Toyota Prius Complaints (2008)

1,497 consumer complaints on file.

#10456231April 18, 2012
AIR BAGS
CPSC# I1240212A. 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER STATED SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE IN A CAR ACCIDENT. THEY HAD THE GREEN LIGHT AND A VEHICLE RAN THROUGH HIS RED LIGHT. HER HUSBAND WASN'T ABLE TO STOP, AND T-BONED THE OTHER VEHICLE, AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THEIR VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *LN
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#10455512April 17, 2012
STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE
THE LIFT GATE'S PROBLEMATIC OPENING, HAS CAUSED THE LATCH AND THE BODY PART THAT IT IS ATTACHED, TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE. *JS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10454933April 12, 2012
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SMOKE EMITTED FROM UNDER THE HOOD WHILE DRIVING INTO A GARAGE AT 5 MPH. THE CONTACT OPENED THE HOOD AND NOTICED A FLAME. THE CONTACT THEN EXTINGUISHED THE FLAME. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE INSURANCE COMPANY WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE WIRING HARNESS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10454909April 11, 2012
TIRES, TIRES:SIDEWALL
I PURCHASED FOUR CONTINENTAL 185 65 R15 TIRES FOR 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS AND HAD THEM INSTALLED AT A NISSAN DEALERSHIP ON 10/24/2011WITH MILEAGE 92526 DUE TO CURB STRIKES, I INCURRED TWO ROAD HAZARD SIDEWALL CLAIMS WITHIN 2 DAYS OF INSTALL; ONE BULBOUS SECTION AND ONE FLAT. INSTALLATION OF WARRANTY REPLACEMENTS OCCURRED 11/08/11 AT MILEAGE 93335. ANOTHER CURB STRIKE SIDEWALL WARRANTY CLAIM FOR THIRD TIRE INSTALLED ON 2/28/12 AT MILEAGE 98658. FOURTH AND FINAL REPLACEMENT OF ORIGINALLY PURCHASED TIRES YET TO BE PROCESSED/INSTALLED FROM CURB STRIKE ROAD HAZARD ON 4/9/12 AT MILEAGE 100289. PRIOR TO PURCHASE OF CONTINENTAL TIRES, NO ROAD HAZARD HAS OCCURRED WITH THE VEHICLE ON TWO OTHER BRANDS OF TIRES. I HAD TO PURCHASE AN EXTRA OEM SPARE TIRE DUE TO THE LENGTH OF THE WARRANTY PROCESS AND THE NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES. THE LAST AND FINAL TIME, SINCE I HAD NOT YET REPLACED MY OEM SPARE AGAIN(IT HADN'T BEEN SIX WEEKS SINCE THE LAST REPLACEMENT) I PURCHASED A LESS-EXPENSIVE BRAND AND MODEL, AS EACH LOCAL CONTINENTAL DEALER IS UNABLE TO ORDER THIS MODEL OF TIRE FROM THEIR DISTRIBUTOR AND HAS TO CALL CONTINENTAL FOR REPLACEMENT DIRECTLY. THE SECOND OEM SPARE WAS UNFIT FOR DRIVING. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10454201April 5, 2012
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
INCORRECT FUEL GAUGE/RUBBER BLADDER CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SHUTDOWN WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. GAUGE SHOWED 2 BARS 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453233March 27, 2012
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, I'VE BEEN HAVING INTERMITTENT LOWERING OF DASHBOARD LIGHTS, OR COMPLETE LACK OF THEM. ON THIS CAR, THAT MEANS I SUDDENLY WILL HAVE NO SPEEDOMETER, NO GAS GAUGE, WHICH CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS (PARTICULARLY THE SPEEDOMETER!). WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC, I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM, BUT THAT TOYOTA HAD NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE PART WHICH REQUIRES THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THERE ARE NO ISSUES WITH THE ACTUAL BULBS; IT'S A COMPUTER ISSUE, FROM WHAT I'M TOLD. THIS IS NOT AN AGE ISSUE OF THE CAR; THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY MALFUNCTION!. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453244March 27, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
