Toyota Prius Complaints (2015)

171 consumer complaints on file.

#11595133June 18, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My vehicle has an ongoing issue with the headlights not being bright enough to drive at night with. I have replaced the headlights more than 5 times now over the course of a year, each time with different brands including Toyota OEM headlights. Each time, they are still not sufficiently bright enough to see with at night. This has led to 3 collisions with curbs and objects which caused damage to my vehicle, because I could not see the objects while having to drive at night. I have brought the issue up to Toyota and they said they would not do anything about it. I brought it in for service to Toyota and they tried to charge me $200 to even look at it, money which I do not have. I am forced to continue driving at night for work and fear I will get into a more serious crash or hit a pedestrian as the headlights aren't bright enough to see safely at night. The photo I have included shows a gash in the tire and dent in the rim where it hit the curb. The issue seems to be the headlight wiring or connectors. When I replace the headlight bulbs, they are a bit brighter initially. Thus initial brightness only lasts about a week, and it's still not sufficiently bright to drive safely. They then dim even further to the point where it's like driving without headlights at all. Again this has led to 3 collisions at this point since I'm required to drive at night and don't have the money to fix it. Toyota refused a good faith repair and did not acknowledge there was an issue, however if you do a web search for "Prius headlights too dim" it seems to be a major issue with many other Prius owners. It should be noted that even the high beam headlights are not bright enough to sufficiently see with at night.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11566726January 20, 2024
AIR BAGS
Airbags didn’t deploy in a front end collision that totaled the car. The driver hit their forehead on the steering wheel. Driver had bruising from the seatbelt. There were no warning lights or indications of any issues.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11541248August 28, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR BAGS, ENGINE
Driving making slight turn car locked up steering wheel, brakes and gas all locked up ran in to a wall. The vehicle just failed with no prior warning.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11531050July 8, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
My brake booster is failing and has been confirmed with Certified Toyota Master Mechanics at Toyota Dealerships that it is failing. Toyota has a CSP Called ZJB to replace these once the brake booster fails. My car has been identified as one of the cars with a faulty brake booster and I’m terrified to continue to drive it as it has to throw a code and break before they will change the faulty part. I want them to fix it before it fails and someone gets hurt. What do I do? There are a lot of other complaints about this but Toyota is not fixing them until they break. This is a huge safety issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528465June 23, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When I parked my car and stopped the engine after driving for 90 min/62 miles on June 22, 2023, I found that I couldn't lock my car's door, through my remote, door handle or the switch inside the door. Upon further examination, I saw complete loss of the power: no light, no audio, no other accessory power, no start of engine. Foot press on the brake feels heavy/less responsive. One hr after the incident I went back (because I had some business to attend) to the car, everything looked normal (with full functions recovered) as if nothing happened before. 6 hrs later the car still behaved fine. I measured 12-v battery and it registered 12.3 v (I bought the car new 8 years ago and I haven't changed the battery yet). I noticed that my the clock in the car lost 10 mins (behind correct time) and I concluded the complete loss of battery power lasted about 10 mins. By the time of this report, I have started the engine 5 times without any problem but this loss of power gravely concerns me. I saw recalls for similar problems affecting similar prius models/years however my car is not on the list.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11519088April 26, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
1. Brake accumulator pump is running too often, indicating that there is a pressure leak in the braking system. 2. As designed the pump will run only on occasion to charge the booster fully. This pump runs a lot, whether the car is running, or not, whether the brakes are applied, or not, and regardless of braking rigorously or gently. 3. Occasionally, on start up, brake pedal goes to the floor as the accumulator has lost all charge. 3. No brake warning lights on dash, yet. 4. No service codes known, yet. Toyota had a customer support program to address this issue, extending warranty to 10 years or 150,000 miles. I am at 160,000, 8 years. The problem has been occurring for a while, but I was not aware as it was my wife's car and driven solely by her. I was told today by a Toyota resolution specialist that no help would be forthcoming, and to hope that NHTSA issues a recall wherein my problem with the braking system would then be addressed. This seems problematic for many reasons, not the least of which is that it is regarding BRAKES, an integral part of the safety equipment to ensure our highways are without danger or have no known issues that have not been resolved by a car manufacturer. My Toyota case number is 230426001055. This 'complaint' is to alert this agency that there is a problem with my vehicle, and others, known by Toyota, as evidenced by past Customer Support Program, and as substantiated today by service rep at Family Toyota of Burleson, and there is no recompense available for the $3,000.00 repair required to ensure my vehicle safely travels our nations highways. While I understand that a car cannot be warrantied indefinitely, an eight year old car that has been meticulously maintained with a serious safety time bomb should not fall upon the owner entirely, nor should it be the responsibility of your agency to force the hand of the automaker. Since that is there stance, I appeal to you to respond seriously and help me try to remedy.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11512473March 17, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
I bought this car brand new and have had it serviced regularly at a Greensboro Nc Toyota dealership. It has 127,000 miles on it. I starting hearing a grinding whirring noice a lot lately and determined it is a brake actuator/brake booster. Took it to the dealership and they confirmed it to be a brake booster going bad. Engages at least 4 times a minute. There is a customer support program for this repair from Toyota ZJB and covers the part up to 10 years or 150,000 miles. I am in the covered period but it has to break first before they will cover it even though they confirmed it is going bad. It has to “throw a code” before Toyota will pay. I reached out toToyota and they reached out to the dealership which is Greensboro Toyota in Greensboro, NC and their regional office won’t fix it because it would come out of their pocket and Toyota won’t fix until it breaks. My research confirms this could be a bad safety issue driving around waiting for this to break. There are no codes yet but the dealership has heard it and confirmed it’s going bad and I have video of the part going bad. I always service everything with my car or home when it needs to be done and to be told to drive around until it breaks is negligent. Apparently it is a 2-3k fix. This is a serious safety issue that Toyota is aware of. Retha Fisher 16 Fawnwood Ct Greensboro, NC 27407 336-314-2000
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505951February 7, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
The brake assist. Driving and suddenly no brakes. Happened 2x in this vehicle and had to get a tow each time, even after getting new brake pads the first time it happened at my mechanics. The dealer confirmed today that they would fix the problem at $2700. The lights for traction and abs went off with a warning sound. Pulled over both times and called aaa for tow…..each a separate incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11489032October 12, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that after his mother had driven uphill and had pulled into a gas station with him in the front passenger seat, the vehicle began to overheat. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle on the passenger side. Additionally, the exhaust pipe emitted white smoke. The contact's mother shifted into neutral (N) and the vehicle was pushed into a parking spot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer two weeks later. The dealer diagnosed that the water pump had failed, causing the head gasket to blow out. The dealer diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,464.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482361September 1, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Incident was body and light
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469363June 15, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
The brake booster pump assembly has failed through no fault of my own. This is a major safety issue!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468417June 9, 2022
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake, check engine, and ABS warning lights illuminated. The "Check Hybrid System - Stop Vehicle in A Safe Place" messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where an unknown repair was completed; however, the failure recurred while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 25-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V369000 (Hybrid Propulsion System). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 29,407.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11467724June 6, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that as he approached a stop light at 25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard as he attempted to stop the vehicle. The brakes failed to operate without warning as he hit the vehicle in front of him. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. A police report was filed and both the contact and the other driver were able to drive away from the scene. No injuries were reported. Prior to this failure, the contact stated that the same failure occurred months prior while traveling at 20 MPH in the rain. The contact stated that the brakes failed to operate without warning as he depressed the brake pedal to the floorboard; he hit an unknown object on the road due to the failure. The contact initially thought that the failure was related to slippery roadways; however, after the most recent failure, he related the prior incident with his most recent failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be serviced or diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462365April 26, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My mom was involved in an accident in her 2015 Toyota Prius on April 19, 2022, which she advised lurched forward at a stop and when applying the brakes to stop the vehicle, she said was unresponsive, causing her to clip a vehicle and sending her vehicle into a ditch totaling her car and injuring her passenger and her. I would like to have this investigated and hold Toyota responsible. This could have been much worse and lives could have been lost. She is now without means of transportation, and she is now possibly responsible for damages to property and bodily injury because of this. Through my research I have discovered multiple class action lawsuits brought against Toyota for the same exact models. I asked the police officer to run a scan on the computer, but he advised it was only for serious accidents. There was no indication of the problem or messages.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11451799February 14, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
