What 159 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Toyota Prius

On the morning of December 11th, 2024, the brake system warning light (ABS, yellow) illuminated on the dashboard along with the red BRAKE indicator and the yellow Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system light. I consulted a mechanic who performed a computer diagnostic and informed me that the ABS module booster had failed. He said that will order the part to change it but meanwhile he advised me to drive more cautiously and maintain a greater distance from the vehicle ahead, allowing extra space for my car to stop due to the increased braking distance caused by the failed ABS module booster. Later that day, at approximately 5:30 PM, I was driving home in heavy traffic, with speeds not exceeding 40 miles per hour. The vehicle in front of me began to decelerate abruptly. When I applied firm pressure to the brake pedal to slow down my car, it lost all control. The vehicle began to skid, with the amplitude of the skid increasing progressively. It struck the highway guardrail on the left, changed trajectory, crossed all four lanes to the right uncontrollably, and ultimately collided with the highway guardrail on the right side.

NHTSA ODI 11630769

Driving making slight turn car locked up steering wheel, brakes and gas all locked up ran in to a wall. The vehicle just failed with no prior warning.

NHTSA ODI 11541248

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that as he approached a stop light at 25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard as he attempted to stop the vehicle. The brakes failed to operate without warning as he hit the vehicle in front of him. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. A police report was filed and both the contact and the other driver were able to drive away from the scene. No injuries were reported. Prior to this failure, the contact stated that the same failure occurred months prior while traveling at 20 MPH in the rain. The contact stated that the brakes failed to operate without warning as he depressed the brake pedal to the floorboard; he hit an unknown object on the road due to the failure. The contact initially thought that the failure was related to slippery roadways; however, after the most recent failure, he related the prior incident with his most recent failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be serviced or diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11467724

My mom was involved in an accident in her 2015 Toyota Prius on April 19, 2022, which she advised lurched forward at a stop and when applying the brakes to stop the vehicle, she said was unresponsive, causing her to clip a vehicle and sending her vehicle into a ditch totaling her car and injuring her passenger and her. I would like to have this investigated and hold Toyota responsible. This could have been much worse and lives could have been lost. She is now without means of transportation, and she is now possibly responsible for damages to property and bodily injury because of this. Through my research I have discovered multiple class action lawsuits brought against Toyota for the same exact models. I asked the police officer to run a scan on the computer, but he advised it was only for serious accidents. There was no indication of the problem or messages.

NHTSA ODI 11462365

BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW OR STOP VEHICLE AT ?20 MPH; DRIVING ON A SIDE STREET. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ACTIVE THAT MORNING. CRASH INTO TELEPHONE PHONE RESULTED IN "TOTALED" CAR. THERE WAS BROKEN BRANCHES ON ROAD AND SOME MUD; CAR MAY HAVE SKIDDED. MY WIFE SAYS THE CAR SEEMED TO SPEED UP BEFORE THE CRASH

NHTSA ODI 11350859

I ENTERED MY PARKED, STATIONARY PRIUS, PRESSED MY RIGHT FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, DISENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE AND PRESSED THE ON/OFF BUTTON TO TURN THE CAR ON. MY FOOT REMAINED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY RACED AND THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AT HIGH SPEED. I STOMPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE CAR KEPT MOVING. THE SOUND OF THE ENGINE WAS LOUD ENOUGH THAT PEOPLE IN NEARBY HOUSES HEARD IT. MY CAR WOULD NOT SLOW WITH MY EFFORTS TO BRAKE. I TRIED TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND PARK BUT THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN. IT RACED ACROSS THE STREET AND PLOWED DIRECTLY INTO A NEIGHBOR'S STONE WALL. MY CAR BECAME WEDGED BETWEEN THE WALL AND A LARGE TREE. I HAD TO EXIT THE VEHICLE FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE AS THE DRIVER'S DOOR WAS PRESSED AGAINST THE TREE. AFTER THE COLLISION, INTERIOR LIGHTS WERE NON-FUNCTIONING EVEN WHEN THE DOOR WAS PROPPED OPEN. THE CAR WOULD HAVE CRASHED THROUGH THE HOUSE IF IT HAD NOT BEEN STOPPED BY THE WALL AND TREE.

