Prius problem

[new2ford]

http://www.news.com.au/business/toyo...-1225815305753

Toyota's hybrid Prius faces brakes probe

* By Paul Eisenstein
* From: AFP
* January 01, 2010 3:10PM

The Toyota Prius Hybrid car Source: The Daily Telegraph

TOYOTA is facing a potential safety issue with its highest profile vehicle, the Prius, the latest in a plague of quality problems that forced it to recall four million vehicles in 2009.

A growing number of owners allege that the brakes on the third-generation 2010 Toyota Prius can malfunction unexpectedly, with at least 20 complaints filed so far with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The Japanese automaker said it has launched its own investigation.

Robert Becker, 39, is one of those filing among at least 20 who have already submitted their concerns to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation.

He says he was heading to work on the west side of Manhattan, coming up to an intersection and squeezing the brakes of his 2010 Prius to slow down.

But when the car hit a pothole, Becker suddenly had the "sensation of losing control" as the brakes released, forcing him to slam down on the pedal.

"It scared the hell out of me. I wasn't sure I could stop in time," he said, adding the problem has repeated itself a number of times since then.

Becker is not alone, as NHTSA's defects office reveals.

One complaint on file quotes an owner: "Initially, I convinced myself I must have been letting up on the brake when I hit the bump, but when this same thing happened three days ago on slippery, icy roads, I knew for 100 per cent certain I had not let up on the brake."

The Prius brake problem has become a hot topic on numerous websites, but federal investigators are so far declining to comment, although the file is open to the public.

Toyota admits it is aware of what a spokesman called "the behaviour people are reporting".

"We're investigating those complaints as quickly as possible," spokesman Mike Michels added.

Exactly what is happening is unclear. Like the vehicle's petrol-electric powertrain, the brakes are also a hybrid technology.

During light to moderate braking, the car is slowed by a regenerative system that turns the vehicle's kinetic energy into electricity, which is then stored in a battery. For more aggressive stops, the Prius also has a conventional hydraulic brake system.

Some speculation focuses on the regenerative system, and whether a sharp jolt to the vehicle could inadvertently trick vehicle sensors and controls into releasing the brakes.

But Michels cautioned Toyota will have to look at a variety of things. "Rather than throwing out theories, the important thing is to do a scientific analysis. When we have an answer, we will provide it to owners as soon as possible," he said.

The Prius problem is one of the last things Toyota needs right now.

Just 12 months ago the carmaker was basking in headlines reporting that it had finally beaten arch-rival General Motors to become the world's best-selling carmaker.

But by March, things didn't look so good. Battered by the recession in the US, its key market, the maker reported its first annual loss in a half century.

In August, a California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family were killed in a fiery crash when their Lexus went out of control.

Two months later, Toyota announced it would recall 3.8 million vehicles, blaming the problem on floor mats that could come loose and jam the accelerator pedal.

Another recall impacted 110,000 Tundra pickups which, according to NHTSA, are prone to "excessive corrosion" so severe their brakes could fail.

In all, Toyota will have recalled around four million cars, trucks and crossovers, in the United States, during 2009. That's about four times more than in previous years.

And it means Toyota will have recalled more vehicles than any other auto manufacturer for the first time ever.

It is looking like 2010 could also be a difficult year. Another probe was recently opened by the government into complaints that 2006 versions of Toyota's Corolla and Matrix models may be prone to unexpected stalling, sometimes at highway speeds.

Although Prius sales will only account for about 100,000 units this year, less than seven per cent of Toyota's US total, it has been positioned as the company's halo vehicle due to its environmentally-friendly hybrid technology.

But analyst Stephanie Brinley, of AutoPacific Inc, warned that if it is suddenly seen as dangerous, the damage to Toyota could be huge.

Early customers may be more willing to accept problems with new technology, she added, but for "late adopters, who care more about mileage and less about technology, this could be a red flag".

[Matt47569]

LOL toyota are trying to kill off the smug eco friendly drivers

[TUF_302]

Its not really a shame if a Prius gets ridden off is it? lol!

[Falcon Coupe]

When opening the thread i expected to see this Prius problem.

[Mr Hardware]

ridden off

how about written off.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

how about written off.

How about "written off"?

[RSgerry]

i didnt think a prius could go fast enough for brakes to be needed.

