Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||||
| 13707 | 09/21/2007 | 10023162 | Floor mat installation during (pds) pre-delivery service. *nj | 10/30/2007 | |
| 00207 | 04/26/2007 | 10022143 | Techstream ecu flash reprogramming procedure. *kb | 07/06/2007 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 60000 | ||
| Approximately february of 2012 my headlights began to randomly turn off. if i turned the headlights off, and then on again, they would turn back on. however, since this first occurance, both headlights would turn off. one will no longer turn back on. i have replaced the bulb ($300) and this did not fix the problem. i was told from the toyota dealership that the headlight computer would need to be replaced ($1800). to date, i have been pulled over approximately 5 times for driving without headlights. this is a huge safety issue. i am terrified that the safety of my two boys, along with myself is at stake. please investigate this. this is not o.k. | |||
| 02/28/2013 | |||
| As an active duty member of the military, i move frequently. my mailing address was at address a, then i moved to address b nearly two years ago. since the move, i have received several mailings at address b from toyota dealerships (spam mail, flyers, etc.) and from toyota corporation (pending recall notices). i recently received at address b a notice from toyota corporation that there was an upcoming recall for my vehicle's steering shaft and water pump. the actual recall notice, with instructions on how to receive repairs at toyota's expense, was just mailed last week to address a. i still live at address b and never changed my address back to a. fortunately, the current resident of address a forwarded the recall notice to me, at personal expense. it's hard to imagine how toyota could accidentally revert to an earlier address only for the mailing notice that costs toyota time and money. i went to the toyota website to update or verify the address they have on file for an owner. before an owner can access that information, the owner must read through a lengthy terms and conditions agreement and provide an e-mail address so that, among other things, toyota can send offers. i'm not interested in additional offers from toyota, nor permitting an open marketing agreement with them. i would only like my defective product repaired. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 60000 | ||
| Approximately february of 2012 my headlights began to randomly turn off. if i turned the headlights off, and then on again, they would turn back on. however, since this first occurance, both headlights would turn off. one will no longer turn back on. i have replaced the bulb ($300) and this did not fix the problem. i was told from the toyota dealership that the headlight computer would need to be replaced ($1800). to date, i have been pulled over approximately 5 times for driving without headlights. this is a huge safety issue. i am terrified that the safety of my two boys, along with myself is at stake. please investigate this. this is not o.k. | |||
| 02/28/2013 | |||
| As an active duty member of the military, i move frequently. my mailing address was at address a, then i moved to address b nearly two years ago. since the move, i have received several mailings at address b from toyota dealerships (spam mail, flyers, etc.) and from toyota corporation (pending recall notices). i recently received at address b a notice from toyota corporation that there was an upcoming recall for my vehicle's steering shaft and water pump. the actual recall notice, with instructions on how to receive repairs at toyota's expense, was just mailed last week to address a. i still live at address b and never changed my address back to a. fortunately, the current resident of address a forwarded the recall notice to me, at personal expense. it's hard to imagine how toyota could accidentally revert to an earlier address only for the mailing notice that costs toyota time and money. i went to the toyota website to update or verify the address they have on file for an owner. before an owner can access that information, the owner must read through a lengthy terms and conditions agreement and provide an e-mail address so that, among other things, toyota can send offers. i'm not interested in additional offers from toyota, nor permitting an open marketing agreement with them. i would only like my defective product repaired. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 60000 | ||
| Approximately february of 2012 my headlights began to randomly turn off. if i turned the headlights off, and then on again, they would turn back on. however, since this first occurance, both headlights would turn off. one will no longer turn back on. i have replaced the bulb ($300) and this did not fix the problem. i was told from the toyota dealership that the headlight computer would need to be replaced ($1800). to date, i have been pulled over approximately 5 times for driving without headlights. this is a huge safety issue. i am terrified that the safety of my two boys, along with myself is at stake. please investigate this. this is not o.k. | |||
| 02/28/2013 | |||
