Braking issue -supposed to purchase 12-31 Prius IV

Gail,

I've experienced the braking issue, just once though. Still everytime I brake on rough surfaces I expect it to happen and that does effect my driving pleasure with the car to a very, very small degree. Fortunately it hasn't happened again- or if it has I'm so used to it I ignore it! You NEVER forget the first time!!!

My car is a Barcelona Red IV with the Sun Roof and Safety Connect feature. I love it and would buy it again in a heartbeat without much hesitation. It was manufactured in July of 09.

I honestly feel the braking/bump issue is a legitimate concern and a POTENTIAL safety issue for some. I would liken it to users raising a red flag about floor mats blocking up accelerator pedals in that it's something that most people might dismiss as "user error" but can lead to a tragedy if not seen as a POTENTIAL safety issue before tragedy happens. Car manufacturer's have to be proactive in addressing matters like this- not reactive. By then it's too late.

I'm confident that Toyota will resolve this one issue to the satsifaction of their customer base who are effected by it.

Jump on in, the water's fine. I think you're going to love your car.

 

Gail54,

Go for it and Enjoy! It's a great car, sure not 100% perfect, but it's darn close in so many ways.

I have not experienced some of the nuances that some have complained about, and I think those numbers are relatively small in comparison to sales volume, so take that for the net value.

I agree with Bighouse, I wish the dahboard was a little nicer material, but so far I have been careful and it has not shown any marks. The brake thing I have never yet experienced but did on my Honday Civic Hybrid so I suspect it's the same "feeling".

I used to own a GEN 1 prius and this car beat that one by leaps and bounds, power wise, comfort etc. And it beats my Honda Civic Hybrid (2007) I traded out of to get the 2010 Prius. And I don't regret it one day.

As some have mentioned I look forward to finding reasons to go out and drive in it! That should tell you something...

Enjoy, good luck and you will or should be saying the same sentiments soon after! :cheer2:

 

III w/ NAV, just got it 2 weeks ago, so build date would be very recent. Would do it again. As a hypermiler, I try not to use the brakes, and have certainly not used them on this car except for regen or under 8 mph (i.e., no emergency or other hard braking). So, for me, the potential problem is a non-issue. If I were my former self, racing from light to light, and if I did a lot of this on rough streets, I might go another route (defer purchase or buy a simpler car). For me, this car only needs better instrumentation (rpm, coolant temp, throttle position, ignition advance, etc., for which I use the scanguage).

So, which type driving do you do?

 

Gail,

Don't forget about this reason too:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides a deduction for state and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase of qualified new vehicles through 2009.

Here's a link to the Q & A about it:
Car Sales and Excise Tax Deduction: Questions and Answers

PLEASE take pics and introduce us to your new Prius when you get it!

 

Gail,

My car is a Prius III with Nav and build date is July 2009. I picked it up in August and have not had any of the problems with the car listed on this site and now have almost 6K miles on it.

IMO, the brake issue may be an issue to someone that is not familiar with how this car performs braking differently than other cars. I have not had the braking issue on my car, though I do not know that I have been braking while going over rough surfaces. I plan to go try it just so that I will know what to expect when the time comes.

Go buy your car and enjoy your late Christmas present.

Dwight

 

Bob - I traded in an 07 HCH also for the 10 Prius. I wonder how many people make that jump as well.

I agree, I would do it again in a heartbeat and haven't had any issues with the car since I got it in June. Wanted the solar roof package, but the dealer claimed there weren't many shipped to the EC and he couldn't get any off the initial allocations. Needless to say, I thought it through after that, and realize it wasn't that feasible of an item and the window tinting served about the same purpose.

 

It is ridiculous that the solar roof is unavailable on the east coast. Toyota needs to correct this soon.

 

Congratulations on your new Prius. Enjoy driving it and having fun with it. It is such an awesome car. I am still having fun with mine and like others, look for excuses to go for errands for my wife just so I have an excuse to drive it more.

Thanks for trying to replicate the braking issue with the mechanic. That shows me it is not something that is easy to do.

Happy New Year
Dwight

 

Thanks for sharing this too. I didn't hate the Honda Civic but it does NOT compare to the Prius. I can't tell you how many times I hit my head getting in and out of the car and I am by no means TALL!. I am 5-10!

But it didn't handle well in the snow either. The dash materials and interior plastics may have been better, but I so enjoy the Prius it's a major difference IMO. I love the roominess feel, the comfort of the seats is much better...the Fuel Economy numbers when not even trying beat the Honda...The short time I had it when using the A/C was amazing. In the Honda I would SUFFER mileage wise, in the Prius it was unaffected....And it seems that the Winter MPG'S are much better and the car get's much warmer and fast!

SO far I am very very happy with the decision. I don't regret it one bit, and as you stated, would do it all over in a heartbeat!

 

Congrats Gail!

Now if I could only get the nice weather back so I can stop going to wash off the salt! UGH...The only thing I hate about winter is the Cold Winds and Salt on my car!

I washed it last night at a quick wash...I keep the salt off as much as I can at the 32 degree mark..Salt doesn't do as much damage when it's below freezing as it does when at the freeze point.

Never had a problem in all the years as a result.

Glad you were able to get the car and let us know how your liking it. I can only imagine you will and it will take time to learn all the features...

If you have questions, just ask. The site is great and people are quite responsive and helpful...so Best Of Luck and Happy New Year in your NEW Prius!