general problems of the 2008 Toyota Prius - part 1

My 2008 Toyota Prius brake system is very dangarous ,on the hi way speed of 55 I push the brake softly ,out of sadden car started acting like a wild horse slipping to the left and right and I am an experienced driver on ice,I lived in m ichigan for a long time ,so I survived , and all drivers around me stopped and there was no accident, I am afraid driving that car,I have called Toyota dealer, seems like use to be a recall but they have some hesitions to accept the faulty,dangarous brake system,I am going to complain to the ceo of the company. God help me,I was lucky my family and I survived ,my message to the Toyota Prius owners is please double check your VIN number and recalls,and insist to fix this common defect on Toyota Prius ,by the dealer with no charges. Very very unsfe brake system. And my instrument lights are on and off I can not see the speed and the odometer and the gas indicator,I heard it was a recall but the dealership did not accept it. If I want to fix these faulty defective parts would cost me over 4000 dollars,Toyota is responsible,I beleive should and must fix it for free valuntarly ,.

My brake, abs, vsc, and (!) lights are on. The brakes work at roughly 10% stopping power. Makes an awful buzzing noise when the brakes are applied and the warning chime is on constantly the high pitch ring is unbearable. I called my local Toyota service dealer and was told the champagne ended Nov 30th 2017.

My car has been having this issue with braking and dashboard lights with 'brakes, abs, vsc. Have taken it to the dealer and have spent thousands of dollars already. Replaced the brake system (pads, drums, etc. . ), catalytic converter, hybrid battery. Every time I drive out out of the dealer 'all is good' as codes were cleared but a few months after, the lights are on again. These issues have cause are causing my car to be acting up while driving and trying to break at stop signs and crossing lights by delaying to stop on time. This is a safety issue and needs to be addressed by Toyota in assisting us with repairs. Unless they'll wait for a tragedy before doing something about it. Have called the dealer and they always say 'it could this' or 'it could be that'. So far the repairs they have done is supposed to fix the current issue with breaks, lights on the dashboard but now abs can be related to the actuator and that will cost me around $3,000! which I cannot afford anymore. My car is paid for and I've spent almost $7,000 in 'repairs' and of course all vehicle's warrantees had expired when I took it in. In reviewing multiple complaints, this seems to be an issue with these abs and vsc problems and there should be some type of recall to fix them, otherwise as customers we're losing faith in Toyota and/or their dealers. I love Toyota cars but going through these experiences with costly repairs may change my mind in going with another brand.

Was parked in line to pick up child from school. Turned car on and put it on drive, moved slowly when parking brake light, abs warning light, traction control light all came on and then my brakes went limp. Had to push all the way to the floor and stopping was still hard to do. Almost hit the car in front of me when suddenly all lights went off and brakes jerked to a sudden stop. I'm terrified to drive my car at faster speed knowing my brakes basically went out. Pretty sure it's failing brake actuator and Toyota knows about this probably but didn't do a recall only extended warranties. . . I didn't own the car when those warranties we're going on in 2016. Headlights also will randomly turn off and I have to turn them off and back on constantly driving at night.

Second generation Toyota Prius (model years 04-09, an estimated 669,700 vehicles, Toyota highlander 06 ~66,200 vehicles (and Lexus models~196,000 vehicles) have a known defective brake power booster known as brake actuator assembly. Toyota published TSB 0032-16. The brakes fail. Toyota denied to remove the known faulty part in 2016 because the part had not established symptoms yet and vehicle was over 175,000 miles. 5/24/2019 while in motion on interstate 77, the yellow anti-lock brake system abs, the electronic variable speed control vsc (traction) , the electronic controlled brake alert lamps illuminate. The hybrid propulsion system fails because the power brakes do not regenerate electricity to charge the hybrid battery fuel cells. Turning the hybrid vehicle into a plain gas powered vehicle with faulty brakes. The power brake system creates a thumping vibration sound due to the pressure inside the actuator is not retaining/holding pressure. I asked local o'reily's to scan vehicle, reading codes brake actuator failure. Reported to Toyota dealership 5/30/2019 with yellow warning lamps engaged and with knowledge of codes. Charged $150. 09 to verify codes that I retrieved in 3 minutes and estimate $2938. 47 to replace known faulty part. I contacted Toyota national -1906030924. Toyota needs to own this recall. Recall the faulty part known to fail in 2016. Toyota aware of part failure, to such extent, Toyota discontinued this brake actuator and redesigned for generation 3 2010-. Toyota has updated the replacement part with new part #s. How many vehicles are currently on highways with this known faulty system, endangering all vehicles in proximity? this is a national issue. A safety issue. Needs immediate attention, please. I purchased new updated part, drove to tampa, florida to have installed by professional installer.

