2001 Toyota Prius Complaint Log

WE HAD A TIRE SEPARATE AT 75MPH IN THE REAR. A COUPLE WEEKS LATER THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE SEPARATED AT 70MPH. THE CAR HAD APPROX. 20000 ON IT. WHEN TOYTOTA RAISED THE CAR THEY FOUND A THIRD FRONT LEFT TIRE HAD BEGUN TO SEPERATE. I SAID I DID NOT TRUST THESE BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE TIRES SO THEY PUT ON MICHELIN TIRES. THE DEALER THEN CALLED AND SAID NO OTHER TIRE COULD SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE PRIUS. THEY HAD ALREADY PUT THE MICHELINS ON. I CALLED ALL THE TIRE MANUFACTURES TO FIND OUT THAT ONLY THE FACTORY BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE TIRES COULD SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE HYBRID PRIUS. I PHONED TOYOTA AND FIRESTONE. BOTH SAID THEY WOULD CALL ME BACK WITHIN THREE WEEKS. NO ONE HAD CALLED. TOYOTA SAID IT IS A TIRE MANUFACTURER PROBLEM, BUT THEY USE THEIR TIRES. I WENT TO THE DEALER TO BE TOLD SINCE I TOOK THE CAR IN THEY HAD THREE OTHER PRIUS'S COME IN WITH BLOWN TIRES ALL WITH ABOUT 20000 MILES ON THEM. I WENT TO SEARS IN SAN BERNARDINO AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY TOO HAD TWO PRIUS'S WITH BLOWN TIRES. I HAVE LOST OVER $2000.00 AND SPENT THREE WEEKS WITH A PAINFUL KNEE AND TOYOTA DOESN'T CARE. I GOT THREE FRIENDS TO BUY TOYOTA PRIUSS AND I NOW WORRY ABOUT THEIR TIRES. SINCE THIS STARTED TOYOTA EMAIL ME AND SAID DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR OVER 85 MPH FOR THE TIRES CAN NOT SUPPORT THE CAR AND SPEED. WHY WEREN'T WE TOLD THIS AT TIME OF PURCHASE? NO OTHER TIRE IS MADE FOR THE CAR AND THE BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE TIRES ARE NOT UP TO SUPPORTING THE CAR SAFELY EVER. I WILL TAKE MY CHANCES WITH THE MICHELINS. OTHER PRIUS OWNERS HAVE TOLD ME THEY WILL TAKE THEIR CHANCES WITH OTHER BRANDS EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT RATED FOR CAR. *AK *JB

2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. WE HAD A TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID GAS/ELECTRIC CAR THE FIRST THAT CAME INTO THE USA. THE CAR WOULD REACH A CERTAIN MILEAGE AND THE COMPUTER WHICH CONTROLLED EVERYTHING IN THE CAR WOULD GO BAD. WE WOULD GET A FEW MILES FROM HOME AND THE CAR WOULD NOT WORK. IT WOULD SHUT OFF. WE WOULD HAVE TO SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THAN THE CAR WOULD ONLY GO 35 MILES AN HOUR OR LESS AND WE WOULD HAVE TO TURN AROUND AND GO HOME. ON ONE TRIP TO CALIFORNIA, WHEN WE GOT TO COLORADO THE SCREEN SAID THE GO TO A SERVICE DEALER. WE HAD TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN NORTHGLENN COLORADO AND WENT TO THE DEALER . WE HAD TO TAKE THE CAR INTO THE DEALER SO MANY TIMES. THEY WOULD REPLACE THE COMPUTER AND ALL THE PARTS, EVEN THE GAS TANK. THE CAR WOULD ALSO LOCK YOU INSIDE AND YOU COULD NOT GET OUT. THE COMPUTER AND THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN OF THIS MODEL ARE ALL BAD. THEY REACH A CERTAIN MILEAGE AND BAD. THEY WERE DOING ALL THE RECALLS FROM OUR CAR. THEY PROMISED US A NEW PRIUS SIGNATURE TOYOTA IN BENTON HARBOR MI, AND NEVER GOT IT. FINALLY IN 2005 THEY SAID THEY WOULD TRADE OUR PRIUS CAR FOR ANOTHER CAR COROLLA, BUT THEY CHARGED US $8,000.00 MORE. PLEASE HELP US GET OUR MONEY BACK. NO LAWYER WILL TAKE IT SINCE COMES FROM JAPAN. WE HAD TRIED EVERYTHING AND COULD GET NO HELP. WROTE TOYOTA AND NEVER GOT THEM TO REPLY TO US. TRIED THEIR MEDIATION AND THEY HELD THE PAPERS UNTIL THE TIME RAN OUT THAN SENT US A PAPER SAYING NOT VALID ANY MORE. HELP US GET OUR MONEY BACK. LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT PRIUS CARS ARE BAD. DO NOT BUY. *TR THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE GAS PEDAL WOULD BECOME STUCK AT TIMES, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO INCREASE IN SPEED. UPDATED 04/27/10 UPDATED 10/29/10

