Print this page

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,066 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2008 Toyota Prius miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 Toyota Prius:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2008 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #46

Jan 222024

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The combination meter is faulty and this makes the dash not show. You don-??t know how fast you-??re going, how much gas you have, it-??s very unsafe and the warranty is supposed to be for 9 years but they will not allow that for everyone even if you have the same problem as someone who was allowed the warranty.

- Dover, DE, USA

problem #45

Aug 152023

Prius

  • miles
While driving, the gear lever doesn-??t stay in drive or reverse and pops back into neutral. It-??s not engaging in drive or reverse.

- Longmont , CO, USA

problem #44

Mar 312022

Prius

  • miles
The catalytic converter was stolen off of the car and yes it is available for inspection upon request. I-??m not sure of the safety risk, we drove the car one time and the engine light came on. The problem has not been reported to a dealer or independent service center. Once the incident happened one of our neighbors called the police and they came but they didn-??t know which apartment we were in and out neighbor told us that it was our catalytic converter and the police waited for a few minutes and then they left. Our neighbor told us when they heard our car starting.

- Huntsville , AL, USA

problem #43

Mar 212021

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There seems to be a problem with the float in the gas tank. Once car gets down to empty, the fuel tank will only allow you to pump in 5 to 6 gallons of gas into the tank. We searched online and apparently a lot of people are having this issue but may not have reported it to NHTSA. Thanks

- Conover, NC, USA

problem #42

Feb 102021

Prius

  • 172,000 miles
There is a rampant 'epidemic" with the Toyota Prius of stolen catalytic converters (cc) for all model years. The cc (including oxygen sensor) is made of precious metals that have skyrocketed in price on the 'open market'. the Prius cc contains 8% precious metals of rhodium, platinum, and palladium. Thieves can get 'in-and-out' within a matter of minutes (1-3) and then re-sell the cc on the open market. Examples of how rampant this is: (1) August 2020, the charlotte-mecklenburg county police department reported a 357% increase in stolen ccs; (2) yesterday, when filing a police report with the athens-clark county police department on my 2008 Prius cc, detective told my son it was the fifth (5th) report of a stolen catalytic converter that day; (3) my local repair shop told me they have installed at least 5 replacement ccs in the last 2 weeks'far exceeding anything to-date. The cc on my 2008 Prius was stolen on Wednesday, February 10. (I also have a new 2021 Prius that I am deathly afraid to drive anywhere for fear of getting the cc stolen.) the cost of replacement for a stolen cc can range from about $1,600 (after market) to more than $5,000 (oem-Toyota). My 2008 Prius, it has cost me $1,704 for the replacement (after market) catalytic converter. A company in California makes an after market theft deterrent system called cat security (www.getcatsecurity.com). for my 2008 Prius its $160; for the 2021 Prius its $135. Professional installation (I.e., repair shop or Toyota dealer) is required costing another $150 - $300 dollars. I have contacted Toyota usa and filed a complaint. The issue is they respond with 'amnesia', not acknowledging that the problem exists. I am requesting the NHTSA tell Toyota-usa to issue a recall to all model-year Prius's, immediately to correct and secure the catalytic converter system form theft.

- Peachtree Corners, GA, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #41

Sep 132020

Prius

  • 0 miles
The dash lights on my car went completely blank and the car is unable to shut off. Toyota has a safety campaign that addresses this issue but it is only good for first 9 years of the car. My car is a 2008 model and I understand this problem affects all 2004-2009 models. As this is a safety concern with not being able to turn off the car properly, it is causing lots of anxiety not knowing if my car is actually turned off in my garage. My mom drives the car and she's 78 years old, she cannot tell if the car is off when she exits the car. There are occasions where the hybrid car turns on while it's in the garage because my mom was not able to turn the car off. This should be an issue where Toyota issues a recall for the safety of everyone that owns these cars and parks in a garage.