| As an active duty member of the military, i move frequently. my mailing address was at address a, then i moved to address b nearly two years ago. since the move, i have received several mailings at address b from toyota dealerships (spam mail, flyers, etc.) and from toyota corporation (pending recall notices). i recently received at address b a notice from toyota corporation that there was an upcoming recall for my vehicle's steering shaft and water pump. the actual recall notice, with instructions on how to receive repairs at toyota's expense, was just mailed last week to address a. i still live at address b and never changed my address back to a. fortunately, the current resident of address a forwarded the recall notice to me, at personal expense. it's hard to imagine how toyota could accidentally revert to an earlier address only for the mailing notice that costs toyota time and money. i went to the toyota website to update or verify the address they have on file for an owner. before an owner can access that information, the owner must read through a lengthy terms and conditions agreement and provide an e-mail address so that, among other things, toyota can send offers. i'm not interested in additional offers from toyota, nor permitting an open marketing agreement with them. i would only like my defective product repaired. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 60000 | ||
| Approximately february of 2012 my headlights began to randomly turn off. if i turned the headlights off, and then on again, they would turn back on. however, since this first occurance, both headlights would turn off. one will no longer turn back on. i have replaced the bulb ($300) and this did not fix the problem. i was told from the toyota dealership that the headlight computer would need to be replaced ($1800). to date, i have been pulled over approximately 5 times for driving without headlights. this is a huge safety issue. i am terrified that the safety of my two boys, along with myself is at stake. please investigate this. this is not o.k. | |||
| 02/28/2013 | |||
| As an active duty member of the military, i move frequently. my mailing address was at address a, then i moved to address b nearly two years ago. since the move, i have received several mailings at address b from toyota dealerships (spam mail, flyers, etc.) and from toyota corporation (pending recall notices). i recently received at address b a notice from toyota corporation that there was an upcoming recall for my vehicle's steering shaft and water pump. the actual recall notice, with instructions on how to receive repairs at toyota's expense, was just mailed last week to address a. i still live at address b and never changed my address back to a. fortunately, the current resident of address a forwarded the recall notice to me, at personal expense. it's hard to imagine how toyota could accidentally revert to an earlier address only for the mailing notice that costs toyota time and money. i went to the toyota website to update or verify the address they have on file for an owner. before an owner can access that information, the owner must read through a lengthy terms and conditions agreement and provide an e-mail address so that, among other things, toyota can send offers. i'm not interested in additional offers from toyota, nor permitting an open marketing agreement with them. i would only like my defective product repaired. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 60000 | ||
| Approximately february of 2012 my headlights began to randomly turn off. if i turned the headlights off, and then on again, they would turn back on. however, since this first occurance, both headlights would turn off. one will no longer turn back on. i have replaced the bulb ($300) and this did not fix the problem. i was told from the toyota dealership that the headlight computer would need to be replaced ($1800). to date, i have been pulled over approximately 5 times for driving without headlights. this is a huge safety issue. i am terrified that the safety of my two boys, along with myself is at stake. please investigate this. this is not o.k. | |||
| 02/28/2013 | |||
| As an active duty member of the military, i move frequently. my mailing address was at address a, then i moved to address b nearly two years ago. since the move, i have received several mailings at address b from toyota dealerships (spam mail, flyers, etc.) and from toyota corporation (pending recall notices). i recently received at address b a notice from toyota corporation that there was an upcoming recall for my vehicle's steering shaft and water pump. the actual recall notice, with instructions on how to receive repairs at toyota's expense, was just mailed last week to address a. i still live at address b and never changed my address back to a. fortunately, the current resident of address a forwarded the recall notice to me, at personal expense. it's hard to imagine how toyota could accidentally revert to an earlier address only for the mailing notice that costs toyota time and money. i went to the toyota website to update or verify the address they have on file for an owner. before an owner can access that information, the owner must read through a lengthy terms and conditions agreement and provide an e-mail address so that, among other things, toyota can send offers. i'm not interested in additional offers from toyota, nor permitting an open marketing agreement with them. i would only like my defective product repaired. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 60000 | ||
