What 516 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Toyota Prius C

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH APPROACHING A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,000. UPDATED 8/11/14*CN

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OWNER OF VEHICLE DRIVING TO WORK WHEN THEY OBSERVED A RED GLOW IN FRONT OF THEM. THE OWNER THEN OBSERVED SMOKE FROM THE FRONT. THE OWNER PULLED OFF ROADWAY AND MORE SMOKE DEVELOPED. THE VEHICLE THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE CONSUMED THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. A FIRE SCENE EXAMINATION WAS PERFORMED AND THE ORIGIN WAS DETERMINED TO BE IN THE PASSENGER SIDE DASH AREA WHERE CIRCUIT BOARDS AND WIRING BUNDLES WERE LOCATED. THE FIRE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

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NUMEROUS TIMES WHEN TRYING TO STOP, THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSS CONTROL OF THE BRAKING WHEN GOING OVER EVEN THE SMALLEST OF BUMPS. A FEW TIMES EVEN THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT WOULD LUMINATE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. IT ALSO APPEARED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE JUST SLIGHTLY DURING THIS BRAKING RATHER THAN SLOWING DOWN. THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE HOW THE VEHICLE FELT, IS AS IF IT WAS "HYDROPLANING", THERE WAS NOT CONTROL OVER THE STEERING OR BRAKING. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE GOES OVER ANY TYPE OF BUMPS, OR POTHOLES. I HAVE CHILDREN AND THIS IS DEFINITELY A CONCERN. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS "NORMAL", HOWEVER I FEAR IT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN MAKING A TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD BECOME STUCK IN THE POSITION THE VEHICLE WAS TURNING TOO. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,117.

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WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SLOT IN A PARKING LOT, WHICH WAS ON A SLOPE, I APPLIED THE FOOT BRAKE WITHOUT ANY RESPONSE WHATSOEVER. THE VEHICLE GAINED ENOUGH SPEED TO JUMP THE SMALL STOP-CURB AND HIT A CONCRETE WALL NEXT TO IT. THE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS JUST OVER $4000. I THOUGHT I HAD MISSED THE PEDAL. ON JUNE 12TH AND 15TH, I HAD TWO MORE INCIDENTS OF THE BRAKE PEDAL GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WHILE EITHER AT SLOW SPEED OR STOPPED. MY DEALER SAYS IT WAS A PROBLEM ON THE 2010, BUT HE HAS NOT SEEN IT ON A 2011. MY WIFE NOW REFUSES TO DRIVE THE CAR. *TR

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THE PRIUS BRAKES DO NOT WORK WELL UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. WHEN I SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE AND AM OVER UNEVEN PAVEMENT OR A POTHOLE, THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT LURCHES FORWARD FOR A SPLIT SECOND. MY REACTION IS ONE OF PANIC AND TO PRESS HARDER ON THE BRAKES. MY WIFE AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS FOUR TIMES SINCE WE HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE. WE FEEL VERY UNSURE OF THE BRAKES AND WORRY FOR BICYCLISTS OR PEDESTRIANS. *TR

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THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT AT 6:45 AM. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE CAR AT 3:45 PM, I FOUND THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG HAD DEPLOYED SOMETIME THAT DAY. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF COLLISION OR IMPACT. THE CAR WAS DIRTY, AND THE DUST HAD NOT BEEN DISTURBED. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS 227 MILES OVER THE WARRANTY FOR THE AIRBAG (AT 60,227 MILES TOTAL). THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND FOUND NO ERROR CODE OR REASON FOR THE AIRBAG TO HAVE DEPLOYED. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND HAVE NOT YET BEEN GIVEN ANY INDICATION OF HOW THEY WILL HANDLE THE INCIDENT, THOUGH I WAS QUIZZED EXTENSIVELY. THE COST TO REPAIR THE EXTENSIVE INTERIOR DAMAGE TO THE CAR IS $3000. *TR

