This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
While driving in a heavy trafficed area, my car eccellerated on its own. When i stepped on the brake the car did not respond but simply kept driving at around 20 miles per hour. Magically i was able to navigated the traffic and there was no crash, but there certainly could have been and several people could have been badly hurt. I have scheduled a mechanics assessment for tomorrow.
When I go to hit the brakes the car won't stop and the rear end makes noise and raises up. The ABS and brake lights are one as well as maintenance required and SRS airbag light. The master alarm buzzer is on and won't go off. Brakes engaged without hitting the brake causes rim to overheat and brake fluid gets extremely hot. Also sometimes when tap on the brakes they will lock up and you will go sliding sideways or tap the brakes and they straight to the floor. Also the brake actuator starts whining noise and won't go off even if the car is turned off. Don't have documentation from a mechanic but can send video of driving it.
My vehicle will not go but about 30 or 40 maybe 50 on highway after very slow exelaration I'm almost killed every time I get on the highway highway and reg streets to excearate it very very slow to start then I have to pull over and kill it start over not using het or air now it just won't start have not had it checked can't afford
The odometer stopped working one (1) mile short of 300,000. Toyota told me that for that year and model car, the odometer was made to reach 299,999 only. They can replace it with new, that will start at 0 mile, but I will have to pay for it. This is unfair. They sold me a car that only reaches 299,999 and if I any to see the odometer reach a higher number, I must pay for it.
- Nazareth, PA, USA
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I am the owner of a 2005 Prius which experiences intermittent Prius combination meter failure. This is a recognized design problem, however, Toyota chose to ignore the safety ramifications and categorized it as an issue covered by extended warranty. Toyota would not honor the replacement of the component unless you could demonstrate the part failure. They also included a time limit on when this part would be replaced. This failure results in all critical vehicle telemetry (speed, blank engagement, engine failures, gas level, etc) from not being displayed.
Toyota has a known issue with brake actuator failure. There was no notice sent to let owners of these vehicles know that their vehicle could be subject to these failures. My vehicle's instrument panel revealed this issue while driving home from church. Vehicle still operational, but could lose the ability to apply brakes at any time.
The digital speedometer stops at 299,999 km or miles and won't roll over to 300,000 km or miles why won't it roll over to 300,000 miles I have found out that many others are affect it, such as the matrix and corollas.
Toyota Prius combination meter not working for 2 days when I repeatly turn it on and turn it off....then works one day then is not working now---I can't see the instrument panel and how fast I am driving and then I can not shut the car off for several minutes....very unsafe. And I just had the car serviced for a messed up battery. This is a used car that I bought to replace the 2001 Toyota Prius that was rearended in Dec 2016 then the dealer sold me a junk car in April 2017 now having to fix all these problems. I will sell this car as a piece of junk to the junk yard as strap metal because that what it is. Very unsafe and the NHTSA is allowing this to happen. Started on 08/22/2017 & 08/23/2017 & 08/25/2017 I can't see the panel.
Car will not start, I have replaced the battery, it is not a battery issue. If you slam the car door, or hood of car, the car may start. The horn will work, witch indicates it is not the battery. May sometimes start with a jump start. This usually is while the car is not in motion.
1. summer, 2011, @ 35,000 mi car was parked @ bottom of my steep driveway, a few feet back from a rr tie pinned to ground by 3 rebar in front of car to block wheels. I intended to back up driveway, with gear in reverse, but when I released brake, car catapulted forward with such force that it bent rebar @ right angles, lifted rr tie up in the air & over on one edge, & the car jumped up on top of it, where it stuck. I saw that the gear shift had slipped out of (reverse) gear into neutral. Called aaa road service to lift car off. No other damage. 2. May 21, 2015, @ 50,000 mi. Backing up my 82' long steep driveway, I was too close to tree on right 3/4 of the way up, so I turned the wheels slightly left to back arc away from it, but still too close. I intended to return to bottom of driveway to start over & adjust angle of car as done 100S of times. With brake still depressed, I shifted gear from reverse to drive. As I lifted brake, before my foot could move towards the accelerator, suddenly car shot off like a rocket down steep slope to left, through 2 wood fences, over driveway next door, into swimming pool full of water - which slowed car to a stop & sank with me in it. Gear shift had slipped out of (drive) gear into neutral. Called 911. Car totalled. Miraculously no other damage to anyone aside from my traumatic experience. Note: Gear shift was the tiny knob on dashboard type, to move with finger tips in very small radius. I never had the problem on that steep drive w any other cars. I can refer you to photo of car in swimming pool in local news paper; it identifies address so not included here. I see in research online that other owners from at least 2004 to 2008 complained to you about this same gear slippage into neutral problem. Why weren't we warned? ( I was obliged to give today's date as the date of incidence by the site).
