Prius Traction Control Complaints On The Rise

[niglom]

Just Google - Prius traction control problems!!

I did, because when I pulled out of a junction (a little sharply, due to 40 tons of lorry bearing down on me) the front wheels hit a pot hole and all the power cut out, leaving me stranded in the path of the oncoming vehicle.

The power did eventually come back in and I manged to get out of the way.

This is a serious issue and needs adressing by Toyota.

[Chris Dance]

Same applies on loose gravel roads with a gradient as I commented on in a earlier thread.

Pleased to hear you got out of the situation OK. Not good on your stress levels.

Have you contacted Toyota?

[Trafficman]

Quite agree, it is the most dangerous thing about the Prius..... I now pull out of side roads like an old grandad.....

[timberwolf]

I thought the Prius pulled out slowly anyway, it seemed that way shen compared to my Honda, and I was surprised when people here said they could pull away sharply.

Niglom: Did the traction come back by itself or did you have to move your right foot?

[niglom]

I thought the Prius pulled out slowly anyway, it seemed that way shen compared to my Honda, and I was surprised when people here said they could pull away sharply.

Niglom: Did the traction come back by itself or did you have to move your right foot?

It came back by itself, after a few microsecends that felt like hours!

[timberwolf]

A few microseconds would be a few millionths of second. :o (Perhaps milliseconds?)

If you really did pull out with so little safety margin, I have to say that I now feel sorry for the poor truck driver that you pulled out in front of.

[hertsnminds]

It came back by itself, after a few microsecends that felt like hours!

It is not just the Prius that can leave you with no power. Any car that takes away control from the driver sending power to the wheels can do this. So that is any car with a flappy paddle gear box where decisions about engaging the clutch are left to a computer or any car where the traction control cannot be disabled.

I had an instance of this in a Citroen with the Sensodrive system. In cold weather this system engages snow mode (to stop the wheels spinning), however engaging snow mode takes the car about 5 seconds while it decideds to beep a warning, flash a snow symbol on the dash and change the car to 2nd instead of 1st to pull away. All well and good except when you are pulling onto a roundabout (or out of a junction) when this happens, as what you thought was a reasonable if not huge gap to make your maneuver becomes a dangerous accident causing situation.

The one thing these type of cars do is make you leave larger (and safer) gaps when pulling out at junctions. The only problem is if there is a driver behind you who has never experienced your car or one like it they get impatient at the time it takes you to move off.

[timberwolf]

I guess the traction control needs radar to be able to see the dangerous situations.

I try to plan my routes to avoid the stressful right turns if I can. I am also surprised at people who insist on saving a couple of 100 yards by turning right onto a very busy main road, when there is a roundabout a 100 yards to their left.

How could the traction control be fixed on the Prius?

If at the moment the system cuts the power, maybe completely, is the answer to allow some wheel spin? I know in the past when I've spun my front wheels (not a Prius), for example in snowy or icy conditions, I don't generally move forwards and can instead actually end up going sideways or even backwards.