NHTSA Complaint #10509497 — 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V

MY CAR HAS AN ISSUE I FIRST NOTICED SOON AFTER I BOUGHT IT, AND THAT NOW HAPPENS AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. THE DATE I'VE ENTERED IS THE APPROXIMATE FIRST DATE I NOTICED THE PROBLEM OCCUR. I DESCRIBE BELOW A MORE RECENT INSTANCE OF THE SAME BEHAVIOR, THE TIME WHEN IT FELT THE LEAST SAFE. /// THE RECURRING BEHAVIOR IS THAT WHILE DECELERATING WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, IF THE CAR GOES OVER AN OBSTRUCTION LIKE A ROCK, A ROUGH PATCH OF ROAD, OR A POTHOLE, IT SOMETIMES LURCHES FORWARD BEFORE RESUMING DECELERATION. THE SENSATION IS OF ACCELERATING, BUT EVEN IF IT'S ONLY THAT THE CAR MOMENTARILY STOPS DECELERATING IT'S DISCONCERTING AND IN A FEW INSTANCES HAS GOTTEN ME CLOSE TO AN ACCIDENT. /// THE TIME IT CAME CLOSEST TO CAUSING AN ACCIDENT WAS ON 3/21/13, WHEN I FEARED THE CAR WAS GOING TO ROLL INTO A CROSSWALK AS PEOPLE CROSSED. WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, COMING TO A STOP AT A STOP SIGN, WE WENT OVER UNEVEN PAVEMENT AND THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD WHILE ONLY A FEW FEET FROM THE CROSSWALK. SEVERAL PEOPLE WAITED CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF THE SIDEWALK AT A BUS STOP. ONE OF THEM SEEMED READY TO STEP OUTTO CROSS THE STREET, AND I BRACED FOR THE WORST. /// ULTIMATELY I STOPPED A FEW FEET BEFORE THE CROSSWALK, BUT THE SITUATION FELT COMPLETELY UNSAFE SINCE IT INVOLVED LOSING STOPPING POWER WHILE COMING TO A STOP SIGN WITH PEDESTRIANS PRESENT. *TR