10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 72,066 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
2008 Toyota Prius. Consumer expresses discontent with recall issues the consumer stated he is afraid to drive the vehicle and no one has any suggestions.
- Brooklyn, NY, USA
My wife kathy and I own a 2009 Prius. We have experienced a problem that is persistent but the dealer cannot replicate the problem on the last several visits for routine service. They checked bulletins etc. But claim no problem exists. The problem: "lunging of the vehicle and noise with shaking of the car." My wife drives the vehicle most of the time and experiences the problem often. I experienced the problem mainly in a parked situation standing next to the car talking to friends. In quiet mode, something like a compressor kicks in or engine starts, car literally lunged forward and rocked back and the clanging noise sounded as if the motor mounts were not doing their job. I explained the symptom to the dealer and they said there is not a compressor" I realize compressors are old school but that's the best correlation I can come up with. Another issue: After starting the car, moves from park to neutral but will not go into reverse or drive. This is an occasional issue. Please help! response: Thank you for contacting Toyota motor sales, U.S.a., Inc. We appreciate your consideration and hope to have your email addressed as quickly as possible. Our current office hours are Monday through Friday from 5 am to 6 pm and Saturday 7 am to 4 pm pacific time. If you need immediate assistance, we recommend you contact the customer relations manager at your local Toyota dealership. ----- dealership said they cannot find anything! ------ my wife and I are realtors and we've had clients that don't want to ride with us in a Prius because of the recent news. I just want to know if my vehicle is safe"
- Dublin, OH, USA
We own a 2008 Prius. The transportation secretary (and the latest incident in calif.) leads us to believe it is unsafe. All we can get from Toyota and its dealer is wait until you get a letter. When is the government going to force them to do something?
- Pipe Creek, TX, USA
Pursuant to the 2010 Toyota Prius recall, it must be noted that we have 3 Toyota priuses in my family -- mine is a 2008 Prius, my mother has a 2008 Prius, and my significant other has a 2007 Prius -- and all of them have the same braking issue that I keep reading about in the news. Everytime a bump, pothole, railroad tracks, or any other road anomoly is driven over, the brakes disengage. Since we live in mn, there are a lot of potholes, so the brake disengagement issue happens daily. This issue has been mentioned to our local Toyota dealership. We were told that the issue is normal operation of an antilock breaking system.... that seems doubtful in light of the 2010 Prius recall. Please make sure that other Prius model years are considered for government investigation. I think you will find that most Prius owners are aware of and have thought about this break disengagement issue. Regards, [xxx] parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Cottage Grove, MN, USA
I am writing about a caution statement on page 48 of the Toyota Prius 2008 owner's manual. The caution statement states "people with implanted pacemakers or cardiac defibrillators should keep away from the smart key system antennas." People wanting to test drive or purchase the Prius or any vehicle with a smart key system should be asked prior to driving or purchasing the car if they have either of these devices. If so, the smart key system should be deactivated. Also, Toyota should send a letter to all owners of vehicles with a smart key system warning them to deactivate the smart key system if either the driver or a passenger has a pacemaker or defibrillator. This caution information should not be located on page 48, but should be clearly posted on the vehicle and sticker.
- Selden, NY, USA
- Newington, CT, USA