2002 Toyota Prius Complaint Log

MY HUSBAND NEEDED TO TAKE HIS CAR TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND I WAS FOLLOWING HIM. WE ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION AND HE PARKED HIS CAR IN A PARKING SPACE. I HAD OUR DOG IN MY CAR AND DECIDED TO PARK THE CAR IN A SHADED PARKING SPACE. AS I WAS ENTERING THE PARKING SPACE, MY CAR FELTLIKE IT WAS ACCERLERATING EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE. THE AIRBAGS THEN EXPLODED AND THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE AIRBAGS BURNED MY ARM AND THE NOISE FROM THE BAGS FRIGHTENED MY DOG AND HE JUMPED FROM THE CAR. I WAS ENTERING THE PARKING SPACE AT ABOUT ONE OR TWO MILES PER HOUR. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. THE AIRBAGS MALFUNCTIONED. TOYOTA INSISTS I HIT A WALL. I HAVE A WITNESS TO SUPPORT MY SIDE. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS INCIDENT STATING I WAS DRIVING AT THE SPEED OF 1400RPM. THAT WOULD MEAN I WAS GOING 55MPH WHILE ENTERING THE PARKING SPACE.THEE SEEMS TO SOME DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR, BUT IT OCCURED SOME MONTHS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. THE PARAMEDICS WERE CALLED AND THEY ATTENDED TO A BURN ON MY RIGHT ARM, IT WAS NOT SEVERE ENOUGH FOR ME TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL .

THE VEHICLE WAS HIT AT 25 MPH IN THE FRONT CENTER YET THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSING MINOR INJURIES TO THE CONSUMER. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *TS *NLM

STEERING WHEEEL WAS SHAKING UNCONTROLLABLY AT LOW SPEED. TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY STATED THAT POWER STEERING RACK WAS DEFECTIVE. THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS.*AK

STEERING COLUMN AND CAR VIBRATE WHEN TURNING OR BACKING. LESSER VIBRATION IN STEERING ALSO SENSED WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT. BROUGHT CAR INTO DEALER ON AUGUST 14, 2002. AM TOLD THAT REPLACEMENT STEERING RACK IS UNAVAILABLE AND DATE OF RECEIPT OF ONE IS NOT KNOWN. REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO TOYOTA CONSUMER SERVICES AND FILE # 200208260148 WAS ASSIGNED TO MY REPORT. THERE IS ALSO EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION OF PROBLEMS WITH PRIOUS STEERING ON SEVERAL WEB SITES AT WHICH I DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL OF THE 2001 MODEL. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT CORRECTED DEFECT ON 2002 MODEL.*AK

I PURCHASED A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS IN APRIL 2002 AND WITHIN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHILE ON THE FREEWAY AT 65+ MPH AND THE GAS ENGINE WOULD NOT WORK, I HAD TO DRIVE ON THE ELECTRICAL MOTOR. IT WAS REPAIRED AT THE TOYOTA DEALER IN CARLSBAD, CA. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT WAS REPORTED IN THE PRESS TODAY.

VEHICLE REFUSES TO START. TOWED VEHICLE . REPLACED BATTERY , PROBLEM RE0CCURRED. A

I HAVE HAD THREE TIRE BLOWOUTS, ONE WITHIN 24 HOURS AFTER PURCHASE OF THE TIRE.*AK

DEALERSHIP ORDERED NEW POWER TRAIN, WHICH TOOK MORE THAN A MONTH TO ARRIVE (2/25/02).*AK

CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT DUE TO FAULTY BATTERY.*JB

SINCE I PURCHASED MY TOYOTA PRIUS IN LATE 2001, IT HAS INTERMITTENTLY SURGED WHEN THE BRAKE IS PRESSED. WHILE I DO NOT HAVE THE HIGH SPEED SURGES THAT OTHER DRIVERS HAVE REPORTED, PERIODICALLY WHEN I AM AT LOW SPEEDS AND PRESS THE BRAKE TO STOP, THE CAR WILL SLOW TO A STOP, THEN LURCH FORWARD, REQUIRING ME TO PRESS THE BRAKE HARDER TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA IN 2001 AND 2002, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NORMAL FOR A HYBRID, WHICH WAS FAIRLY NEW TECHNOLOGY AT THE TIME. I AM CONCERNED THAT IN THE FUTURE I MAY HAVE A HIGHER SPEED SURGE. SO FAR MY SURGES HAVE BEEN LOW SPEED, AND I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THEM BY PRESSING THE BRAKE HARDER. *TR

