NHTSA Complaint #10317001 — 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS

HAVING NOTICED AN APPARENT BRAKING LAG ON SEVERAL OCCASION WITH OUR 2010 PRIUS ON TUESDAY 02 OF 2010 I WAS COMING UP TO A STOP SIGN ABOUT A MILE FROM OUR HOME ON A COUNTRY ROAD. I STARTED STOPPING QUIT SOME DISTANCE FROM THE CORNER STOP SIGN AND OBSERVING THE DASH DISPLAY SHOWING THE POWER USAGE OF THE PRIUS TO TRY AND GET A INDICATION OF HOW MANY SECONDS OF LAG BETWEEN THE REGENERATED BRAKING BEFORE THE ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC BRAKES I COULD EXPECT. WHILE WATCHING THE DISPLAY, WITH MY RIGHT FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHILE APPLYING LIGHT BRAKING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL ONLY I NOTICED THAT WHEN THE DISPLAY SHOWED REGENERATING BRAKING STOPPED. I WAS DOING LESS THEN 10 MILE PER HOUR APPROXIMATELY I EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF BRAKING AS BEFORE BUT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE DISPLAY NOW SHOWED POWER BEING APPLIED FROM THE BATTERY TO THE ELECTRIC DRIVE MOTOR AND TO THE DRIVE WHEELS. I PUSH HARD ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR CAME TO A STOP IN TIME THE DISPLAY SHOWED WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKE HARD THAT THE POWER STOPPED BEING DELIVERED TO THE WHEELS THIS TIME AND AFTER STOPPING THE DISPLAY SHOWED THE DRIVE WHEELS STOPPED ROTATION AS USUAL. THIS ROAD WAS NOT BUMP AND RELATIVELY SMOOTH THE FULL LENGTH OF THE ROAD HAVING BEEN RESURFACED SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I THINK THERE MAY BE ANOTHER PROBLEM OTHER THEN THE ONE BEING REPORTED AS BRAKE LAG BY THE COMPANY. IT ALSO SEEMS TO BE INTERMENT WHEN IT HITS AND DURATION OF LOSS OF BRAKING. I HOPE THIS MAY SHED SOME LIGHT ON WHAT THERE PROBLEM IS. *TR