- Arcadia, CA, USA

problem #40

Jun 162020

Prius 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The back latch of my 2008 Toyota Prius has degraded and no longer functions. I am unable to open the back hatch door. I am concerned that in case of an emergency I will not be able to open my trunk and have access to my spare tire, tools, flares, etc. Because of this mfg. Quality defect, I would like to have Toyota pay for the expense of this repair. My car is unsafe as is.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #39

Jul 012019

Prius

  • 135,000 miles
Driving through the rocky mountains, my brake actuator failed causing the front caliper to seize. I was unable to brake safely. The vehicle swerved during braking and failed to respond in time to prevent collisions. Had I been in a high-traffic area, injury or fatality would have been likely. This is a known issue and Toyota extended the warranty on this part. Unfortunately, though I am still within the mileage limit, the warranty period expired weeks before the problem was diagnosed. I stress that this is a known issue which presents an imminent danger to drivers, passengers, and the public at large.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #38

Nov 012019

Prius

  • miles
The dashboard lights go out, meaning you can no longer see the mph, the fuel, and everything important to drive with gauges. This can happen at anytime, driving or parked, on any street in any weather. Also note, you can no longer shut the car off, unless you hold the start button for 20 seconds. Sometimes the car will still not shut off, it's also sometimes hard to tell if the car is off, because there is no more dash. The only well to tell is to see if the radio goes on. There are a few ways to reset this major malfunction, to try and get things working again by disconnecting batteries, but this is a dangerous problem, that could kill someone while driving and needs attention and recalled soon as possible!

- Dearborn, MI, USA

problem #37

Oct 232019

Prius

  • 98,000 miles
My wife and I own 2 Prius 2nd generation models since 2014. The issue is with the instrument cluster randomly malfunctioning and not displaying when the vehicle is on and sometimes not being able to turn the vehicle off. It happens while driving, stationary, raining, just randomly. This has happened more than 10 times on my car alone, and my wife can contests to hers as well. What we both are experiencing is one of many situations. While driving the dash lights and interior lights will just not work: I'm unable to see driving speed, if my headlights are on. Even while stationary we experience the same thing. The main reasons for reporting this is because coincidentally it happens to both of us at random times in 2 different vehicles same model and year. From my own research this has been going on for a while with other owners with the same models. I don't know what constitutes as a safety concern for recalls, but I feel this is one. I'm fortunate to not have any accidents so far. But for others who are experiencing this can accidentally start speeding, or become startled because of the sudden loss of dash visuals, and result in harm of other's or property. This just happened again today and I just had to say something since this has been a persistent issue for my wife and I. thanks for taking the time to read this and please look into this.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #36

Oct 222019

Prius

  • 175,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My wife and I own 2 Prius 2nd generation models since 2014. The issue is with the instrument cluster randomly malfunctioning and not displaying when the vehicle is on and sometimes not being able to turn the vehicle off. It happens while driving, stationary, raining, just randomly. This has happened more than 10 times on my car alone, and my wife can contests to hers as well. What we both are experiencing is one of many situations. While driving the dash lights and interior lights will just not work: I'm unable to see driving speed, if my headlights are on. Even while stationary we experience the same thing. The main reasons for reporting this is because coincidentally it happens to both of us at random times in 2 different vehicles same model and year. From my own research this has been going on for a while with other owners with the same models. I don't know what constitutes as a safety concern for recalls, but I feel this is one. I'm fortunate to not have any accidents so far. But for others who are experiencing this can accidentally start speeding, or become startled because of the sudden loss of dash visuals, and result in harm of other's or property. This just happened again today and I just had to say something since this has been a persistent issue for my wife and I. thanks for taking the time to read this and please look into this.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #35

Sep 212019

Prius

  • 196,050 miles
The 2008 Prius has a digital display. Sometimes when the vehicle starts up there is no information displayed on the screen. Nothing shows what gear (reverse, neutral, forward) it is in. There is no speedometer display. No odometer display. No fuel level display. At the same time that the dash does not light up, I have noticed there is no backup camera or backup lights when the vehicle is in reverse. In addition to the above, the start button will not fully shut down the car. It will cycle between accessory mode and full start when the button is pressed. I have noticed that when the problem is happening the vehicle is also not keeping track of the miles driven while the dash is not displaying - so when the dash does start working again, the odometer is not showing true mileage. After getting the vehicle to finally shut down, I have sometimes had the issue not present the next day at startup. Other times it will last through several starts and stops. I have read online that this problem is consistent with a faulty combination meter. And I feel it is a safety issue.