NHTSA ODI 11219137

I WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT OF THE CAR WHILE IT WAS PARALLEL PARKED. I PRESSED THE PUSH TO START BUTTON TO TURN ON THE BATTERY SO I COULD CHARGE MY PHONE. THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE DRIVER SEAT. THE CAR TURNED COMPLETELY ON WHEN I REACHED OVER TO PRESS THE BUTTON. NOT ONLY DID THE ENGINE START, BUT WITHOUT ANYONE PRESSING ON THE BREAKS THE CAR RELEASED ITSELF FROM BEING PARKED. THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS INTO THE CAR PARKED BEHIND ME. I HAVE NO EXPLANATION ABOUT HOW THIS HAPPENED. I HAVE BEEN READING INTO IT AND APPARENTLY IT'S A DEFECT OF THE 2015 AND OLDER MODELS. WHEN THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACK I ALSO STARTED PRESSING BOTH THE PARK AND PUSH TO START BUTTONS TO TURN IT OFF AGAIN. I'VE NEVER FELT SO UNSAFE IN A VEHICLE AND GOES TO CONFIRM THAT PARK AND PUSH TO START SHOULD NOT BE BUTTONS!!! IT MAKES THE VEHICLE MUCH MORE DANGEROUS NOT BEING ABLE TO OVERRIDE THOSE COMMANDS WHEN IT CHOOSES TO GO ON ITS OWN.

NHTSA ODI 10889298

I APPLIED THE BRAKE WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED SUDDENLY AND MY CAR SEEMED TO ACCELERATE AND I HAD TO PUT THE BRAKE ON AGAIN TO GET THE CAR TO STOP RESULTING IN A COLLISION. I WAS DRIVING AT A SPEED OF LESS THAN 25 MILES AN HOUR.

NHTSA ODI 10876015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 10 MPH AND APPROACHING THE DRIVEWAY, THE BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A GATE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS RE-APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE TRAVELED 20 FEET BEFORE IT STOPPED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000.

NHTSA ODI 10875685

I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES SOMETIMES DO NOT APPEAR TO WORK PROPERLY, AND ONCE I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE. ONCE I QUICKLY TRANSITIONED FROM THROTTLE TO FULL BRAKING AND THE CAR DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT WAS APPLYING FULL BRAKING. IT DIDN'T SEEM TO DECELERATE LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE. I REAR ENDED A VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE BRAKING PERFORMANCE. ANOTHER TIME I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES COMING OFF AN INTERSTATE AND THE BRAKES ALSO DIDN'T SEEM POWERFUL ENOUGH. IT'S AS IF THE BRAKES DON'T FULLY "CATCH" UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. BOTH TIMES WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE DRY.

NHTSA ODI 10794873

I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE WHERE MY FRONT WAS UP AGAINST A BUILDING WITH A CAR ON EITHER SIDE OF ME. I REVERSED FOR ABOUT 25' WHERE A TELEPHONE POLE MANDATED THAT I MAKE A K-TURN TO GET OUT. AS I SWITCHED FROM REVERSE TO FORWARD, I SAW A SPARK AS THE CAR JET-PROPELLED FORWARD. I TRIED TO BREAK MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE CAR ACCELERATED THE 25' INTO THE WALL. ALL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AND FLUID GUSHED OUT OF THE FRONT END. THE CAR WAS DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS. I WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA AND MY INSURANCE COMPANY THAT I MUST HAVE ACCIDENTALLY ACCELERATED INSTEAD OF REPEATEDLY BREAKING. I AM GRATEFUL THAT I HIT A WALL INSTEAD OF PEOPLE. SOMEONE COULD EASILY HAVE DIED HAD I HAD SWITCHED FROM REVERSE GEAR TO FORWARD IN LESS CONFINED LOCATION. THE ENTIRE ACCIDENT LASTED 2 SECONDS, WITH NO OPPORTUNITY TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BREAK OR GO INTO NEUTRAL. PS: I AM A HAPPILY MARRIED DOCTOR WITH BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, AND NOT AT ALL SUICIDAL. THIS THREE MONTH OLD 2015 PRIUS 3 FAILED BEFORE THE FIRST OIL CHANGE. I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS.

NHTSA ODI 10723794