general problems of the 2008 Toyota Prius

My name is [xxx] ,I am filing this report on behalf of my daughter [xxx] the driver of the vehicle that involved with the unintended acceleration on the 2009 Toyota Prius . On a good clear morning on [xxx] . My daughter drove the 2009 Toyota Prius to work- when she enter to the parking lot at the speed round 5 mile/hour . Just when she was making a left turn on to the entrance gate with her left foot on the brake pedal . On a sudden the vehicle rpm unintended rev up too high and the vehicle had an unintended accelerating to move forward aggressively causing lose control of the steering . Also she could not brake even though her left foot was on the brake pedal and pressing hard to try to stop the vehicle . . This dangerous incident causing her Prius to bumped into the electrical gate panel control box . The accident caused some damages to her Prius and to the entrance gate control box though no body was hurt . But it got us through the terrible experience because it could kill some one for sure . My daughter been driving this commute car daily in the past 5 years and she has the skill of 20 year driving with good record . This Prius of her still have all oem equipments with no add- on parts-,no modifying part on any systems what so ever- and no extra floor mat cause we been warned before about the possible of unintended acceleration causing by aftermarket floor mat to any vehicles. . We feel unsafe after the mystery accelerating problem on Toyota vehicle that could take people lives . So the mystery unintended accelerating on car is real . I am currently checked and find out her Prius has 2 incomplete recalls (un-notice to us ) but none of them related to the unintended acceleration problem . We would like the NHTSA to take this problem seriously to save people life . I will included photos of this incidents and willing to provide all information if needed to address this problem, again to save lives . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 5.

About 3 years ago we started getting the red triangle of death with 2 amber lights on display the vsc and the round circle with the exclamation point in the center. This could happen in 500 miles or it could happen tomorrow. When this happens I loose all exceleration and air conditioning and a orange car emblem with an exclamation point in it on the display screen. Once safely off road press power button off and back on and everything is back to normal except red triangle and car on display screen car is then drivable again. Using a code reader to check codes no codes appear but still have red triangle. Leaving car set for a period of time and restarting car and red triangle is extinguished. Have to drive in right lane on freeway in case it wants to quit. The most recent time was last week had driven it about 80 miles with a stop about halfway for 1 hour and stopped for a movie came back got in car started it and within 1000 feet got the red triangle, was in left turning lane with red light, shut off and restarted and was able to drive again as in all other times, took it to a neighbor who had a code reader(about 9pm) and no codes found, he reset it and red triangle extinguished. This type of happening is very unnerving to say the least, dont know when or where it will lay down with us. Don't know if anyone else has had similar issues with their Prius ours has 213,000+ miles on it. Original hybrid battery it was checked in 2015 and some cells replaced by a shop certified to replace cells in this battery. Thank you.

Hello. My 2008 Toyota Prius had a malfunction with the "combination meter" which caused the vehicle dashboard to turn off completely, and we could not turn off the engine at times when stopped and parked. The dealer fixed the problem at a cost of $1580, and both the dealer and Toyota corporate through their brand engagement advocate acknowledged a long term problem with the combination meter. They had extended the warranty coverage for owners for this specific problem for about 10 years but not for owners like me with a vehicle 15 years old. I believe Toyota should cover and reimburse owners for this problem, which is potentially dangerous, no matter the age of the vehicle, especially for long term, loyal owners. There are many of these vehicles still on the road. Thank you. Mike norcio mpnorcio@gmail. Com 301 873 7069.

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.

While driving down the road the instrument panel went black. I could not see driving speed or remaining fuel. I drove to Toyota dealer and could not shut down the engine upon arrival nor remove my key from the key slot. There are numerous online complaints about "prius instrument cluster not working". Toyota quietly agreed to extend warranty coverage for 9 years from date of first use or until 2013. . Read more...

Running on a city street at 20 miles, gas pedal would not work, could not decrease or increase mileage. Brake pedal worked but went all the way down and finally stopped with a jerk. A constant noise and and has a Toyota confirmed brake acctuator problem that Toyota refuses to help since extra warrant expired in 12/2017.