| Approximately february of 2012 my headlights began to randomly turn off. if i turned the headlights off, and then on again, they would turn back on. however, since this first occurance, both headlights would turn off. one will no longer turn back on. i have replaced the bulb ($300) and this did not fix the problem. i was told from the toyota dealership that the headlight computer would need to be replaced ($1800). to date, i have been pulled over approximately 5 times for driving without headlights. this is a huge safety issue. i am terrified that the safety of my two boys, along with myself is at stake. please investigate this. this is not o.k. | |||
| 02/28/2013 | |||
| As an active duty member of the military, i move frequently. my mailing address was at address a, then i moved to address b nearly two years ago. since the move, i have received several mailings at address b from toyota dealerships (spam mail, flyers, etc.) and from toyota corporation (pending recall notices). i recently received at address b a notice from toyota corporation that there was an upcoming recall for my vehicle's steering shaft and water pump. the actual recall notice, with instructions on how to receive repairs at toyota's expense, was just mailed last week to address a. i still live at address b and never changed my address back to a. fortunately, the current resident of address a forwarded the recall notice to me, at personal expense. it's hard to imagine how toyota could accidentally revert to an earlier address only for the mailing notice that costs toyota time and money. i went to the toyota website to update or verify the address they have on file for an owner. before an owner can access that information, the owner must read through a lengthy terms and conditions agreement and provide an e-mail address so that, among other things, toyota can send offers. i'm not interested in additional offers from toyota, nor permitting an open marketing agreement with them. i would only like my defective product repaired. | |||
| 01/06/2013 | 168000 | ||
| On three separate occassions i started my prius by using the electric start button without the key. the car starts and runs but the instrument panel does not light up. once i arrived at my destination the car will not shut off. it take approx. 1 hr of running before it will turn off. my dealership indicated they had not heard of this issue but after a diagnostic test, discovered that a computer chip communicating with the start button was the issue. the part is not available for 4 to 6 weeks and they will not release my car to me since they consider it a safety issue. they indicated its part of a recall issue..never heard of it! hummm. no cost for the fix since it is part of the recall and toyota has provided me with a rental car. | |||
| 11/05/2012 | 78000 | ||
| Intermittenly either headlamp may go out. turning off and on the headlamps turns the dead lamp back on. | |||
| 10/23/2012 | 77000 | ||
| While parked at the local post office the vehicle suddenly started to roll back. it rolled approximately 4-5 ca lengths. the vehicle drug me but came to a stop. the vehicle had to be engaged into drive in order to move the car. not sure if this is an electrical problem or not but obviously the parking did not stay engaged. | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 51000 | ||
| The screen has stopped responding properly. it is mostly the left side of the screen that doesn't respond at all, but at times its the entire screen. this screen is necessary to control the air/heater; telephone, sound, etc. i have seen several complaints all over the internet discussing the exact same problem but yet toyota will not make a recall of the problem equipment. | |||
| 09/20/2012 | 97000 | ||
| I had been driving the car for less than 10 minutes when the red triangle red problem light came on the screen. i immediately looked for a safe place to pull over when the car made a series of short dinging sounds and the car was automatically put in neutral and the brake engaged--in the middle of a busy intersection! i was forced to flee the vehicle as there were oncoming cars that didn't look like they were going to stop. when the signal changed, i went back to the car and put on the emergency flashers. then i tried to put the car back in drive and it would not budge from neutral. i then switched the car off and back on and was able to drive it out of the intersection safely. if this had occurred even 5 minutes later, my 9-year-old daughter would have been in the vehicle with me and we would not have been able to react as quickly as i did. the car has been towed to my personal mechanic by aaa for diagnosis, but at this time it does not appear that this was an error, but a design flaw that put my safety in critical danger. | |||
