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.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated the headlights would intermittently fail without warning and would often flicker from on to off repeatedly. The headlights were replaced by the contact yet the failure persisted. The contact stated the headlight was replaced three times within one year. The manufacturer advised there was not a recall for the failure and disregarded the failure as a safety issue. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000 and the current mileage was approximately 108,000. Updated 10/21/10. The consumer also stated the brake and taillights failed as well. Updated 10/25/10 updated 11/15/10 * bf the consumer stated she will be contacting Toyota again, as the headlights are not performing as they should. While on her way home, the headlights started blinking on and off, until finally they went completely went out. Updated 11/26/10. Updated 01/06/11 updated 03/02/11
2007 Prius (69K miles). Driving on highway, all caution lights came on. Towed to dealer and diagnosed with a 12-volt battery issue. $280 to replace the batter. Three weeks later, same cautions lights. Got most to clear with a restart with the exception of the "master caution" and the "engine check" lights. Dealer showed code of "P0A93" and stated inverter coolant pump needed to be replaced for another $486. Check online shows Toyota knows about the pre-2006 issues and that many 2007 and beyond owners are running into the same issue at various miles.
The headlights on my 2007 Prius come and go. The problem is a defect in the headlights and the fix is more than $500. For the headlights. This is really dangerous because I think there is a problem and I look they are okay. Then someone tells me my headlight is off and it is but when I look at it later, they are working. I suspect that they have been doing this a long time but I did not realize it. This is dangerous. I want a recall!! this is worse than the pedal problem.
Summary: My car began accelerating while I was in park. I own a 2007 Toyota Prius. Two days ago, I drove to my destination, pulled into a parking spot, and turned off the car. I was early, so I turned the car back on (so I could listen to the radio while I waited). The car was in park and I did not have my feet on any pedals. The car was on for less than a minute when it began to drive forward. I both heard the sound of the motor engaging and visually processed that the car was moving. I immediately stepped on the brake hard and the car immediately came to a stop. My 4-year-old was distressed because the rolling and hard stop made a big jolt. The car was still in park. I released the brake pedal and the car stayed still. I do not know if this is related, but my car headlights randomly turn off while I am driving. If I toggle the switch off and back on, they always come back on. I took it to the local dealer, where the repair guy told me they frequently see this problem, and all they do is replace the headlights (which made no sense to me, because the bulbs aren't burned out). I would say this problem happens about once a week.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at 48 mph, the brakes suddenly locked up and swayed to the left side when he depressed the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for diagnosis. The dealer repaired the axle and driver side body but it was unknown if the dealer repaired the brake system. The contact believed that the rain was a factor in the failure as it caused the computer chip for the brake pedal to malfunction. The braking system for the vehicle failed periodically in rainy weather. The VIN was unavailable at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. The current mileage was approximately 60,000.
- Belmont, MA, USA
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- the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact attempted to start the ignition. The engine failed to start as a result of a dead battery. The engine functioned after a jump-starting the vehicle. The failure occurred on two separate occasions, and approximately two weeks after the first occurrence. The battery had been replaced twice. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer with an estimation of five different times. A specialist diagnosed the vehicle and stated the vehicle was operating normally. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 35,000.
Intermittent headlight operation on hid headlights 2007 Toyota Prius. Both headlights went out at the same time while traveling on I75 last night. After almost wrecking, we pulled to the side of the road. After turning lights off for a while they came back on and started working again. This seems to be a frequent occurrence according to blogs on the internet. I contacted the dealer and they said if they had to replace the unit it would be in the thousands of dollars!!!!! ($1100 for headlight computer, $500- $600+ for headlight bulbs and another $1100 for light kits) I think that is completely ridiculous to expect someone to pay that much just to be able to drive there car safely! none of this was revealed when the car was purchased! how could anyone expect to pay that kind of money to keep there headlights working? please help, we cannot afford to drive safely now!
2007 Toyota Prius. Consumer states unintended acceleration. The consumer stated he was parking the vehicle and when he shifted the gear from drive to neutral, with his foot on the brake, the RPM accelerated to approximately 4000, so he pushed the power off button to turn the vehicle off.
2007 Toyota Prius. Consumer states vehicle is a lemon. The consumer stated she had numerous problems with the vehicle. The battery was dead, but tested good, the touch screen display was inoperable due to a loose connection at the rear of the multi display/ hatch area. A short wire was found. The battery died five more times due to a short. The headlight bulbs had to be replaced, due to them going out after driving for an hour. The hid module had an intermittent short.
When the car is first started, the driver side headlight usually goes out within the first few minutes of driving. It is almost always the driver side but it has happened a few times with the passenger side. When I turn the headlights off and then back on both headlights function, although the light that had been out initially is not as bright as the other. This happens intermittently for the first 10-20 minutes of driving and then both headlights seem to function properly. I recently drove at night for nearly 5 hours and only had this problem during the first 20 minutes of driving.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact was driving approximately 40 mph, approaching a traffic light. When the brake pedal was engaged, the brakes failed to respond in a timely manner. Additionally, the electrical system failed without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 23,406. The current mileage was 30,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph, proceeding to a traffic light. While coming from a complete stop with the accelerator pedal depressed; the pedal was non responsive. The consumer turned the engine off and then restarted it. The vehicle accelerator pedal became operable. In addition, on a separate occasion traveling at 45 mph the vehicle began to decrease in speed. The identical failure occurred without warning. The manufacturer was notified on two separate occasions, and he advised her to have the vehicle taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The authorized dealer was unable to duplicate the failure or detect any diagnostic codes. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. The failure mileage was 1,000. The current was 15,500. Updated 08/03/10. The consumer stated she has experienced a sudden loss of power while driving. When she applied the accelerator pedal there was no response. She tried shifting into drive several times, and there was still no response. Updated 09/02/10
1) two times my car has accelerated on its own, and I had to feather the gas pedal to get it to stop accelerating, which took under a minute to correct. 2)when braking the car, if you hit sand or a bump which causes the slippery light to come on, the car transistions from generating power, to all brakes, at which point the car accelerates as there is an interruption and a short period of time where there is no breaks. 3)when you are coming to a stop such as at a bank drive-thru, when placing the car in park while only the electric system was running, if the motor turns on while still in park, the entire car launches forward 1-2 feet, extremely dangerous.
I own a 2007 Prius and noticed this problem for several months already. March 7, 2010 was a raining day in san diego. At about noon, I drove my wife to the market with the Prius. I needed to turn on the warm air to defrost the windshield for better visibility. What I got was the cold air from the A/C. I checked the A/C indicator and it wasn't on. I touched the indicator to turn it on then off but nothing changed. The air was still cold. After shopping at the market, we started the Prius again to drive home. The air then changed to warm. What we learned was only a total turn off could change the 'stuck' condition in the Prius. This was not a dangerous incident but it could relate to the electronics malfunction in another serious accident.
The headlamps on my 2007 Toyota Prius intermittently fail. They periodically flicker. The headlamps operate after being turned off for some time. No crash yet! dangerous situation!
I own a 2007 Prius, and have enjoyed the car...however, sometime in October,2009, I was driving to a wedding shower and the car suddenly accelerated when I was entering a multi-lane expressway.. it would not decelerate when I eased off the accelerator..and I had to veer across lanes to avoid hitting a truck in front of me. Simple braking did not stop the acceleration, only very hard and continued and panicked braking. On the way back, on an area of interstate that was free of vehicles, I was able to recreate the acceleration by 'stomping" on the accelerator. Again, it would not stop accelerating when I took my foot off the accelerator..and only after stomping the brake a lot did it return to regular responsiveness. I have not "tried" that again, and my husband did try, but could not duplicate my experience. We contacted our local Toyota dealer (greentree in clarksville, in) and they were not responsive. Later in the fall, after the recall about floor mats, we were told to take the floor mat away on drivers side, and a "fix" would be developed. I am now fearful of the car. I am reporting now because I do not believe that the Prius problem is a simple floor mat issue (never did, but am a woman and certainly not "knowledgeable" so as to refute Toyota's engineers..).
