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2010 TOYOTA PRIUS — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

crash · 771262 · 2010-03-07

Vehicle

Make
TOYOTA
Model
PRIUS
Year
2010
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Corporation
Component
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Miles at failure
1,100
Speed
20 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

I WAS DRIVING MY BRAND NEW, 3 WEEKS OLD, 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS ON A RURAL ROAD IN CLARK COUNTY WASHINGTON ON THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010, WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN TO MAKE A VERY SHARP LEFT TURN. I WAS APPLYING MY BRAKES WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN I REALIZED I WAS NOT SLOWING DOWN MUCH AND WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE TURN. I HAVE MANEUVERED THIS TURN HUNDREDS OF TIMES AND KNOW THAT ONE MUST SLOW TO ALMOST A CRAWL TO MAKE THE TURN. I TRAVEL THIS AREA AT LEAST 1-2 TIMES PER WEEK, SO I WAS NOT UNFAMILIAR WITH THE TURN. IT FELT LIKE MY CAR INITIALLY SLOWED SOME, BUT THEN SLOWING CEASED AND I ENDED UP ON EMBANKMENT. THE FRONT OF MY CAR WAS DAMAGED SEVERELY. I WAS NOT HURT BUT LEFT WITH A VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE TO DEAL WITH. I AM A EXCELLENT DRIVER AND HAVE NEVER HAD A WRECK IN THE 31 YEARS I HAVE BEEN DRIVING. I BELIEVE MY BRAKES INITIALLY ENGAGED, BUT THEN DUE TO THE RURAL ROAD SURFACE, AND PEBBLES LEFT ON THE ROAD FROM PREVIOUS ICE AND SNOW, MAY HAVE CAUSED MY BRAKES TO NOT WORK AS THEY SHOULD HAVE. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT TOYOTA BUT THEY ARE CLOSED DUE TO IT BEING THE WEEKEND. MY CAR IS AT THE AUTO BODY SHOP AS I WRITE THIS LETTER. MY CONCERN IS THAT I WAS ALLOWED TO PURCHASE A VEHICLE, THAT IS ON THE RECALL LIST WITH SUCH A DANGEROUS DEFECT SUCH AS "THE BRAKES NOT WORKING PROPERLY." I HAVE A TEENAGE SON WHO IS JUST LEARNING TO DRIVE AND WOULD IT HAVE BEEN HIM, THE ACCIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN WORSE. PLEASE ADVISE HOW YOU BELIEVE I SHOULD PROCEED. I AM VERY CONCERNED, UPSET

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10317512
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown