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.
There was a popping noise in my steering wheel and then I had no movement in my tires. My steering wheel just spins round and round but my tires will not move I was driving down the street and I had no control of my car. So I believe it has something to do with the steering shaft or suspension.
Cpcs:I1410421A. 2008 Toyota Prius. Consumer stated the car was taken in for a wheel alignment. Apparently, Toyota has not allowed any way to adjust the rear toe or camber on the Prius, which can result in steering issues and problems associated with excessive or uneven tire wear.
I was leaving the airport and beginning to pick up speed (approximately 30-35 mph) when I had a very scary incident with my 2008 Prius. It suddenly fishtailed to the left, several seconds later fishtailed to the right, and as it yet again began to fishtail to the left, I jammed on the brakes very hard and it corrected. It was terrifying and fortunately there was no one to my right or behind me and the taxi on my left managed to avoid me. I knew that I would never feel safe in my Prius again. I immediately reported the problem to the Toyota regional manager who said to take it into the dealership. I then spent the next two days reading complaints posted on the internet about the Prius. It is chilling to read how many complaints have been filed and the patterns that emerge in the reporting. I took my car into the dealership where the service manager looked over the complaint that had been written up and said, "I never heard of this before." I told him he only had to go to the internet to see how similar cases with the Prius have been documented. He told me that I shouldn't believe what I find there. I tried my best to give him a thorough explanation of the problem but he didn't seem much interested in getting a fix on what I was talking about. He asked if I had gone over a bump. "no, " I replied, "but why do you ask"" he said that going over a bump can trigger a sensor in the wheel that sets in motion a series of responses. "and going over a bump isn't a problem for Toyota?", I asked. He didn't respond and only said that they will look the car over. From reading the documented reports on the internet, I knew exactly what the findings would be. "we don't find anything wrong with your car, " he told me. "but you do agree that there is something seriously wrong, don't you"", I asked. He immediately hustled me out of the area. I knew that I could never sell my car to another person in good faith, but I sold it back to the dealership at a big loss.
I bought a 2008 Toyota Prius in the summer of 2008 and almost immediately got into an accident. I was turning a corner and the car didn't handle as I expected - I got a "hydroplaning" warning light even thought it was not raining and tried to brake, but the brakes did not react and I ended up crashing into a curb, causing $3,000 in damage to the wheel, axel, and bumper. No one was hurt and there was no property damage other than to my own car. At the time I chalked it up to not yet being used to the car, I had previously had a jetta that handled wonderfully and I was used to that car being completely responsive. I made the necessary repairs to my car and just tried to be more cautious when I was driving in the future. I have always noticed certain things about the handling and braking of this car, and the current recall on the 2010 version made me realize I wasn't imagining these problems. I constantly get the hydroplaning type warning on my dashboard when I go over bumps or in bad weather, to the point where I feel unsafe driving my Prius in inclement weather and often borrow a relative's car. I have been lucky to have no more accidents other than that first one, but there have been most definitely been times when I felt the car was not handling the way it ought to. Even when I had that accident I had maintained to family and friends that I just couldn't fathom how I got into that accident and I felt like it was "the car's fault." I didn't spread this opinion too widely though because it sounded like I was just making an excuse for my accident. That's really how I felt though; as if something went wrong with the brakes that day. I felt if I had been in any other car I've ever driven that accident could have been avoided. I didn't even know there was an option to file a complaint with the NHTSA until this recall hit the news, so I figured filing a complaint now is better than never filing at all. Thanks for your time.
2008 Toyota Prius leans to left 3/4 ". it is visibly noticeable and sits even lower with driver occupant. Toyota dealer says within specs and is safe. They won't replace springs on left side or coils. Many other Prius owners have same problems. I have extended warranty which we paid a lot for and they still won't fix vehicle. This can't be safe can it?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Cincinnati, OH, USA