STEERING HAS PROBLEM OF POOR RETURN REQUIRES CONSTANT INPUT TO THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR ON THE ROAD. *AK

EXCESSIVE FRONT TIRE WEAR, SAID BY TOYOTA TO BE "INHERENT IN A HYBRID VEHICLE" BUT NOT ADVERTISED TO PURCHASERS ANYWHERE IN THEIR SALES BROCHURES OR WARRANTY PACKET, IS A SAFETY HAZARD TO ANYONE EXPECTING TIRES TO LAST MORE THAN 12,000 MILES. TOYOTA BLAMES THE TIRE MANUFACTURER; BRIDGESTONE BLAMES TOYOTA. TOYOTA ALSO REFUSES TO SPECIFY WHETHER THE 2004 MODEL, WHICH HAS SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER TIRES, WILL BE ANY BETTER. THEY SIMPLY WON'T ADMIT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. *JB

ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WHEN I STARTED IT. IT HAS BEEN AT THE TOYOTA DEALER EVER SINCE, OVER A MONTH AGO. *AK

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT BRIDGESTONE 13INCH TIRES FOR THE 2001, TOYOTA, TIRES HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES IN A FIVE MONTH PERIOD FOR FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDES OF VEHICLE.*AK TIRES CONTINUALLY WEAR ON THE INSIDE TREAD OF THE TIRE, CONSUMER STATES THIS HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY 3000 MILES, WEAR IS PRIMARILY WITH THE LEFT FRONT WHERE THE ELECTRIC BATTERY/MOTOR ARE. *SLC

ON 12/21/06 THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AS I TRIED TO STOP FOR A LIGHT. HAD TO USE THE PARK BRAKE TO STOP. PRIOR TO THIS MY WIFE COMPLAIN SEVERAL TIME THAT THE PEDAL WAS SOFT AND WENT DOWN. WE COMPLAIN SEVERAL TIME ABOUT THAT AND THE ABS LIGHT COMING ON, ANSWER WE CAN NOT FINE ANYTHING. ON 01/10/07 THE ABS LIGHT DID NOT GO AWAY THEY REPLACED THE MASTER BRAKE CYL. NOT FIX THEY REPLACED ABS ACTUATOR ASSY FIX 12/10/09 BRAKE LIGHT AND ABS ON, BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. *TR

LTR FROM SENATOR BROWN ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT, RE PROBLEMS WITH HIS 2001 PRIUS. *NJ A SAFETY ALERT WAS ISSUED FOR THE FAILURE OF THE MAIN COMPUTER, WHICH RESULTED IN THE ENGINE SHUTTING ITSELF OFF. THE CONSUMER STATED THE COMPUTER FAILED ON HIS VEHICLE AFTER 1 YEAR OF SERVICE. IT TOOK TOYOTA 18 MONTHS TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. AFTER A COSTLY REPLACEMENT OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE ECM WAS FINALLY REPLACED. THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN HAD BEEN ISSUED REGARDING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ECM. THE CONSUMER STATED THE ECM WAS DEFECTIVE WHEN IT LEFT THE FACTORY, HOWEVER TOYOTA WAS NOT WILLING TO TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIRS, BECAUSE THE CAR WAS TOO OLD. THE POWER STEERING HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE. *JB

