general problems of the 2008 Toyota Prius

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.

The catalytic converter was stolen off of the car and yes it is available for inspection upon request. I’m not sure of the safety risk, we drove the car one time and the engine light came on. The problem has not been reported to a dealer or independent service center. Once the incident happened one of our neighbors called the police and they came but they didn’t know which apartment we were in and out neighbor told us that it was our catalytic converter and the police waited for a few minutes and then they left. Our neighbor told us when they heard our car starting.

I cannot add gas more than 3 to 4 gallons in the gas tank when it is almost empty. Gas meter says full after 3 to 4 gallons in the tank. While driving, it can run out of gas at any time because meter is not correct while adding gas at the gas pump, it spills the gas back out of the fill pipe of the car. So spilled fuel can catch fire if it touches the hot surface. Its fuel vapor management system is dangerous and defective which could result in fire and it could make the gas to fall on person legs and feet. Its gas tank has rubber bladder that has shrink making the meter totally wrong. If you search on the internet tons of people has the same problem. There is no way to tell how much gas is in the tank, while the meter could say full.

My VIN number says its a 2008, it is a 2011, Prius my brake booster pump went out and locked my breaks. I ended up on side walk. Called dealer said it was dangerous to drive. It appears that there is a recall/class action. Costing me $1400. 00 for a new system. It was in motion.

There seems to be a problem with the float in the gas tank. Once car gets down to empty, the fuel tank will only allow you to pump in 5 to 6 gallons of gas into the tank. We searched online and apparently a lot of people are having this issue but may not have reported it to NHTSA. Thanks.

The cooling pump for the electrical system had cracked and fluid leaked out no heat in car and red triangle of death display on dash local repair shop installed new pump it has been replaced 2 times. Still leaks from housing.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, the ignition was turned off. The contact left the vehicle and returned after several minutes the vehicle started independently. The vehicle was taken to jim norton Toyota, 9809 s memorial dr, tulsa, ok 74133, (918) 215-3786, to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the issue may have been caused by a combination meter failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure, case number: 1910093151. The approximate failure mileage was 59397. Ah.

The cryptocurrency industry has spawned a frenzy of hybrid battery energy theft. My combination meter spikes and reduces down a deficit in fuel, insight of other vehicles driving close enough to extract power from the rear battery cells. Every time I re-fuel the combination meter re-calibrates fhe fuel and electric level. I lose 5 to 20 percent of that level once it has calibrates, every time.

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.

When the vehicle stopped at the traffic light then it turns go, the Prius doesn't speed up even when you press on gas pedal, it hesitates to move for awhile before it picks up the speed which is a hazard.

Inverter cooler water pump failed during normal interstate driving speed (70 mph).

This is a ridiculously dangerous car. The push button system for starting is extremely dangerous for kids. My wife loads my three year old in the Prius with her keys in her bag. The older son who is five likes cars and jumps in the drivers seat at the base of our driveway on the hill where he can start the car since she is within 10-15 feet of the car.

After starting the car I put the car into drive and the transmission pops right into neural after moving forward slightly. I attempted this several times. I was able to use the car by holding the shifting lever manually in the drive position. After I drive the car that way for 10 or 15 min. It works as intended. This happens about every couple months. This happens right after starting car when the car is wanted up or cold.

When vehicle is turned on, instrument cluster also known as the combination meter, fail to turn on. This issue is very concerning due to the overall computer controlled functions of this vehicle. The speedometer, trip meter, odometer and other functions are not functioning due to the failure of the combination meter. Functions that are considered safety items such as the power brakes, power steering, anti lock brake system, speedometer, lights, etc. There is an issued warranty covering the issue up to a certain amount of time however since it is not a wear and tear item it should be covered by the manufacturer regardless. After vehicle is eventually ignited, combination meter does not illuminate and when attempting to turn off the vehicle, it fails to do so which also includes not being able to remove the key. I was advised by a Toyota mechanic to access the safety override by holding the power button however that procedure does not work all of the time. I am very concerned about this issue due to my safety and drivers around me and their safety and hopefully this issue can be avoided before a possible a catastrophic accident happens.

I was in a parking lot and turned my car into a parking space. As I slowed my car to bring it to a stop, applying the brake, the car accelerated on its own and crashed into a railing at the head of the parking space. Although I pushed the brake all the way to to floor, I could not stop the car. The car hit at such a speed that it broke a solid wood railing at the front of the parking space. My car was declared a total loss by my insurance company because of the damage. It seemed to me the car accelerated on its own and the brake was nonfunctional. I could not stop the car. I had two related incidents prior to this crash. The first, I rear-ended another vehicle when applying the brake to stop at a traffic light. Again, the car accelerated and the brake would not stop it. Even with the brake fully pressed, the car hit the other vehicle, bounced backward, continued to accelerate and hit the car again before coming to a stop. Secondly, one time I noticed when applying the brake to make a sharp right turn, the car lurched forward. This did not result in a crash.

