2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

DRIVING AND MY LEFT HEADLIGHT SPONTANEOUSLY TURNED OFF. IF IS NOT BURNED OUT, AS IT WAS WORKING WHEN I LEFT, AND STOPPING AND RESTARTING THE CAR TURNED IT BACK ON. VERY DANGEROUS AS THE ROAD WAS DARK, NOT TO MENTION I DON'T WANT A TRAFFIC TICKET. PLEASE STOP IGNORING THIS PROBLEM. *TT

FOR SOME MONTHS NOW I HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE RIGHT FRONT HEADLIGHT IN MY PRIUS WHICH IS AN HID LAMP. THE LIGHTS GOES OUT AND THEN WHEN I TURN THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF THEN BACK ON AGAIN THE LAMP LIGHTS AGAIN. I HAVE TO DO THIS NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE DRIVING. IT EITHER EVENTUALLY STAY'S LIT OR I JUST GIVE UP AND ANTICIPATE A TICKET. ON OCCASION WHEN I TRY TO GET THE LIGHT TO COME BACK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE LIGHT GOES OUT, AND THEN I AM WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS UNTIL I REPEAT THE PROCESS. IT IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING IN THE DARK, BUT WHEN YOU TRY TO GET THE LAMP TO TURN BACK ON, PEOPLE THINK YOUR FLASHING THEM FROM BEHIND WHICH CAUSES THEM TO BECOME AGGRESSIVE. IT IS VERY STRESSFUL AND I KNEW IF I LOOKED THIS UP ONLINE I'D PROBABLY FIND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL. I WAS NOT SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT THERE WERE COMPLAINT IDENTICAL TO MINE, BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED AGAINST TOYOTA TO FIX THE APPARENT DESIGN PROBLEM. I AM A 28 YEAR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND ALSO A SENIOR SAFETY SPECIALIST FOR MY COMPANY. WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR A SERIOUS INCIDENT TO OCCUR BEFORE TOYOTA IS FORCED TO FIX THE ISSUE. I WILL NOT REPLACE THIS EXPENSIVE BULB SINCE IT APPEARS THAT IT ONLY REMEDIATES THE PROBLEM FOR A SHORT PERIOD THE OF TIME BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I AM ENTRUSTING IN YOUR ORGANIZATION TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE ISSUE TO ENSURE THE WELL BEING OF ME, MY FAMILY AND THOSE AROUND US WHO EITHER DRIVE THESE MODELS AND/OR BECOME ADDITIONAL VICTIMS FROM OUR VEHICLES DUE TO HAVING TO "COMPLETELY" SHUT DOWN THE HEADLIGHTS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET THEM BACK UP. AGAIN THIS SOMETIMES CREATES BOTH HEADLIGHTS TO GO OUT UNTIL REPEATED. CAN THAT REALLY BE A BULB ISSUE? I THINK NOT. PLEASE FORCE THIS LARGE COMPANY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE ISSUE BEFORE STATISTICS CLIMB ON ACCIDENTS AND OR INJURIES RESULTING FROM THESE HEADLIGHT FAILURES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ANTICIPATED ACTIONS. *TR

THE RUBBER COVER ON MY TOURING MODEL PRIUS'S HATCH LOCKING ASSEMBLY - THE HIDDEN AREA YOU GRAB TO OPEN THE HATCH - HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT IT IS GUMMY LIKE TAR. THERE ARE DOZENS OF ONLINE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO 2007 AND 2008 MODELS, WHICH LIKE MY PRIUS, WERE MANUFACTURED IN JAPAN. I'VE OWNED SEVERAL HATCHBACKS AND NEVER SEEN THIS PROBLEM ON MUCH OLDER HATCH LOCKS. FROM ALL OF THE ONLINE COMPLAINTS IT'S CLEAR TO ME THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS DEFECT BUT WHEN CONTACTED, THEY FIRST TOLD ME THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEING A PROBLEM, AND NOW TELL ME IT ADVISES CUSTOMERS IT'S "NORMAL WEAR." FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE THE MELTING RUBBER MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO OPEN THE REAR HATCH (A LIFE SAFETY ACCESS POINT), AND THE STICKY BLACK TAR-LIKE MATERIAL FROM THE COVER IS ALSO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. I ASK YOUR AGENCY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THESE INSTANCES AND ALSO TO INQUIRE WHY TOYOTA IS NOT RECALLING THESE HANDLES THAT ARE MELTING, WHICH HAS TO BE THE RESULT OF DEFECTIVE RUBBER. I THINK A DOOR HANDLE OR HATCH HANDLE SHOULD BE MADE TO LAST MORE THAN THREE YEARS. *TR

