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 hybrid water pump failed/ aka the inverter coolant pump. This was recalled years ago and has failed again. The previous owner of my car replaced it in 2013, so Toyota is refusing to replace it again, despite the fact that the part is faulty and has compromised the safety of my vehicle. This issue was diagnosed by a mechanic yesterday, error code P0A93. The master warning light, check engine light, brake light came on. The AC stopped working. The brakes nearly gave out on me driving on a bridge in New York City. This part was recalled. Toyota refuses to honor the recall a second time. They clearly did not properly engineer this part! It failed again! They should be responsible for fixing this issue.
The car stopped moving while I was driving. The engine is functional but it will not engage the drivetrain. The dashboard lights up intermittently. Most of the time the dash is dark. The local Toyota dealer will not take this car into the service department since it is over 10 years old and the dealer has not done all the regular servicings of the car. So I can not drive it.
My 2009 Toyota Prius abruptly lost power while driving. The electrical system turned off and the vehicle stalled while going 50 mph on a 2-lane parkway. While I was able to put my hazard lights on and steer the vehicle, I had no other control and was at a high risk of a crash. There's no emergency lane and few areas wide enough to pull over on the parkway. I was forced to coast the vehicle until I could pull off the parkway onto a patch of grass off the busy road. There were no warnings, messages, or other symptoms of the problems prior to failure. I had plenty of gasoline in the tank, so it wasn't due to a lack of fuel. The car would not start after pulling over and I had to get towed. After researching the issue, it sounds very similar to the safety recall involving certain 2013-2015 Model Year Prius and 2014 -€" 2017 Model Year Prius v in the United States, the press release for which was published on June 24 2020: https://tinyurl.com/4mrnz9nr Furthermore, the Los Angeles Times wrote an article on April 23 2018 about a similar issue, referring to a recall in 2014 which was intended to fix overheating problems in the 2010-204 Prius inverter. Those recall documents suggest that Toyota has been tracking this issue with the inverter since 2011. https://tinyurl.com/afwvt2sc A sudden power loss is generally considered a serious safety defect. I could have gotten into a serious car accident today and injured myself or other drivers. The 2009 Toyota Prius model had a recall issued on recall date: 11/14/2012 under NHTSA Campaign ID: 12V536000, referring to a "short circuit between coil wires and a possible open fuse, creating a stall-like condition of the hybrid system while the vehicle is being driven. This may increase the risk of a vehicle crash." At this time, I don't believe Toyota has conducted due diligence into ensuring the safety of the 2009 Toyota Prius model. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or insurance reps.
We have a 2009 Prius which stalled on the freeway as my husband was driving it yesterday (10/16/2020). Luckily, even though it was a busy austin freeway, my husband was able to maneuver it to the shoulder and call aaa to tow the car to the service station. On inspection, we were told that the reason for the stall was the failure of the inverter drive pump along with the 12V battery on board. This car was part of the recall for the inverter drive pump and that was replaced by an authorized Toyota service center in 2013 for a similar issue. On the Oct 16th, 2020, there were no warning lights - no engine check light and not even the 'maintenance required' light - the car turned on just fine, my husband was able to drive it 5 miles to the freeway, get on the freeway at 60 mph and drive a few miles on it before losing all power in the car. The service tech informs us that the inverter pump can break down due to just regular driving - but there was zero indication that this unit, which apparently is crucial to the car while being driven, was in any danger of imminent failure. I do not know if this part is examined or serviced as part of regular maintenance, but no warnings were raised when this car was last serviced, at an authorized Toyota service station in Dec of 2019.
The AM2 fuse randomly shorted, and when replaced keeps shorting, as consistent with the previous recall for the 2nd generation Toyota Prius' inverter coolant pump.
- El Paso, TX, USA
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The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the media home screen failed to function as designed due to frequent glitches. Several other electrical features were also inoperable including the back camera due to the failure. The contact called eddy's Toyota of wichita (7333 E. kellogg dr, wichita, ks 67207, (316) 652-2222) where he was informed that the home screen needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that replacing the media home screen may not guarantee that the failure would not recur. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer via email however, a return response was not received. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
2009 Toyota Prius. Consumer writes in regards to damaged inverter. The consumer stated while driving the vehicle began to lose power and warning lights flashed on the dashboard.
The multi-function display (mfd) stopped working around 200K. At first, the screen would not respond to touch, then it would freeze or appear fuzzy, then the display had static or would go on and off, now it is just black, with the rare incident (every couple of months, usually when it is cold outside) where the mfd displays a white screen or gray screen with lines through it. As many of the vehicles features (rear camera, A/C, radio, odometer, mileage, etc.) are controlled through the mfd, I have been unable to utilize these features. On other message boards (priuschat) this appears to be a rather common problem and should warrant some sort of corrective assistance from the manufacture.
Our Prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. Happens while driving, while parked and I just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. When I hit on brake, the brake makes very annoying noise.
