Toyota Prius V Complaints

479 consumer complaints on file.

#11593245June 8, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
The actuator and brake pump booster failed and car was undrivable. For years I complained to Toyota service reps of an ecltronic wining noise. They told me iy was "common for older hybrid cars and not a problem ". It turned out to be the actuator & brake pump & booster all that time. Toyota knew about it years ago, but didn't warn or advise me. Luckily it did not fail while driving, but I had to haved it towed away from my clients parking lot. A toyota service rep mentioned it happened to her on her Highlander Hybrid too. I found this was a common problem and contacted Toyota USA, Engagement dept. They told me that because "they issued an extension to their up to 10 years or 140k miles and my car was 11 years 77k miles, I was not eligible". I told them that the car had made the noises for years but they said "that did not matter". I just got the car back after repairs and the noises I complained to Toyota service about are all gone. This is such a common problem and dangerous, that Toyota needs to recall ASAP before people are injured or killed. Their issuing only an advisory to dealers, who make money on out of warranty repairs, is uncountable and dangerous. Separately thousands of owners have paid thousands of dollars in repairs with no relief and may not know the failure was on Toyota. Please advise me further, thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592049June 3, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I had just dropped off my daughters at school. On my drive back home, this trip is roughly an 8 mile round trip distance . I heard (then saw) an explosion coming from the rear passenger side of the car. I noticed flames and proceeded to steer the car (car shutdown) towards a side street. Shortly after I was able to put car in park, making sure that it was out of any potential danger to others. I quickly jumped out of my car. This followed by a loss of fluids under the hood and smoke. After everything subsided I called a tow truck and had it towed to my home. It has been parked outside and I am so discombobulated about this whole incident that I do not know how/where to even began with the next step. I have no clue how this happened but what I do know is that by no means should a vehicle ever create a fire .
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590827May 26, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
While traveling on NHS CA 99 about 80 miles before taking exit 97, there were pieces of tire debri on the center lane. It couldn’t be spotted and my vehicle drove over it making a big thud sound. It shaked my vehicle and left my family scared. It could have been really dangerous if there was a vehicle right ahead or behind my car. This incident broke the front bumper and caused big dent on my right door. This is a big monetary hole in my pocket. This is big concern and should be immediately addressed to avoid incidents further. Kindly let me know if there is a way to file a claim with NHST
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590773May 25, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Complete Brake failure, confirmed brake accumulator / actuator failure resulting in near miss crash, tow home not drivable, onle e brake works, appears pump burned up not running any longer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590557May 24, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
I started my Prius V 2013 and a lot of error lights came on. Some of these included the ABS, BRAKE, and traction control lights. I put the car in reverse to back out of my parking space and the car wouldn't stop beeping and none of the warning lights turned off. When I went to stop the car and put it into drive, the brake pedal was soft and wouldn't brake the car. I pressed as hard as I could and the car slowly came to a stop. I put the car in drive and the same problem happened with the brakes: the brake pedal was soft, as if the hydraulic pump wasn't working, and when I pressed super hard it eventually rolled to a slow stop. I had to have the car towed to a mechanic. They said three error codes that showed up related to the brakes: C1252, C1253, C1256. They followed the Toyota troubleshooting tree and concluded the brake booster pump assembly accumulator was faulty. The cost to fix the Brake Power Booster Unit: $2,700. Meanwhile, I discovered a Customer Service Program (CSP 20TE07CSP) from Toyota that has to do with the Brake Booster. Toyota was covering the cost of this repair under the CSP, but you had to have the problem before 07/08/2023 because that's when the program expired. So I was 10 months outside the window and now Toyota will not cover the cost even though the company knew the accumulator was faulty and will eventually break in all Priuses.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11588269May 11, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake booster has gone out. This is a known, dangerous issue that Toyota knows will occur, It is a dangerous and expensive risk to those driving these ticking time bombs, and those potentially in the path of these vehicles. This is a pure safety risk item. No one asking for these brake actions are gaining anything materially other than the use of their cars safely. To make matters worse, Toyota doesn’t even make these in volumes that don’t generate volume pricing efficiency, meaning replacement runs upward of $4k to $5k at their dealerships to replace. Criminal…. Please help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586049April 30, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
On February 27 2024 I had spend 2300 dollars on car repairs see enclosed then on April 11 2024 while backing out of my driveway, I experienced a sudden acceleration of my vehicle which led to body damage to my car yet Toyota after inspection says that now the car system works perfectly. Prior to this incident I experienced warning light and windshield wiper malfunction .