EXCESSIVE SENSITIVITY TO WIND AND CROSS WINDS EVEN AT LOW WIND VELOCITY. VEHICLE WANTS TO WANDER DUE TO WIND. VEHICLE SHAKES IN THE WAKE OF A 18 WHEELER AND OTHER TRUCKS. THE SIDEVIEW MIRRORS ARE SET TOO FAR FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE. THIS INCREASES THE EXTENT OF THE BLIND SPOTS.

CONSUMER STATED TIRES HAD TO BE REPLACED AT LESS THAN 15,000 MILES, THE RIGHT FRONT AND LEFT FRONT TIRE FAILED FROM EXCESSIVE WEAR, CONSUMER STATED TIRES ON A NEW VEHICLE SHOULD NOT SHOW SIGNS OF EXCESSIVE WEAR IN 15,000, THE DEALER INFLATED THE TIRE PRESSURE TO 32PSI, HOWEVER CONSUMER WAS LATER INFORMED THAT TIRE NEEDED TO BE INFLATED BETWEEN 45 AND 50 PSI, CONSUMER IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT SINCE ORIGINALLY THE DEALER UNDER INFLATED THE TIRES.*JB

FRONT SUSPENSION HAS BEEN WEARING OUT FRONT TIRES. WARRANTY OF TIRES EXPIRED. *AK

THE POWER STEERING CUTS OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. THE DEALER SAYS I NEED A NEW STEERING RACK, BUT IT HAS BEEN WEEKS AND NO RACK HAS SHOWN UP. NOW I'M HEARING FROM OTHER PRIUS OWNERS THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AND TOYOTA IS REDESIGNING THE WHOLE STEERING SYSTEM. MEANWHILE I'M STUCK WITH A CAR WHERE THE POWER STEERING CAN CUT OUT AT ANY TIME.

AFTER SITTING FOR AS MANY AS 2 DAYS WITHOUT DRIVING, THERE IS A BATTERY FAILURE. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS (8-10 TIMES), AND THE DEALER HAS SENT A TOW TRUCK OUT TO EITHER START THE CAR OR TOW THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP. AT ONE POINT, THE CAR WAS IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR 3 WEEKS WHILE THEY WORKED ON SOLVING THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE PUT IN SEVERAL NEW BATTERIES, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. THE LATEST OCCASION WAS THIS PAST WEEK (OCTOBER, 2002). I WAS WITHOUT THE CAR FOR 3 DAYS. NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND AT THE DEALERSHIP EXCEPT FOR BATTERY FAILURE. IN THE PAST THE DEALERSHIP HAS PROVIDED ME WITH A BATTERY CHARGER, BUT THE BATTERY CHARGER IS CURRENTLY NOT WORKING PROPERLY. DT

CONSUMER STATES HE CAN NOT SEE ANY OF THE INSTRUMENTS ON THE PANEL IN THE DAYLIGHT FROM THE CRUISE CONTOL LIGHT, TO THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL, AS WELL AS NOT BEING ABLE TO HEAR THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS, AND THE SPEEDOMETER READING CAN'T BE READ AS WELL, CONSUMER CAN'T NOT SEE THE PRE SET READING FOR THE RADIO UNLESS IT IS NIGHT TIME, ALSO THE GAS LEVEL BAR NO LONGER LIGHTS UP TO WARN THE CONSUMER THAT THE FUEL IS LOW.*JB

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING FUEL IN VEHICLE IS CONSUMED FASTER THAN IT SHOULD BE. THE GAS TANK HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE, AND THE VEHICLE IS IN THE SHOP AT THIS TIME FOR ANOTHER FUEL TANK. CONSUMER FEELS THAT VEHICLE MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED DURING TRANSPORT TO DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE FRONT END IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. VEHICLE HAS HAD FIVE FRONT END ALIGNMENTS SINCE OWNERSHIP. *AK