2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

MY 2009 PRIUS RIGHT HEADLIGHT GOES OUT PERIODICALLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. IF I TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF & ON AGAIN, IT WORKS AGAIN, BUT ONLY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

2009 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE ACCELERATION ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED ON MAY 10, 2010. ON FEBRUARY 11, 2010, THE CONSUMERS WIFE WAS APPROACHING A SMALL BUSINESS IN A PARKING LOT. SHE WAS ALMOST AT A DEAD STOP, WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY WENT A RAPID ACCELERATION MODE, JUMPED A CURBED AND SIDEWALK, AND HIT A BRICK WALL OF A BUSINESS BUILDING. THERE WAS SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS TO THE BRICK WALL OF THE BUILDING. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *JB

PRIUS HYBRID BATTERY TUBE VENT MATERIAL GIVES OFF A STRONG PLASTICIZER SMELL. THIS IS CONTINOUS AND IN ALL SEASONS. THIS MAY BE DANGEROUS TO HEALTH OF OCCUPENTS.

I WAS STRUCK BY A SPEEDING AUTO SO HARD THAT THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT OBLITERATED THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF MY VEHICLE. I SUFFERED SERIOUS LEFT KNEE AND LEFT SHOULDER INJURIES. NOT ONE TAKATA AIRBAG DEPLOYED. HAD THE AIRBAGS FUNCTIONED PROPERLY I MIGHT HAVE AVOIDED THE INJURIES TO MY BODY. MY CAR WAS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS.

THE HID LIGHTS HAVE BECOME INTERMITTENT. FIRST THE LEFT ONE WOULD RANDOMLY GO OFF AND THEN LATER COME BACK ON, ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. MORE RECENTLY THE RIGHT ONE IS SHOWING THE SAME BEHAVIOR.

THE 2009 PRIUS ENGINE HAS A DEFECT IN THE SEALS ALLOWING OIL TO SEEP INTO THE ENGINE AND BE BURNED. THIS CAUSES THE MOTOR TO USE EXTENSIVELY MORE OIL THAN NEEDED. CAUSING POSSIBLE NEAR FAILURE. IT MUST BE CRITICALLY MAINTAINED OR THE ENGINE WILL RUN DRY AND DESTROY ITSELF. *TR

HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY FAIL. BULBS ARE OK. HEADLIGHT CAN BE RESTARTED BY TURNING THEM OFF THEN BACK ON. A DANGEROUS SITUATION! *TR

I WAS DRIVING 10-15 MPH IN THE MIDDLE OF MY SMALL TOWN, COMING UP A SLIGHT HILL ON A STREET THAT LEVELED OUT SHORTLY BEFORE THE SITE OF THE ACCIDENT. AS I DROVE UP ONTO THE LEVEL PART OF THE STREET, I SAW THAT THERE WAS A LONG LINE OF CARS STOPPED AHEAD OF ME, WAITING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT TO CHANGE. I WAS ABOUT 2-3 CAR LENGTHS FROM THE LAST CAR IN THE LANE OF TRAFFIC, WHEN THE LAST CAR IN THE LINE OF CARS AHEAD OF ME BRAKED VERY SUDDENLY, AND AS I WAS COMING UP TO THAT CAR, I ALSO STEPPED HARD ON MY BRAKES - AND - MY BRAKES COMPLETELY FAILED! I WILL HAVE NIGHTMARES FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE OF THOSE NEXT FEW MOMENTS OF PRESSING ON THE BRAKE AND SEEING MY CAR IGNORE ME AND CONTINUE FORWARD, RIGHT INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. AND, I FELT THAT MY CAR ACCELERATED, AS THE BRAKES FAILED, WHICH MADE THE SITUATION EVEN WORSE. MY CAR HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME (CAR #2) WHICH HIT CAR #3, WHICH HIT CAR #4. MY CAR WAS DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS, THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS BADLY DAMAGED AND HAD TO BE LOADED ONTO A FLATBED TRUCK OF THE COLLISION COMPANY. CARS #3 AND #4 COULD BE DRIVEN AWAY; CAR #3 HAD SOME DAMAGE TO THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE CAR, WHILE CAR #4 HAD SOME SCRATCHES ON THE REAR BUMPER. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF ANY SAFETY RECALL FOR THE BRAKES OF THIS CAR, BUT I WAS OFTEN ALARMED WHEN THE BRAKES SEEMED TO SLIP OR NOT WORK FOR A FEW SECONDS EACH TIME THAT I DROVE OVER A SMALL BUMP, POTHOLE, MANHOLE COVER, ETC. DURING THE SIX YEARS THAT I OWNED AND DROVE THIS CAR. THERE ARE MANY OTHER PRIUS DRIVERS THAT HAVE WRITTEN TO THE EDMUND.COM AND OTHER WEBSITES TO TELL OF THEIR SIMILAR ACCIDENTS OR NEAR ACCIDENTS. PLEASE WARN THE PUBLIC AND PARTICULARLY PRIUS OWNERS OF THIS DANGER. THESE CARS ARE NOT SAFE! *TR

ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO ONE OR ANOTHER OF MY HEADLIGHTS WOULD GO OFF INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN I TURNED THE SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON, THEY'D BOTH BE ON. THIS WAS IRRITATING BUT IT WAS RANDOM AND SPORADIC ENOUGH THAT I DIDN'T TAKE IT IN FOR SERVICE UNTIL BOTH LIGHTS STARTED GOING OFF IN RECENT WEEKS. I THEN DISCOVERED ON THE INTERNET THE HISTORY AND EXTENT OF THIS PROBLEM. THE SERVICE PEOPLE AT THE DEALERSHIP ONLY INDICATED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED WITH THE 2005-2009 PRIUS BUT WEREN'T FORTHCOMING WITH OTHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION. $500 LATER I HAVE NEW LIGHTS. MY PLAN IS TO HAVE "PROBLEMS" WITH THEM EVERY 11 MONTHS AS LONG AS I OWN THE CAR, IF THEY DON'T GO OFF ON THEIR OWN, SO THAT I CAN GET THE PROBLEM FIXED UNDER THE DEALER'S 12 MONTH WARRANTY. FORTUNATELY, MOST OF MY DRIVING IS DOWNTOWN IN A LARGE CITY WHERE OTHER LIGHTING IS AVAILABLE. I DID THINK WHENEVER I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AT NIGHT I'D BETTER HAVE THE LIGHTS CHECKED. ALTHOUGH THERE APPARENTLY ISN'T A BODY COUNT WITH THIS PROBLEM, OR IS THERE?, IT CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL TO HAVE RECEIVED SOME WRITTEN INFORMATION FROM TOYOTA OR NHTSA THAT THIS PROBLEM IS PERVASIVE AND COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

WHEN MY 2009 TOYOTA PRIUS GOES OVER 65 MPH THE PROBLEM LIGHT FLASHES ON THE DISPLAY AND THE THE ENGINE OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATES AS WELL. *TR