I was in an automobile accident in Feb of 2015 I hot another vehicle going approximately 15mph no air bags were deployed and the police officer and body shop both were surprised no air bags deployed. I'm curious if this was due to a fault you airbag and luckly I wasn't seriously injured. My dash computer sensor went out in 2015, causing me to not be able to read an odometer, speedometer, etc. I had this part replaced at my expense due to the safety hazard it potentially could cause I'd like to see a formal recall for this part. Toyota acknowledged the safety error and did issue a extended warranty which I was not covered by. I replaced my inverter a third time in 2017 die to over heating. After the recall was performed I did noticed deceased power which greatly affected the performance of my vehicle making it more sluggish. Due to the performance loss I've not been able to use the car for normal trips that were taken previously due to safety concerns.

While in the line for a car wash, I released the break to move forward. Upon applying the break to stop, the Prius accelerated causing me to slam on the break. My wife experienced a similar incident with the same Prius several months later while in a parking lot. She applied the break at a very slow speed and the car accelerated forward causing her to also slam on the break.

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.

2008 Prius headlamps intermittent hid problem. This is a known and common problem with Toyota Prius 2004-2009. No recall for it that I am aware of, however they light will go out randomly. The cost of repair can been extreme. . Read more...

On 09/01/10, we took our 2008 Prius in because there were two times the car didn't stop when we used the brakes. I told the service manager, the car was accelerating on its own. It was scary and I feared an accident. After they worked on the car, I was told that it was the floor mats that interfered with the accelerator pedal. It didn't make sense to me because I had to put my foot under the pedal to raise it up since it was stuck. I was angry they completely ignored the fact the car was accelerating on its own and acted as though the problem was handled. On 03/31/12, w. Manchester/hindry, before 2:00 p. M. , it had drizzled, I stopped at a light, drove ahead and at a fork in the road I tapped my brakes to slow down on a curve. Instead, the car kept accelerating. I stepped on the brakes but the car did not respond. The car kept gaining speed! I was at least 3 car lengths behind other car, plenty of time to stop but the car accelerated no matter how hard I stepped on the brakes. It was terrifying! I realized I was going to crash and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. I rear ended the mercedes, the airbags failed to deploy. I had 2 boxes of books in the trunk that hit the back of my seat and knocked down the rear seats from the impact. The car was towed. Damages: $5,988. 79. Medical: $25,000. Next month, a cracked pump was discovered at firewall, due to the accident. The black box showed impact was at 35 mph, (35-27) mph, 0. 02 sec. Injuries: concussion, whiplash, back spasms, double-crush injury, ptsd, depression, migraines. I couldn't drive or start physical therapy for 4 mos. , until 07/27/12. My therapist worked alot to relax my muscles, I had traction, bought a traction device $400. And 6 mos. Of chiropractic for muscle spasms. 12/08/12, I had a nerve-test, it was abnormal for a double-crush injury. Prescribed xanax for ptsd, anxiety.

I only can put 4 gallons of gas in my Prius. Toyota say it is ok.

I was driving my 2008 Prius on highway and warning light came on. In 2 minutes all power gone and I have had to towed to the dealer. They said, water pump failed and because of that hybrid inverter fried. Car was out of guaranty and there was no recall about water pump. I paid nearly $5. 000. 00 for water pump and hybrid invertor. I have seen there is a recall about water pump now. Is there any way I can get my money back?.

Throttle malfunction - 2008 Toyota Prius. Driving 50-55 m/h on north 280 near millbrae, CA in heavy rain. Vehicle accelerated without pressing the gas pedal. Engine revved 3 times in succession (sounded like: vroom, vroom, vroom) while accelerating to 65 m/h. All this time I was stepping on the breaks. Acceleration eventually stopped went back to normal after a few minutes. I drove the car directly to the nearest Toyota dealership in daly city but was told that there was no problem with the car. This malfunction only occurred once.

Driver in Toyota Prius was stopped at a red light. According to witnesses, for no apparent reason the vehicle accelerated, rolled or drove into intersection where vehicle was struck by another vehicle. Prius driver was killed. Updated 03/14/10 according to the police report, there was only one death and no injuries. Updated 06/15/10.

Driving home from church July 5, 2009 the beach traffic was bumper to bumper. Stop and go traffic. I was stopped behind an SUV. The traffic started to move and my Prius bolted forward into the SUV which in turn pushed it into another SUV. My car was totaled. The engine was pushed all the way back into the front seat. This should have been just a fender bender. No one was injured.