Power Train Problems of Toyota Prius - part 1

Randomly, the car have a delay of approximately 2 seconds when I hit the gas pedal. It happened multiple times, 2-3 times per day. The gas pedal can pe pressed to the floor, it won’t react. After 2 seconds or so it will react and drive normally. I noticed this is happening when the car is in ev mode ( I’m either stopped at red light, or I’m slowing down a bit/taking a turn. This is a hazardous situation and very dangerous.

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving 45 mph downhill on a mountain and depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal travelled down to the floorboard, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle several times, the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred after making a turn at 3-4 mph downhill. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 194,000.

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Exhaust heat-exchanger coolant pipe (part of the hybrid cooling loop) on my 2019 Toyota Prius is the system that failed. Safety risk: complete loss of coolant can cause sudden engine overheating and possible power reduction or shutdown while the vehicle is moving. I transport two young children daily; an unexpected stall on a highway or during an intersection turn would put all occupants and surrounding traffic at risk. Autonation Toyota mall of georgia (dealer) inspected the car on 22-may-2025, confirmed the leak, and advised the vehicle is unsafe to drive until the pipe is replaced. Repair estimate is $2,249 parts & labor to replace the front exhaust pipe that is on back order, no eta. Toyota corporate (brand engagement, case # 250522002498) is aware; they escalated the file to their parts department because the replacement pipe is back-ordered with no estimated arrival date. No other agencies or insurers have inspected the vehicle. Two days before the dealer visit, the warning symbol began flashing briefly at breaking then for longer intervals while driving. On the morning of 22-may-2025 the lamp was flashing more often and longer prompting the service appointment. Dealer found the coolant reservoir completely empty. No prior warning messages had appeared.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota Prius 🔎.

While driving through the mountains, the abs, brake, and slippery (traction control) warning lights all suddenly illuminated on the dashboard. This happened without any noticeable trigger, and the warning lights remained on for the duration of the drive. I'm concerned about potential issues with the braking or stability systems and request a diagnostic check to ensure everything is functioning properly. Also I am aware that there was recall on Prius 2010 related to abs system. My VIN was not included in that but seems like similar issue.

My car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road with message "hybrid system stopped steering power low". Safety concern to this happen on the middle of road during rain or cold.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota Prius 🔎.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while sitting in traffic with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle started rolling backward even though the gear shifter was in drive(d). The contact stated that upon attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond and continued to roll backward. The contact stated that after turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle responded as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota Prius 🔎.

In temperatures above 95 degrees the vehicle shifts into neutral while driving, and you need to physically hold the shift lever in drive or reverse to keep it out of neutral. It won't go into park at all unless you restart. This could cause a fatal accident while driving, particularly on the freeway. It has not yet been confirmed since it only happens at very high temperatures, which is rare where I live (seattle). There has been quite a lot of discussion on reddit and other internet sites about this problem with Priuses, particularly the 2008 model. I have an appointment with my mechanic to replace the shift lever assembly, which appears to be the most commonly referenced fix. There are no warning lights, other messages, or symptoms before or while this is happening. The problem resolves when the air temperature goes back down.

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The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed. The accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and jerked. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the battery indicator did not look as if the battery was charging. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics; however, the failure was not duplicated. In addition, the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the failure had become persistent. The contact stated that during one failure his wife was driving, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic however, the failure was not duplicated. In addition, the contact stated that during one failure, the excessive acceleration warning light illuminated. The contact had not depressed the accelerator pedal during the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that no assistance was available. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

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I keep replacing p1116 and it keeps coming back also I was driving up a hill when I lost power and the car wouldn't accelerate. It would turn on and go into gear but not go anywhere. I know it says my VIN doesn't have recalls but why am I experiencing them.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Driving 2013 Prius v multiple lights suddenly came up on dash brake system, abs, master warning, slip indicator safety put at severe risk while driving. These defective parts installed were never disclosed, or notified, by Toyota and put in severe risk for consumers to drive as a national recall was never issued. Toyota was called since this and refused to fix. Toyota acknowledges parts are defective yet refutes liability despite acknowledgment of defective parts. Defective parts never disclosed to me by any entity of Toyota including dealerships/corporate despite willful knowledge of national defective parts in model 2013 Prius v. This is a liable safety situation that can cause irreparable human life damage.