Car started skidding on the road, couldn't take control because car started to speed up and then rammed into the concrete barrier, spun around and ended up facing oncoming traffic. Luckily, there wasn't any car right behind me and I managed to push open the driver's side door although it wouldn't open completely and opened just enough for me to squeeze through and ran out of the car. At no time did the airbag open up at all. I was lucky that I sustained no major injury except for a badly knocking my left knee on the dash. My question to Toyota would be why the airbad didn't open! what if another car had hit mine and I wouldn't have been protected by the airbag!
We were driving just North of coos bay, Oregon when a big truck with the license plate number [xxx] carrying a trailer with the license plate [xxx] clipped the back driver's side of our car while we were forced to change lanes because of the lane ending. I had my blinker on for a long time and we were ahead of him until he sped up and clipped us. He then sped up and cut us off and drove away very quickly. It was raining and we were on the 101 in Oregon and he was going at least 80 mph because we were going around 65 and he was pulling away fast. Since it was a single lane highway we stayed behind him long enough to give him a chance to pull over, but the second he got the chance, he changed lanes and cut others off in order to get away. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The car was initially swerving (as if in a bad wheel alignment). Then it took a sharp right turn and jumped off of the freeway. Despite my attempts to control it and keep it on freeway, due to the speed and momentum, it drove off the slope to the right of the road, rolled over and eventually landed right side up. Initially I thought it could be a blown up tire.. but that did not seem to be the case.
Since about the fall of last year or so, we've been noticing that the headlights have been going off intermittently. The right went out and then came back on. Then another time the left went out and came back on. I've read about this occurring on many other Prius' and that there was a class action suit? anyway, I need to figure out how to get this fixed as it is a serious safety issue.
My Prius exhibits removal of electrical and engine power to the front wheels during acceleration when turning sharply right or left on a slippery surface. This occurs as soon as one of the front wheel slips. Ordinarily this is only a minor aggravation, and easing on the throttle usually restores power but in icing conditions it's dangerous. There are conditions where I could not move the car when crossing a small berm of snow (3 inches high where one wheel had significantly less traction than the other. I had to be pushed over it. It appears to be a software issue, but my local Toyota dealer claims they never heard of it.
On 7/31/11 I noticed my cruise control would not set. The light came on indicating the cruise was on, but I could not get the speed to hold. The next day, the cruise control worked. Midday on 8/1/11 while parked, I shifted to the D position, but the light indicated I was in N. I shifted back and forth between R and D several times, but the light indicated N. I took my foot off the brake and the car moved backward. The light indicated N and the knob was in the D position. It did this several times. I turned the car off and back on and everything worked like it is supposed to. On 8/1/11 at approximately 10:30 P.M. I was driving home on a narrow, two-lane rural highway. On a blind curve, both of my headlights went out. I could not see anything. I tried cycling my headlights off and on and nothing happened. I applied my brakes and stopped. I opened my door to see where I was in the roadway and determined I was on the fog line on the opposite side of the road and there was a hillside less than 5' from me. I was able to drive to the shoulder on the right side of the road by using the light from my door. I was extremely lucky no cars passed by while my lights were out. I could have been killed or caused a catastrophe. I turned the car off and back on and both headlights came back on. A motorist stopped to assist. I was able to follow him to a store where a friend met me and I followed him home. During the drive home one of my headlights kept turning off. Both did not go off together again. I took the car to the dealer on 8/3/11 and was told I need a new auxiliary battery and two new headlights. Cost is going to be around $700. I read about a class action suit regarding 2006-2009 Prius' headlights and that Toyota knows there is a problem with them. I believe there should be a recall because of my harrowing experience and those of many others.
Generally speaking, thousands of Prius owners complain about their radio reception to Toyota to no avail (I have written the CEO 2-3 times already and had phone conversations with customer service as well as an exchange of emails) only to be told to contact the dealership - which has no way of assisting with this problem). Poking around on the internet, it seems to be a "grounding" problem - which has now been fixed I understand in subsequent models. This points to the fact they knew it was a problem. I contend it is a safety issue if you are not able to hear your radio in case of emergency - especially in a rural area such as ours (olympic peninsula) where hearing emergency warnings while driving could be considered life and death in certain circumstances. As you will see in this website, there are plenty of people who would be interested in a class action lawsuit: www.soultek.com/blog/2005/11/Toyota-Prius-hybrid-car-radio-problems.html for more info.
We received a recall notice for our Toyota Prius. I wrote them a letter asking them to acknowledge that they were going to do only the mechanical modifications they described and not any work with the computer or electronics. Their response was to assign a subordinate to call me back and simply read my letter back to me. I want the courtesy of a written reply to the points I made in my letter before we leave our car in their hands. The California dept. Of Consumer Affairs bureau of automotive repair put me on hold for 20 minutes and then told me to contact you. The car is registered in my wife's name. Updated 01/31/11
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- Eureka, CA, USA