Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 02/07/2013 | 130000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that he attempted to put the vehicle into park but the gear shifter failed. the contact stated that in order to get the vehicle in to park, he had to turn the vehicle off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the gear shift unit needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 130,000. ap | |||
| 02/01/2013 | 1 | ||
| I started up the car this morning, put it into reverse, and a second or two later, it shifted itself into neutral. the shift lever felt like there was more resistance to it than usual. this happened several times and also happened when i tried to put the car into drive. after about 15 minutes of turning the car on and off and trying to shift several times, the car finally stayed in gear. the problem is the same as described in this thread: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/62-prius-forum/343977-08-prius-wont-stay-gear.html, with the only difference being that it was a rather cold day (0 degrees f) while most of the posts in the thread mention the problem occurring on a hot day. while the malfunction on my car was problematic but not life-threatening, i am concerned that the car could shift itself into neutral while i am driving (as described by several posters in the above thread), which would be a dangerous situation. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2013 | |||
| I started up the car this morning, put it into reverse, and a second or two later, it shifted itself into neutral. the shift lever felt like there was more resistance to it than usual. this happened several times and also happened when i tried to put the car into drive. after about 15 minutes of turning the car on and off and trying to shift several times, the car finally stayed in gear. the problem is the same as described in this thread: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/62-prius-forum/343977-08-prius-wont-stay-gear.html, with the only difference being that it was a rather cold day (0 degrees f) while most of the posts in the thread mention the problem occurring on a hot day. while the malfunction on my car was problematic but not life-threatening, i am concerned that the car could shift itself into neutral while i am driving (as described by several posters in the above thread), which would be a dangerous situation. | |||
| 01/21/2013 | 166524 | ||
| The electronic(?) shift mechanism in the car malfunctions/does not stay engaged in temperatures approximately 28 degrees fareheit & below when car has sat idle for periods of time. the night of this incident i was returning from a business trip where my car had been sitting out in the weather for approximately 28-30 hours. the temperature this particular day was 9 degrees; however, i have had this happen in the past with temperatures ranging into the mid to upper 20's. {due to our mild winter last year i don't recall it happening much if at all-- it did however occur the winter year prior [2010-2011] and i reported it to my toyota dealer. they looked at me and told me they were unaware of any such problem.} when i position my shift select from the center position & select either drive or reverse, the car transmission disengages upon pressing the gas. the other night i had previously mentioned i had to physically hold the drive selector in the d/drive position for 28 minutes before the selector remained engaged. (in past incidents i have had to hold the selector in position from 5-10 minutes- the problem seems to get worse in rlation to lower temps. are there any other reports of such a problem? | |||
| 09/01/2012 | 56000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. in order to start the vehicle, the emergency brake had to be engaged. the contact also stated that the headlights failed intermittently but would function normally after attempting to activated them several times. in addition while driving at various speeds, the transmission would erroneously shift into neutral and all of the contact | |||
| 09/01/2012 | 56000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that she experienced difficulty while trying to start the vehicle. in order to start the vehicle, the emergency brake had to be applied. the contact also stated that the headlights failed intermittently but would function normally after being activated then deactivated several times. the contact also stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission would erroneously shift into neutral and all attempts to shift back into drive failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 56,000. the current mileage was approximately 57,000. mh | |||