While driving on the highway the abs, vsc, and (!) lights came on. The brake pedal became hard, and I had to push incredibly hard to slow the vehicle. After having the codes read and resetting the abs, vsc, (!) lights, the brakes worked again until the lights came on again after about 50 miles. The codes have read "accumulator pressure fault".

My Prius recall the abs system. But I am no receive any letter. Toyota does not send letter.

On Friday, November 2, 2018. The brake light and lights for abs and vsc came on, I brought it on to a Toyota dealership service center. He immediately told me without inspecting it that it would be a very costly repair. I received a phone call after they ran diagnostic test and he confirmed it was the abs actuator that needed replacements at a cost of $2500. And then told me that there was a warranty enhancement but that it expired in June of 2018. The tech also told me that it was no help to call Toyota to request repair because they would not be willing to do it. There seems to be so many Toyota Prius owners who are stuck because Toyota is unwilling to repair the issue with the actuator and should do regardless of the limit on warranty or just lift the limit on the warranty. My vehicle only has 100k and I should not have to be paying $2500 to replace a faulty part on the car that Toyota is fully aware of.

Driving on city street while very rainy outside, drove through a puddle and felt the brakes loosen, all the warning lights came on and wouldn't turn off. Anti-lock breaking system was offline. Took to Toyota dealership, mechanics said the abs is not communicating with the computer and it would be $2800. 00 to fix. Breaks feel loose and are not as responsive anymore.

Powered on vehicle in driveway and while the car was still in park and the brake pedal engaged, the car rolled out of the driveway. I applied additional pressure to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle from rolling out. A week later, the instrument panel warning lights for abs, vsc, brake system and brake illuminated due to internal malfunctions of the brake actuator assembly. Toyota stated the vehicle is outside of the extended warranty for this known issue.

If I am applying the brakes when I hit a pothole or bumps in the road the brakes briefly stop working and don't re engage for several feet. Thus, if I am driving 30mph, the brakes won't re engage for about 15 feet. I took the car to the dealer twice and they claimed there was no problem. I checked online and found numerous complaints of the exact same problem by other 2008 Prius owners. I believe it is a programing problem with the interplay of the traction control system and the abs system. Apparently there was a recall for a similar problem in the 2010 models but not the 2008 models. I have experienced this problem throughout the life of the car. Please look into this problem.

I purchased my 2008 Toyota Prius as a certified pre-owned vehicle in 2014. Every time the car goes over a bump in the road -- be it a man hold, railroad tracks -- the car traction control light illuminates and the car lurches forward for 1-2 seconds. This has happened countless times. It is a commonplace occurrence when going over any kind of uneven surface on the road. From what I have read, this is common in the 2008 Prius and I am wondering why this hasn't been investigated. On July 12th, I was driving in ky in heavy rain, going about 50 mph. The traction control light came on, I began to hydroplane, and the car accelerated to 60mph and I almost drove off the road. I have been driving for sixteen years and have never hydroplaned. My fear is the car doing the same thing in rain that it does on uneven surfaces on dry road -- lurching forward slightly which is not what you want when driving in the rain.

