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.
This complaint is about the problematic brake actuator for a Toyota Prius Hybrid. I started to hear frequent whirring noises from the front part of the vehicle a few month ago. Additionally, whenever my foot is on the brake, a mechanic sound appears. Recently, the whirring noise is becoming more frequent, on a approximately every 10-15 sec frequency. I took the car to the dealership last Friday, and the mechanics stated the issues being associated with the brake actuator. The dealership also stated that if repairs or replacement was recommended after diagnosis, the cost would be on the order of $2,000 to $3,000. I contacted my regular mechanic shop, and found out that they do not perform brake actuator repairs on a hybrid. This issue left me with limited choice for solution because it seems to be specialized and is expensive to fix, and most importantly, this issue could lead to a safety hazard for my future transportation.
When the 12-volt battery in this car dies, there is NO warning light to indicate the battery is dead or is running low. The driver is given no warning or indication prior to the car being disabled. Once the battery dies, the vehicle immediately decelerates, there is no acceleration, the braking system becomes mostly disabled, and the power steering is not functional. The car becomes disabled, while being driven, without warning. When this event happens, there is a high pitched screaching alarm, and the majority of the dash lights turn on. None of which indicate there is an issue with the 12-volt battery. The large red triangle light with the exclamation mark comes on, as well the lights indicating that there is a problem with the brakes. Additional dash lights also turn on during this dangerous event. The rear view monitor screen states that there is an issue with the transmission. The reality that a minor 12- volt battery is responsible for disabling a vehicle is extremely dangerous, especially since it happens when the car is being driven. This is a serious issue. Toyota must include an indicator light that warns the driver the battery is low prior to the car being being disabled. Please investigate this matter, as it seems to be a common problem, based on online research. My safety was in jeopardy due to the fact that I was driving the car on a main road, with moderate traffic, and lost control of the car as it became disabled. To get my car off of the road required the assistance of several good Samaritans who used their bodies to block traffic in order to get the car out of the flow of oncoming traffic. Fourteen days later, after the battery was replaced, and the car serviced/inspected, I drove the car 10 to 15 miles, wherein the car did the same thing. Per the dealership, the issue was not the 12- bolt battery. Thank you for your time and consideration. Kindly, Cynthia Becker 623-209-4290 cjbecker246@gmail.com
The hooks holding the driver's side carpet in place have popped loose, causing the carpet to slide around unpredictably. I'm fairly sure there was a recall a few years ago about this (we did take the car into the dealership at the time) but this is worse. I mentioned this to them circa 6/21, but they saw no active recalls then.
Driver side headlight when turned on randomly goes off I have to turn the lights off again and then it turns back on but a lot of times it'll keep turning off. It's been doing this for years. I rarely drive my car only has 35K miles on it.
Hatch is difficult to open and gets stuck if you don't fully pull the latch free. Regardless of the difficulty opening at times, the handle is melted and leaves a sticky black "tar" on your hand every time you open the hatch. This website also explains the history of problems related to this: Https://www.meyersonstrategy.com/2013/09/Toyota-sticky-2007-Prius-hatch-problem.html
On an intermittent basis, the dash does not light up(speed, gear selections, gas level, etc) when this happens you can not shut the engine off or remove the ignition key which are big safety items when you have to park as you can not lock the doors and all information on the large display does not work or any of the dash display so you have no indication of speed, engine warnings etc. I purchased my 2007 Prius from my local county and now they have a 2009 Prius with the same problem. All Prius should be recalled by Toyota, regardless of age and fixed a it is a very dangerous problem. I have searched the internet about this problem and it seems be a problem with the Prius. The estimate I have to solve the problem is approximately $1,200 and this should be fixed by Toyota as a definite recall safety problem. It is a start, stop problem when you can not shut off the engine or remove the key and while driving no speed indication.
Sometimes the dash won't light up other times the car won't shut off plus on the tailgate the little electrical piece fell off where you open the trunk
Toyota sent the extended warranty notice on the combination meter to the wrong address; therefore, I could not "connect the dots" regarding my dashboard blackout--meaning I thought it was quirky, not a documented problem with the combination meter. My 2007 Prius with only 35,000 miles on it needs a replacement combination meter but Toyota will not pay for it--claiming it provided an extended warranty. My response is: So what" I am driving a dangerous vehicle which does not indicate the speed I'm driving, the gas supply, the warning lights, and backup camera. I have had the requisite services over the years and the problem is clearly a defect in Toyota's manufacturing and supply chain. If Toyota really cares about the customer, why won't Toyota take responsibility for the failing part and repair my perilous vehicle" the situation is dangerous! I can't lock the car, know for sure when it is turned off, see the warning lights, know if the airbag alert is legit--non-functional all. To replace the failed part will cost near $1000, my monthly social security. Think about this pricetag, Toyota headquarters and local dealerships. My safety is severely jeopardized. Please work to recall these impacted vehicles. That my Prius has been serviced every single year according to schedule, that this mysterious dark screen has been popping up for years, and that Toyota sent the notice of extended warranty to the wrong address should demonstrate where the culpability lies. Toyota should take ownership of this dangerous situation and fix all the defective vehicles--behavior which demonstrates the company truly cares about its customers!