| 09/01/2012 | 56000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that the she was unable to start her vehicle, she would then have to apply the emergency brakes and then restart the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. in addition, the headlights would go out intermittently without any warning. after switching them off and on again then they would function as normal. also, while driving at various speeds the vehicle slipped out of gear and went into neutral. the contact tried to place the vehicle back into drive, but it would not hold. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 56,000. the current mileage was approximately 57,000. tb | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 148000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle independently shifted from drive to neutral. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 148,000 and the current mileage was 150,000. kmj | |||
| 12/10/2012 | 149709 | 1 | |
| Outside temperature approx 32 degrees f. gear shifter on dashboard would not electrically seal-in or stay in position after going into reverse, the first time. backed car out of driveway and shifted into drive, it immediately went back into neutral position and would not stay in drive - electrically. the only way to keep the car in gear was to physically hold the gear shifter into desired position. physically held shifter in drive position and pulled back into driveway. once in driveway, tested shifter and found it would not go into any gear and stay. after work, temperature was 60 degrees f and shifter then functioned properly. drove to toyota dealer and left car. they stated a technical bulletin was issued by toyota on this item as described. ticket # 490621; part number 33560-47023 lever assy. shift, was replaced. part cost 164.93 and labor was 416.14 for a subtotal of 581.07 plus tax of 34.33 for grand total of 615.40 usd. this is obviously a cold weather and age related issue. plus, this is not the first toyota electrical system design flaw issue i've encountered, but the first related to drivability and possible safety issue. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 148000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle shifted gears from drive to neutral independently. the contact mentioned that the failure occurred several times. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included on any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 148,000 and the current mileage was 150,000. pm | |||
| 12/10/2012 | 149709 | 1 | |
| Outside temperature approx 32 degrees f. gear shifter on dashboard would not electrically seal-in or stay in position after going into reverse, the first time. backed car out of driveway and shifted into drive, it immediately went back into neutral position and would not stay in drive - electrically. the only way to keep the car in gear was to physically hold the gear shifter into desired position. physically held shifter in drive position and pulled back into driveway. once in driveway, tested shifter and found it would not go into any gear and stay. after work, temperature was 60 degrees f and shifter then functioned properly. drove to toyota dealer and left car. they stated a technical bulletin was issued by toyota on this item as described. ticket # 490621; part number 33560-47023 lever assy. shift, was replaced. part cost 164.93 and labor was 416.14 for a subtotal of 581.07 plus tax of 34.33 for grand total of 615.40 usd. this is obviously a cold weather and age related issue. plus, this is not the first toyota electrical system design flaw issue i've encountered, but the first related to drivability and possible safety issue. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2012 | 149709 | ||
| Outside temperature approx 32 degrees f. gear shifter on dashboard would not electrically seal-in or stay in position after going into reverse, the first time. backed car out of driveway and shifted into drive, it immediately went back into neutral position and would not stay in drive - electrically. the only way to keep the car in gear was to physically hold the gear shifter into desired position. physically held shifter in drive position and pulled back into driveway. once in driveway, tested shifter and found it would not go into any gear and stay. after work, temperature was 60 degrees f and shifter then functioned properly. drove to toyota dealer and left car. they stated a technical bulletin was issued by toyota on this item as described. ticket # 490621; part number 33560-47023 lever assy. shift, was replaced. part cost 164.93 and labor was 416.14 for a subtotal of 581.07 plus tax of 34.33 for grand total of 615.40 usd. this is obviously a cold weather and age related issue. plus, this is not the first toyota electrical system design flaw issue i've encountered, but the first related to drivability and possible safety issue. | |||
| 05/26/2011 | 103000 | ||