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The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph she heard a beeping sound then instrument cluster flashed the "parking bake" and a triangle symbol with an exclamation point was illuminated. The contact stated that the "problem with your transmission pull over and put into park (p) had also appeared on the dash board. The contact stated that the shift indicator on the instrument cluster showed that the vehicle had shifted into park (p). The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal grinding noise and had begun to lose forward momentum. The contact stated that the engine was still running however the vehicle had also lost power steering and brakes. The contact stated that when she depressed the accelerator the vehicle did not gain forward speed. The contact pulled off the roadway and turned the vehicle off and on. When the contact turned the vehicle on she had regained functionality, there were no warning lights illuminated, however about 10 miles down the road the failure reoccurred. The contact drove the vehicle back to her residence and had to repeat the same actions several more times. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

I entered a large, strip mall parking area and was driving at the vastly reduced speed one would use in such a situation. My intention was to park my car to enter a store in the mall. I turned a corner to park on the side of the building (parking options were limited). As I entered a parking space (moving at the speed one would drive to do so; essentially incredibly slowly; moving forward into the space at almost 0 mph and already applying the brake). Suddenly and with no warning, the car violently lurched forward at a vastly increased speed. I pressed down on the brake harder to try to stop the vehicle, but it propelled into and over the concrete curb stop and into the thick brick wall in front of me. There is considerable damage to the front end of my vehicle as a result. I was horrified at this dangerous situation. My safety was definitely at risk. I feel very fortunate that I wasn't seriously injured (and that no one, either a pedestrian or another driver, was involved in the accident). The airbags didn't deploy and I was of course, wearing my safety belt, which kept me from any severe injury. I do feel some physical injury effects this morning however (sore neck, shoulder, back; a slight headache). I'm not aware of any warning lamps, messages, etc. Going off, but I must say everything happened very quickly. I've reported the accident to my insurance company & filed a claim. Given that the incident happened on the evening before the July 4th holiday, my insurance company scheduled vehicle towing (flatbed) for my car. It's my understanding that it's being stored at the tow company location & will be delivered tomorrow (Wednesday, 7/5/23) to the certified body repair facility recommended by my insurance company and chosen by me. An insurance adjuster will be doing their evaluation, likely in the next few days, at the earliest tomorrow morning. I've also advised the insurance company of these details & told them of my safety concerns and fears.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota Prius 🔎.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while attempting to shift to drive(d), the transmission failed to shift as needed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that a hose had detached from the valve. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 167,000.

Driving on freeway my Prius v started shaking violently from what appeared to be overheating of water pump failure or the coolant invertor pump. I believe this to be a known issue Toyota is aware of when I took my Prius into camelback Toyota in phoenix they said they could not recreate the issues. I know this was powertrain failure that could have caused me to crash on the freeway.

Purchased new a 2010 Toyota Prius third generation level 4 in July of 2009. Hybrid battery pack failed just after 150,000 warranty lapsed at 155,000 miles. January 2023 floods in merced, CA damaged one of blocks in hybrid battery pack driving through waters at 191000 miles on odometer. This threw dtc poa 080 'check hybrid system' message. The following month February 2023 at 191500 miles I notice loud cooling fan for hybrid battery operating for the first time ever! fan is located in rear seat behind front passenger. Air vent is clearly visible. I believe defective fan led to overheating of hybrid battery premature failure at 155,000 miles.

Instrument panel cluster failure. Panel goes black while driving and lose power. Vehicle won’t start or shut off. My vehicle was getting serviced at the dealership and they couldn’t start the vehicle. I was told the instrument panel cluster was the problem. I contacted Toyota customer service, and was told they were aware of the issue. They had issued an extended warranty and sent out a letter to all owners this warranty has expired in 2016. If you purchased your vehicle after 2016 you would not have received any notice regarding this. While driving you can’t see you speed, your gear selection, fuel level, lights and no warning lights. The warning is that your vehicle won’t start or shut off.