| 09/01/2010 | 55000 | ||
| At about 2 years old the handle to the back hatch release melted into a tarry goo. | |||
| 05/16/2012 | 66500 | ||
| The car shifts from both r (reverse) and d (drive) to n (neutral) for no apparent reason. this usually happens after first getting into the car. i'll shift into r, and it will drop to n. same for d. this can happen a few times each time. usually, when i hold it in place long enough to start moving over 3 mph, it seems fine and i do not need to continue holding the shift lever. however, lots of reports online, and i am a bit concerned that this will happen more often. this has not happened while actively driving (always in parking lots so far). it may be related to heat, as most occurrences have been on hot days, but not exclusively. this seems to be a defect in the 2008 prius. | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 80000 | ||
| The lights started burning out. they continue to burn out every few months, or less. | |||
| 04/06/2012 | 1 | ||
| Cpsc# i1240212a. 2008 toyota prius. consumer stated she and her husband was in a car accident. saying they had the green light and a vehicle ran through his red light. her husband wasn't able to stop. they hit the other vehicle, and air bags did not deploy. there vehicle was totaled. *ln | |||
| 01/09/2012 | 85000 | ||
| Vehicle insturment cluster failure. vehicle will not power down. | |||
| 11/25/2011 | 52000 | ||
| Rear hatchback locking/unlocking button gummy and inability to unlock truck manually and electrically. unable to access trunk where emergency/safety equipment located. | |||
| 09/30/2010 | 36001 | ||
| After only about 3 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2008 toyota prius, melted into a sticky tarry black rubbery gooey mess. i can best describe it as being a viscous black glob like roofing tar. to open the hatch, you have to touch this black goo each time, which makes it difficult to operate the hatch release. we believe this melting process started at about the 2 yr. mark. i thought that this might be a singular issue, but have found that this has happened to several car owners, particularly in louisiana. we also live in louisiana. toyota knows about this, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $96 plus repair costs, and has done nothing about recalling this. from a safety perspective, this means you can experience extreme difficulty opening the rear hatch (a life safety access point), and will get sticky black tar on you from the melted down rubber cover of the exterior hatch release handle. to me, this is both a serious life safety issue and a serious quality defect that toyota is opting to ignore and only fixing on vehicles with extended warranties, since the failure appears to occur at around the 3 year mark (ie after 3 years of exposure to the bright sun). i am aware of the outstanding work done by nhtsa on other safety issues and i find this problem to be similar in nature, so i am asking for your agency to take a look at these instances and also to inquire from toyota why they are not recalling these handles that are melting in the sun!!! it's outrageous. i think a door handle or hatch handle should be made to last more than 3 years. please review these forum comments of other incidents: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-care-maintenance-troubleshooting/71647-2007-prius-trunk-hatch-release-rubber-piece-melted-5.html thank you for your assistance. | |||
| 07/20/2011 | 70100 | ||
| My 2008 toyota prius will not stay in d when shifting or r it pops back into n it does it on hot days.need to replace the gear shift lever assembly. when its hot outside it binds up and goes back into n while shifting or driving. has happened 2 so far in the last week. in order to drive the vehicle you have to hold the lever in r or d to go anywheres. | |||
| 07/15/2010 | 35000 | ||
| (transmission problem) in a hot summer day where temperature was above 98 degrees, while in drive, the gear will not stay in drive and switched to neutral. it happened while i was going thru an intersection, it could have caused an accident due to this unexpected change from drive to neutral even though i had my foot on the accelerator. since that first incident, it happened infrequently, but several times during the last two years and only during the hot summer months. when it does happen, it would not stay in drive, reverse or go into park, it just default to neutral. the only way to keep it running is by manually holding the gear handle to drive or reverse. this can be a dangerous condition if it happens in the middle of an intersection without understanding how to keep it in drive manually. i have mentioned this to toyota dealer and their answer was that they have no other complaints. i think an investigation should be initiated on this defect to avoid potential loss of life. there is a forum on the internet with other drivers relating their similar experiences: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-343977.html | |||
| 04/27/2011 | |||
