Toyota Prius Complaints (2008)

1,497 consumer complaints on file.

#11538749August 15, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving, the gear lever doesn’t stay in drive or reverse and pops back into neutral. It’s not engaging in drive or reverse.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525005June 2, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
On June 1st yesterday this issue happened again but it was the taillights. The uploaded document is from the most recent repair shop bill for the front headlight (under warranty since it stopped working so close to the previous repair) Intermittently without cause the front right head light goes out (seems like every 3-6 months). And every 12-18 months the tail lights go out (the brake lights still work). The mechanics can't tel if it's a circuit board issue (possible lack of cooling/fan), loos connections and or just poor design. No matter what it is dangerous as I I unexpectedly had to drive on hwys in the dark not knowing my lights all of a sudden aren't working. Thank you very much.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507801February 17, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle we own is no longer covered by an extended warranty offered to Toyota owners of 2004-2009 Prius. The warranty covered the replacement of the digital combination meter which, when failing, no longer displays anything on the dashboard. The situation is dangerous because you lose the ability to monitor fuel tank capacity, speed, warning lights, reverse lights and backup camera. To get around this malfunction requires that the back storage panels be removed and 12-volt battery be disconnected and reconnected. However, the fix is short term since the problem resets itself once the car is turned off. Even when the display is working, we have just discovered that the fuel gauge is inaccurate, causing a serious overflow of fuel due to the display showing 1 bar, when the tank was actually 50% full. Toyota, fully aware of this problem offered a "warranty enhancement" that offered replacement coverage up to September 30, 2013. It only covered customers whose care was demonstrating the problem, excluding any cars that were not showing signs of malfunction. We have a 2008 model, purchased from a Toyota dealership in 2011, that up until around 2-years ago showed no signs of malfunctioning. Therefore, the warranty did not apply. We now, however, are experiencing the malfunction on a daily basis and our vehicle is unsafe, and inconvenient to drive. I called Toyota regarding this and they will not offer any further coverage beyond the September 30, 2013 date. The repair for this malfunction is a minimum $1000, which rightfully should be covered by Toyota due to the potential safety issues surrounding this problem. We would like Toyota to acknowledge customers such as ourselves where the malfunction did not appear until later during our ownership of a 2008 Prius, and pay or reimburse for the repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498203December 20, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I am currently having this issue with Combination Meter, which means the Prius dash board will not show any speed, fuel, P, R, D label and many more important information is not shown on display. I had complained to Toyota, CASE[XXX] on 19Dec2022, I have spoken to Danial N and manager Alex S from Toyota. They both have denied solving this issue from Toyota as the Warranty Extension ZTV has expired. Even I had provided them proof that Toyota knew about this problem, please see [XXX] from Toyota regarding this. My Prius has 258000 miles, and it is 2008, It is high mileage as per their documents this will accrue in high mileage Prius with cold weather. I live in NJ, and it is getting cold and my car as high miles. Toyota refuse to take care of the problem and I as a consumer will have to pay over $1200 to get it fix as this is only done at Toyota dealership. Currently I am thinking of getting it fix at Paul Miller Toyota of West Caldwell, 1155 Bloomfield Ave, West Caldwell, NJ 07006, 973-287-4050. What's sad is Toyota used to rank at the top of best customer service. I'm guessing most of the problems are just after the 9 years, calculated to guarantee fixing the problem to as few people as possible. THERE'S NO EXTENSION AND TOYOTA WON'T HELP. I TRIED AND WAS TOLD ALL DEALS EXPIRED AND TO HELP ONE WOULD MEAN THEY'D HAVE TO HELP ALL. WE'RE ON OUR OWN. Hoping that Toyota has released a solution to the dangerous and consumer related problem related to the failing Combination Meter. The previous ext. Warranty was only good for 9 years from date of first use which did not help many drivers. Super negligent and ripe situation for class action lawsuits not to mention many potentially fatal accidents on the roads. Toyota has denied fixing this problem even Toyota knows this is on going problem. As a government official please try to help me resolve this issue as this is a major concern for many millions of drivers which Toyota need to resolve this. Please INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480313August 20, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The inverter water pump failed while I was driving 50mph, it caused the car to stop working and the brakes malfunctioned as well. When I tried to hit the brakes I had to hit them a lot harder and it still acted like it wasn’t going to stop. I was lucky enough that the light up ahead was still green and the cars in front of me started going forward.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480316August 20, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Brake actuator is going bad, they had a recall on it and are refusing to fix it. Brakes are a lot harder to press.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477201August 2, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle braking system faulting because of lack of pressure from failing ABS accumulator. Given the price of the vehicle on the used market, parts and labor drive the cost of repair to a significant portion of the vehicle's value.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474078July 15, 2022
STEERING
