Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 01/24/2013 | 50000 | ||
| I pulled up to the gas pump and could not put gas in my car. it had a little gas in it, but the pump cut off before i could get started. the car has had a problem with the bladder since its inception. i can never fill up the tank. the dealer wants me to pay an elaborate amount to get it fixed. i went out on the internet and other people are having the same problem with not being able to fill up their tank. | |||
| 08/31/2012 | 35000 | ||
| The vehicle stalled out while i was driving, four times in about a mile - including once on a very busy road with no shoulder. the electrical error board lit up, the transmission reverted to neutral or park and i could not put the car back into drive. after i turned the car off, and then turned it back on, it went into drive but only for a short while before lights started flashing and it stalled again. | |||
| 08/14/2011 | 23000 | ||
| Re: 209 toyota prius. approx. 23k miles. on sunday, august 14, 2011 we were driving at about 40 mph when without warning, the car completely shut down - all systems and all information displays. in spite of compromised steering and braking we were able to stop car. car was completely unresponsive other than being able to turn on hazard signal. vehicle was towed to a toyota dealer. dealer just informed us that the cause was a water pump failure which caused the car to go into a safe mode shutting down the car without any warning or time for the driver to find a safe response. upon questioning, the dealer also said this would alsohappen at higher speeds which in our opinion, could pose a life threatening situation not only for the operator but for those vehicles around him. further when asked, the dealer said it did not know if the failure of any other components would cause a similar shut-down. obviously, toyota's definition of safe mode is 180 degrees off and this is a system design flaw that needs to be addressed before it results in a tragedy (if it hasn't already done so). | |||
| 06/12/2010 | 500 | ||
| I was driving my 6-month old 2009 prius one summer day on a dry, paved, slightly downward incline when the following problem occurred. as i approached a traffic circle at about 5 mph and then applied the brakes, my car jumped forward for about a second and a gold light on the dash was briefly visible through my peripheral vision. because i was familiar with anti-lock braking systems, i think that i kept my foot on the brake pedal, though i may have reflexively released it in my startle. at any rate the car stopped a few feet later. thankfully there was no collision, largely due, i believe, to my habit of coasting to a stop when practical. however, this was a bit unnerving, and also since it was during the period of concern about toyota prius' unintended acceleration, i made a point of reporting it to my car dealer. i could not identify which dash light had flashed for a second. the dealer's response was that there was probably an uneven surface on the road that caused the problem. sure enough, there had been both a shallow pothole and a bit of gravel where the stopping problem occurred. however, i take issue with toyota's blaming road conditions for this problem when clearly the problem is that the car cannot respond appropriately even during very slow speeds. the problem hasn't recurred because i avoided the pothole afterward and never have to stop on a dime, pothole or no. i have had cars with anti-lock braking systems (abs) and never encountered this problem with them. therefore, imo toyota needs to improve the abs or the (then new) stability control feature on priuses, both of which my car has. in all of the hype about toyota cars' sustained unintended acceleration, i do not remember that this other event that i have described was also being addressed. how come? where are nhtsa, nasa, and toyota on this? | |||
| 12/01/2010 | 42600 | ||
| I have a 2009 prius base with 42k miles. after placing the vehicle in park and waiting in the vehicle, it suddenly lurched forward about 1 or 2 inches and with enough force to shatter a light post. this seems a dangerous flaw. it happens frequently; after speaking with a repair shop, i was told this is normal for a prius and is part of the recharging design of the hybrid system. i was advised to use the parking brake whenever possible. this seems dangerous. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 1 | ||
| 2009 toyota prius. s10 appropriate handling- letter from regarding toyota problems* tgw the consumer stated while driving at night, she noticed the dashboard lights glared in the windshield. *jb | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 8000 | ||
| 2009 toyota prius. when braking the brakes would disengage temporarily causing the car to go faster. i have come real close to rear ending the car in front of me during adverse road conditions. i have driven for 35 years in snow and slick conditions and i know when a car isn't braking right. i always maintain a save distance and this is the only car that has done this. this scarier part is that this happens every time when braking if the road is at all slick. i took it to my local dealer to get it checked. after treating me like a total moron accusing me of not knowing how to drive they said they did do a thorough run through and didn't find any problems. | |||
| 04/30/2010 | |||
| Two unaccounted acceleration single vehicle accidents with 2009 toyota prius. after accident of april 30, 2010 per my request, vehicle was inspected by a consultant from toyota.[may 26, 2010]. toyota is saying car is safe. car was returned to me on may 28, 2010. first accident occured august, 31, 2009. both accidents occured under similar circumstances ie. driving at slow acceleration while making a right turn. accident #1 turning a corner, accident #2 pulling into a parking slot in a parking lot. both times engine revved and car lurched forward. in first accident car crashed into a tree, in second accident car ran over a landscaping boulder which stopped it from crashing into the street. the boulder was stuck under the middle of the car. two wheels on each side of it and front wheels were off of the ground. the front wheels were still turning after i got out of the car. i got back in the car and turned off the engine. i am requesting toyota replace this vehicle with a like value vehicle. i have pictures taken at the time of the accident of april 30, 2010 and detailed explanations of both accidents. damages from both accidents was approximately 20 thousand dollars. my insurance company found me at fault for the accident of august 31, 2009 because all of the car's warning lights came on and i glanced at the dash. the insurance company has found me not at fault for the accident of april 30, 2010. i i received a recall notice from toyota after the accident of april 30th. however, i was told that this had nothing to do with the accidents. my car has had a number of unsual issues since its purchase. this is documented with toyota service. this car was purchased new and has 11,000 miles on it. | |||
