Toyota Prius Complaints (2008)

1,497 consumer complaints on file.

#11619772October 15, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Loud grinding noise coming from engine compartment accompanied by a loud shrill alert. When attempting to pull over to a safe place, I put my foot on the brake pedal, but immediately became distressed because it felt like I had no brakes at all. After applying extreme pressure to the brake pedal, the car did begin to slow down, albeit very slowly. I had 2 passengers in the car (ages [XXX] and [XXX] ) and I felt their lives were in jeopardy. Upon researching, I found that Toyota has known about this ABS problem for quite awhile (at one point, they even extended the warranty on the faulty parts). With the gravity of losing the ability to brake while driving, reasonable people would conclude that a recall is in order. It does not matter if it is voluntary by Toyota or mandatory by the appropriate government entities. I, literally, feared for my life and the lives of my passengers. I am grateful it didn't happen while traveling at highway speeds because the outcome could have been much much worse. I sincerely hope that my government who is in charge of protecting it's citizens against known automobile dangers, will take the necessary steps to initiate a recall for all Toyota vehicles that have this serious ABS problem. My fear is that those decisions are made by algorithms and actuarial data rather than by reasonable common sense. I certainly hope there isn't an arbitrary number of deaths before a recall is made. What if one of your family died as a result of purposeful inaction. The diagnostic codes for my Toyota are C1256 and C1391. These both point to serious problems with the ABS system ( actuator, accumulater etc.). Please consider investigating this common and life threatening problem. Thank you INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11618641October 8, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake actuator failing just like everybody else
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11614339September 12, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
I have a 2008 Toyota Prius (172k miles). From the sounds coming from the ABS Brake actuator and soft breaks, it is clear from my research online that I will soon have a failing ABS brake actuator. I have the code C1256 thrown which is ABS "Accumulator Low Pressure" Read more: [XXX] I do not feel safe driving it as it is clear one day the brakes will suddenly go out on it. This needs repaired. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11604837July 26, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake failure while driving. No warnings prior to failure. ABS Module 4450047141
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11604148July 23, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
About 3 years ago we started getting the red triangle of death with 2 amber lights on display the vsc and the round circle with the exclamation point in the center. This could happen in 500 miles or it could happen tomorrow. When this happens I loose all exceleration and air conditioning and a orange car emblem with an exclamation point in it on the display screen. Once safely off road press power button off and back on and everything is back to normal except red triangle and car on display screen car is then drivable again. Using a code reader to check codes no codes appear but still have red triangle. Leaving car set for a period of time and restarting car and red triangle is extinguished. Have to drive in right lane on freeway in case it wants to quit. The most recent time was last week had driven it about 80 miles with a stop about halfway for 1 hour and stopped for a movie came back got in car started it and within 1000 feet got the red triangle, was in left turning lane with red light, shut off and restarted and was able to drive again as in all other times, took it to a neighbor who had a code reader(about 9PM) and no codes found, he reset it and red triangle extinguished. This type of happening is very unnerving to say the least, dont know when or where it will lay down with us. Don't know if anyone else has had similar issues with their Prius ours has 213,000+ miles on it. Original hybrid battery it was checked in 2015 and some cells replaced by a shop certified to replace cells in this battery. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600626July 9, 2024
POWER TRAIN
In temperatures above 95 degrees the vehicle shifts into neutral while driving, and you need to physically hold the shift lever in Drive or Reverse to keep it out of neutral. It won't go into park at all unless you restart. This could cause a fatal accident while driving, particularly on the freeway. It has not yet been confirmed since it only happens at very high temperatures, which is rare where I live (Seattle). There has been quite a lot of discussion on Reddit and other internet sites about this problem with Priuses, particularly the 2008 model. I have an appointment with my mechanic to replace the shift lever assembly, which appears to be the most commonly referenced fix. There are no warning lights, other messages, or symptoms before or while this is happening. The problem resolves when the air temperature goes back down.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600249July 8, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake ABS and front brakes have completely failed because a software error where the and cannot be calibrated and terminates during calibration. The car only has rear brakes which frequently lock of and cause a safety issue. Front brakes completely disabled due to a software calibration issue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11597152June 27, 2024
STEERING
- Steering column components are loose. They make the steering unpredictable. The vehicle moves dangerously from side to side when driving over 65 mph. "U-joint" inside the cabin is the component with play. - Previous recall "12V537000" could be related. My vehicle was not called during that campaign but meets the characteristics. - No dealer has confirmed. - No insurance has inspected. - No warning lamps on. Problem started appearing 2 years ago. Replaced all the steering components with OEM replacements but there is no replacement for steering column components to address the issue on my own.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593497June 10, 2024
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while his mother was driving approximately 37 MPH, a second vehicle crashed into the rear passenger side causing the vehicle to go airborne and crash. During the crash, the front driver's side and front driver's side curtain air bags did not deploy. The driver's chest impacted the steering wheel causing her heart to sustain severe pressure and her ribs to collapse. Also, the front seat passenger was ejected from the vehicle through the windshield. Both occupants sustained fatal injuries due to the crash. The front passenger was not wearing a seat belt during the crash. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was then towed by Toyota who confirmed there was an air bag failure. The vehicle was resold after being salvaged. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 6,500.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
2
#11589993May 21, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
My abs actuator has failed at 104k miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589556May 19, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
