Differential Unit Problems of Toyota Prius

The problem has occurred whenever the donut tire is being used on the vehicle as a temporary replacement for a flat tire - this has occurred on both the two occasions that in which I have had to used them both times on the front tires, once on the left tire and the second occasion, most recent on the left. Apparently, the donut tire because of its smaller diameter causes the car's slip differential system to activate (surmised by the icon I see on the dash when this occurs), often for periods of half the driving time - what then happens is that there is a total loss of engine power to the drive chain, the car cannot accelerate or even maintain speed - it essentially coasts or slows. This occurs even when/if the accelerator pedal is depressed to try to feed power to the wheels - the engine is unresponsive. Intermittently, the power is restored, and then the cycle begins again. Although I have not had an accident due to this loss of vehicle control, I consider myself lucky not to have. Use of a donut tire is the only option open to temporarily replacing a flat tire. I think that this system's response to use of the donut tire (which is manufacturer's supplied) is a defect that is dangerous. A driver must be able to maintain and control vehicle speed to prevent and/or remedy a dangerous situation. Sincerely, barrett ripin.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Prius 🔎.

I have a Toyota Prius 2007. I have 2 safety issues that I have complained to the dealer about but they are unable to fix so they ignored my concerns after realizing they could not fix the problem. First problem is the head lights. When driving at night the high beams do not shine on the road but shine into the trees. They say there is no adjustments for it. Also people think I am shining my high beams at them when I am not. They are just too high. . . . Also the headlights do no illuminate the sides of the car and road so when making turns at night you cannot see where you are turning. I have to approach turns very very slowly because I cannot see the roads when turning. Everyone that drives my car complains about this noticeable problem however Toyota wont address it because they say there is no adjustment. 2nd problem their slip differential. Whether there is snow on the ground or not when the tires start to slip they loose all power to the wheels. I have been in intersections when this has occurred and was almost hit. Even when trying to drive over the stop in the car wash. . . Sometimes I am unable to power over the bump. I get stuck often. Again Toyota says this is a normal function of the car. Not something I would expect from a $24,000 car. Our values have plummeted and there is no recourse for it.