WE WERE PULLED OVER BY A POLICEMAN AND WAS NOTIFIED THAT OUR PASSENGER SIDE HEAD LIGHT WAS OUT. WE SHUT THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN TURNED THEM BACK ON , THEY STAY ON FOR A FEW SECONDS OR MINUTES AND THEN THEY TURN OFF. WE UNDERSTAND THAT IS A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE PRIUS. WE HAVE HAD 3 PRIUSES AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD A PROBLEM. IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE A DEALER PUT IN YOUR LIGHT IT CAN BE $300.00 TO $500.00 . ( FOR CHANGING A LIGHT BULB THAT IS NOT EVEN FUNNY). *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10451112March 11, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING ON A RURAL 2 LANE ROAD - APPROXIMATE SPEED OF 65 MPH. FLICKING THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON TURNED THE LIGHT BACK ON, BUT IT CONTINUED TO TURN OFF EVERY COUPLE OF MINUTES. I FIND THIS SITUATION VERY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY IN MY RURAL LOCATION WHERE THERE ARE NO OTHER LIGHTS ALONG THE ROAD AND WILDLIFE ABOUNDS. GIVEN THE EXPENSE OF GOING TO A DEALER TO CHANGE OUT A LIGHT BULB (ESTIMATED COST OF $300-500) AND THAT MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, I WILL CHANGE OUT THE BULB MYSELF. I FIND THE COST OF THESE HID BULBS OUTRAGEOUS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE LIGHT BULB DYING VERY DANGEROUS. WHAT HAPPENS IF BOTH OF MY LIGHTS DECIDE TO TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING? WHAT DO I TELL THE OFFICER WHEN I EVENTUALLY GET PULLED FOR HAVING A HEADLIGHT THAT INTERMITTENTLY TURNS ON AND OFF BEFORE I CAN GET THIS REPLACED? WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THE LACK OF AVAILABILITY OF THIS TYPE BULB IN MY LOCATION OF RESIDENCE AND THE EXTREME COST TO REPLACE THESE DANGEROUS LIGHTS? THESE BULBS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN VEHICLES UNTIL THEY CAN FIGURE OUT A BETTER WAY TO WARN THE DRIVER THAT THE HEADLIGHT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, AND ALSO REDUCE THE COST OF THE BULB SO THAT THE DRIVER CAN AFFORD TO REPLACE THE BULB. *TR *JS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10450861March 9, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
JUST LIKE MANY OTHER PRIUS SEEN ON ROAD, MY PRIUS GOT THE HEADLIGHT PROBLEM,IT WAS STARTING TWO YEARS BEFORE, SOMETIMES ITS RIGHT HEADLIGHT ON WOULD BE SUDDENLY OFF, IF I TURNED IT OFF AND PUT IT BACK ON AGAIN AND THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT WOULD BE COMING BACK AGAIN. UNFORTUNATELY, STARTING FROM LAST WEEK, WHEN I TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS, THE RIGHT ONE JUST ON FOR AROUND 10 SECONDS, IT WOULD BE AUTOMATICALLY OFF BUT NOW THE RIGHT LIGHT DIDN'T COME BACK AGAIN. I BELIEVE IT IS NOT ONLY MY CAR PROBLEM. I HAVE SEEN MANY PRIUS CAR ON THE ROAD HAVING THIS PROBLEM TOO. IT MAY BE CAUSED THE MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10447922February 14, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS HEADLIGHTS WOULD DIMINISH SLOWLY AND OVER TIME THEY WOULD NOT FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED HIM THAT HE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE BULBS. WITHIN A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE BULBS WERE REPLACED, THE FAILURE HAD RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 78,000. RVK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10447511February 11, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT SUDDENLY WENT OUT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10447513February 11, 2012
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
PASSENGER HEADLIGHT SUDDENLY WENT OUT. WILL COME BACK ON MOMENTARILY IF YOU TURN LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10447512February 11, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT SUDDENLY WENT OUT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10447255February 9, 2012
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