According to Toyota dealership, "will need to replace (mg1) hv transaxle unit as 1st step in order to to be able to proceed with diagnose and checked for any other shorted components". Vehicle is available for inspection. Vehicle was being driven on a city street towards a red light when the vehicle experienced a jolt and lost complete acceleration power and a "check hybrid system" was displayed on the dashboard. Luckily all vehicles behind were already coming to a stop for the red light, otherwise, the safety of my family and myself may have been put in more serious harm. Vehicle able to crawl to a nearby gas station. Attempted to use remaining battery power to drive back to residence nearby, but lost all battery power/function and puled into a bus lane where vehicle was towed from. There were no warning lights or messages displayed prior to the incident. Toyota dealership performed dtc verification 3 times and found to verify p0a94 detail code 172 is the persistent dtc when memory is cleared. They also inspected the vehicle for concern and were able to verify check engine light is on, vehicle is on "limp mode" and does not "ready on". The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else other than the Toyota dealership.

2012 Priusv has intermittent vsc and traction control when cornering left or right at slow speeds, as less than about 20mph, 5-20. This is happening on dry road conditions at unpredictable times. The vehicle may deceleration and have a lungeing behavior with traction and or bracking interrupted momentarily. On accelerating from stop sign turning left or right the vehicle may pause accelerating briefly and pull with the abs brake auto/ intermittently applied. The traction control light may or may not illuminate at the short time interval of these events, but traction control light does not stay illuminated after the event is over. No error code is read from the vehicle with error code reader. These events are very startling and cause sometimes cause the vehicle to speed up or slow down abruptly. These events are happening at low speeds, however with the car surging forward or abruptly slowing on corning and lane changes there is potential issues of keeping the vehicle under proper control at these times. I believe Toyota should correct this problem so that it never occurs. Toyota to find a solution an implement a recall to update vehicle.

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Stopped at red light, then the car didn't accelerate when hitting gas. Engine revs but the car does not accelerate. It happened multiple time when the car was out in sun with full ac on(100f). Happened once in intersection and almost got hit head on.

I am writing to bring attention to a critical safety issue affecting the 2012 Toyota Prius and other Toyota models equipped with the brake booster and actuator system. These components are failing at alarming rates, leaving vehicles with no functional brakes, abs, or traction control. Additionally, this failure compromises the hybrid system due to the regenerative braking no longer working, potentially causing further damage to hybrid components and resulting in repairs costing several thousand dollars. Toyota issued customer support program zjb, which covered these issues for a limited period. This program was in effect from August 31, 2021, with no mileage or year restrictions, but offered secondary coverage for up to 10 years or 150,000 miles from the vehicle’s first use. Unfortunately, my vehicle, with approximately 130,000 miles and 12 years of age, was denied coverage when brought to a dealer after the program had ended. Despite the brake booster and actuator failing, the dealership did not advise me not to drive the vehicle, further emphasizing the gravity of this oversight. This is a significant safety hazard, as vehicles with these failures lack the ability to stop effectively, risking lives on the road. Furthermore, this problem is not isolated to my Prius; it affects thousands of Toyota vehicles equipped with these components. The estimated repair cost exceeds $3,000, an undue burden on owners for an issue that stems from defective manufacturing. I firmly believe Toyota’s decision to address this problem through a limited customer support program, rather than a full recall, is inadequate and irresponsible. This issue meets the criteria for a safety recall and should be treated as such by the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA). I respectfully urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter further ASAP/mandate a recall for all affected vehicles. This is a big safety issue. [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b).

"cooling performance of the hybrid battery is low" warning light turns on every 4-5 months on my 2013 Toyota Prius. Apparently, Toyota issued a bulletin to Toyota service departments engine/hybrid system section hybrid/battery control system market USA. This info was never disclosed and is costly to repair every 4-5 months due to excessive buildup of dust, lint, or debris in the hv battery intake filter or cooling fan. When it first went off in June 2022 my vehicle was still under warranty up to the two additional repairs in December 2022 and may 2023 (for which the Toyota dealership repair department didn't provide me a ticket either time but made the repair), and again now (August 2023). This is an issue that could cause the battery to fail while driving. Additionally, this issue is highly inconvenient, expensive and highly concerning. This ongoing issue affects the safety and value of my car if this issue must be repaired every 4-5 months or "every 5,000 miles). This information was never made public to Prius owners I don't believe as I never received notice. I would've sold my car sooner had I known. Here is the Toyota document I received on 8. 21. 23 from marina del rey Toyota t-sb-0062-20 dated June 18, 2020.

