Report: Toyota begins investigating '10 Prius cruise control

[Blackseal]

Last month, Toyota recalled 133,000 2010 Prius models due to a braking issue that could cause a momentary loss of stopping power. However, in many of the claims filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the vehicle's cruise control was brought into question, with drivers stating that they had difficulty getting the system to turn off when the brake pedal was depressed. According to Ward's Auto, 11 percent of all 2010 Prius complaints filed with NHTSA cite this issue.

 

Toyota is now starting to look deeper into these complaints, and believes that the majority of them are the result of driver confusion over the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), which is an option on the top-rung Prius V trim. In talking with Ward's, Toyota spokesperson Dave Lee says that drivers are confusing the Prius' adaptive cruise control for unintended acceleration. Lee states that when drivers use the cruise stalk to adjust vehicle speed, the rate of acceleration is much higher than when the gas pedal is pressed