Vehicle starts, runs for limited time -2-3 mins. Shuts off vehicle starts no electrical visibility on dash. . Blank. Vehicle starts with electrical visibility, runs for 3-5 miles, looses electrical visibility. Vehicle starts with electrical visibility runs for 3-4 miles . Vehicle stops, shuts off in traffic. Vehicle will not start. Requires jump start,,. And runs enough to take car to dealer. Vehicle will not start, requires jump start and will not hold charge. Requires towing to dealer.

My 2008 Prius won't stay in gears occasionallly. The gear jumped back from d to n mode. Fortunately, it didn't happen when I drove 70 miles per hour. I went to Toyota center and they said I have to apy for the shift lever. I don't know why I should pay for it, it is a defect of this car, not because how I drive this car. Plus, I don't have this money, so I didn't repair for it. I need to report this before someone get killed. I think Toyota should recall 2008 Prius, to make sure our (coustomer) safety.

It actually happened two times within a month. In one case, I was turning left to take a ramp with a very low speed around 5 mph. Even though some parts of the road was icy, but the car didn't slip. It was exactly a several sudden pushes, unintended acceleration, with my foot on the brake only. I was so scared because I couldn't control the car for few seconds, and I thought I totally lost the control of the car. I tried to steer the car safely and turn on my emergency light. Checked the brake again, it was working after that. The second time, happened to me when I was coming out of school parking and didn't have any speed at all. Again around 5 mph. School is located in residential area. When you get out of the parking, you can only turn right, then there is an intersection with a stop sign almost 50 feet away. On the day of incident, I tried to stop behind the stop sign with no speed at all, but suddenly the car got the same continuous and sudden pushes. It was accelerated unintendedly. My foot was completely on the brake, but I lost the control again, and I was so lucky that day that there were no cars around the intersection, I tried to steer the car to the left, turned on my emergency light, and tried to push the brake again and again. After few seconds, I found it working. I called the Toyota the same day, and they are in the process of scheduling me for inspection. Again, even though the surface was slick with ice, but I didn't have speed, and it didn't look like abs is working. I exactly know how abs works, specially when it is snowy or icy. This is very scary. Please investigate. Thanks.

Traveling at 40 m. P. H. A pickup truck pulled out onto the roadway ahead about 150ft. I depressed the brake and the vehicle slowed quickly at first to roughly 35 m. P. H. When the abs warning light displayed for a brief moment to about 30 m. P. H. After the warning light stopped flashing; 2 flashes, about 1/2 of a second, the pressure was solid and the vehicle slowed minimally. I managed to stop the vehicle in time, but felt that the brake system had failed to properly slow the vehicle. It felt like stopping a train. I feel unsafe in this vehicle under these conditions and have seen a lot of similar incidences reading online. I'm concerned for my the safety of my family and other motorist, and feel that Toyota should take the responsibility to resolve this issue with these vehicles.

On three separate occasions I started my Prius by using the electric start button without the key. The car starts and runs but the instrument panel does not light up. Once I arrived at my destination the car will not shut off. It take approx. 1 hr of running before it will turn off. My dealership indicated they had not heard of this issue but after a diagnostic test, discovered that a computer chip communicating with the start button was the issue. The part is not available for 4 to 6 weeks and they will not release my car to me since they consider it a safety issue. They indicated its part of a recall issue. . Never heard of it! hummm. No cost for the fix since it is part of the recall and Toyota has provided me with a rental car.

On 09jul2012 4:00 p. M while driving my Prius 2008 hybrid, heading home on i15n, the electric power on the vehicle shutdown without any previous warning, or alert. I immediately maneuvered the vehicle to the right shoulder of the highway. Immediately called aaa for a towing into Toyota of escondido, located on 231 Lincoln parkway, escondido, CA 92026 ph# (760) 746-0674. Today 09/01/2012 - currently experiencing problems with intermittent hid headlight operation: I've got a package 6 2006 Prius. One of the headlights keeps going out. I can't really tell when or how it goes out since I can't see it. I'll notice it when I see the reflection in the back of another car. If I turn the bright lights on and off it has no effect, but when I turn them all the way off and back on the light comes back. Request a safety recall for Toyota to take care of the electrical corrective actions.