I own a 2007 Toyota Prius, for two years when the car is not garaged the electronics acts up by not displaying anything! no displays will illuminate. If you drive it a while, the next time you turn it off it might correct itself. This occurred sporadically the main factor was I wasn't at home to have it garaged. Now what is happening is besides just the display, it also will not shut off! I had to leave it running and go to work, my husband came and kept pressing the power button until it would respond. I have talked to another 2007 Prius owner and this has happen to them also. Now I hear that the cause of Toyota woes maybe the main electronic program, which is what the Toyota dealer mechanic told me would need to be replace to stop my problem!
On December 26, 2009, when our car was put in reverse to back out of our garage, my husband noticed the car did not have the usual beeping when backing up. Less than a block from our home, he noticed the display panel with the speedometer, fuel gauge, shift indicator, etc. Was black. The dimmer switch would not bring the dashboard lights back on. However, the display in the center for climate control, mpg, etc. Was working. He turned around and returned home. When home he was unable to turn the car off. After many tries, we were eventually able to turn the car off by holding down the power button for an extended time--much longer than usually needed. When we restarted the car, everything appeared to be functioning properly. On December 28, 2009 I brought the car to the dealer. I was told to bring the car back if it happened again, and it was unlikely they would find what went wrong when the car was functioning properly. I was told not to turn off the car when it malfunctioned. I expressed my concern about driving the car when I was unable to see the speedometer and when it was obvious the electronics was not performing properly. I was told I could have the car towed if necessary. I asked to have my incident included in our file. On February 4 after hearing about the recalls, I decided to call our dealer to make sure they had a record of our incident. I was told the incident was not on record. I was told that if I had a problem, I should bring the car in and they would fix it. I asked that for now, I would just like to have our incident documented in our file. The Toyota representative refused to put the information in our file. I suggested they just say the customer reported the incident and they could not verify it. Again, he said he would not do that. If I had a problem with the car, I should bring it in and they would fix it. How can they find a fix when they will not document problems?
Toyota Prius loss of electical power, loss of steering resulting in crash in May 2009 while driving in a residental neighborhood at low speeds, Prius lost all power resulting in loss of steering and loss of brakes resulting in crash into a high curb. I had Prius towed to Toyota dealership and filed complaint with dealership as well as with main California complaint center. They said that it would take them 4 months to investigate complaint. They recommended my storing car at dealership for four months if I wanted an investigation. They would not investigate otherwise. They told me there was no cause for concern and that the power loss must of resulted after the crash. They said that Toyota had no safety complaints about power loss or steering or brake loss. I went on line and found same year model recall in australia. They told me the products were dissimilar and not a cause for concern. I disagreed. My routine mechanic at merchants tire and auto could find nothing wrong. I repaired the structural damage and sold the car since Toyota assured me there was nothing wrong. Toyota corporation's methodology of investigation appears to be designed to stifle any meaningful determination of baseline safety fault. The requirement to store a car for months at owners expense and for driver to have no access for transportation would appear to discourage any meaningful investigation of safety concern. Given the current finding of brake and other safety defects in Toyota products, I am concerned that the power loss may have been under-reported because of their unethical business practices. I report it to help you determine if there is a pattern of power loss, loss of steering and loss of braking in the Prius.
Within 15000 miles, the passenger side hid headlamp began flickering and would randomly go off. This was replaced by the dealer free of charge. At about 30,000 miles, the drivers side hid headlamp began randomly shutting off. This has become more frequent and is becoming a safety hazard.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fayetteville , OH, USA