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THE HEADLAMPS BURNED OUT ON VEHICLE START-UP FOR THE FIFTH TIME IN 73,451 MILES. THE HEADLAMP BULBS LAST AN AVERAGE OF 14,700 MILES. I WEAR LATEX GLOVES AND AM CRITICALLY CAREFUL TO NEVER TOUCH THE BULBS, BUT THE ESSENCE OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE CAR CLEARLY HAS A POORLY REGULATED POWER SUPPLY THAT STRESSES THE BULBS AT START-UP. MY PREVIOUS 2006 PRIUS ATE HID BULBS, SO I INTENTIONALLY PURCHASED A 2011 MODEL VARIANT THAT USED CONVENTIONAL HALOGEN BULBS TO ESCAPE THE CONSTANT BULB FAILURE ISSUES WITH PRIUS. TO NO AVAIL. CONSTANTLY BURNING OUT HEADLAMPS IS A CONTINUING TOYOTA SAFETY HAZARD THAT NHTSA NEEDS TO FINALLY ADDRESS. *TR

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FROM THE VERY START OF MY OWNER SHIP OF A NEW TOYOTA PRIUS, THE CAR STARTED LUNGING WHEN I WOULD TRY TO STOP. IT HAS CONTINUED TO DO SO AND I FINALLY ASKED A FRIEND WHO ALSO HAS A PRIUS IF SHE HAS THAT PROBLEM TOO AND SHE DOES. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO BUT I FEAR THE SAFETY OF A CAR THAT LUNGES WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO BRAKE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. UPDATED 11/24/2014 *JS

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THE INSTRUMENT DISPLAY IS TO DIM TO READ IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING DIRECTLY TOWARD THE AFTERNOON SUN ON A CLEAR DAY. MY WIFE, WHO VIEWED THE DISPLAY AS A FRONT-SEAT PASSENGER, AGREES WITH ME. TO SEE HOW FAST I WAS GOING, I HAD TO TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD AND ALLOW MY EYES TO ADJUST TO THE DARKENED DISPLAY FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. AS A RESULT, I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN A STEADY SPEED ON THE HILLY TERRAIN. DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS, MY SPEED VARIED ERRATICALLY BETWEEN 70 AND 80, MORE OR LESS, ON AN INTERSTATE WITH A SPEED LIMIT WAS 75. DESPITE MY GENERAL MISGIVINGS ABOUT CRUISE CONTROL, I FINALLY HAD TO RESORT TO IT TO STEADY MY SPEED. THE INCIDENT ABOVE WAS MY WORST EXPERIENCE, BUT VIEWING THE DISPLAY IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW. MOREOVER, THIS WAS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH A 2005 PRIUS WHICH WE PREVIOUSLY OWNED. THIS IS A GENUINE SAFETY HAZARD! THE TWO VEHICLES MENTIONED ABOVE, AT LEAST, AND POSSIBLY OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES, NEED TO BE RETROFITTED WITH A DISPLAY THAT CAN BE READILY SEEN IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT, BUT WHICH CAN BE ADEQUATELY DIMMED FOR NIGHT DRIVING. *JS

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 30 2014 I WENT TO CHURCH, WHEN I CAME OUT AND GOT BACK IN MY CAR LIGHT WAS OUT. THEY WERE BURNING. *TR

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE BRAKING ON AN INCLINE, AN ABNORMAL METAL-ON-METAL NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE VEHICLE. THE NOISE WOULD BECOME LOUDER WHEN THERE WAS ONLY ONE OCCUPANT IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FIVES TIMES HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,456.