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS REAR ALIGNMENT CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE REAR TIRES CANNOT BE ALIGNED DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE VEHICLE**CC UPON TAKING THE VEHICLE ON THE DATE OF DELIVER THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE SWAYING OF THE REAR END OF THE CAR AND THE REAR TIRES WERE BE SEVERELY WORN. THE DEALER TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO FIX THE DEFECT BUT TO NO AVAIL, THE TIRES WOULD DETERIORATING EVERY 3,000 MILES. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER INFORMED HIM THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD TO RETURN TO THE DEALER EVERY 3,000 MILES TO INSPECT THE TIRES. THAT TASK WAS DONE UP UNTIL NOVEMBER 2006 UNTIL THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED YET AGAIN TO PURCHASE 4 NEW TIRES. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER IN FEBRUARY WHO INFORMED HIM THE REAR AXLE WAS BENT CAUSING THE DEFECT. THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE TRIED TO CONTACT THE ORIGINAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WHO INFORMED HIM TO PURSUE THE DEALER OR TAKE IT TO A GOVERNMENT AGENCY. *TR

CONSUMERS 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS LOSS OF POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND VIOLENT SHAKING IN THE STEERING SYSTEM. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER MADE ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE ELECTRONIC MODULE EXCHANGE AND THE GAS TANK. HOWEVER, THE ATTEMPTS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. ALSO, THE VEHICLE HAS AN ONGOING, UNRESOLVED PROBLEM WITH VIOLENT SHAKING IN THE STEERING SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY THE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND AT OTHER TIMES DURING COLD WEATHER. THE POWER STEERING WILL COMPLETELY CUT OUT AFTER HOURS OF OPERATION, ESPECIALLY DURING HOT WEATHER. *JB

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS BRAKING PROBLEM*CW THE CONSUMER STATED HE DIDN'T SEE THE ISSUE AS A BRAKING PROBLEM; RATHER A CONTROL CONFLICT. WHENEVER THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING DOWN A SLIGHT GRADE ON A ROAD SURFACE HAVING ITS SHARE OF PAVING PATCHES, FROST HEAVES, ETC. THE SLIGHT DOWNGRADE CAUSES THE VEHICLES SPEED TO INCREASE, OR PERHAPS AN INTERSECTION APPEARED AHEAD AND FOR WHATEVER REASON THE BRAKES WERE GENTLY APPLIED IN ORDER TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE SYMPTOM WAS A BRIEF INTERVAL AND THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO ACCELERATE AND THEN NORMAL BRAKING RESUMED AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. JUST PRIOR TO THE BRAKE ACTIVATION, THE VEHICLE IS IN REGENERATION MODE, IN WHICH THE ELECTRIC PROPULSION MOTORS ARE ACTING AS GENERATORS, WHERE ENERGY MOTION IS BEING EXTRACTED AND CONVERTED TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY TO BE STORED IN THE VEHICLES BATTERY. WHENEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ACTIVATED, THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE MOTOR NOW BECOME GENERATORS ARE FORCED BY THE CONTROL SYSTEM TO CONVERT SIGNIFICANT ENERGY OF MOTION INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THE NORMAL BRAKING SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE ABS.

WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTSDOWN. WHEN THIS OCCURS CHECK ENGINE O/ BATTERY LIGHTS ILLUMINATE. PLEASE GIVE FURHTER DETAILS.*AK

VEHICLE CAME EQUIPPED WITH DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS, HOWEVER CONSUMER CONSIDERS THEM TO BE ALL TIME RUNNING LIGHTS, CONSUMER STATES IT IS VERY EASY TO START THE VEHICLE UP AT NIGHT WITH THE DAY TIME DRIVING LIGHTS ON AND DRIVE AWAY WITHOUT ANY TAIL LIGHTS, CONSUMER HAS BACKED OUT OF THE GARAGE AND DRIVEN WITHOUT ANY TAIL LIGHTS, THE DISPLAY AND PANEL ARE ALWAYS LIT, AND CONSUMER DOES NOT NOTICE THERE ARE NO DASH LIGHTS, THE DEALER INFORMED CONUMER THAT SOME TOYOTAS AUTOMATICALLY TURN ON THE REGULAR LIGHTS AFTER DARK SO THERE ARE TAIL LIGHTS, HOWEVER CONSUMERS VEHICLE HAS NO TAIL LIGHTS.*JB

TWO FRONT TIRES WORE OUT PREMATURELY. DEALER SAYS THE REMEDY FOR THIS PROBLEM IS TO ROTATE THE TIRES AND KEEP THE APPROPRIATE TIRE PRESSURE. *AK

FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES BECAUSE OF CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALL. CONSUMER FELT THAT THE TIRE DEALERSHIP DIDN'T WANT TO CLAIM LIABILITY, SO THEY WERE BLAMING THE CRACKS ON ROAD HAZARDS. *AK