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 own a 2008 Toyota Prius and have experienced braking problems since I purchased the vehicle. Any time I go over a bump/pothole, while turning, results in a floating sensation, surge forward, and momentary loss of steering. I almost had an accident 2 weeks ago at an intersection when this occurred. Serviced my vehicle yesterday and they claim the skid control system is working as it was designed. There is definitely a fatal flaw in this system and likely a chip issue. Toyota is not doing anything.

I have a 2008 Toyota Prius with vehicle stability control. When the car is going up or down a hill that is slippery, icy or snowy, the vsc kicks in, and all power is shut off to the spinning wheel (s). This renders the car unusable under these conditions. I have been in traffic, and barely escaped running into the car behind me. No injuries were caused, but this feature is potentially very dangerous and even fatal. Toyota should be persuaded to offer or install a way to temporarily disable the vsc.

Can't brake effectively on snow or when car hits a pot hole.

I own a 2008 Toyota Prius. I've noticed that when I run over a bump or a pothole on the road, the car seems to accelerate or jolt forward. It happens while I brake to a stop sign and run over a bump or pothole. It has also happened while letting go of the gas pedal but not stepping on the brake. Usually when this occurs the light for the traction control engages as if it detects a skid, even though there is no skid. I have to press the brake very hard in order to stop or slow down the car. I tend to leave extra room in front of me just in case the car accelerates unexpectedly, but there is definitely a problem with unexplained acceleration.

2008 Toyota Prius. Brakes fail/inoperative when driving over bumpy roads and/or potholes. It seems as though the abs or the electronic stability control engages when there is no need. This is the same type of incident that is being reported in newer Prius models as well.

2008 Toyota Prius. On Jan 29, 2010, I was slowly pulling into a parking stall when the accelerator engaged and the car surged forward. I applied the brakes and nothing happened. I let off the brakes and slammed them on harder and the car would not stop. My car hit the side of a am/pm arco station building. I turned it into my insurance and paid the $500 deductible. My car was taken to dealership and they could find nothing wrong at that time. The car has not surged since.

My car is a 2008 Prius. The incident is that my car didn't stop and skidded into a concrete curb, damaging the right front power steering rack. It was snowing, about 1-2" accumulated. Driving into my office parking lot, there is a street with a steep but short hill - maybe 50feet or less - (it was not plowed or sanded). At the foot of the hill, there is a left turn into a level parking lot or a right turn under a highway overpass, or straight ahead into shrubs and the river. I slowed down before going down the hill and as I went down the hill I lightly pumped brakes. Tried to come to a complete stop at foot of the hill but car didn't stop completely, but was going slow. So, I made the left turn into the parking lot. The body of the car turned into the lot, but was not in control. With the brakes on, and the wheel turned to the left, the car went into a slide sideways to the right. The right front wheel slammed into a concrete curb and the car stopped. It felt as if I had no brakes - coming down the hill they couldn't stop me and there was no skid control coming on at any time. The failure: given the weather conditions I don't know how to prove a failure but I suspect something with the brakes. I have owned this car for one year (purchased it used) and during that time the one thing that bugs me in the car is the brakes and the skid control. They just feel strange, I go over a depressed manhole in the road and the dsc comes on and it feels like I skid - it should just feel like a bump. Repairs: this is the list -entire power steering rack on right front to be replaced- tie rod, lower control arm, wheel, rim-all bent. Front cover and lower ball joint damaged-to be replaced. Over $3000 in repairs; they will be done this week (8 Feb). If you want the old parts I can ask for dealer to save them. Car is @ Toyota dealer. Mileage & speed are my best guess; components I guessed - your terms were not familiar to me.