| I rolled slowly (<1 mph) uphill to the parking slot (l.a. code, 2%grade down away from buildings) up to the parking cement stop, and was ready to shut it down. the engine started to race, about to go over the cement stop when i put my foot on the brake. the car continued over the cement stop. i pushed harder on the brake and the car started to drive over the sidewalk. then the car drove through the plate glass of the studio and then came to a stop inside. i put the car into neutral and tried to turn the car 'off'. the car's engine was still on after several tries to turn it off and i had my foot off the brake and on the floor. then the car took a turn to the left and drove through the wall (my foot was still on the floor). i got out of the car without taking it out of neutral and it was still on. i took the key with me to the middle of the room (i used the keyless ignition) so the car should have chimed because; the passenger side door was open, i was out of the car, and the car was still left on. however, the car did not chime (indicating it did not detect i was 12 feet away). my teacher came up to the shattered glass window of the studio at the same time the security officer for the mini mall a few minutes after i got out of the car. i was looking for my insurance card in my purse when the three of us witnessed the car rev again and the wall began to shatter with plaster and wooden studs falling around the car with no one driving (the car was in neutral). because of the movement of the car, without a driver and in the wall, the security guard tried to get people out of the building. the towing company could not 'pull' the vehicle out of the wall with their tow truck for more then 20 minutes so, i gave my car key to the police officer and he gave it to the towing company. the man from the towing company drove the car out of the wall and out of the studio. | |||
| 12/02/2011 | 100500 | ||
| We were driving on the highway at night and suddenly, without warning, the engine stalled completely, the car died, and all of the warning lights came on, including a red triangle, check engine, brake, and some others. the prius lost power and i had to turn on the hazard lights and coast to the shoulder. we called the aaa towing service and 911 (as the shoulder was very narrow and we could not get out of the car). the officer and the tow truck driver checked for all possible driver errors, including gas, but did not find anything out of the ordinary (the gas gauge showed 5/8 full). the car was towed to the toyota dealership in sunnyvale who are working to determine the cause. this was a very dangerous situation as we were driving on a highway, with a child in the car, at highway speeds at night and the car suddenly died. it has left us shaken and we will be contacting toyota to see if they have a fix for this. | |||
| 01/31/2011 | 116002 | ||
| We were traveling along a familiar country road on a warm sunny day. when we arrived at a rural store there was only one other customer there. i slowly eased into the designated parking area which was situated about 17 inches above the lawn below. i was probably traveling less than one mile an hour. when i braked, the car accelerated and propelled itself over the blocks and railroad ties that are found in front of parking spaces, and we literally flew about 7 feet out and down onto the grass stopping just a few feet from a tree and a fence. while in the air, all i had time to do was put my foot down hard on the brake because there was not enough time to turn off the engine during the 5 seconds this was happening. our first reaction was that i might have hit the accelerator instead of the brake, and though i found this inconceivable because i had never done anything like that before and because the two pedals are so different, i could not consider another explanation. however, as time passed, we came to the realization that this could not been the case because even if i had pressed the accelerator by mistake i would have had to have floored it to get that kind of acceleration in such a short distance, and even mistaking it for the brake i wouldn't have floored the brake because i was only about 18 inches from where i was to stop. even under normal circumstances, the prius just does not have this immediate kind of acceleration we experienced. i cannot help but think about this event occurring as i stopped at a crosswalk. this is a dangerous automobile that i loved driving for 5 years, and now i will not drive again. | |||
| 01/27/2005 | 2000 | 1 | |
| 2005 toyota prius brake failure over bumpy or icy roads reported to nhtsa in 2005 with no response. toyota denied failure and we were told to sue. *tr | |||
| 01/27/2010 | 61000 | 1 | |
| My daughter was driving our 2005 prius at about 30 miles an hour at approximately 3pm when she saw a truck stop approximately 300 feet ahead of her. she applied the brakes but the prius did not stop and collided with the truck causing a total loss of the prius. the road surface was wet from snow and the temperature was approximately 34 degrees. although the car was heavily damaged the air bags did not deploy. this crash could have resulted from a brake problem or unintended acceleration. *tr | |||
| 03/18/2008 | 30000 | 1 | |
| I have been driving my 2005 prius for 5 years and have experienced the following nearly 20 times, when braking, if a pothole or bump in the road is hit, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second. and the vsc light on the dash will go on for a short time. *tr | |||
| 12/20/2008 | 18700 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that the gear shifter would lock up, which prevented the vehicle from moving or changing gears. the failure occurred once in a tunnel while in traffic. the road crew had to move the vehicle to the side of the road. it took twenty minutes to re-engage the gear so that the vehicle could move again. usually, it would take twenty to forty minutes before it re-engaged itself and for the gear to return to normal. the contact has called and sent letters to the dealer and manufacturer, but no one will speak with him. he has not taken his vehicle to the dealer for inspection. the failure mileage was 18,700. | |||
