Like so many other 2010 Prius owners, around the 110,000 mile mark my car started consuming a lot more oil then it previously had. Currently (130,000 miles) I have to add approximately 4 quarts of oil in between oil changes and my catalytic converter is now 100% clogged because of the oil consumption problem. I have researched for many hours to see if there is a resolution to this problem other than me paying for another engine to be put into my 7 year old vehicle. I am so frustrated that Toyota is not owning up to this issue. In my hours of searching I did come across a Technical Service Bulletin that Toyota sent out to it's repair centers that addresses this exact issue. So, they are aware there is a problem and they have laid out the steps for the repair centers to diagnose and repair it. The problem is, this TSB dated November 2016 states that this issue is covered under warranty only for 60,000 miles or 60 Months, whichever occurs first. For a 2010 Prius this warranty has obviously already expired. Toyota needs to step up and extend the warranty on this issue or they are going to lose a lot of customers. This Prius is my 3rd Toyota. I have been loyal to Toyota and had planned on never purchasing anything but Toyota because I thought it was a good brand. I will remain loyal if they fix this issue soon but if they do not, I will never purchase another Toyota again.

I have been going back and forth with Toyota for the last year regarding excessive oil consumption on my 2010 Prius. I initially reported the problem while my vehicle was under its 100,000 mile certification warranty coverage. They ran an oil consumption test and told me that they found that the car did not consume extra oil. (Paperwork showed it was filled with 5 quarts, the car does not require 5 quarts, therefore I am assuming it was overfilled in order to pass the test).

I then stated to the dealership that I disagreed with the findings due to the fact that I was constantly having to add quarts of oil between oil changes. They told me to call the corporate customer service number and open a case which I did and if the problem continued it and they found out what was causing it, the repairs would be covered under the certification warranty coverage because I had reported it before the coverage had ran out.

After more than one attempt, I could not get anyone from the corporate customer service number to call me back so I gave up and continued to notify the dealer every time the vehicle was in for routine service. I repeatedly told the dealership that the car was still using excessive oil and not throwing any type of oil light until there was nothing left on the dipstick and even at that, the only indication we ever receive from the vehicle is a 2 second flash on the dashboard that says low oil pressure when take a sharp turn or quick stop, other than they there is no indication the vehicle it out of oil.

They continued to tell me that they didn’t see anything wrong and the mechanics never reported that the oil was low during oil changes. Fast forward until around March or April of this year when I had the dealer replace a rear bearing and complete the usual oil change during a visit… within a week or so later there was an issue with my intake manifold. They then replaced the manifold and within the next few days I was completely out of oil. (They stated it was down over 3.5 quarts) I immediately brought the car right back to them, they said there was no way since they had literally just done the oil change.

They finally ran another oil consumption test and found it to definitely fail the test. They stated that they would send the findings over the warranty department asking that the “short block” be replaced under the warranty coverage (due to faulty pistons and such). For almost the next 2 months I continually went back and forth with them they kept saying they were waiting for an answer and had not heard back from the warranty department. So after about 6 weeks I was finally told by them that the warranty department cannot do anything because they (the dealership) never opened an initial call with them when the car was under the certification coverage to report the excessive oil consumption problem.

My service adviser at the dealership then told me to contact Toyota's corporate customer service number again which I did. They apologized for the year long run around I had been given from the dealership. They told me they would escalate the issue to the customer relations manager at the dealership, since I was not getting anywhere with the service department, they had asked for them to make the repair under the warranty cover or at the dealerships cost. The dealership then responded that they were not willing to assist in any way with the repair. The customer service manager proceeded to tell me that there was nothing he could do since the warranty call was never opened (by the dealership) when I initially reported the problem.

He also continued to tell me that he has owned a hybrid and they use lots of oil, its normal. That I should just keep adding oil on my own. I asked for a quote to do the repair and he told me that he did not have one but I would be looking at $2000 for them to even start looking at the engine to try and find the problem. He also stated that there was no records of me reporting to problem so I was pretty much stuck with it, even though the corporate number could see all of my service records which indicated that I have reported the problem since May of last year. I then called back the corporate customer service number since I was initially told they could escalate it again if the response I received was unacceptable.

When I did call back, the representative I had been working with was unavailable, so I left a message for her with the case number and everything. She returned my call 4 days later and left a message so I called back and said I was returning her call, I was told she was unavailable and that she had left a note in the record that she did not know why I was calling. That rep then proceeded to tell me that he didn’t understand why the dealership had told me to call them in the first place there is nothing they can do. He stated he could see on the records that the dealership responded saying they admit that there is a problem with excessive oil consumption but they will not be providing any type of help because the problem is no longer under coverage.

He also stated that they are just the manufacturer they cannot control what their dealerships do, they cannot make them do anything if they choose not to. I asked to speak to his manager so I could find out what my other options were and he refused to give me to anyone. He said my problems are with the dealership there is nothing they can do to help me.

After all this running in circles and wasted hours of time I am now stuck with a vehicle that clearly has an excessive oil consumption problem with absolutely no help at the dealership or from the manufacturer.

Car purchased new and serviced at Toyota dealership every 10,000 miles using 0-20W synthetic oil. At around 106,000 miles I noticed the display flashing something but could not, at that time, read what the warning was. It seemed to happen going around curves, turning etc. Finally, at maybe 107,000 miles, the warning stayed on long enough to see the low oil warning.

Took the car in at 108,000 (no oil on dipstick at that point) and the service department checked for leaks and found none. I was lightly admonished by service for driving without oil. Fair enough, I thought at the time. I was slightly chagrined as I have always religiously had my oil changed (or changed it myself) on all my cars at the recommended intervals with no signs of a problem. The Toyota service department recommended that I monitor oil usage. I did, and to my surprise 2,500 hundred miles later, I had to add a full quart. Then 1950 miles later, another quart. Yesterday, another quart at 1048 miles.

Very disappointed as the car has been without problems until now. Have not discussed this with the dealership, but am not encouraged by the tenor of comments posted here regarding Toyota stepping up and accepting responsibility. I see no need, at this point, to pay to have an oil consumption test done by the dealership as the car is obviously using an excessive amount of oil.

Over the past three weeks I have noticed the check major system light flickering when turning to the left or right or coming to a sudden stop. I took my car in for the 80,000 mile check and told the service technician what I had seen.

He told me he could tell me what the issue was without looking at the car. He said the car was burning excessive oil, the issue has been reported to Toyota and he would file a case with them for me. He also told me the cost was about $3000 to fix the problem, that I may or may not hear back from Toyota about this.

When they finished servicing my car the technician told me they had added extra oil to top it off.

This is the first Toyota I have owned. I bought it new and have never had an issue with it. I have taken it in for every maintenance check. I was disappointed that Toyota knows about this issue and has done nothing to notify owners of the issue.

Toyota is incredible - living off a reputation for reliability that was clearly earned in the past and definitely not warranted anymore.

I bought a Certified Pre-Owned 2010 Prius IV with 83,000 miles and for piece of mind paid extra for an extended warranty to 125,000 miles. All maintenance since has been done only at the Toyota dealership. In addition to routine and recommended maintenance, during my ownership I've bought 4 new tires, replaced two lights and had to shave my brake rotors.

The car rides fine but despite the supposed 10,000 mile interval between oil changes, I found myself having to go much more frequently. As many have noted, there is no warning that you're low on oil. You only find out that there's an issue - a major issue - when you have short stop or sharp turn and for barely an instant an error message pops up saying "low engine oil pressure." At first you don't even know what it says because it pops up and literally disappears almost instantaneously. And when you're only 2,500 miles in since your last oil change, you can't possibly understand. But then you pop the hood, pull the dipstick and it's bone dry. And you add a quart of oil and there still is nothing on the stick; the engine was completely out of oil.

