Toyota Prius Complaints (2007)

2,004 consumer complaints on file.

#10377788January 19, 2011
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
I HAVE RECENTLY MOVED TO PENNSYLVANIA, A STATE WITH MANY HILLS, AND HAVE FOUND THAT ON ICY HILLS, THE TRACTION CONTROL CAUSES THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN ENTIRELY WHEN THE WHEELS SLIP. THIS CREATES A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THERE IS NO POWER AT ALL TO THE WHEELS, CAUSING THE CAR TO SLIP BACKWARD ON THE ICE. I LIVE ON A STEEP HILL AND MY CAR HAS ALMOST ROLLED OFF THE HILL THREE TIMES DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE TRACTION CONTROL / ENGINE. THE PRIUS, UNLIKE MANY OTHER CARS WITH TRACTION CONTROL, HAS NO TRACTION CONTROL SHUTDOWN/OVERRIDE SWITCH. IN RESEARCHING THIS ONLINE, MANY OTHER OWNERS REPORT THE SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10377828January 19, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
THE HID HEAD LAMPS ON MY VEHICLE FLICKER AND GO OUT. IF I SWITCH THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON AGAIN THEY LIGHT BACK UP. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND RANDOMLY. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 70MPH AT NIGHT AND I FEEL UNSAFE. TOYOTA HAS REFUSED TO ACCEPT THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM, BUT IT IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS GENERATION PRIUS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10377183January 19, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
HID BULB FAILURE. BULB ON PASSENGER SIDE WAS SOMETIMES ON AND SOMETIMES OFF. BULB IS V. EXPENSIVE (~$200) AND REPLACEMENT BY DEALER COSTS ANOTHER $100. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10377205January 19, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
HID HEADLAMPS ON 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS DIM AND THEN GO OUT. THIS HAPPENS EVERYTIME THE LIGHTS ARE USED. ONE HEADLAMP HAS BEEN REPLACED AT THE COST OF OVER $200 AND NOW THE OTHER HEADLAMP EXHIBITS THE SAME BEHAVIOR. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10377049January 18, 2011
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE
WHILE PARKED WITH THE CAR TURNED ON, THE ENGINE ENGAGES TO RUN THE A/C OR HEATER AND THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD. THE DISPLAY SCREEN WILL SOMETIMES DISPLAY A WARNING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE PARK MECHANISM AND THAT THE CAR SHOULD BE SHUT OFF AND PARKED ON A LEVEL SURFACE WITH THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED. MY RESEARCH HAS LED TO THE PARK LOCK MECHANISM. TOYOTA SAYS THAT THE LURCH IS NORMAL AND DUE TO WEAR ON THE PARK LOCK. THE "FIX" IS TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE. WHAT IF YOU FORGET OR AREN'T AWARE OF THIS? WHAT IF THE PARK LOCK FAILS AND THE BRAKE ISN'T ON? NONE OF THESE IS UNREASONABLE TO EXPECT. THE POTENTIAL IS FOR THE CAR TO MOVE ON ITS OWN, EVEN WITH NO ONE PRESENT IN THE CAR OR IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THIS IS AN INHERENTLY UNSAFE DESIGN AND SHOULD BE PULLED FROM THE ROAD. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10376840January 16, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2007 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. HEADLIGHTS WILL CONTINUOUSLY GO COMPLETELY OFF WHILE DRIVING AND REQUIRE THAT THE HEADLIGHTS TO BE SWITCHED OFF AND ON TO TURN THEM BACK ON. THIS WILL OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY ANYWHERE FROM EVERY FEW MINUTES TO PERHAPS A HALF AN HOUR OR MORE. THE BULBS APPEAR TO BE IN GOOD WORKING CONDITION ONCE THEY ARE ON BUT THEN WILL GO COMPLETELY DARK UNTIL YOU CYCLE THE SWITCH ON/OFF. LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE REPORTED THIS SAME PROBLEM. THESE LAMPS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND ARE SUPPOSED TO LAST MUCH LONGER THAT REGULAR HEADLAMPS, BUT IT APPEARS THAT TOYOTA HAS AGAIN FAILED TO ADEQUATELY TEST THESE SYSTEMS TO ASSURE THAT THEY ARE RELIABLE. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT YOU ARE LEFT WITH NO VISIBILITY AT ALL, A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE AT LEAST 2006 WITH NO ACTION TAKEN BY THE NHTSA. WHY DON'T YOU GUYS DO YOUR JOB AND REQUIRE THAT THESE COMPANIES FIX THESE OBVIOUS SAFETY RELATED ISSUES CAUSED BY FAULTY PARTS OR ENGINEERING! *LN