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V537000 (Steering) and the vehicle was repaired under recall. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel started to shake with the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the recall repair had failed. The contact made an appointment with the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that the vehicle be diagnosed by an authorized Toyota dealer. The failure mileage was 119,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11467396June 3, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Headlights go out randomly. Have to turn them off and back on to resume normal operation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11465289May 19, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The electric dashboard (warning lights, speedometer, fuel gauge, etc.) is sometimes off when starting the car. The backup camera and the center display also will not be working. The car will not shut off when the displays are not working. It will usually fix itself after pushing the on/off button a few times. It has happened many times now but isn’t predictable. It hasn’t been looked at by a mechanic yet.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464451May 13, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I had purchased this 2008 Prius touring model used on 4/8/22. The first time I drove it at night I was on the freeway traveling at 55 mph and suddenly had almost no visibility due to loss of headlights. It was terrifying and pure luck that I made it off and home. The headlights turn off one at a time. I took the car to Atomic Auto in Portland, Oregon and they said the type of bulbs in the car often do this when they are failing and need to be replaced. This shop put new bulbs in yesterday, May 12th. It was raining heavily when I left the shop and I turned the headlights on. They failed again in the same way. I had no idea there was a problem like this with any car. I have searched online and now know that this has been a problem with Toyota Prius.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464247May 11, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The catalytic converter was stolen off of the car and yes it is available for inspection upon request. I’m not sure of the safety risk, we drove the car one time and the engine light came on. The problem has not been reported to a dealer or independent service center. Once the incident happened one of our neighbors called the police and they came but they didn’t know which apartment we were in and out neighbor told us that it was our catalytic converter and the police waited for a few minutes and then they left. Our neighbor told us when they heard our car starting.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463076May 2, 2022
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that she was unable to start the vehicle. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the hybrid battery to be replaced due to faulty strips causing leaks. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11460631April 13, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving over a bump or rock the anti-skid warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving the brakes, ABS, and traction control warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 164,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11458310March 25, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The instrument cluster goes completely blank (no fuel gauge, no speedometer, no odometer) and the car cannot be shut down.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11457816March 22, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
DASHBOARD SPEEDOMETER, FUEL GAUGE, HEADLIGHT INDICATORS, TRANSMISSION STATUS, CRUISE CONTROL DO NOT SHOW, ARE NOT LIT UP. BACKUP CAMERA DOES NOT WORK NOR DO THE BACK-UP LIGHTS. THIS OCCURED AFTER THE AUXILIARY BATTERY WAS REPLACED AND THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND BACKUP CAMERA WILL OCCASSIONALLY SPONTANEOUSLY RETURN WHEN THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR A WEEK OR LONGER BUT THEN WILL GO OUT NEXT TIME THE CAR IS TURNED OFF. THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR TURNING OFF CONSISTENTLY AND AT TIMES THE START BUTTON NEEDS TO BE MANUALLY DEPRESSED FOR 5+ SECONDS TO SHUT DOWN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451229February 9, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK
The contact stated owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the ABS system locked up and the brake pedal was firm and difficult to depress, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact activated the parking brakes to aid in stopping the vehicle. The vehicle stopped and was restarted and drove normal for several miles before the failure recurred. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was a known issue. The contact was informed that since the part was defective the dealer would offer a discount towards the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11446349January 5, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
Abs system began a high pitch tone every time the brake pedal was pressed. Brakes did not function consistently, stopping either jarringly or not at all at a specific pressure. Brake pedal has high resistance. Toyota system diagnosed ABS codes C1252, C1256, and C1391: indicative of a faulty/broken brake actuator.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11445898January 3, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Enroute to Maryland, dashboard lights failed - no speedometer, no gas tank info, no mileage. Safety issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11445827January 1, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
I was driving at a speed of 30mph on a road with a slight incline. As I descended that slight incline, I began my descent at a speed of 30mph. There was about 250 ft between the descent of the incline, and the red light at the bottom. As soon as I began my descent I lost all brake pressure. Fortunately there was an entrance to a parking lot to my right, just before the stop light. When friction had slowed my car down I was able to find a parking spot to pull over. Accompanied with my failing brakes were all of my brake associated lights on the dash, and the red triangle light. There was also a steady high pitch buzzing noise. Still, without brake pressure I get out to inspect the car. There were no signs of leaking brake fluid and the rotors and pads were in great condition. The drum brakes in the back were also in great working order. After finding nothing of suspicion, I turn the far off and back on. To my surprise all the warning lights were off, and my brakes were once again functioning properly. The only thing changed was a buzzing noise from the brake actuator as it built up pressure. It has now been over a month with no issues from the brakes expect for the lingering unusual noise from the actuator, which I suspect it to mean that the actuator is close to failing. I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. I took the car to my nearest Toyota dealer the day after the incident. They were not able to read any codes because the codes did not store. They told me they would have to see the car with all the lights on for it to read. Basically meaning, "we can't do anything about it until you're life is at great risk". This problem should absolutely be recalled as I am not the only one to have this issue. Toyota says there top priority is consumer safety, yet they blatantly disregard the issue, and instead do very little to resolve it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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