| I was driving about 60 mph on the interstate when the accelorator stopped working. the power slowly drained out of the car and i barely made it off the highway. this has never happened before. the car was towed to a mechanic's shop where after much investigation they found that a leaf had gotten past the air filtration system and was blocking the intake sensor system. when one sensor is blocked the whole car shuts down! this was scary and dangerous. i know it is unlikely to happen again. | |||
| 03/21/2011 | 5571 | ||
| My 2008 prius has been accelerating forward after i go over amy bumps in the road. it has almost caused several accidents. i asked my sealskin about it and they said my prius was operating normally. my husband says this is incorrect and it has happened to him too. i drive in heavy traffic and i am scared this will end in am accident or someone getting hurt. | |||
| 02/27/2011 | 100667 | ||
| After a vague sense that both head lamps were sometimes going dark, i noticed that the passenger side was out and had it replaced at a cost of $245 for parts and labor. now the other bulb is going dark on and off. if dark, it can be made to illuminate by turning lights off and back on. bulb most often goes dark at speed. | |||
| 02/18/2011 | |||
| Problem: rear right wheel stud broken. i removed right side front and rear wheel lug nuts to rotate tires using the toyota supplied lug wrench. switched the tires and reinstalled the lug nuts. however one lug nut on the right rear wheel would not tighten. after a couple turns i decided to remove the other lug nuts on the right rear wheel to see what was wrong. one of the lug nuts fell off when i attempted to remove it. inspection revealed that the wheel stud had broken off about 1/2 inch from the wheel flange. i pressed the broken stud from the wheel flange and installed a new stud purchased from the local toyota dealer. this kind of failure, if it were to happen during vehicle movement, could result in a catastrophic accident. i have the broken stud and lug nut in my possession. looks like a cyclic fatigue, something that should never occur in this application. | |||
| 07/10/2009 | 15000 | ||
| On 3 separate days, 2 during the summer of 2009 and 1 during the summer of 2010, our prius transmission has automatically and repeatedly shifted from d (drive) to n (neutral) without warning while the car was moving. all incidents happened on extremely hot days (temperatures near 100) in the afternoon after the car had been parked out in the sun and without us having made any accidental contact with the shifter / drive selector while driving. this created dangerous situations several times as the car erratically slowed as we entered intersections or pulled out onto busy streets. our initial response was to depress the accelerator, but when this had no effect, we discovered the transmission light had moved from d to n. it was especially dangerous when making left hand turns on busy streets with oncoming traffic. we discovered that we could keep the car moving by constantly holding the shifter / drive selector lever in the d position. turning off the air conditioner did not help the problem. after the first time this happened, we took the car to the dealership to investigate the problem, but the service technicians there were unable to reproduce it. this glitch remains a concern to us because the loss of power and acceleration is unpredictable and therefore dangerous, but at least we know we can keep the car moving by holding the shifter in the d position. because the car is so computerized, i suspect an electronic component of the drive system may malfunction at high temperatures. the mileage number i gave is an approximation since i didn't record the actual mileage when this first happened, but the dealer who serviced the car shortly thereafter should have that information. | |||
| 11/15/2010 | 43000 | ||
| Headlight goes on, then goes off. won't stay on. i was informed the other one could go out at any time, so i should replace both, at great expense. i was told by toyota that the hid headlights were covered under the regular warranty, but not the extended warranty. bulbs (especailly those costing $300) should not burn out or randomly flicker on a two year old vehicle. to prevent future/additional problems, i had to replace both headlights, including the one that was working. this is a definitlely safety issue...i check bulbs regularly, and all are working when i turn the car on. obviously, i can't check while i'm in motion - which is when they flash off - and was fortunate that both bulbs didn't burn out at the same time, which could have resulted in a crash, injury or accident (or worse) that i would have been liable for. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 44000 | ||
| When i put my 2008 prius into the park mode along with the brake but still having the car running, i will open the driver's side door to get my mail. when i then close the door and try and put the car into drive, it will automatically shift into neutral. numerous tries to get the car into the drive mode will fail. i then coast my car down the hill into my driveway. i have tried shutting off the car and starting from scratch but it will shift into neutral. this has happened intermittently over the last month. i took it to my local dealer and they could find nothing wrong. it occurred after they said there was nothing wrong so i will be taking it back in. the consequences are that i am on a road and can't get my car to drive. one other issue that occured during this time is that i was driving at approximately 50mph and all of a sudden my car shifted into the b mode. i was able to shift out of it but my concern is that there is something wrong. | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 37200 | ||