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10376858January 16, 2011
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
THE GAS GAUGE OF MY TOYOTA PRIUS 2007 IS DEFECTIVE AND HAS CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I FIRST NOTICED THIS ABOUT A MONTH AGO. THE TANK WAS EMPTY, I PUT A FEW GALLONS OF GAS IN THE TANK AND IT DID NOT REGISTER AT ALL. THE GAUGE STILL SAID EMPTY. THE NEXT TIME I FILLED THE TANK, IT SEEMED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY. THEN, ON JANUARY 16TH, I HAD A TANK THAT WAS NEARLY EMPTY. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR AN HOUR OR SO WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE GAS GAUGE SPONTANEOUSLY WENT FROM ALMOST EMPTY TO FULL. THIS CREATES AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE THE GAUGE IS NOT ACCURATE. THERE WILL BE NO WARNING BEFORE WE RUN OUT OF GAS. IF THIS SHOULD HAPPEN ON A HIGHWAY, IT COULD EASILY BE FATAL. SLOWING DOWN WITHOUT WARNING IS AS DANGEROUS AS ACCELERATING WITHOUT WARNING. TOYOTA MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS DEFECT. THEY WILL "RECALIBRATE" THE GAUGE AT A COST OF $180/HOUR TO ME. THIS IS NOT A SATISFACTORY RESPONSE TO A SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS AND TOYOTA NEEDS TO PROVIDE ALL PRIUS OWNERS WITH RELIABLE GAS GAUGES. THANK YOU. *LN
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10377368January 13, 2011
AIR BAGS
I WAS HIT ON DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR BY A LARGE PICKUP TRUCK IN A CITY INTERSECTION. THE TRUCK IMPACT CENTERED ON THE DRIVER DOOR.TRUCK GOING AROUND 30 MPH, MY CAR GOING ABOUT 10 MPH. DRIVER'S DOOR WAS CRUSHED IN, SIDE WINDOW SHATTERED, DOOR REQUIRED REMOVAL BY RESCUE SQUAD. I, THE DRIVER, WAS WEARING SEAT BELT. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#10376329January 12, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
INTERMITTENT RIGHT HID HEADLAMP. PROBLEM STARTED ABOUT 40K MILES. THE LIGHT DIMS, FLICKERS AND GOES OUT. TURNING LIGHTS OFF TO ON WILL FIX ISSUE TEMPORARILY. SAME PROBLEM REPORTED BY THOUSANDS. REPAIR COSTS VARY FROM $300 TO $2000. THE PROBLEM OCCURS DAILY. EACH TIME THERE IS A RISK OF BEING IN ACCIDENT. TOYOTA AND NHTSA ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT NOTHING BEING DONE ABOUT IT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10375277January 9, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
PASSENGER HEADLIGHT WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. WILL TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING AND OCCASIONALLY COME BACK ON IF THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF THEN BACK ON AGAIN. DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WITH ONE HEADLIGHT WORKING AND I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF DRIVING AND BOTH WENT OUT. DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A LOOSE CONNECTION AS TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON WILL OCCASIONALLY FIX THE PROBLEM UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10375186January 7, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH ABOUT 85,000 MILES AND THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT ONLY WORKS PERIODICALLY. SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T COME ON AND SOMETIMES IT WORKS FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP. I DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT IS WORKING AND NOT SINCE THERE IS NO ALARM OR LIGHT INDICATING THAT I HAVE A PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS ME TO REPLACE BOTH HID LIGHTBULBS FOR $300. I AM NOT SURE THAT THIS WILL FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE SOMETIMES IT DOES WORK AND STAYS ON FOR A LONG PERIOD. THIS COULD BE A MAJOR PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY IF BOTH HEADLIGHTS START HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AT THE SAME TIME. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10374891January 6, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