I took it to Toyota and they said nothing of it, refilled it and I went on my way. And it happened again. So rather than just because one-time weird thing, my engine is eating oil. Eating isn't even the right word; devouring, guzzling, whatever you want to call it.

I take it in for an oil consumption test and get different guidance depending on who I talk to - but the consistent message from everyone at Toyota was that if there's a problem it's covered, especially since I have a warranty.

I drive 1,250 miles in the oil test and come back. The mechanic says he's never seen a Prius go through so much oil. The sales guy says it's too bad I don't have a warranty and that I need to spend $291 for another test. I then pull out my warranty and he shuts up. Then he comes back and says sorry, we've determined you burned 1 Quart every 625 miles; Toyota says it's perfectly normal unless you burn 1 Quart every 600 miles.

Are you for real, Toyota? You had a class-action suit on a number of your other engines and determined that 1 Quart every 1,200 was excessive. But for my 2010 Prius 1 Quart every 625 miles is normal? The jackass manager at the dealer said tough luck and that it's my responsibility to top off the oil. I have no problem topping off; but an engine being completely out of oil after 2,500 miles requires more than topping off. But talking to local dealers is like talking to toddlers - they don't have capacity for logic and don't have the ability to get anything done anyway.

Toyota - you should be ashamed. You've lost a customer for life. And I have no doubt when enough 2010 Prius users hit the 110,000 mark and devour oil you'll be paying up again just like you've done on all your other models. Too bad you have to wait til lawsuits to do the right thing on your crappy cars.

I have been a loyal Toyota buyer for more than a decade. First was a Rav4 that I drove to 223,000 and was happy with the overall performance. Then, I bought a Toyota Corolla and at 50,000 it started having some intermittent electrical issues where it would flood for brief periods of times. If I walked away for 15 min, it would start back up. Dealer could never find the issue despite MULTIPLE visits. They got tired of my complaints and offered to help me into another car. So, I went to a Prius.

Now I am having oil consumption issues. I thought it might have been a fluke when I started having low oil levels a few months ago but went in for my last oil change yesterday and was down THREE quarts. I have 114K miles on the car. The service manager at the dealership said I would likely be looking at a minimum of $3,300 for the fix. I said the car was NOT worth that $. I'm now going to look for another car and DUMP this car. I'm unlikely to go Toyota again. I'm saddened because while it didn't get the mileage promised, it has been better than traditional gas fueled vehicles.

TOYOTA NEEDS TO STEP UP!!!!!! THERE IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW!!! The service manager at the dealership confirmed they are getting an unusually high number of Prius with oil consumption issues. I wish someone would file a class action suite!!!

Over the past few years I have noticed that my car had burned more oil in between oil changes then any other car I have owned over the years. I would routinely have to replace 2 quarts every 7,500 miles (my oil change interval) since owning my 2010 Prius. Most times I chalked it up to cold East Coast weather and the rings maybe taking a little longer to seat on cold mornings, etc. As my car went past 90,000 miles, I noticed an uptick in the consumption and yesterday I changed the oil and I calculated I put in about 3.5 quarts since my last oil change within the 7500 miles. The car is now around 120,000 miles - That is completely insane. At this rate I am almost changing the oil again without having to actually change the oil. I can probably just buy filters at this point and just keep adding oil. The car doesn't smoke and drives fine at this point, but I have to stay on top of the oil or else I risk engine failure. For being such a "Green" car, I would have to imagine that this oil is going right up into the atmosphere via the exhaust and not what most of us signed up for when buying the Prius. I am at the point where I have to make a serious decision about my future with this car as this will only get worse and then I will be in a position where I cant sell it.I use Mobil 1 Synthetic since I got the car @ 18,000 miles - 0W20.

