Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | |||
| 06/08/2011 | 80431 | ||
| Prius, 2001 both rear axle hub assemblies replaced after bearing failures with under 90k miles on my car, owned new since june 2001. there are not options to replace the failed bearings, just the complete rear hub assembly that includes the attached abs sensor. failed assemblies have been retained and are available. i am now concerned about my 2002 prius, as well. | |||
| 10/14/2010 | 1 | ||
| Premature wear and crowning of tires due to manufacturing defect of rear axle. can only be corrected by after market plastic shims installed at an expense of approximately $500 or over inflate tires to 50 psi and loose road traction or inflate tires to toyota specifications for premature wear due to toe out defect. | |||
| 07/19/2005 | 81400 | 2 | |
| On two occasions, one when my car (2001 toyota prius) had 71,000 miles and one at 80,000, a spoke on a wheel cracked, requiring replacement of the wheel. on both occasions, an independent tire dealership diagnosed the problem as a defect in the wheel. both said this is a safety issue and that toyota should replace the defective wheels. the toyota office that handles these matters contends that the wheel was damaged while driving (based on the toyota dealerships assessment) on both occasions. however, the tire dealerships said there is no damage that can warrant such an assessment. for myself and other prius owners, i am concerned that this problem will result in a serious accident as other wheels begin to crack. | |||
| WHEELS - LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS | |||
| 08/12/2001 | 1 | 07/01/2001 | |
| At 45mph on dry pavement, clear weather conditions i disengaged cruise control by tapping brakes. so that i could accelerate into traffic. the vehicle pulled hard to the left. i then found myself in a counterclockwise skid across the pavement as i left the pavement i felt the rear of the vehicle drop. now spinning i bounced off a tree and into a drainage ditch with about 1 and 1/2 foot of mud and water. it was then i noticed that one of the wheels (left rear) had separated from the vehicle and was on the other side of the ditch. it all happened so fast i have no idea of the actual cause. the studs which hold the wheel to the axel shearedoff, ans axle snapped, the undercarrage and supports were tangled. fhp officer at site indicated it could have been mechanical malfunction of some sort. because of conditions i contacted toyota as well as insurance co (progressive). no one has yet evaluated the cause. toyotas first comment was what do you expect from an investigation my answerwas to prevent a similar event in the future. as i related the event to every one i also noted that the steering didnot let me correct the skid. the vehicle is currently held in limbo by insurance and toyota. while i am walking. all safety equipment functioned properly.*ak | |||