[Chopped]

Toyota led all automakers with most recalled vehicles in 2009
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/30/d...ers-with-most/
"2009 has seen a bumper crop of automobile recalls. The Detroit Free Press reports that there were 15.2 million units recalled this year – nearly double the 8.6 million vehicles that were called back in all of 2008. And the leader of the recall pack was Toyota, with a knee-wobbling 4.87 million cars and trucks recalled due mostly to the Japanese automaker's unintended acceleration issue. Toyota had nine major recalls in all in 2009, with the other big issue coming courtesy of rusting Tundra frames. Toyota took the top spot in recalls for the first time ever this year, which tells you as much about how bad 2009 was for Aichi, Japan-based automaker as it does about its history of making high-quality automobiles.

This year's second biggest offender? Ford Motor Company. The Blue Oval recalled 4.52 million vehicles to land in second place in the recall rankings, due mainly to the company's ongoing issue with cruise control modules. Without the years-old cruise control issue, Ford would have had posted best year ever. General Motors rounded out the top three, with 2.24 million recalls announced in 2009, thought it is worth noting that the Detroit, MI-based automaker's 17 total recalls was the most of any automaker. Chrysler actually had a good 2009 – at least when it comes to recalls – with just under 600,000 vehicles affected. Head over to the Detroit Free Press for the complete ranking of 2009 recalls by automaker.

*UPDATE: In related global news, Toyota is recalling 43,000 Chinese-market vehicles including its Highlander and Previa models, along with Lexus' ES350 and RX350. The culprit? Engine oil leaks."

[geckoGT]

Interesting, two of the problems that toyota are facing are floor mats catching on accelerator pedals (common problem with B series FPV) and engine stalling at highway speeds (also a common problem with B series Boss motors). We sit here and laugh at toyota misfortune but at least they recalled the cars for those faults, Ford told us it is normal and we have to live with it.

[Barry_v]

Toyota sell more cars than Ford do, of course they have more recalls by vehicle numbers..

[new2ford]

More "bad" news (this one's dedicated to you Falcon Coupe)!

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/bus...-1225815429660

Just how green is the Toyota Prius?

* By John Rolfe
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* January 02, 2010 11:53AM

A PRIUS looks green. Its whisper-quiet engine sounds green. Those who drive this market-leading hybrid probably feel green. But how green is it?

In 2006, US market research firm CNW produced a report arguing a Hummer was greener than a Prius, even though the Toyota’s fuel economy was three times better. The claim was based on the environmental cost of making the hybrid, including its special nickel battery.

More recently, the Prius has been under pressure at the bowser, too. Ford’s new Econetic has been promoted as requiring less fuel.

While the diesel Econetic still pumps out more CO2, and there are holes in the CNW report big enough to drive a Hummer through, both examples point toward an inconvenient truth.

Putting a Prius on the road isn’t going to save Mother Earth.

If every driver bought a Prius tomorrow we’d have to power them using electricity from NSW’s coal-fired power stations.

A 2001 study by the Institute for Life Cycle Environmental Assessment found that even a fully electric vehicle generated almost as much CO2 over its life cycle if the original power source used at the factory, and to recharge the batteries, came from coal.

If the power for Prius comes from coal, the Econetic wins. If you had to order a fleet of cars for all NSW motorists, the Ford would be the more eco-friendly choice.

And the Hummer report demonstrates building a new car with cutting-edge technology has other hidden environmental costs.
Far better, therefore, to buy a fuel-sipping used car, such as an early 1990s Daihatsu Charade.

Back then, the car pictured went from Adelaide to Sydney on one 37L tank. Fuel consumption was 2.6L/100km. Neither a Prius nor the Econetic can match that.

Americans realise this. There, prices of old but cheap-to-run cars have risen. That trend hasn’t materialised here. Yet. But they are enjoying renewed popularity.

``I don’t think any of those early ‘90s cars would have dropped in value in the last two years,’’ Neutral Bay Motors proprietor John Phillips said.

Mr Phillips said he would sell a Charade with 150,000km on the clock to a neighbour. ``People just drive them and drive them and drive them,’’ he said.

US sustainability engineer Pablo Paster found a Prius would have to go about 161,000km before it was more eco-friendly than a Toyota Tercel (a conventional US car using more fuel than a Charade).

Did I mention you can buy an old Charade for about 1/20th the price of a new Prius?

Think of all the carbon offsets you could buy with the savings you would make.

Cars such as the Charade were the least environmentally harmful in Rick Astley’s days and arguably they Rick-Roll the present-day pretenders if you’re more concerned about actually being green than just looking the part.

This myth is officially BUSTED

[xtremerus]

new2ford
Prius is not a 'plug-in ' car, so that reporter is just rattling his keyboard.

[Barry_v]

that article was very poorly researched.

[new2ford]

I think John Rolfe busted himself LOL. There is a truth in there that somehow got lost in the plot!