Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 04/30/2008 | 79044 | 1 | |
| I recently had a michelin tire separate on the rear of my 05 toyota prius. tire ware has been a continual problem. i discarded the original tires at 40k miles, they were too cupped to rotate and too dangerous to use. there was a lot of tread left on the tire, at least half, but cupping gave intolerable vibration. i had michelin tires installed and had the alignment checked. the alignment was not perfect but was within spec. the michelin separated about 40k miles later and was replaced before it failed. the tread separation caused a total loss of tread in one line at a diagonal across the tire tread. luckily i had gone in for rotation when they discovered the problem. the extreme tire ware causes noise and vibration. i have been in touch with the dealership throughout my ownership of the prius which i bough new. i have requested technical bulletins but none have ever been available. the dealer has never acknowledged that the prius has a problem but it has been documented in online computer sites. the dealer just keeps suggesting that i rotate the tires more frequently. with my past cars i have never had a cupping problem even with rotation and with the prius since it is within alignment spec, it should not wear tires like it does. anyone who does not rotate and change tires frequently on the prius is looking for a blowout. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2007 | 18799 | 1 | 04/30/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle began making unfamiliar noises while parked. while driving 30 mph, the noise continued in intervals. the service brake and the abs warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the brake actuator assembly (part number 4450047090) needed to be replaced at an estimated cost of $2,600. the year before, the brake actuator assembly was replaced under warranty by an authorized toyota dealer. the manufacturer confirmed that the part was previously replaced in may of 2007. the failure mileage was 18,799 and current mileage is 32,016. updated 10-07-08 *bf the tire showed unusual wear patterns. the vehicle pulled to the right. updated 10/07/08. *jb | |||
| 02/23/2006 | 20500 | 1 | 07/01/2005 |
| My 2005 prius had a flat tire last week, i took it to a tire shop to find out all four tires were worn due to alignment problems with the car. i have had it serviced each time at the dealer where i purchased the car and they rotated the tires once, i thought they had twice. in any event they said i must have hit a large pothole with my rear tire, because it was the worst. all four tires had worn unevenly. the original tire dealer i took the car to said this was a common problem with the car and the second tire dealer where i had the alignment done and new tires put on said it was a common problem. they have developed a shim for rear wheel alignment and said it was a very common problem with the prius. they also said they could see no evidence of and damage by a pothole or anything else. i felt bad the dealer would not own up to the problem. i know i didn't rotate tires as often as i should have, but i have a mercury and ford that have their tires rotated about ever 15,000 miles. i get great tire wear and have had no problems. by time i got the alignment and the tires i was into it over $500.(that's a lot of gas). the tire dealers said it was the car more than the tires. i have had toyotas in the past and was very dissapointed in their response to this one. i have sort of lost confidence in this car and even discussed getting a different car with the dealer but they were unwilling to discuss that. *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL (ASC) | |||
| 09/16/2007 | 1000 | 25 | 01/12/2005 |
| The traction control on my 2005 prius is dangerous. this is a well-documented problem (www.priuschat.com) . toyota will not fix the problem. the problem is that when the car hits even a small patch of water and the tires slip, the engine shuts down for way too long. so, when accelerating rapidly from a stop, for example, if the tires happen to spin, the car just coasts for way too long. this is especially dangerous when accelerating rapidly onto a freeway from a stop, which i have to do frequently. my entrance onto the 101 in hollywood requires this type of acceleration, and i dread it every time i do it. i own a 2005 prius. do a search on www.priuschat.com using the term traction control to see many other similar complaints. this is the first complaint i have ever filed, and i really hope something can be done about it. *jb | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 2400 | 1 | 02/15/2005 |
| Prius had extemely poor stability at highway speeds with 25 mph gusty crosswind. directional stability was *extremely* poor - wind gust would shift direction of the car 10-15 degrees. little road feedback in steering wheel, required great attention from dirver to control car @ 60mph. less capable driver (i.e. older) probably would end up in a wreck.*ak | |||