I've noticed that when I'm braking with steady pressure on the brake pedal, my 2015 seems to lunge forward when downshifting somewhere between 20 and 30 mph. I'm not sure if the car is actually accelerating for that split second (as the RPMs temporarily increase), but it feels like it is. It's very annoying so I try to compensate by timing the downshift and applying more pressure on the pedal, but that can be futile. Has anyone heard of this before? Is this just the nature of our transmission or a sign of a problem? Thanks.

 

When I brake, I never feel like I'm not in control. Downshifting would not change that. Maybe you need to have your ES looked at, as it sounds like a dangerous issue.

 

Not in my experience, best you get it checked.

 

When your automatic transmission down shifts to a lower gear as you slow down by applying brakes, the RPM's will momentarily increase. Lower gear = higher RPM's - higher gear = lower RPM's. One can feel the trans changing gears at this time in the car. Maybe this is what you're experiencing. I can testify that this experience is worse in the eight speed transmission in my 2019 versus the six speed in gen 6...

 

Try switching the Drive Mode, if you have been in Normal, try Sport. If you have been in Sport, try (gasp) ECO.
What bc6152 described above sounds plausible to me and this exercise might narrow it down.

 

I can feel the increase in RPM's when the tranny downshifts while braking and a very slight surge in our '13 MY. Not a concern as it appears to be a normal reaction of the tranny shifting gears as designed. If you feel the brakes will not control the "surge", take it to the dealer.

 

It's thrusting or leaning forward? Because if it's leaning forward on a hard brake it almost sounds like bad struts/suspension. Have you had the vehicle checked anywhere?

 

Is your car the regular model or hybrid?