| 05/15/2010 | 24000 | ||
| Inconsistent brake feel on rough or wet surfaces. though brake pedal is depressed, brakes don't feel like they are engaging properly, it feels like a violent shudder. recently, on wet pavement i narrowly avoided hitting the car in front of me when i had to stop suddenly and the brakes took much too long to stop the vehicle. | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 31000 | ||
| When braking on a bumpy surface, the car brakes seem to disengage for a second and the car shoots forward. the last time this happened i was going down a hill at an intersection and the car went around the corner much faster than i would have liked. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Petition for safety recall of any vehicle without a single function, directly acting, fail -safe, off switch or button. *tgw document added and scanned into the system ref: petition for investigation of dtcs and missing dtcs (toyota) *tgw | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2009 toyota prius. consumer expresses discontent due to a break in of his vehicle. consumer questions the smart key keyless/wireless entry design. *tgw | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 15000 | ||
| We purchased a 2009 prius, 11/08. in 3/16/09 it accelerated unexpectedly on the nj turnpike near newark airport, a speed judged at 85 miles/hour. i was the driver, there were 4 passerngers. clearly unattended acceleration not caused by a floor mat. scenario: traveling in right lane, came up behind cement mixer traveling at 45-50 mi/hour; accelerated quickly to get into middle lane; middle lane traffic constant, traveling min. 70 mi/hour; once in middle lane, de-accelerated; instead of de-accelerating, the car engine roared, taking off at an unbelievable speed; turned on flashers, put foot on brake; able to control speed of car, breaking all the time, engine roaring. no place to pull over. only thought: get to toll booth, hope i could stop it completely with brake; suddenly, after about 5 min., there was a sound in the engine (?) like a thud; car resumed normal operations. follow-up: went into nyc, drove car home that evening, 3 hour drive; husband took car to vineland toyota dealer where bought; they said black box showed that, in addition to most recent acceleration, there were prior accelerations; we never noticed them; they could find nothing wrong with it; said mat had been the problem; husband, former ceo/amer. lung assoc., contacted toyota regional, saying that he was not satisfied with diagnosis of problem - we were afraid to drive the car. knew management because of toyota's support of ala. in fact, after his retirement, endorsed '02 prius in toyota brochure, and was featured in 2 toyota videos; management sent techs from reg. office; reps concurred with dealer: problem was floor mat. outcome: no work we know of was done to rectify acceleration; mat removed, but couldn't see how it interfered with pedal. couldn't replicate the event by moving mat around. no explanation for thud; little likelihood that the mat could slip back in place. don't trust car! please advise us of your intent on this matter. thank you. | |||
| 02/08/2010 | 14000 | 1 | |
| 1. driving normally under normal conditions 2. 2009 prius purchased in april of '09 loses traction over potholes, bumps in the road. this happens almost every time i drive, since i live in a city and go over potholes and uneven roads often. it is not a particular issue in the snow- in fact it happens more often on clear roads. 3. nothing has been done to correct the issue, because my prius was bought one month before the recall covers (april of '09, versus the new recall that goes back to may of '09). my car without a doubt has the same issue. *cn | |||
| 07/29/2009 | 2500 | 1 | |
| In march 2009, we purchased a toyota prius at the toyota of northwest arkansas toyota dealership of rogers, ar. on july 29, 2009, i pulled up to the curb to park at a strip mall. upon applying the brake, the car lunged forward. i turned right on the sidewalk and the right side of the car ran into a post/upright that holds up the roof over the sidewalk, damaging the right side of the car (both doors, etc) and the post/upright. the cost to repair the car and the post/upright was approximately $5,300. there were no personal injuries (thank heavens no one was on the sidewalk). the police were called and the policeman said it was a non-reportable accident since it did not occur on a street and no personal injuries were involved. we saw press releases concerning floor mat problems and removed the floor mat. we also stopped at the dealership to inquire if there was something more we should do and were given a telephone number to call. the person we spoke with assured us that the problems did not pertain to the 2009 car we have. however, with the washington post saying toyota said it had corrected problems with the antilock brake system in prius models sold since late last month. but the company was still deciding what steps to take to fix the problem in prius cars sold . . . . before late january. our question: what is the best course of action for us? *tr | |||
| 04/09/2009 | 2000 | 1 | 01/01/2009 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. when ever the contact wore polarized sunglasses the instrument panel displayed dim lighting. the manufacturer was notified and there has been no resolution. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 7,400. updated 9/17/09 *cn | |||
| 04/09/2009 | 2000 | 1 | 01/01/2009 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. when ever the contact wore polarized sunglasses the instrument panel displayed dim lighting. the manufacturer was notified and there has been no resolution. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 7,400. updated 9/17/09 *cn updated 09/18/09.*jb | |||