Toyota Prius (2008) - fire after minor accident (battery fire) after a fairly standard rear end collision (25-30 mph), my Toyota Prius caught fire and burst into flames. I was stopped at a red light on a city street in chicago, IL when the accident occurred, my vehicle was not in motion. Within minutes of impact (to right rear of car), the responding police officer saw fire under the car (began in rear) and the fire dept was called. The fire travelled to the front of the car and the car has been deemed a total loss. The police and tow company believe this was caused by the Prius battery and these cars are very unsafe to be on the road with this condition. There has been no related recall on this vehicle, but it's incredibly unsafe and I'm very happy I was not traveling with my children at time of accident. I appreciate you taking time to review this case and taking steps to ensure Toyota addresses the issues with the Prius vehicles. I've attached the police report and photos of the car fire (I also have video of the fire, but the file is too large to attach on this submission - available upon request). No major injuries - I experienced soreness / headaches from impact/whiplash and saw my doctor following accident (no major injury). Please review and let me know if I can provide anything else / answer any questions. Thank you in advance! frederick gundrum.

I have three major problems with my 2008 Prius. #1 the engine intermittently, will not turn off when parking the car. #2 the dash lights also intermittently will not come on, affecting my ability to see how fast I am going on the highway or streets, it also prevents me from seeing how much gas is left in the tank. #3 the outside air and air conditioner, also will not work, intermittently.

Cluster went blank and vehicle would not power off, key fob stuck in ignition. Toyota service recommended replacing combo meter but I am one month out of warranty. I was driving tried to park but car would not turn off, but would come to a stop in the parking lot.

The car has an 11. 9 gallon gas tank and I cant put in more then 7 gallons of gas at a time. When pumping. . . If the pumps rushes the gas into the tank too quickly. . . I cant get any gas because the pump will turn off as if the tank is completely full when its empty. I have had sensors checked and its the bladder of the gas tank.

At 93,000 miles my 2008 Toyota Prius began rapidly consuming oil. I was told by dealer that nothing could be done and I needed to carry oil with me and check level every time I fill up my gas tank. This is a known issue with the Toyota Prius according to my dealer and web research.

Car suddenly loses power and hazarde warning,brkaes,abs lights come on. Took to dealer,they charged $600 and did not repair the problem. The vehicle was in motion going 45 mph.

Tl the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. When the vehicle was started, the instrument panel gauges did not display. On several occasions, after turning off the vehicle, the engine continued to operate. The failures were not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and an unknown dealer were notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 30,000.

Vehicle was off and in park. Vehicle was started and shifted into drive. In less then 1 second, vehicle slipped out of drive and into neutral as described in the technical service bulletin issued by Toyota (t-sb-0142-11). Problem as reoccurred multiple times since, including while driving at speeds above 45 mph.

When I put the car in reverse or drive, it pops back into neutral - even when the car is driving down the road. It doesn't happen consistently. For example, I drove it to the store and it was fine. When I came out of the store to drive home, it had the issue all the way home. I had to hold the gear shifter in drive the entire time to make it home or it would go into neutral by itself. I didn't have a car crash but this could have easily caused one if I wasn't paying close attention to it.

Engine compression catastrophically fails approximately every 2000 miles.

The car moves from drive to neutral mode. I put the car in "d" and it suddenly moved back to "n". Keep the lever held on "d" and you can drive, otherwise it switches back to "n". Happened 3 to 4 times today. Very scared if this happens when driving on the freeway or getting started at a traffic light as the car behind may not have enough space or indication of the vehicle slowing down because of loss of accelerator.

After a routine oil change at 149,706 miles, my 2008 Toyota Prius began using an excessive amount of oil, about 1 quart every 1,000 miles. I have had the oil changed regularly since the car was new (I bought it new in January 2008) and have had nearly all the required service done by a registered, licensed mechanic in middletown, California, which is where I live. I discovered the excessive oil use when I next had the oil changed at about 155,000 miles.

Every few weeks (even several times in the same week), the dashboard lights on the car go completely dark, without warning (no, the dimmer switch is not turned to "low" or "off"-- that is the first thing we tried). Simultaneously, or sometimes at different times, the car refuses to turn off, even when the "off" switch is pressed constantly or intermittently, for up to a half-hour. Obviously, it is extremely dangerous to leave a car running, so one cannot leave the car; when driving, the loss of all the dashboard information is terrifying, especially at night when it is so distracting as to be potentially crash-causing. The Toyota dealer first claimed it was the 12-volt battery, so we replaced it. This did not fix it. At the dealer's request, we left the car with them for a long weekend, and they claimed that since they weren't able to reenact the situation, they could not help us. After some back-and-forth, they agreed to replace a "combination meter," which Toyota had apparently found troublesome enough to offer free "out-of-warranty" repairs of. However, the dealer first said Toyota would not pay for it unless the dealer was able to independently verify the trouble, and they were not able to recreate the distressing situation. As if we would lie in order to receive a new combination meter! we just want to car to work and be safe. Now we are waiting five-plus days for the part to come in, and not even sure if it will fix our problem. There's plenty of discussion of this exact same issue all across the internet. Why has the company not figured this out, and trained its mechanics accordingly?.