WHENEVER I'M BRAKING THE VEHICLE AND IT GOES OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD THE ANTI SKID BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGES AND BLINKS ON THE DASH AND THERE IS A BRIEF SEVERAL SECOND LOSS OF BRAKING AND I CAN FEEL THE BRAKES DISENGAGE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10446277February 2, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL INTERMITTENTLY DIM AND THEN TURN OFF. TURNING THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND THEN BACK ON WILL ALLOW THE LIGHTS TO COME BACK ON BUT THE DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL IMMEDIATELY DIM AND THEN WITHOUT WARNING TURN OFF AGAIN. *KB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10446118February 1, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I RECEIVED A WARNING TICKET FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT BEING OUT WHILE USING WINDSHIELD WIPERS IN RAIN. WHEN I GOT HOME AFTER LESS THAN 50 MILES, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WERE WORKING. DURING THE NEXT 3 DAYS BOTH HEADLIGHTS WERE ON EVERY TIME I CHECKED. ON MONDAY AT ABOUT 5:30 PM THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. WHEN CHECKED SEVERAL HOURS LATER ONLY THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. ON TUESDAY I TOOK THE CAR TO THE GATEWAY TOYOTA DEALER SERVICE AT ROUTE 37 EAST AND BATCHELOR STREET IN TOMS RIVER, NJ. THERE I WAS CHARGED $521.56 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF BOTH HEADLIGHTS. IT TOOK FROM 2 PM TO 5:45 PM. IN ADDITION TO THIS REPAIR THEY WANTED TO DO ABOUT A THOUSAND DOLLARS ADDITIONAL WORK. I PURCHASED MY PRIUS FROM TOWNE TOYOTA IN LEDGEWOOD, NJ AND TAKE IT THERE REGULARLY FOR SERVICE. THE MOST RECENT SERVICE WAS ABOUT JAN. 12TH, 2012. THAT DEALER PERFORMED THE REGULAR 60,000 MILE SERVICE AND SUGGESTED NO MORE. I HAVE FOUND INFORMATION ABOUT THIS INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT PROBLEM ON LINE AND THE CLASS ACTION SUIT. UNFORTUNATELY, MY CAR IS BEYOND THE MILEAGE LIMIT OF 50,000 MILES. MY CONCERN IS SAFETY SHOULD BOTH HEADLIGHTS FAIL AT ONCE AND THAT NO WARNING ABOUT THIS PROBLEMS COMES FROM TOYOTA. AND I DON'T LIKE GETTING TICKETS FOR PROBLEMS THAT COME AND GO. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10445017January 24, 2012
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE REAR DRIVER'S DOOR COULD NOT BE OPENED FROM THE INTERIOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CHILD SAFETY LOCK ON THE DOOR WAS ENGAGED. THE DEALER DISENGAGED THE CHILD SAFETY LOCK, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10443566January 12, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
SIMILAR TO OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE HEADLIGHT BULB ON THE TOYOTA PRIUS (HTTP://WWW.HYBRIDCARS.COM/FORUMS/REPLACING-HEADLIGHT-BULB-T910.HTML) WHEN I TURN THEM ON TO DRIVE AT NIGHT, AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES THE DRIVER, PASSENGER, OR BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OFF (AS IF THE BULBS HAVE BURNED OUT) BUT IF I TURN OFF MY LIGHTS AND TURN THEM BACK ON, BOTH LIGHTS WILL COME BACK ON AND WILL EVENTUALLY TURN OFF AGAIN. IN MOST CASES WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY TURN OFF, BOTH LIGHTS TURN OFF WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT AND I HAVE TO QUICKLY TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND TURN THEM BACK ON SO THAT I HAVE TEMPORARY VISIBILITY WITH THE HEADLIGHTS UNTIL THEY GO OFF AGAIN. FOR EXAMPLE, MY COMMUTE FROM WORK TO HOME IS ROUGHLY 45 MINUTES AND EVERY 5 - 7 MINUTES THE LIGHTS WILL GO OFF AND I HAVE TO TURN THEM OFF AND THEN BACK ON TO REGAIN VISIBILITY AT NIGHT. FOR EXAMPLE ON THE FORUM, THE FOLLOWING TOYOTA PRIUS OWNERS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR VEHICLE. 1) [XXX] 2) [XXX] 3)[XXX] 4)[XXX] 5) [XXX] 6) [XXX] 7)[XXX] LIST GOES ON AND THESE COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR AT LEAST 3 YRS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10443245January 10, 2012
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INTERMITTENT HEADLAMP FAILURE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10443246January 10, 2012
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VEHICLE INSTURMENT CLUSTER FAILURE. VEHICLE WILL NOT POWER DOWN. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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