Toyota Recall: Is the Toyota Prius next?

The new Toyota Prius is the subject of concerns over braking and unintended acceleration

The 2010 Toyota Prius has been the subject of reports of braking and unintended acceleration problems. The Japanese Government has ordered Toyota to investigate the braking issues.

Update: Toyota has asked us to point out that there have been no complaints in the UK or Europe about the Prius brake problems. Toyota also told us it was premature to comment on the complaints received in Japan and the US as they are currently under investigation by TMC.

As if Toyota hasn’t got enough on it’s hands with the current Toyota Recall mess for the sticky throttle issue, it’s starting to look as if they may have another problem on the horizon with reports of problems with the brakes and unintentional acceleration on the third generation 2010 Toyota Prius. It never rains…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US has received over 100 complaints about dodgy brakes on the 2010 Prius, and the Transport Ministry in Japan has also received similar complaints. It seems that in slippery or icy conditions the brakes lose ‘feel’ and there’s a loss of braking ability.

Now we’re no experts, but this sounds like a software problem to us. The Prius has regenerative brakes which collect kinetic energy when the brakes are applied. They need to monitor speed and a number of other parameters to work out if the brakes are producing energy that can be gathered. Could it be that slippery roads confuse the software in to thinking the car is hardly moving? Just a thought, but a problem for Toyota nonetheless.

And to add to that woe is a report by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak who has been complaining that his 2010 Prius suffers bouts of unintended acceleration when he uses the cruise control. He’s been trying to get Toyota to talk to him for a while, but Toyota have only just taken notice after Steve’s complaint was aired by the media.

Steve says the problem is not a one-off and he can replicate it. He says it’s a software problem, and I suppose he’s better placed than most to make that call. Toyota are now arranging to talk to Steve and take his car in for testing.

The beat goes on.