- Waldo, ME, USA

problem #34

Aug 172019

Prius

  • 223,583 miles
Ventilation circuit to select inside to outside air has been cyber-terrorised several times. The system is vital to operate securely, as a disabled constituent, in a great metropolis, that has sewage and garbage vapors everywhere. They access the funtion to open the damper to let outside air in suddenly, exposing my respiratory system to inhale waste. I have respiirated. Garbage air pollution, here in New York so much, it has activated my childhood asthma. Please find a way to seal the ECU's.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #33

May 152019

Prius

  • 215,608 miles
The inside to outside air vent actuators are moving in different directions, venting intake manifold gases into the cabin. Synthetic oil smell in the cabin, via the two front vents.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #32

Mar 232019

Prius

  • 97,000 miles
The trunk latch on this model is faulty and dangerous. The material used for the latch is too susceptible to temperature and either become rock hard in the winter cold or melty and gooey in the summer heat. It is almost impossible to get into my trunk through the back latch in the wintertime. I try and maybe if the weather is warm enough and it's just right, I can get into my trunk about 10 percent of the time, if that. Recently, I tried to open my trunk unsuccessfully. It opened enough to not be securely shut, but not enough to pop open. I was then also unable to shut the trunk. What ended up transpiring was a trunk that would register as opening and shutting, without the actual ability to fully open it or shut it. So the car door light must have come on at some point and drained my battery which then left me stranded on a winter day in a cold parking lot away from home. All because Toyota effed up and used a very poor choice in materials for their trunk latches. This is something that they should correct so other people don't have trunk issues that end up causing problems. If someone needs to open their trunk in the winter time to retrieve medicine, like an epi-pen, then they are screwed. If someone needs to open the latch to help remove an animal or child out of a car for whatever reason, they are screwed. If they just simply want to have trunk functionality for hauling groceries, they are screwed. And if they are like me and manage to unfortunately find that sweet spot where the trunk only partially opens, but not fully, and their battery ends up becoming drained and they are stranded in the middle of nowhere, they are also screwed. Toyota made a mistake, and they should do something to fix it. I love my Prius, but this one trunk latch issue is enough to make me reconsider other cars with functional door latches.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #31

Nov 302014

Prius

  • 105,000 miles
I called Toyota about the stalling software recall and my car is not on the list and needs to be added to it. My car does the same thing as the others reported. When I hit a bump on any street or freeway the engine flutters and the slippery when wet light comes on and it hard excellorates forward even when my foot is on the brake and there's really no stopping it.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #30

Feb 092018

Prius

  • 175,000 miles
Speedometer randomly turns off so you can not see how fast you are going. Dealer says it is a known warranty issue, but I am no longer covered.

- Wilmette, IL, USA

problem #29

Jan 042018

Prius

  • 116,000 miles
ABS actuator, vcs failure. Unsafe braking issues. Toyota dealer is quoting $2500 to fix. Found that a warrant extension was added by Toyota as this is a known issue, although Toyota Corp is saying that the warranty extension expired January 1st, 2018. A friend with a 2006 Prius has the same warranty extension expiration (letter attached) and where my car is a 2008 model, Toyota Corp advises that the extension expires at the same time and that there is no other options, that they will not assist with this safety problem.

- Riverview, FL, USA

problem #28

Feb 122008

Prius

  • miles
The back latch on my 2008 Toyota Prius trunk has been made with faulty materials. The poor choice in materials used to construct the latch are a safety concern. In extreme temperatures, the latch does not function properly. In extreme heat, the latch melts and burns and sticks to my hand and anything else it comes in contact with. In extreme cold temperatures I am unable to get my trunk open. This was a design flaw that could affect my safety if I was ever in need of getting into my trunk, or out of it in a life or death situation. If I was stuck in my car and the only way out was through my trunk because of a crash or Avalanche or other disaster, I better hope that it's on a nice warm day, because if it's on a cold day I'm screwed as it will be nearly impossible to get me out. This is a design flaw on the part of Toyota, and I would appreciate them taking into account their customers safety and remedying an issue that was caused by them using a material that does not work in extreme temperatures. I love a lot about my Prius, but a latch that melts and freezes and only works properly when the temperature is between 45 and 75 isn't acceptable to me.

- Lakweood, CO, USA

problem #27

Apr 012013

Prius

  • 70,000 miles
My car is consuming oil. Told Toyota dealer about it 2-3 years ago several times and they kept saying just add oil. Now it is worse. I need to add oil every gas fill up. Not leaking or burning, but using oil! I have added 4 quarts since last oil change and only gone over approx 2200 miles.

- Vail, CO, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?