Approximately four years ago, at 80,000 miles, my Toyota Prius started to burn oil excessively, causing me to have to fill it every 1200 miles with 1 to 2 quarts of oil. My car now has 140,000 miles on it. Just recently, I had the engine warning light go on so I took it to my mechanic and he diagnosed the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. He said he wouldn't get the converter replaced unless the oil consumption problem is fixed because It will just need to be replaced again. I am currently having an oil consumption test done at the Toyota dealer. Reading about this problem it appears that the cost to fix is going to be around 5 to 6 thousand dollars. Seals, rings gaskets, etc.. I wish Toyota would reimburse me because this appears to be a known problem with this year vehicle but I'm sure they won't do anything about it. When I get more info I'll update this gripe.

Lou

We have had regular oil changes for our 2010 Prius, including most recently at 99,677 miles, 104,289, 109,296, and 114,188 at Butler Toyota in Indianapolis. This was prior to moving from Indiana to Arizona. While driving in Arizona to our new home, a master warning light flicked on and off. We decided to go to the Prescott, AZ Tim's Toyota dealer for analysis. Mileage there read 118,932--fewer than 5,000 miles since the last oil change. We were stunned to learn the car was virtually out of oil. Tim's did not diagnose a serious problem, but topped off the oil and sent us on our way. Less than 2,800 miles later, the same warning light came on, so we stopped at a gas station and had the same issue--oil virtually gone from the engine despite having been refilled at Tim's. Once again, oil was refilled and we went back to Tim's. A fuller diagnosis there showed serious engine damage--we were warned not to drive the car, other than to park it at home after oil was again added. It has now been sitting idle in our garage for nearly five months. Note: at no time did we have an oil leak or smoke from the car. We have since had numerous contacts with Butler Toyota of Indianapolis, site of the oil changes listed at the top of this report. We asked for what Tim's recommended--a new or rebuilt engine. Butler said it would not help us (other than a $100 reimbursement for oil and a rental car while ours was being analyzed at Tim's) because the car is beyond warranty. Butler also advised us to check on "2010 Prius and oil consumption" on the Internet. There we found many complaints similar to ours. The conclusion is inescapable--this is a defective vehicle. Cars that have been maintained regularly should not be ruined at just over 120,000 miles. Butler recommended we try the complaint number at Toyota corporate, which we did, but--incredibly--there we were told they follow the recommendation made at the dealer level. What kind of court of appeals is that? All owners of the 2010 model Prius hybrid need to be warned to check the oil constantly or risk the same engine failure that has left us unable to use the car or saddled with an repair of more than $5,000. Out of warranty or not, it speaks volumes about Toyota that it is unwilling to help customers who have followed recommended maintenance protocol conscientiously.

I took my 2010 Prius in for routine service and mentioned that for the last month I was getting intermittent warning beeps when braking. When I went to pick my car up I was told that it was 3 quarts(!) low. I was really surprised as I had checked for that when I got my first warning. I am in the middle of an oil consumption test, where the dealer's service tech tamper-proofs the oil dipstick and other oil access points. I am to drive 1200 miles and they will check to see if there has been any oil consumed. My car has shown no loss of performance so I am really stunned by this all.

I am really upset because there was no indication in the myriad of icons that can pop up on my dash that I was low on oil pressure. I understand that this is a prevalent problem not just with the Prius model but other Toyota models as well. Apparent;y Toyota has been aware of this issue for some time but has refused to address a solution, i.e.: a recall. I get the impression that the service customer service agents as well as the service tech I spoke with are all very aware of this issue, but when asked how frequently they've seen this problem, they are very cagey and evasive. Really stinks!

Two issues I've noticed others have had with this year model: excessive oil use. I'm putting in at least 5 quarts between oil changes. And loss of braking over rough road surface. Solution to that is "to brake harder". Well when it happens and the car is taking off, braking harder doesn't help.

Never had an oil consumption problem with my Camry that had almost 200,000 miles, nor my Dodge Caravan with 200,000 miles. I would have been better off with a conventional engine car, a bit less mpg, but I'd make up the cost on not buying a 5 gallon container of oil every month. So much for trying to be environmentally friendly.