Our Prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. Happens while driving, while parked and I just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. When I hit on brake, the brake booster makes very annoying noise.
Complete shutdown of Prius automobile with no warning while in motion on a city street. Rolled to a stop in safe area. Nothing worked except emergency blinkers. No instrumentation or warning lights appeared. The car was locked in fwd park and could not be towed by flatbed tow truck as there is no override. Lift tow truck was used to get to dealer. Diagnosed as melted hybrid invertor pump. Dealer replaced pump and fuse for a $641.47 cost to me. If this had happened on a highway/freeway it would have been a disaster. The complete loss of power without warning at freeway speed could very easily ended up as a multiple car pile up. Just the thought of crossing multiple lanes in traffic with no power, just rolling, makes me think it's time to get rid of this car.
My headlights keep randomly turning off on their own while parked or driving, in the dark or the light. To troubleshoot I have replaced the headlights and tightened the wire connections, but the problem continues. Only turning the headlights off and back on seems to temporarily fix the problem...until the next time it turns itself off. I had a similar problem with my Honda Pilot 2005 a few years ago and there was a safety recall on the headlight wire harness kit that was corroded from humidity and overheating and failing. This has now happened dozens of time on my Prius, mostly affecting the left headlight only, but a couple times on both headlights.
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that a warning indicator flashed on the instrument panel regarding the brake system when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact also noticed smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact inspected the vehicle and found a leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to salinas Toyota (700 auto center cir, salinas, ca 93907, (831) 444-0700) where it was diagnosed that there was an internal brake fluid leak; however, the vehicle was excluded from the manufacturer warranty campaign. The manufacturer indicated that the obt2 sensor did not show the specific diagnostic trouble code (dtc) to receive the brake actuator replacement covered by the campaign. The dealer and the manufacturer refused to honor the warranty campaign for dtc number: C1240. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. Consumer stated smoke started coming under the hood. Noticed fluid dripping from engine onto the exhaust pipe. Dealer determined it was not an oil leak but empty brake reservoir. Updated 11/27/18
2009 Toyota Prius driver side headlight keeps going out, it works when you turn on the vehicle, and then it goes out, I have changed the bulb, and also change the ballast, but no luck, I got the warning 3 days ago, and now if I get pulled over, I will get the ticket,
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 60 mph, all the warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred approximately three other times. The contact also stated that the brakes seized while driving through a parking lot. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact mentioned that there was a technical service bulletin (T-sb-0032-16) in reference to the ABS actuator, but the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and case number: 1806043060 was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 183,483.
Right headlight intermittently goes out. Sometimes turning headlights off and back on brings the headlight back on. The headlight usually does not turn on when the car is started up.
I was driving my 2009 Toyota Prius on a very cold day (roughly 10 to 20 degrees F). The red brake warning light was on, along with the ABS, vcs and yellow "!" lights. The brakes were extremely soft for about the first 5-10 minutes of operation. I would push the brake pedal as far as it would go (it would not go all the way to the floor) and the brakes would seems to be engaging at about 30%-50% of their normal stopping power. After the vehicle warmed up, the warning lights on the dash went away and the brakes began operating normally. The following week, my wife was driving the vehicle on another very cold day (again probably about 10 degrees). She stated that the above mentioned lights stayed on for her entire commute (less than 10 minutes) but that when she arrived to work, her brakes were not working. She described that she pressed the brake pedal as far as it would go, but the brakes did not seem to be fully engaging. She stated that she nearly hit a wall as she was pulling into the parking lot at her work. I have found similar issues listed on Prius forums online. Perhaps it is a electrical or computer problem as opposed to a problem with the brakes. We have never had the problem when the temperature was above 25 degrees.
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly exploded and burst into flames without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle was securely parked for six weeks while the contact was away. The police and fire departments were at the scene, but no reports were filed. There were no injuries. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
My headlight passenger side keeps going out after a few seconds of turning on. This keeps me from driving at night. My computer controls on my dash board that works the ac. And displays the information about the car does not work. My ABS break light will not go off. This has affected my breaking system on my car. All of these items I have mentioned all occurred while I was driving the car.
Display for odometer, speedometer and gas gauge goes out intermittently.the 'combination meter' (a.K.a. 'instrument panel' or 'cluster', the thing you're looking at in front of you) is bad. There are several electrical components in the circuit board that control how it 'powers up', and they fail. Lacking the ability to power up, the display goes black. Joe myers quoted us $1156 for repair, and one week repair time. Service advisor said that repair part is fixed part so that problem will no longer occur. We must drive the vehicle till we replace it. No offer was made to provide a loaner car if 07 Prius went into shop for replacement cluster. It is really unsafe to drive without knowing speed that car is traveling. And we would not know gas level. Who wants to run out of fuel" very unsafe. Why isn't Toyota owning up to this deficiency? shouldn't it be a recall repair" we are the original owner and we have taken the vehicle into the dealership service shop for repairs since we purchased the vehicle.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Philadelphia, PA, USA