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AS THE PASSENGER IN THE CAR THAT I OWNED WE WERE DRIVING AND HIT THE BACK END OF A LARGE PICKUP TRUCK AT APPROX 26-28 MPH. I AM 5'10" AND AS ALWAYS WAS NOT SITTING CLOSE TO THE DASH. ONCE I REALIZED WHAT HAPPENED MY FACE WAS BLEEDING VERY HEAVILY. WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS MY FACE HAD SLAMMED INTO THE DASH (IS NOT CLOSE TO INDIVIDUALS IN PRIUS'. MY NOSE HAD A SIGNIFICANT RIP IN TWO LOCATIONS AND WAS TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE FOR PLASTIC SURGERY. WITHIN 24 HRS MY ENTIRE FACE WAS SWOLLEN WITH A MAJORITY OF DARK BRUISING FROM MY EYES TO MY JAWS. AND MULTIPLE STITCHES IN MY NOSE. MY SEATBELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN ME BACK. THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. ACCORDING TO THE AUTO SHOP THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY BC IT HAD MISSED THE SENSOR BY AN INCH. THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE WAS THE FRONT CENTER OF THE VEHICLE AND THE ENTIRE PASSENGER FRONT END. THE HOOD ROLLED UP AND EVEN PARTIALLY CAME THRU THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAR WAS TOTALED FROM THE IMPACT.THEY STATED TO THEM THERE IS NO REASON THE SEAT BELT DIDN'T RESTRAIN. HOWEVER AFTER CONTACTING TOYOTA THEY DID AN INSPECTION ROUGHLY THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY AND I RECEIVED A COPY OF THE DATA REPORT THAT SHOWED MY MPH AND PROOF I WAS RESTRAINED AND MORE INFORMATION THAT AN AVERAGE PERSON WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND. THE END OF MARCH 2013 I RECEIVED A RESPONSE STATED THE SEATBELT WORKED WITHIN THE LEGAL GUIDELINES. MY THOUGHTS WERE NO WAY, WHAT WOULD BE THE PURPOSE TO WEAR THE SEATBELT IF YOU CAN STILL BE SERIOUSLY INJURED AND THEN THANKING GOD THAT MY DAUGHTER WASN'T IN THE FRONT SEAT AND NEVER HAD BEEN IN THE CAR. WITH THAT BEING SAID I WILL NEVER BUY A TOYOTA AGAIN, THE AMOUNT I SAVED IN GAS DRIVING A PRIUS IS NOT WORTH THE LOSS MY DAUGHTER WOULD GO THRU IF I WERE NOT ALIVE BECAUSE OF A PRIUS (TOYOTA). *TR

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WHEN I AM COMING TO STOP AT AN INTERSECTION ON A BUMPY OR UNEVEN OR SNOW COVERED ROAD AND APPLY THE BRAKES THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD INSTEAD OF STOPPING. I AM LUCKY I HAVEN'T HIT A CAR IN FRONT OF ME OR A PERSON CROSSING AT THE INTERSECTION. I HAVE BEEN READING THE OTHER COMPLAINTS AND THEY DESCRIBE EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH MY CAR. I HAVEN'T YET TRIED TO GET THIS FIXED, BUT I AM STARTING TODAY. *TR

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE HEAD LIGHT SUDDENLY FAILED AS THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT BECAME DIM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. UPDATED 04-29-14 *BF UPDATED 7/29/17*CN

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH ON UNEVEN ROAD SURFACES, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE IN A BOUNCING MOTION, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED FOUR TIMES. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

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THE BRAKES TOTAL DISENGAGE WHEN APPLIED ON BUMPY ROADS THEN WORK AGAIN AFTER GETTING TO A SMOOTH SURFACE. I REPORTED THIS TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE NEW CAR OWNER MEETING AT TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT I JUST HAVE TO GET USE TO ANTILOCK BRAKES. I HAVEN'T GOTTEN INTO AN ACCIDENT YET BUT I HAD SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS ALMOST HITTING CARS IN FRONT OF ME ON BUMPY ROADS. HAS THERE BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM? *TR

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MY CAR HESITATES TO STOP OR SLOW DOWN WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED DRIVING OVER A POTHOLE, SLICK SURFACE, METAL ROAD COVER OR A MANHOLE. INSTEAD OF SLOWING/STOPPING, THE CAR SEEMS TO EJECT FORWARD. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT MY CAR AND DROVE WITH A SERVICE TECH AND HE SAID IN OVER 20 YEARS OF HIS EXPERIENCE, HE'S NEVER SEEN THIS. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS CAR (AND TECHNOLOGY WITH REGENERATIVE BRAKING) IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD, BUT HE DIDN'T SEEM TO BUY MY COMPLAINT, NOR WERE WE ABLE TO REPRODUCE THIS ISSUE WHEN I DROVE WITH A TECHNICIAN AROUND THE BLOCK. THERE ARE SEVERAL ONLINE DISCUSSIONS REGARDING THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE : HTTP://MONEY.CNN.COM/2010/02/04/AUTOS/PRIUS_TIMELINE/?WPMP_SWITCHER=MOBILE HTTP://WWW.EETIMES.COM/AUTHOR.ASP?SECTION_ID=30&DOC_ID=1284377. *TR