| I own a 2008 prius. i have complained twice to my toyota dealership that at times, when braking on a bumpy road it feels as if my brakes momentarily release. some times it will take your breath away. i will not allow my daughters to drive this car because of the uncomfortable sensation. i know the car will stop (it always has) but for a split second it is frightening. both times i have been told by my toyota dealer that it is the anti-lock brake feature kicking in. once they test drove it for about 15 minutes and said there was no problem. i drive it daily and i may only experience it twice a week. 15 minutes will not tell them anything. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 44000 | ||
| When i put my 2008 prius into the park mode along with the brake but still having the car running, i will open the driver's side door to get my mail. when i then close the door and try and put the car into drive, it will automatically shift into neutral. numerous tries to get the car into the drive mode will fail. i then coast my car down the hill into my driveway. i have tried shutting off the car and starting from scratch but it will shift into neutral. this has happened intermittently over the last month. i took it to my local dealer and they could find nothing wrong. it occurred after they said there was nothing wrong so i will be taking it back in. the consequences are that i am on a road and can't get my car to drive. one other issue that occured during this time is that i was driving at approximately 50mph and all of a sudden my car shifted into the b mode. i was able to shift out of it but my concern is that there is something wrong. | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 37200 | ||
| I own a 2008 prius. i have complained twice to my toyota dealership that at times, when braking on a bumpy road it feels as if my brakes momentarily release. some times it will take your breath away. i will not allow my daughters to drive this car because of the uncomfortable sensation. i know the car will stop (it always has) but for a split second it is frightening. both times i have been told by my toyota dealer that it is the anti-lock brake feature kicking in. once they test drove it for about 15 minutes and said there was no problem. i drive it daily and i may only experience it twice a week. 15 minutes will not tell them anything. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 44000 | ||
| When i put my 2008 prius into the park mode along with the brake but still having the car running, i will open the driver's side door to get my mail. when i then close the door and try and put the car into drive, it will automatically shift into neutral. numerous tries to get the car into the drive mode will fail. i then coast my car down the hill into my driveway. i have tried shutting off the car and starting from scratch but it will shift into neutral. this has happened intermittently over the last month. i took it to my local dealer and they could find nothing wrong. it occurred after they said there was nothing wrong so i will be taking it back in. the consequences are that i am on a road and can't get my car to drive. one other issue that occured during this time is that i was driving at approximately 50mph and all of a sudden my car shifted into the b mode. i was able to shift out of it but my concern is that there is something wrong. | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 37200 | ||
| I own a 2008 prius. i have complained twice to my toyota dealership that at times, when braking on a bumpy road it feels as if my brakes momentarily release. some times it will take your breath away. i will not allow my daughters to drive this car because of the uncomfortable sensation. i know the car will stop (it always has) but for a split second it is frightening. both times i have been told by my toyota dealer that it is the anti-lock brake feature kicking in. once they test drove it for about 15 minutes and said there was no problem. i drive it daily and i may only experience it twice a week. 15 minutes will not tell them anything. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2008 toyota prius. consumer expresses discontent with recall issues *tgw the consumer stated he is afraid to drive the vehicle and no one has any suggestions. | |||
| 05/11/2010 | 30000 | ||
| 1. while driving and braking over potholes or rough road, the car veers forward even though brakes are being applied 2. happens ever since we received our 2008 prius maybe once a month or so: results in scary few moments, although no accidents yet have occurred 3. dealer claims cannot re-create the issue | |||
| 04/27/2008 | 1000 | ||