| 05/15/2005 | 8700 | 1 | 02/03/2005 |
| I was traveling at approximately 75 mph on hwy 41 in fresno, ca when my 2005 prius had it's incident. all the dash warning lights illuminated, and i saw that i was only runningl on my electric motor. lluckily i was in the right hand lane getting ready to merge onto another freeway, so i put my hazard warning lights on, and almost got rear ended because i reduced my speed and the honda behind me was impatient and riding my bumber. i pulled off the freeway, called aaa, and before they got out, i tried to start the vehicle after about 15 minutes because where it finally died was a bad spot- and the engine kicked right on! i didn't know what happened! the following monday i called my local toyota dealership (michael toyota) and they checked for any recalls and said there is nothing wrong with my car don't worry about it. then i have been hearing about these other cases coming lately and it sounds like i have a bigger problem. i returned to my toyota dealer and they said that the 4 hours they had left in the day wasn't enough time, so i need to take a day off of work so that i can drive the hour it takes to get there and wait for my vehicle. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 09/03/2004 | 100 | 1 | |
| I have an unresolved safety issue with my 2005 toyota prius. this happened to me on the first day that i drove my then-brand new car. i still remember this dangerous event very clearly. i can easily replicate the problem for you. i was about to back my prius out of its diagonal parking space on a busy main street in downtown el cajon, ca. it was daytime. vehicles were parked on either side of me, which prevented me from seeing whether or not there was traffic approaching. i carefully backed out of the parking space until i could see whether or not there was traffic approaching. i saw that there was and it was approaching quickly, so with the intention of stopping my car | |||
| 11/02/2009 | 76000 | 1 | |
| Gear shift selector sticks in drive or reverse. a few years ago, the only symptom was clicking noise when lever was actuated, but now it does not return to a neutral position when you let go. happens every time. consequentially, unless you consciously return the lever to central position, pressing park does not take the car out of gear. if inattentive or a unfamiliar driver operates car, it will continue to move. i have been trying since november 2 to convince toyota customer experience that this is something they should repair, is not a normal wear item, and began even before my vehicle was out of warranty. no luck. dealer has offered a 15% discount from a $575 repair and has already charged me $45 to diagnose. *tr | |||
| 02/13/2010 | 40000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2005 toyota prius. it has never been in an accident or had any damage. for the past couple years, i've been noticing a problem with the gear shifter. usually in cold weather (below about 40 degrees f), the gear shifter does not change gears. for example, i'll put it in drive, release the gear shift, and it immediately reverts to neutral. same thing happens when i put it in reverse. to go anywhere, i have to hold the gear shift in the gear i need. sometimes, if i hold it in drive for about a minute, it finally stays in drive when i release it. so far it hasn't jumped gears while driving - only when i first turn the car on. i took the car to the dealer today and he said he's seen several cars with the same problem, and said i have to get the entire gear shift mechanism replaced, which costs ~$700. i'm nervous that if i don't get it replaced, the gears could jump while driving and cause a safety hazard. *tr | |||
| 08/28/2008 | 55810 | 1 | 01/25/2005 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. after parking the vehicle, it rolled down-hill. she attempted to re-enter the vehicle to stop it, but was unsuccessful. consequently, the vehicle crashed into a pole. she went to the hospital for knee injuries and lacerations. the manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. the failure mileage was 55,810. updated 1/5/10 *cn updated 01/06/10*jb | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 25552 | 2 | |