My 2015 prius gen 3 has a 118,000 miles since we bought it brand new in 2015. We periodically have it maintained with our own mechanic even after the warranty expired with the dealer. However, we experienced that the lights of Brake system, ABS and VSC went out the same time. We have it checked but there was no error code. the car is operational but the brake system does not engaged fully when you presses the brake pedal. The vehicle does not stop immediately if you need to immediately stop the vehicle. The problem strongly indicates failure in ABS control modules which can costs us a big amount of money ranging from $3,500 minimum up to $6000 max. Majority of the prius owners that shared their experiences to us regarding the same problems are unanimous in their opinion that it is indeed the brake control module. That such defect can only be pointed to the manufacturers' misdeeds.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11442485December 2, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I bought this vehicle on July 3, 2015. When I took it in for an oil change in Dec. 2015, I was informed that there was a mice infestation and that the electrical wires and other systems were damaged, resulting in about $2,800 in repairs due to the mice chewing the wiring. I just took this vehicle back in on 29 Nov. 2021 because some of the systems weren't working properly, and they confirmed that a mouse has again chewed up the electrical system, again costing about $5,000 in repairs. I've just been informed by my exterminator that Toyota uses a wiring harness coated with a soybean based coating which is causing reports of mice damage in a lot of Toyota vehicles. We have 2 other vehicles which are not Toyota vehicles and have never had a single problem with mice chewing the wiring harnesses of those vehicles, although all are parked in the same area. The vehicle is currently pending repairs at Fred Haas Toyota Country in Houston, TX and will be there for at least a couple of weeks pending availability of parts. Electrical issues of this type can cause serious failure of safety features. Toyota has never told me that they use soy based elements in their vehicles that would entice rodents to chew the wiring or otherwise entice them into the vehicle. I do not have a report from insurance yet, but I have filed a claim.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11438744October 30, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Window buttons on drivers side master power window switch failed. Felt warm on door. There have been recalls of other models of Toyota cars including Prius C.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434322September 25, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
As stated from 5 months after we bought it, and the first prius, the car won't start. No matter if parked flat, keys in or out over night, or the temp, when the break is pushed it is squishy and makes draining noise and won't start. As a dr on call i have LOST patients because I could not leave my house. i carry and use the charger daily ever since. Taken in lots. they say, "you don't drive enough..or some other bogus excuse, like don't leave keys in car, which is how priuses start and run!. the car is driven in all ways a lot. also we buy headlights and headlamps on both about every 2 months. also it looses power and has shut off while driving. the worst is when it would start on its own in the locked garage. at that point my wife just quit driving all together. nothing but nightmares. She almsot crashed on fw when power went out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429021August 13, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On August 10, 2021 my 2015 Prius was parked in a Strip Mall parking lot. When I turned on the Prius and shifted into reverse, after traveling only a foot or so, the shift selector popped into Neutral. When I shifted into Drive, it happened again. After several tries with the same results, I called Findlay Toyota Service. I was advised to have the car towed, at my expense, to Findlay Toyota Service. Note: the tow truck driver reported to me and the Findlay Service Representative that he could keep the shift selector in gear by holding it in place with his hand while driving it to the tow truck. The Prius was left at Findlay Toyota for 2 days. The Service Rep reported that 3 different mechanics plus himself could not duplicate the problem; the Prius stayed in gear for them. I researched online and found other Prius owners reported this problem ocurring intermittantly. The only solution seems to be replacing the Shift Selector Switch at a cost of $838.35 + tax. Even though this is clearly a safety hazard, there is no recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428898August 12, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE
While attempting to accelerate from a stop light, the Prius stalled. It would not accelerate although the engine revved. I restarted the car by powering completely off and back on. I tried to accelerate again multiple times until it slowly came up to speed the third attempt. The car was in drive and has never happened before. This is a safety concern for multiple reasons but the main being it can cause harm to those in the vehicle as well as other drivers on the road when the car stalls unexpectedly. There were no warning signals on the dash. Toyota dealer looked at it right away, ran diagnostics, and could not find an issue. Nothing was “fixed” or updated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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