While driving,no more gas power,warning lights on,vsc too. Throttle response was not working,turned off the car for few minutes and restarted it,it worked for a short while and did it again. . . Toyota oakland said I needed to replace the engine throttle body. $1600!!! one month after the warranty wore off.

I rear-ended the car in front of me in a very low speed accident, listed on my ticket as 1+ mph by the police officer who witnessed my accident while at the scene attending to an already-occurred accident. When I was 2-3 car lengths behind the car in front of me, going approx. 5-10 mph, I saw their brake lights go on, and I pushed the brake pedal and nothing happened. I pumped the brakes, and nothing happened. When I realized that my car's momentum was not slowing in the slightest, and that I was going to hit the car in front of me, I tried to maneuver into the vacant right lane, but the failure of the car to even slow down made accident avoidance not possible. When I struck the car in front of me, the blow was primarily with the left front corner of my car contacting the center of their bumper. My car was totaled; their car need a new rear bumper but only for cosmetic purposes. I will testify under oath in a court of law that the brakes in my 2008 Toyota Prius failed, and that is why I had this wreck.

I had been driving the car for less than 10 minutes when the "red triangle" red problem light came on the screen. I immediately looked for a safe place to pull over when the car made a series of short dinging sounds and the car was automatically put in neutral and the brake engaged--in the middle of a busy intersection! I was forced to flee the vehicle as there were oncoming cars that didn't look like they were going to stop. When the signal changed, I went back to the car and put on the emergency flashers. Then I tried to put the car back in drive and it would not budge from neutral. I then switched the car off and back on and was able to drive it out of the intersection safely. If this had occurred even 5 minutes later, my 9-year-old daughter would have been in the vehicle with me and we would not have been able to react as quickly as I did. The car has been towed to my personal mechanic by aaa for diagnosis, but at this time it does not appear that this was an error, but a design flaw that put my safety in critical danger.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the hood while driving into a garage at 5 mph. The contact opened the hood and noticed a flame. The contact then extinguished the flame. The fire department was not notified. The insurance company was notified and stated that they would not repair the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who stated that the failure was due to the wiring harness. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 17,000.

Tl - the contact owns 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while trying to turn off the vehicle it would not shut off. The contact mentioned that the failure had occurred several times before, he was not able to turn off the vehicle until it was warm. The vehicle was taken into the dealership and they were not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure and current mileage was 61,000. Pm.

I drive a 2008 Toyota Prius and have experienced two recurring problems with the vehicle. First, when I make sharp right turns, the engine cuts out. Second, on uneven roads, the hydroplane feature activates and makes it difficult to steer and the car accelerates suddenly. This has happened on many occasions.

On 31 December 2009 my 08 Prius was slowed down prior to turning into a driveway, when it suddenly accelerated. It went out of control and crashed into trees and a powerpole. The floor mat, that according to Toyota is supposed to cause this, was properly attached to the pegs in the floor, and in proper place even after the crash recently, on 6 April, 2010, I again experienced a sudden unexplained acceleration when going about 5/10 miles per hour. It lasted about four seconds and did not result in an accident.

I was driving n on broadway and crashed into a power pole several blocks from where I was going. I don't remember the crash or the events leading up to the crash due to a head injury. I was driving a 2008 Toyota Prius. I hadn't had any problems before the crash. My doctors are performing numerous tests to determine if there are any physical problems with me (so far nothing has shown up in the tests), but no one has considered whether or not there was a defect with the car that may have contributed to the accident.

The engine got water in it before I even got the car and it also had two bent piston rods.

This is a defect that I tried to resolve with the Toyota dealership. I had owned a 2004 Toyota Prius that got 45-50 mpg while driving in town and about 45 highway. I traded this car in for a 2008 Toyota Prius. In the 2008, I am lucky to get above 35 mpg in town and I get about 45 highway. My mileage on highway is much higher than in town which is not what Toyota advertises and I am not driving any differently than I did the 2004 Prius. So something wrong with the ecm in the car. When I complained, the dealership took me on a drive with my car where they drove very very slowly downhill and registered 60 mpg and said there was nothing wrong and would not do anything. So I gave it up. Now that I see that quality control of Toyota is non-existent, I know the ecm is not acting properly and needs to be fixed.