| I have an early 2005 prius which has stalled i.e. lost al engine power on two occasions. i believe the stalling is intentionally designed into the software to protect the transmission. i think a design decision intended to protect the car is putting my life at risk. my early 2005 prius has stalled twice: once on the freeway at 80 mph when i had to jam on the brakes (someone cut me off) and again on surface streets at 30 mph when i floored it to accelerate suddenly. in each case the transmission's internal components would be under tremendous strain unless it disengaged. in each case all lights, headlights, indicators stayed on, the check engine light came on, the car continued coasting (as if put in neutral), and the car was unresponsive to the throttle and the gear shift. (in neither case did i hit the gear shift nor power button before the stall). in both cases i coasted to a safe spot (try crossing five lanes of 70+ mph freeway traffic at night while coasting). only after parking, turning off power, and restarting power would the car operate...at which point it operated fine. dealer couldn't find anything wrong...in fact the second incident was two days after my 30,000 mile service! they apparently took no action regarding the concern i expressed to the service rep with respect to stalling...he assured me they would check for all available software updates, but corporate told me today there is at least one update (relating to the navigation system) which was not downloaded, so apparently the dealer is not responding to this life-threatening concern. i called corporate today to start a case and was told they are unaware that this is a recurrent issue. this despite discussions in the press and on hybridcars.com. i am contacting you in case i am killed or injured before toyota figures out that this is a serious and recurrent issue. the first incident was around january or february 2005, and the most recent was monday sept 19 2005. *jb | |||
| 05/27/2005 | 1013 | 7 | 05/20/2005 |
| The consumer had the vehicle for 2 weeks and had an episode where the engine stalled on the highway. the consumer believed it may have been caused by a momentary event to shift it incorrectly from the braking mode. when the consumer first attempted to put it in reverse, it wouldn't take then, and it would not take into the proper drive mode either. the engine had stalled, and would not go into drive. the consumer stopped the vehicle, and was able to restart it. the consumer had not experienced problems since then. the consumer called and reported the problem to toyota. *ak gasoline engine on hybrid vehicle failed to kick in or stalled. *sc *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 02/07/2006 | 2200 | 6 | 12/01/2005 |
| 2005 toyota prius: in slippery conditions, when a front wheel slips, both wheels stop rotating and then the wheel that did not slip is given power. this takes about 1 second. during that time the motor has shut down, losing substantial forward momentum. if the second wheel slips,the process is repeated giving the original wheel power. the 1 second time interval occurs again and more forward momentum is lost. on a slippery hill, this basically stops the forward motion of the auto very quickly. if both wheels continue to slip,the auto just sits there , with the electric motor starting and stopping as the power is switched between front wheels. if there are cars behind yours, then backing up is impossible. if the wife and kids are in a bad neighbor hood and this happens,that could mean real trouble. the condition is totally unacceptable. all the prius' should be recalled and the traction control reprogrammed to allow reduced power to the slipping wheel, not zero power. this will tend to maintain forward momentum and keep the motor from shutting down. i spoke to the original dealer and they claimed no knowledge of the design flaw. *nm | |||
| 09/30/2004 | 100 | 999 | 09/30/2004 |
| The shift-by-wire transmission selector in my 2005 toyota prius ignores my shift if i move the shift lever too quickly. this has almost led to several accidents. on my first day driving my prius, i was parked in a diagonal, on-street space. my view of approaching traffic was blocked by the vehicle beside me. when i backed out far enough into the traffic lane, i realized that traffic was coming. i needed to move forward quickly to avoid getting hit. i quickly moved the shift lever to | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 02/13/2010 | 41727 | 1 | |
| My 2005 prius shows the following message caution: the transmission p lock mechanism is abnormal. park your car at a flat place, and apply parking brake completely. if i turn off the power and turn it on everything is ok. dealer wants 57 usd to tell me what is wrong. *tr | |||
| 07/23/2006 | 11000 | 1 | 11/27/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70 mph the vehicle lost power. it was maneuvered off the road and was observed to be out of gear. the contact believes the park button was accidentally depressed causing the vehicle to go out of gear. the dealer has not been alerted. the consumer stated he belives the parking gear is too close to the dashboard. it only takes little pressure to push the park selector. updated 08/08/06. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT | |||
| 09/30/2004 | 100 | 999 | 09/30/2004 |
| The shift-by-wire transmission selector in my 2005 toyota prius ignores my shift if i move the shift lever too quickly. this has almost led to several accidents. on my first day driving my prius, i was parked in a diagonal, on-street space. my view of approaching traffic was blocked by the vehicle beside me. when i backed out far enough into the traffic lane, i realized that traffic was coming. i needed to move forward quickly to avoid getting hit. i quickly moved the shift lever to | |||