When the battery cooling fan is running, the car is slow to accelerate or will not accelerate at all. The incident has happened multiple times over the past year when the temperatures are above 90. If at a complete stop, the car will not accelerate, it will only jerk forward. The car has to be turned off and restarted to be able to accelerate. If braking or reducing speed, the car will be sluggish, and I have not been able to get the speed over 40 mph. I have taken it to the dealership, but they said they could not recreate the issue, though I do not believe that they followed the directions I gave them to recreate the problem. No warning lights appear when the issue occurs, so they did not have an answer. The first time the incident occurred, I had just had the scheduled maintenance completed two days earlier and they did not find anything in the inspection that needed to be repaired. The first time the incident occurred, I was at a stop light trying to make a right turn. The incident has occurred twice when trying to pull on to the highway and accelerate up to speed.

Overheating light began flashing while driving 5/21/22. Drove to napa auto parts and saw coolant reservoir was empty. Bought anti-freeze and filled reservoir. Upon arrival at destination, reservoir was empty again. Filled it again. Upon the next morning, reservoir was empty again. Took it to an auto-shop which found that the exhaust heat exchanger in my car has failed and is leaking coolant. Please see applicable technical service bulletin, t-sb 0135-19. While the car is less than 96 months old, it is above 80k miles. I see this issue has been escalated in California, where the warranty is for 96 months and 150k miles. Want to report that the change in miles between states is disappointing. This issue is common and should be handled as a known recall, not just a known issue.

My mom was involved in an accident in her 2015 Toyota Prius on April 19, 2022, which she advised lurched forward at a stop and when applying the brakes to stop the vehicle, she said was unresponsive, causing her to clip a vehicle and sending her vehicle into a ditch totaling her car and injuring her passenger and her. I would like to have this investigated and hold Toyota responsible. This could have been much worse and lives could have been lost. She is now without means of transportation, and she is now possibly responsible for damages to property and bodily injury because of this. Through my research I have discovered multiple class action lawsuits brought against Toyota for the same exact models. I asked the police officer to run a scan on the computer, but he advised it was only for serious accidents. There was no indication of the problem or messages.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Traveling at freeway speed just after midnight, the "check engine" light came on. Less than one minute later, the "check hybrid system" alert came on, with an exclamation mark inside of a yellow triangle symbol displayed. The vehicle instantly had no power when the accelerator was depressed. The vehicle coasted to a stop and would not shift into drive. The vehicle was towed to our home. Upon delivering the vehicle to our home, the tow driver used an emergency battery jump start device and the vehicle was able to shift into drive and be driven into the garage. The 12 volt battery was replaced the next day and the vehicle no longer exhibited any disfunction. This was an unexpected event with no warning that the 12 volt battery was in need of replacement. It could have resulted in a serious collision, if the freeway had been more congested, as the vehicle had been immediately driven 2 lanes over to the nearest exit, and came to a stop just after exiting, safely at the side of the road. This is a very dangerous safety condition that should have had some type of alert that the simple 12 volt battery system was in danger of failing, causing a catastrophic failure of the engine and power train. Or, the car should simply not be able to drive, if the 12 volt battery is that low, to ensure passenger and community safety. Prime example: Toyota Prius has a warning alert that the key fob battery is low. The warning gives you a couple of weeks to replace the battery, and repeatedly displays the warning whenever you power up the vehicle.

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.

See all problems of the 2009 Toyota Prius 🔎.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact noticed that there was a significant amount of water on the floorboards from the windshield whenever it rained heavily. Additionally, the contact stated while at a traffic sign on a hill, the vehicle would roll backwards while in drive when she took her foot off the accelerator. The contact did not notice any warning lights. The contact also noticed that while parking the vehicle, whenever the park button on the dashboard was not depressed while the vehicle was running, the vehicle would roll forward. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was not diagnosed and was not yet repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

My 2013 Prius' hybrid system failed as I was entering a very busy state highway (where several fatalities have been recorded) exit when a tractor trailer truck unexpectedly bore down on me. My engine reduced to half speed and there was no breakdown lane to pull over to. The dashboard lights lit up and indicated a hybrid system failure, but I could not get to safety for another 2-3 miles. This is an NHTSA recall (20v-369) that was eligible for repair under an expanded warranty, but only after the vehicle has experienced the shutdown. The ipm (intelligent power module/hybrid) system breakdown was confirmed by Toyota dealership's diagnostics, but the warranty period was not told to me and the charges amounted to almost $3000. My research and doggedness discovered that the costs would be covered in toto. But more importantly, I am among numerous Prius owners who experienced this problem and more could occur, risking injury if not death.