TOYOTA MOTORS SENT ME A LETTER SAYING THEY INSTALLED FAULTY HEADLIGHT BULBS IN THE 2007 PRIUS AND THEY WOULD ONLY CHARGE ME 389.65 TO REPLACE THEM AND YOU CAN'T REPLACE 1 BULB, YOU HAVE TO REPLACE BOTH. THIS IS A SAFETY ITEM THAT THEY ADMIT WAS THEIR PROBLEM AND I HAVE TO PAY TO FIX IT? TALKING TO OTHER OWNERS AND ALL OF HAVE TRAFFIC TICKETS THAT TOYOTA COULD PAY FOR ALSO. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10375773January 6, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT IS INTERMITTENT. IF YOU TURN THE SWITCH OFF, THEN BACK ON, THE HEADLIGHT COMES BACK ON.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10374733January 5, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2007 TOYOTA PRIUS IS EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT HID HEADLIGHT FAILURE. RIGHT HEADLIGHT WAS REPLACED IN 2009 AND NOW LEFT HEADLIGHT IS EXPERIENCING SAME PROBLEM. PROBLEM WITH LEFT HEADLIGHT BEGAN ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO AND NOW LIGHT STAYS OFF FOR MUCH LONGER AND IS QUICKER TO OCCUR. CAR IS AT 52K SO WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THIS REPLACEMENT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10374736January 5, 2011
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AND ANOTHER VEHICLE BUMPED INTO IT CAUSING THE GEAR SHIFT TO MOVE INTO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE TRAVELED OVER AN 18 INCH SNOW BANK AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS WERE DAMAGED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER. A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND FOUND THAT THE GEAR SHIFT BEING PLACED IN AND OUT OF PARK SEVERAL TIMES CAUSED THE GEARS TO SLIP INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN INTO REVERSE. THE CONTACT CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK. THE CONTACT WAS NOT OFFERED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10374076January 4, 2011
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
I RECEIVED A NOTICE IN THE MAIL STATING THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE MY AFTERMARKET SUNROOF REPLACED DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE GLASS WAS POORLY BONDED TO THE FRAME. THE MANUFACTURER IS WEBASTO. AFTER FINALLY BEING ABLE TO GET REGISTERED WITH WEBASTO TO HAVE THE REPAIR TAKE PLACE, I WAS CALLED AND TOLD THAT THE PARTS WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR 4-7 WEEKS. IT HAS BEEN ABOUT TWO WEEKS, AND I'VE HAD NO UPDATES OR CALLS ABOUT MY CAR. I THINK THAT 4-7 WEEKS IS AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO HAVE TO WAIT FOR PARTS WHEN YOU'RE IN DANGER OF HAVING YOUR SUNROOF FALL ON TOP OF YOU. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10374374January 3, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
VEHICLE HID HEADLIGHTS JUST STOPPED FUNCTIONING, THEY ARE STILL INTERMITTENT AT THIS TIME, WITH THE PROBLEM GETTING WORSE BY THE WEEK. BY SHUTTING THE CAR OFF, THEY MAY BE TURNED ON AGAIN, BUT ONLY FOR A (VARIABLY) SHORT TIME, SOMETIMES LESS THAN 2 MINUTES, SOMETIMES MORE THAN 15...
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10373991January 3, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD FAIL INTERMITTENTLY FOR A PERIOD OF TWO MONTHS BEFORE BECOMING INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE FAILURE AND THE DEALER WANTED TO CHANGE THE BULB. THE CONTACT DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO COMPLETE THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, IF HE WOULD SWITCH THE HEADLIGHT OFF AND ON, IT WOULD WORK SO HE DID NOT BELIEVE THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE BULB ITSELF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000. UPDATED 02/23/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE HEAD LIGHTS WOULD FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. UPDATED 05/04/11
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10373630December 31, 2010
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
DRIVER-SIDE HEADLIGHT FUNCTIONS INTERMITTENTLY AT STARTUP....I HAVE TO TURN SWITCH OFF COMPLETELY AND TURN ON, AND LIGHT FUNCTIONS....MANY PRIUS OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS OVER THE YEARS, AND TOYOTA HAS DONE NOTHING....SOME THEORIZE THE CIRCUIT BOARD CONTROLLING THE HID LIGHTS IS IN A POOR LOCATION AND OVERHEATS/DEFECTIVE....ANYWAY THIS IS NOT A BULB PROBLEM, BUT A SYSTEM PROBLEM.....PLEASE HELP US...... *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10373442December 30, 2010
STEERING
STEERING WHEEL CLUNKS AS IT IS TURNED PAST CERTAIN POSITIONS. OVERALL, IT HAS A LOOSE FEEL. TOYOTA INSPECTED IT, SAID IT IS NOT NORMAL, BUT FAILED TO FIND A SOLUTION. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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