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11585365April 26, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes are incredibly stiff and require an egregious amount of force to apply any amount of braking force and the brake booster is constantly spooling up and making noises. apparently this as well the EGR was a recall but window to qualify for the recall is too short and the brake booster failing is a serious safety hazard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11582976April 15, 2024
SUSPENSION
Vehicle was in for routine service at dealer. Dealer reported "Rear axle beam starting to have heavy rust build up metal is getting thin. Will need replacement in the future, approx $3,000.00 depending on what is needed at that time." This is the first warning we have received, The vehicle has gotten Toyota dealer service since new every 5,000 miles. Since we learned of this defect, we have discovered 6 similar reports in our small town including 2 actual axel failures while the vehicle was being driven. These were all Priuses and Prius Vs in the 2013 and 2014 model years. This seems to be a design failure and poses serious risks as axle failure at highway speed seems a formula for death or serious injury.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11583145April 15, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11582287April 11, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving when I felt my brake pedal start to become soft and mushy. I was able to brake, but I had to pump the brakes to get full brakes to stop. I also noticed warnings began to appear on my dashboard. The warnings that were shown are the brake light, traction assistant light, and ABS light. I took it to Gates Toyota in South Bend, IN and paid for a brake inspection. They told me that my brakes themselves were OK (pads, rotors, calipers), but they were getting a C1391 error. I was told that the brake accumulator has an internal leak. I was told that I needed to replace the brake master cylinder and brake booster pump assembly. I bought the car used from the dealership about a year and a half ago. After doing research, I found that this same issue has been a common recall problem on a number of Toyota vehicles starting as far back as 2008. I also found a few class action lawsuits concerning Toyota vehicles with the exact same issue. My vehicle doesn't show any current recalls, but I'm having the same problem as other Prius V vehicles are having. I was quoted $3300 to fix this problem. I shouldn't have to be responsible for paying for a defect that has been recalled on a very large number of vehicles, and also has been the result of class action lawsuits.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11582210April 10, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The left low-beam headlight repeatedly fails, even with new bulbs. If it were just me, I'd assume a fluke, but there are lots of complaints about Prius V (and 3rd gen regular prius) lights, and they're all about the low beams.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11579946March 28, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
On November 28, 2023 my brakes went out in the middle of 3 lanes of traffic. Fortunately, I succeeded in not having a traffic accident and pulled off the road. The car was towed to Daytona Toyota. They informed me it was the ABS malfunction. I discovered it has been a known issue. The brake booster pump assembly on certain Prius V vehicles from years 2022 to 2014 are affected. A 'bulletin' had been mailed out several years prior, and it could be repaired free of charge up to September 30, 2023 - if I had mentioned it. It was and has been traumatic to consider what can and could happen when the brakes go out without any warning. There was no indication the brakes were bad, no warning light, nothing. This car has been continually serviced by Daytona Toyota on a regular basis. Not once has it ever been mentioned to me. Not once. In my opinion, nothing said, no repairs to be paid for. When I complained, and called Toyota's 'Brand Engagement' (case # 231129001653) I was told they had mailed out the information and was very sorry I didn't see it. So, as I see it, they are absolved of any legal responsibility. My fault, not theirs. I could have caused serious or deadly harm to someone. It would be my responsibility. Again, not once has my service advisor or anyone else said a word about it. I stopped by my neighbor's to advise him of the problem with the car. He said he liked to keep his cars maintained and had happened to Google any info on his car. It showed up, he took his car in and they said good thing he saw it. That the service coverage was expiring in a few days (it was late September). They fixed it for free right away. I on the other hand, almost 'rear-ended' someone in the center lane of traffic and paid $3,506.76. (they gave me 10% discount for being a good customer) So, how many other car drivers are on the road with this unknowing problem?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11578597March 20, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
I started hearing the whirring sound from the brake booster that normally only comes on at startup almost constantly, about every 15 seconds. Along with this, a puffing sound and a pulsing from the brake pedal when stopped with the car on, such as at a traffic light. Also, when coming to a stop there would be a shudder from the brakes. After about a month I was driving when 3 separate warning lights lit up on the dashboard and the next time I braked the pedal felt very different than normal, very mushy, and the car seemed to not stop as well. I consulted a repair shop and they told me it’s a common problem with this model: brake booster/actuator failure resulting in a loss of the ABS system. They quoted me over $2000 to make the repair. Internet research confirmed that this is a common problem that Toyota is aware of but refuses to acknowledge as something to be recalled, despite the huge safety risk associated with it. This on a car with only 85,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11575834March 6, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake failure resulting in code C1391. Petition for Defect Investigation dated 09/09/23 summitted to NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation via Certified Mail. Received by Office of Defects Investigation on 10/10/23.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11569297February 1, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
8/2/22 My ABS light came on. Took the car to a dealer. They kept it for six weeks and returned it on 10/3/22. No charge and no explanation. 11/7/22 engine light came on. Took in to dealer, they returned it 11/17/22 indicated incorrect air/ fuel mixture. 10/9/23 Traveling 47 mph, came around a mountain and encountered stopped cars. Slammed on the brakes, car did not slow down, steering wheel locked to the right, car yawed to the right, and turned over, hit a curb and the car righted itself. 3 occupants, 2 injuries , 1 death. Researching the 2012 Toyota Prius, found many instances of a faulty ABS system, mimicking exactly my experience. I was never informed by Toyota or the local Toyota dealer.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
1
#11569382February 1, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The hybrid system was shut down while driving. The symptoms are like the description in this recall (NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V684000). However, my VIN is not on the recall list.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11567871January 25, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake actuator making noise every 10 seconds and oil is having to be filled in everyday.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11567579January 24, 2024
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS, SEATS
Broken bones in face. Nose split in two parts Eye socket broken along with cornea messed up. Broken ribs. Bleeding spleen. Broken neck.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11566877January 22, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, AIR BAGS
Upon driving out of my school parking lot at approximately 15 to 20 miles per hour I noticed a cushiony filled with a brakes and all of a sudden I heard a shhh all of my lights popped up on my dashboard. When I took my vehicle in to be able to find out what was going on with it I was told that I need a master cylinder and a brake booster. This was after having my vehicle for only 3 years where I purchased it from Rice Toyota Greensboro North Carolina.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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