We have a 2007 Toyota Prius and the airbag light on the dashboard will not shut off. It has not been in an accidentand I was told that there was a safety recall for this. It drives fine, I'm just worried that something bad will happen. This has been an ongoing problem for about 2-3 months.
The back latch to the trunk/hatch is defective. The rubber exterior part has melted and is all gooey and sticky. In the winter time it freezes. We are unable to open or use the trunk. This is a safety issue and also can not access spare or compartment. This is a faulty part and there have been thousands of similar reports. I would like this fixed as is a manufacturing flaw and defect.
The rear hatch latch deteriorates and makes it increasingly difficult to open the back hatch. It is now completely broken and the back hatch is inaccessible ' making impossible to access the spare tire in case of a road-side emergency.
There is a common problem with the instrument cluster combination meter which contains the speedometer display. This cluster tends to malfunction when the vehicle is turned on. The display will not turn on with the rest of the vehicle. This malfunction allows a driver to continue to operate the vehicle, but without the speedometer, odometer, and gear shift display. This is a safety issue because many Prius drivers are driving without the use of a speedometer!!! Toyota issued a 9 year extended warranty on this manufacturing defect for their 2nd generation Prius models. Clearly this is evidence that this is a very common issue. With 2nd generation Prius series (2003-2009) rapidly aging out of this 9 year extended customer support program, this poses an ever increasing consumer safety risk to the general public. Repair costs the trade in value of the vehicle is less than $3,000 while the repair quoted by my local Toyota dealership was $1028. This repair cost highly discourages owners to get this fixed. Since there is little incentive to invest in this costly repair, I am concerned that many Prius drivers are driving without a speedometer! by going though considerable effort to detach the start battery when this problem surfaces, the computer system in the display can go though a hard reset, and tends to operate properly for a short period of time. This would allow an individual to easily pass a safety inspection, but the considerable effort to go though this process would prevent consumers to go though this effort every time the display went out. The instrument cluster should be recalled in the interest of public safety! these vehicles need to be repaired or taken off the streets! vehicle safety inspections are not likely to catch this issue, as the problem can be temporary masked.
After I noticed that the SUV sufficiently ahead of me in the same lane was stopping to make a left turn, I started slowing down with plenty of space. I glanced for a second to my right side to check safety around another set of headlights. When I faced forward I could see that I was getting too close to the about-to-turn car ahead of me. I immediately slammed on the brakes, but the car kept moving forward and slammed into the SUV's rear end. Thankfully there were no physically injuries, but the collision caused low/moderate damage to the SUV and major damage to my Prius -- enough that the radiator was clobbered, and that my car had to be towed. At the time of this post, the repair shop has not yet finished evaluating it and reporting on all the damaged parts and the estimate costs. Prior to purchasing this vehicle about 9 months ago, I had checked for active recalls but found none, and I confirmed the same shortly after the purchase. Apparently, though, Toyota has not yet issued a recall on the brake system even after many similar complaints about such a failure during an emergency need for a total stop. I am really interested in pursuing further action, possibly through legal avenues.
Clock spring wiring harness in steering wheel going out. Started with non-safety items: A/C, defrost. Now the horn does not work. Others report that air bags are also connected to this wiring harness which is failing. Other Toyota models had recall because clock spring harness caused air bags to fail
Good year weatherhandler fuel maxx tires with only 9000 miles dry rotten and loss of air and coming apart. Dot pj19ky1R sold to me by national tire and battery Feb 9, 2016 manufactured July 16,3013 Goodyear would not warranty defects and national tire and battery would not replace. Due to defects in the tire. National tire and battery prorated tires with 10/32 tread depth on one and 9/32 on the rest. New tires the cost to me with replacement was the same as new. I was having loss of air in the tires daily. I kept the old tires to show the defective sidewalls.
One headlight repeatedly goes off while driving. Turning lights all the way off and then back on temporarily relieves the problem. The issue often occurs when braking, but can occur randomly while in motion. This has been going on with my vehicle for years.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fremont, CA, USA