Brake failure / unintended acceleration / unknown cause driving at approx 25mph on urban street (road in good condition no potholes, ramps, etc) I began to slowly brake as I approached a red traffic light. Instead of braking, the car began to accelerate quickly. I pressed the brake pedal again - no response. Pressed down hard for a third time which executed an emergency stop. This all happened within 1 or 2 secs. There were no injuries or involvement of other cars on this occasion. However, had I been any closer to the car in front, I believe I would have rear-ended it. Had this occurred a few moments later, at the busy junction 400m ahead, it could have been fatal. I am absolutely sure it was not driver error. I was not distracted, drive regularly, and have been a confident and safe driver for over 30yrs. I have never experienced this in a car before, and in fact wasn't aware that it could happen until I researched it on this site. No warning lights or indicators came on. The car ran normally for the remaining 2 miles back home. I didn't think anything of it before, but prior to this incident (in our 7 yrs ownership) there were approx. 5 instances when the engine would "roar" as if it wanted to accelerate but didn't when I was breaking or slowing down on a highway. Also, there were perhaps 3 instances when the car felt as though it was "running away" I. E. A slight acceleration - for no obvious reason. As neither of these represented safety issues, I assumed the car was just a bit old and these issues would be addressed as part of any service. Now I wonder if they are related to the sudden acceleration. The car is currently having a "health checks" run, but nothing has been found. I am reluctant to drive this vehicle if neither my dealer or Toyota can discern the problem. Overall we have been happy with this car and its performance, but this is an unacceptable "anomaly" as far as safety is concerned. Vehicle available for inspection.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Found car tampered with cut in carpet under driver seat to check battery maintenance per Toyota owner manual where hybrid battery was not receiving charge , was running hot unknown person impersonated me registered my VIN to enroll with Toyota upgraded software app entune version not with purchase is a 2021 software version with parental like controls, I took to Toyota dealerships below for assistance , new battery and hybrid faulting losing charge, car does not provide hybrid fault notice , loses charge , uses little gas , I researched on side of road to rest throttle and work around as I was driving it could have lost all power and stalled per recall notice needed hybrid software update ran dr Prius app and finding recalls serviced at Toyota chambers burg PA are coding j0v issue w/inverter not completed and additional engine & battery codes almost causing my car to not enter fail safe mode hybrid battery almost fully discharged as approaching bay bridge service notes from fitzgerald day there were no issues specific repair request was for diagnostic report of car hybrid battery and sensor check, they claim no issue only repair was replaced fob key although car at location 10 days, missing fuses found upgrade causes car to get 2-4mpg and burn battery hot/discharge without any dash or other warnings from car safety recall notice no. 18v-684 are indicative of car symptoms since incident easton MD Toyota service, arlington va koons, hagerstown MD Toyota and chambers burg refused to provide diagnostics chambers burg held car did not perform service claiming no issues but noted cut carpet under driver seat above hybrid air vent battery cool/ intake problem still an issue no Toyota will run diagnostics -.

I went into Toyota of fort walton beach, FL to remedy a recall (NHTSA recall number 18v684). She said that this recall is not on their list and thus would do nothing. I want this recall repaired as presently there is a safety risk. There are phrases in this recall of "1 unrepaired recall" and "recall incomplete".

Vehicle stalls for 5-10 seconds when stopped at a red light. Seems to happen sporadically and is difficult to reproduce. There have been other reports of it online here: https://priuschat. Com/threads/TSB-nimh-only-reduced-power-when-accelerating-from-a-stop. 187455/ https://priuschat. Com/threads/2017-prius-2-no-acceleration-movement-from-full-stop. 209317/ https://priuschat. Com/threads/2016-prius-2-stalling. 200606/.

When I looked up my car on kelly blue book for pricing, it said that it has been recalled as of 2020. I was not aware of this at all and could have got into a serious accident. I recently purchased a 2015 Toyota Prius hybrid in February and not even my saleswoman told me that it has been recalled. It has a sleuth of issues that came with it.

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in her driveway, the vehicle independently rolled backwards out of the driveway. As a result, the rear end of the vehicle ran into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was able to drive and was taken to a collision center. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired as of yet. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 173,991. The VIN was not available.

Brakes completely failed. Loud beeping sound happened, couldn't stop car even in a parking lot. Had to use transmission to slow to a stop. Was in a grocery store parking lot.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota Prius 🔎.