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RE: NHTSA 14V053000/HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM...I DID NOT RECEIVE A RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL. MY DAUGHTER OWNS A NEW PRIUS AND SHE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY NOTICE EITHER. MY CAR ENGINE DID NOT SHUT OFF BUT MY DAUGHTER'S ENGINE HAS SHUT OFF. YOU SHOULD ASK TOYOTA TO SHOW PROOF OF ITS RECALL MAILINGS. I'LL BET THE FARM THAT THEY CAN'T. *TR

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SINCE THE FIRST SET OF BULBS HAVE WENT OUT IN THE VEHICLE AT AROUND 48,000 MILES I WILL NOW BE INSTALLING THE 4TH SET OF BULBS... ORIGINAL + 3. THE BULBS IN THE PRIUS FAIL WITHIN 24 HOURS OF EACHOTHER EACH TIME AND IT IS GOING THREW HEADLIGHTS AROUND EVERY 10,000 MILES AT THIS TIME. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS FOR A COMMUTER VEHICLE. *TR

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ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS IN DECEMBER OF 2013, WITH TWO DIFFERENT DRIVERS, THE BRAKES ON OUR 2011 MODEL YEAR PRIUS (PURCHASED NEW IN FEBRUARY 2012), FAILED TO ENGAGE. THE FIRST TIME OCCURRED WHEN I WAS DRIVING (WITH ONE OF MY TEENAGERS IN THE CAR WITH ME), AND THE SECOND TIME OCCURRED WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR ALONE. IN BOTH INSTANCE WE PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND AT ALL. ALTHOUGH IT IS WINTER, THE ROADS WERE CLEAR, AND THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN AT ALL WHEN THE BRAKES WERE PRESSED / APPLIED. INTERESTINGLY, AFTER 30 - 60 SECONDS, THE BRAKE FUNCTION RESTORED ITSELF. SINCE DECEMBER THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE SHOP AT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR. THE SHOP HAS BEEN UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY, THE SHOP INDICATED THEY CONTACTED TOYOTA MECHANICS AND SERVICE SUPPORT STAFF TO HELP IDENTIFY AND FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT TOYOTA CLAIMED THEY NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM OR ANYTHING LIKE IT. MOREOVER, TOYOTA REFUSES TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS OR CHANGE ANY PARTS (EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY). YET, THIS PAST WEDNESDAY (FEBRUARY 12, 2014), TOYOTA ANNOUNCED A RECALL ON RAV4'S AND OTHER MODELS FOR A SOFTWARE PROBLEM THAT CAUSES THE ANTI-BRAKES TO INTERMITTENTLY TURN OFF. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TROUBLING, GIVEN TOYOTA'S CLAIM THAT THEY NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS AND DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO FIX. FURTHER, TOYOTA ANNOUNCED A RECALL ON THE PRIUS ITSELF, FOR A SOFTWARE PROBLEM THAT MIGHT CAUSE THE CAR TO TURN OFF COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING. CLEARLY, TOYOTA HAS A PROBLEM WITH ITS SOFTWARE IN A NUMBER OF VEHICLES. AT THIS POINT, ALL I HAVE RECEIVED IS CORPORATE DOUBLE TALK, AND I URGE THE NHTSA TO PURSUE THIS MATTER AS VIGOROUSLY AS POSSIBLE. *TR

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ON JAN. 18TH, 2014 I WAS LEAVING FL TO RETURN TO NC, WHEN I STARTED UP MY PRIUS AND WAITED FOR THE GAS ENGINE TO START, IT DID NOT WANT TO START. IT SOUNDED LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE, MAKING A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE AND THE WHOLE CAR SHOOK. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN RESTARTED IT A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT DID NOT EXPERIENCE THE ISSUE AGAIN. I DROVE BACK TO NC AND DID NOT EXPERIENCE THE ISSUE AT ALL. THE CAR WAS DUE FOR MAINTENANCE, SO B-4 TAKING IT IN, I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ONLINE. I FOUND NUMEROUS PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE "PRIUSCHAT.COM" WEB SITE, THERE WERE ALSO LINKS TO YOUTUBE VIDS THAT SHOWED THE SAME PROBLEM. I ALSO FOUND THAT THERE IS A TSB OUT FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT IT ONLY COVERS CERTAIN VINS AND THE DEALERS USUALLY REQUIRE THAT THEY CAN DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM B-4 THEY WILL PERFORM THE TSB. THE REPAIR IS TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, BUT THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO HAVE STARTED WITH THE 2010 MODEL WITH THE 1.8L MOTOR AND HAS YET TO BE RESOLVED. *TR

