Brake failures alleged for Toyota Prius

I dunno. Tell us what you drive and I'll decide which 18+ year old Toyota I'll run rings around you with.

"Dozens of owners of the latest, third generation Toyota Prius hybrid have filled complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alleging that they have experienced brake failures, according to TheDetroitBureau.com."

So is it true that Toyota never stops? ;) ;) ;)

The *DETROIT* bureau explains the problem wrong: they attribute the different feel of braking on rough and uneven surfaces to transition from regenerative to hydraulic braking whereas this is a VERY common issue with every vehicle of every manufacturer I've ever owned that had a stability control system (GM, Mazda, Toyota Prius). Front wheels bounce differently because of the uneven rough surface and the stability control system tries to compensate that by sacrificing stopping distance for giving you ability to better control where the car is going. This explanation is in fact coming straight from the Prius owner's manual (paraphrased by me though)

There is an easy solution: do not speed coming up to a traffic light! There guaranteed to be a rough wavy surface just before the light and if you are not going straight, you will always tip the stability control off.

I'm in my second Prius and I've driven about 110,000 miles in a Prius so far in every driving condition there is, including NYC traffic that's mentioned in the comments to that article. I've never felt I needed to compensate for any particular type of braking and I would not call it non-linear any more than any other car's brakes are. You *always* start braking lighter, then harder and then lighter again just before the car stops - basically you, the driver, is the most non-linear element in the whole system.

Also, if you are driving your first mile in a Prius as in any other car, you *HAVE TO* be careful: every car responds to braking differently. If you ever had to rent a car, you'll agree with me.

Drive safe!

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