| I own a 2008 prius. when braking on an uneven surface, the brakes seem to momentarily fail and the abs light blinks on the dashboard. it makes me feel as though there is a defect in the braking system. this happens regularly. incident date is actually date of purchase of the car. | |||
| 05/05/2010 | 41000 | ||
| During a hard braking event, the anti-lock-brakes take over but for a moment before they do, it feels like i have no brakes and the car seems to go faster. it is a scary feeling. | |||
| 09/25/2009 | |||
| I have noticed a seeming problem with my 2008 toyota prius. if i am braking when i happen to go over a bump in the road, the brakes seem like they let up, so that it feels like instead of braking, the car is accelerating. occasionaly, the light will come on the dash that indicates a slippery road, so i think it may have something to do with the anti-lock brakes? it just doesn't seem right, and i'm curious if there may be a defect in the brake system. | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 45000 | ||
| 2008 toyota prius hid headlamps are intermittant while driving. public and personal safety hazard! replaced hid bulbs with the proper type, and the intermittants continue to occur. phillips d4r hid bulbs are the recommended replacement bulbs. hid headlamps wink off at random, when the brakes are applied. i think that the internal mechanism of the headlamp beam adjuster (which consistes of a weighted, damped and moveable subreflector) may be hitting the bulbs and causing them to prematurely fail, or the bulbs and ballast are faulty. phillips d4r hid bulbs are extremely expensive, and are extremely difficult to replace because the access to the back of the headlamp assembly is very cramped and confined. | |||
| 12/10/2009 | |||
| Thank goodness nothing happened yet but my toyota 2008 prius has headlight issues. my passenger side headlight keeps going out. i find out that it costs anywhere between 200 to 300 dollars or more to repair. and fixing it does not guarantee it won't happen again! toyota sent me a letter explaining the problem and that if i bring it in to a dealer that it will only cost me 150 dollars plus labor. well thanx for nothing toyota. | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 30000 | ||
| 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? | |||
| 07/06/2009 | 22000 | ||
| Prius excelerates when brakes are applied going over pot holes and sometimes ridges in the road | |||
| 12/19/2009 | 14600 | ||
| I was driving n on broadway and crashed into a power pole several blocks from where i was going. i don't remember the crash or the events leading up to the crash due to a head injury. i was driving a 2008 toyota prius. i hadn't had any problems before the crash. my doctors are performing numerous tests to determine if there are any physical problems with me (so far nothing has shown up in the tests), but no one has considered whether or not there was a defect with the car that may have contributed to the accident. | |||
| 03/09/2010 | 39055 | ||
| I left my 2008 toyota prius running and had to run back into a home where i'd just left a sales appointment. eventhough i had the key fob in my pocket, i noticed out of the corner of my eye as i was crossing the street back towards the house that my car was careening into the buick parked across the street. i ran and jumped in and steered it away from t-boning the parked buick, but could not keep it the driver's side of the prius from scraping along the driver's side corner of the buick's rear bumper. | |||
| 04/14/2009 | 20000 | ||
| On two separate occasions my 2008 toyota prius has done the automatic acceleration problem. these were both long before recent reports in april of last year. the first time was on route 84 between the white plains and carmel exits. my vehicle accelerated to between 80 -85 mph. i was in some traffic and flashed my lights at other vehicles in the passing lane because i could not stop! when i regained control of my vehicle several minutes later, i called my dealership and they had me bring the car right in and then told me nothing was wrong with it. they told me it was a brake problem. i had two witnesses my 16 and 19 year old children. a few months later, the acceleration happened again with my 49 year old finance in the car. it was an in town acceleration on the road in front of my house (hooker avenue). again, i regained control in a few minutes, but partially went through a red light because of inability to stop. again, i had it checked at the dealership. again, they put it down as brake related instead of acceleration, they checked the car and said it was fine. i called them after this 2008 toyota incident and they are saying this doesn't happen on my model. it does! they ran another check this morning and again nothing wrong. please do something before someone is killed! | |||
| 03/09/2010 | 1 | ||
| 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? *tr | |||
| 02/05/2010 | 1 | ||
| 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, josh rogers 612.310.8218 cell joshrogers1@msn.com email | |||
| 10/13/2008 | 1 | ||
| 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. *tr | |||