME. FURTHERMORE, NEITHER MY WIFE NOR I HAVE EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS IN THE PAST OR WITH OTHER CARS. WE DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THAT THIS COULD BE A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT UNTIL COMPLAINTS TO THE NHTSA BECAME PUBLIC AND WIDELY DISCUSSED IN DECEMBER 09 & JANUARY '10. PLEASE NOTE, HOWEVER; OUR AFFECTED VEHICLE IS A 2007 MODEL YEAR AND WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SYMPTOMS INCLUDING LOSS OF CONTROL AND INAPPROPRIATE ACCELERATION JUST AS DESCRIBED BY OTHERS IN THE ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR 2010. *TR