Own 2008 Toyota Prius. In the past few months having trouble with the anti- locking brake system. While going over bumps or potholes feels that the car has no control almost like driving on ice. This problem is occuring more frequently. Also, making turns the brakes seem to grab and then eventulally release. While making a turn on a off ramp , the anti-locking brake system continually employed making it difficult to steer the car around the turn.

My 2008 Toyota Prius has the same problem as reported in the 2010 recall. When approaching an intersection (or doing anything), if my car hits a bump or pothole, the skid control takes over and I can not manually brake. Why is this not being addressed? the date in question I was approaching an intersection and hit a pothole and even though I was hitting the brakes, not until the skid control was finished could the brakes actually fire, and that didn't happen until my car was halfway in the intersection!.

I drive a black 2008 Toyota Prius and after reading the news reports, I think there might be similar braking issues with my vehicle. The condition definitely does not happen very often, but I would say at least 5-10 times over the 23 months (March 08 - present) that I have had the vehicle. With the brake pedal applied after going over a rough spot or pothole in the road, it felt like the car was skidding or sliding. The car would resume normal operating conditions within a few seconds. The car was never out of control, but the steering wheel and brake pedal definitely felt very loose which is different than under normal circumstances. Also, when this condition occurs, the low-traction indicator light on the dashboard illuminates for a few seconds. These incidents occurred when there was not other traffic around. Up to this point, I attributed the condition to driver error, but I would rather add my description and err on the side of being overly cautious.

When braking, if a pothole or bump in the road is hit, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second.

As the traffic began to accelerate after stopping at a traffic light the brakes on my 2008 Prius, which I had for less than a day, apparently failed. I had plenty of room ( 3 to 4 car lengths) when the van in front of me stopped short. I slammed on the brakes, but the vehicle failed to stop (the highway was wet and I assumed the anti-lock brakes activated causing the stopping distance to be extended, but there was no evidence of the abs engaging). The resulting accident caused over $ 4,000 in front end damage. Also, the esc appear to "skip" while traveling over a railroad track near my home.

We have a 2008 Prius which has a couple of dangerous things about it which the dealer says is the way its designed to work. 1. I believe they are recalling the 2010 Prius for this problem, but the 2008 has it also. The cars braking system completely releases all the brakes, so far I've just noticed it in the rear wheels, when going around a curve and the wheel hits a bump and looses traction. The traction control light goes on and all the brakes are gone for a short period of time. It feels as if the car is also accelerating during this period of time, but that could just be a result of loosing the braking system. 2. The engine completely shuts off when the front wheels spin. In snow on a grade which can easily be driven on with a vehicles slipping from time to time, the Prius motor shuts down when a driving wheel spins and all forward momentum is lost ie after spin, no engine, power, spin, no engine several times the car comes to a stop in the road. I also cant get up my neighbors driveway if it rains because of this. If crossing a lane of oncoming traffic from a stop sign and the wheel spins we are in mortal danger of being hit.

When making a turn from a stop and trying to accelerate quickly the car jerks and hesitate as the anti slip system light flashes and engages. You cannot accelerate quickly into traffic from a dead stop making a turn as the car refuses, jerks and acts like it will stall. Pavement is dry and no gravel. Happens each and every time since I purchased the car. Easy to replicate. Come to a complete stop, then turn right while pressing the accelerator down quickly and the slip system kicks, car jerks, hesitates and then very slowly starts to eventually accelerate.

We have two Prius cars with same issue - when making a turn from a stop and trying to accelerate quickly the car jerks and hesitate as the anti slip system light flashes and engages. You cannot accelerate quickly into traffic from a dead stop making a turn as the car refuses, jerks and acts like it will stall. Pavement is dry and no gravel. Happens each and every time since I purchased the car. Easy to replicate. Come to a complete stop, then turn right while pressing the accelerator down quickly and the slip system kicks, car jerks, hesitates and then very slowly starts to eventually accelerate.

2008 Toyota Prius -abs releases brakes while applying brakes over bump or bumpy road surface causing longer stopping distance. Vehicle will stop acceleration in turn if going over bump as thug stability control is activating.