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I PURCHASED A SET OF 4 MICHELIN DEFENDER XT TIRES FOR MY 2011 PRIUS II FROM COSTCO ON 11/29/2013. THE TIRES ARE MARKETED BY MICHELIN AS LLR (LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE) TIRES. HOWEVER UPON INSTALLING THEM AND OPERATING THE VEHICLE FOR NEARLY 1000 MILES, I FOUND THE MPG TO BE NEARLY 10 MPG. LESS THAN THE OEM TIRES THAT THESE REPLACED. THE ROLLING RESISTANCE OF THESE TIRES ARE HIGH. VEHICLE ALMOST FEELS LIKE BEING DRIVEN OVER SAND. AS SOON AS I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR, THE VEHICLE DECELERATES RAPIDLY, MUCH FASTER THAN THE OEM TIRES. I CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURE, ALIGNMENT, AND WHEEL BEARINGS, ALL ARE WITHIN SPECS. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE HYSTERESIS LOSSES IN THIS TIRE MATERIAL ARE FAIRLY HIGH. THIS TIRE SHOULD NOT BE SOLD AS A LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE TIRE. IT IS BEING FALSELY ADVERTISED AS HAVING THIS CAPABILITY TO INCREASE SALES. THE MPG DIFFERENCE WAS MEASURED BY CALCULATING THE TRUE MILES FROM MY GPS UNIT AND DIVIDING THE RESULT BY THE GALLONS TO FULL AT THE SAME PUMP. THIS WAS DONE THREE TIMES TO ACCURATELY ACCESS THE TRUE MPG DIFFERENCE. NO OTHER FACTORS ON THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN CHANGED. ONLY CHANGE HAS BEEN REPLACEMENT OF THE TIRES. *TR

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UNNECESSARY MINOR INJURY PRODUCING DESIGN MY PRIUS, WHICH I LIKE, HAS SEVERAL TIMES GIVEN ME A MINOR BRUISE THAT LASTS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE FRONT PASSENGER DOORS, AT THE BOTTOM CORNERS, END IN A SHARP RIGHT ANGLE. IN CONTRAST, MANY OTHER CAR DOORS HAVE A SLIGHTLY ROUNDED BOTTOM CORNER WHICH HAVE NEVER INJURED ME. AS I AM WALKING AROUND THE PRIUS, LOADING AND UNLOADING FOR EXAMPLE, THAT SHARP CORNER SEEMS TO CATCH MY SHIN AND BRUISE IT. I AM IN MY 70'S AND GUESS THAT THESE MINOR INJURIES ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN WITH CHILDREN AND SENIORS. IF THIS WAS A NEEDED ELEMENT OF DESIGN, THEN I WOULD NOT CALL THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION. HOWEVER IT SEEMS TO BE PRIMARILY POOR ERGONOMICS ON THE PART OF THE DESIGNER. IF THE INJURY POTENTIAL OF SHARP CORNERS WAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF CAR MANUFACTURERS, PERHAPS, WHEN DESIGNS ARE CHANGED, THE SAFER CORNER COULD BE INCORPORATED AT ESSENTIALLY NO COST AND NUMBERS OF FUTURE MINOR INJURIES COULD BE AVOIDED. *TR

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CAR LURCHES FORWARD WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED ON BUMPY OR UNEVEN SURFACES, AS WELL AS SLIPPERY SURFACES SUCH AS METAL PLATES THAT YOU SOMETIMES FIND COVERING CITY STREETS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. ON ICE, WHEN APPLIED FORCEFULLY, NO BRAKING ACTION OCCURS WHATSOEVER, EVEN WHEN PUMPED OR RELEASE AND REAPPLIED. IN JAN 2013, CAR SLID MORE THAN 150' ON A LIGHTLY SNOWY ROAD INTO A DITCH. MY SENSE IS ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ARE DEFECTIVE, BUT IT COULD BE SOME OTHER COMPUTER OVERRIDE THAT KICKS IN. WHEN STOPPING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT ON A BUMPY ROAD, OR OVER ONE OF THOSE CONSTRUCTION PLATES, IT'S SCARY, AND I FEEL LUCKY I HAVEN'T HIT ANYONE. *TR

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