The ABS Actuator failed. It can be inspected. This is dangerous as this has the possibility of causing a brake failure. A retired mechanic plugged in his scan tool and determined that the ABS actuator is leaking. In addition, I can tell audibly that this is the case because the car's pump is starting up every 10-15 seconds trying to fill the air reservoir but is unable to due to the leak. Neither the vehicle nor the component has been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. The brake and ABS lights are lit up on the dashboard. The car's pump is starting up every 10-15 seconds trying to fill the air reservoir but is unable to due to the leak.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11577802March 16, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake Actuator Failure
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11577384March 14, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
The electronic brake actuator failed while driving causing the loss of brakes. Didn't cause accident but still very dangerous situation. Mechanic pulled odb code c1256 from vehicle and says not to drive until it is repaired.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574057February 26, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the brakes failed when pressed causing the vehicle to crash into the rear end of a second vehicle. During the crash, the air bags did not deploy and the rear driver-side seat belt had sprung outward, although no rear seat passenger was present. The second vehicle's rear driver's side passenger was later treated for an undisclosed injury. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 240,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11567040January 22, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The combination meter is faulty and this makes the dash not show. You don’t know how fast you’re going, how much gas you have, it’s very unsafe and the warranty is supposed to be for 9 years but they will not allow that for everyone even if you have the same problem as someone who was allowed the warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11566820January 21, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Hello. My 2008 Toyota Prius had a malfunction with the "combination meter" which caused the vehicle dashboard to turn off completely, and we could not turn off the engine at times when stopped and parked. The dealer fixed the problem at a cost of $1580, and both the dealer and Toyota corporate through their brand engagement advocate acknowledged a long term problem with the combination meter. They had extended the warranty coverage for owners for this specific problem for about 10 years but not for owners like me with a vehicle 15 years old. I believe Toyota should cover and reimburse owners for this problem, which is potentially dangerous, no matter the age of the vehicle, especially for long term, loyal owners. There are many of these vehicles still on the road. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11554190November 8, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
I was shocked to find out that Toyota appears to be falsifying data in order to get out of paying to repair safety problems with their cars. Hiding safety issues may have already led to injuries and death. We bought a 2008 Toyota Prius in 2014. The title with Virginia DMV is dated 08/01/14. On November 4, 2023, after several indicator lights showed up, I found out from my garage that the car's anti-lock braking system was defective and not working. However, according to the garage manager, Toyota had acknowledged a defect with their anti-lock braking system. There had been a recall some years ago for this part on the 2008 Prius, but it was no longer in effect. On November 6, 2023, Brittany at Toyota told me the same thing. Toyota acknowledged in 2016 that there was a problem with the anti-lock braking system with this model of car, and that it would be replaced for free by Toyota. This was a "customer support program" rather than a recall. However, according to Brittany, the notice of this "customer support program" was not mailed to us. It was mailed to the previous owner, who owned it before 2014. We never received it. Of course, the dates do not work. We bought the car in 2014, and the notice went out in 2016. There was no reason to send the notice to someone who didn't own the car. Brittany, pretty innocently, had revealed that Toyota is falsifying records. She said that Toyota is using state DMV records to find car owners and send notices of faulty and dangerous parts. However, this is obviously not true. Virginia DMV issued our title to the car on 08/01/14, well before the recall. The only way I can see this happening is if Toyota is falsifying records so that they have to pay to fix far fewer cars. This practice could easily lead to injury and death. There would appear to be a notification mailing, with a postage bill to prove it, but it could have been at least partly fabricated by using past owners instead of current owners. If Toyota had not falsi
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548427October 5, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Yes it is available for inspection upon request. My brakes failed going down the road due to a flaw in brake actuator design that had a previous recall. My safety was put at risk as the brakes failed while I was traveling down the road. The problem has not gone away and can be easily reproduced. There are various warning lamps and the car is unable to be driven. Requests for Toyota to repair the vehicle have been fruitless. This is a KNOWN issue on this year and model.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546918September 27, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the messages for the parking brake, tire pressure monitoring system, ABS, and VSC illuminated while driving. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the brake actuator and brake pump were faulty and needed to be replaced. The failure was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed of the Manufacturer's Extended Warranty Coverage for the failure however, the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was 129,674.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11540412August 23, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, she heard a beeping sound, and the instrument cluster flashed the parking brake and a triangle symbol with an exclamation point was illuminated. The contact stated that the "Failure with Transmission - Pull Over and Shift to Park(P)” message was displayed. The contact stated that the shift indicator on the instrument cluster showed that the vehicle was shifted into park(P). The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal grinding sound and started losing motive power. The contact stated that the engine was still running however, the vehicle lost power steering and braking functionality. The contact stated that when she depressed the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled off the roadway and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained normal functionality; however, after driving for ten miles, the failure recurred. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence and turned off and restarted the vehicle several times. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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