I NOTICED A STRANGE NOISE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR, WHICH WAS GETTING LOUDER EVERY DAY. TOOK TO A DEALER, AND I WAS TOLD THAT MY RIGHT STRUT AND STRUT MOUNT CRASHED AND NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE OTHER FRONT STRUT NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. I AM ONLY DRIVING NORMAL ROADS. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH, WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT OUT. IT WAS DARK AND RAINING, AND WERE UNABLE TO SEE THE ROAD EDGE. WE PUSHED THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND WERE ABLE TO SEE HOW CLOSE TO THE ROAD EDGE WE WERE. ABOUT TWO MINUTES LATER, THE LIGHTS BOTH CAME BACK ON AND WE CONTINUED TO DRIVE TO SEEK A SAFER AREA. EVERY 15 MINUTES THE LIGHTS WOULD FLICKER. *TR

SINCE I PURCHASED THE PRIUS IN EARLY 2012 WITH LESS THAN 60,000 MILES, I ALWAYS NOTICED THAT WHEN BRAKING OVER ROUGH SURFACES, THE ABS WOULD KICK IN AND WOULD DELAY THE BRAKING BY AT LEAST 1/2 SECOND PER ABS/STABILITY CONTROL EVENT. WHILE I HAD NEVER HAD AN INCIDENT INITIALLY, THERE WERE MANY CLOSE CALLS. AFTER TALKING WITH THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID IT WAS PERFORMING AS EXPECTED AND THAT I WAS NOT USED TO THE CAR'S HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS. HOWEVER, ON 6/4/2013, THE BRAKING SYSTEM PERFORMED ITS USUAL DELAY AND DID NOT ALLOW ME TO STOP IN TIME, THEREBY REAR-ENDING ANOTHER PERSON IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE OVER A ROUGH ROADWAY. THIS NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT NHTSA LOOKS INTO FOR A RECALL SITUATION. THERE ARE TOO MANY COMPLAINTS ALREADY FOR THEM JUST TO IGNORE THIS WHEN THERE ALREADY HAS BEEN A RECALL OF THE 2010 PRIUS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

I NOTICED SOME CONDENSATION IN BOTH FRONT HEADLAMPS SOME TIME AGO BUT JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A COSMETIC PROBLEM. ABOUT THREE DAYS AGO BOTH MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE WATER INSIDE THE HEADLAMPS CAUSED MY HID LIGHTS TO SHORT OUT. I AM OUT OF THE 36 MONTH 36,000 MILE WARRANTY, BUT STILL WITHIN MY EXTENDED WARRANTY'S LIMITS. TOYOTA IS NOT GOING TO COVER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE LIGHT BULBS OR CHANGE OUT THE HEADLIGHTS SINCE I'M PAST THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY COVERAGE LIMIT. I WAS QUOTED BY MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP OVER $1,500 TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO FOUND A MEMO FROM TOYOTA (MEMO # T-SB-0188-11) THAT TALKS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND STATES THAT UNDER THE OEM WARRANTY, IT SHOULD BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. *TR

I PULLED MY TOYOTA PRIUS INTO MY DRIVEWAY, STEPPED ON THE BRAKE, OPENED THE GARAGE DOOR AND WAITED FOR MY HUSBAND TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. HE OPENED THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR AND STARTED TO MOVE HIS FOOT OUT THE DOOR BUT BEFORE HE EVEN GOT ONE FOOT OUT, THE CAR SURGED AHEAD AND RAN INTO THE GARAGE, PRETTY MUCH DESTROYING ALL THE STORAGE UNITS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GARAGE. MY HUSBAND THINKS THE CAR WAS GOING BETWEEN 35 AND 40 MPH. SINCE MY ACCIDENT THERE HAVE BEEN TWO OTHER INCIDENTS OF TOYOTAS ACCELERATING INDEPENDENTLY IN PALO ALTO. ONE RAN INTO A HOUSE ON PARK AVENUE, DESTROYING THE FRONT WALL AND FRONT DOOR OF THE HOUSE. A FEW DAYS LATER, A TOYOTA RAN OVER A CURB, ACROSS A LAWN AND INTO A CORNER OF A HOUSE ON NORTH CALIFORNIA AVE. BOTH OF THESE INCIDENTS WERE REPORTED TO THE POLICE UNFORTUNATELY, I CANNOT GET THE NAME AND CONTACT OF THE OTHER TWO DRIVERS BECAUSE MY NAME IS NOT ON THE POLICE REPORTS. MY QUESTIONS ARE THESE: IS THERE ANY LEGAL WAY TO GET THE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE OTHER 2 DRIVERS? ALSO, SOMEONE TOLD ME THEY THOUGHT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION SUIT OUT AGAINST TOYOTA BECAUSE OF ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. IS THERE ANY WAY TO FIND OUT ABOUT THAT? I AM AWARE THAT THIS IS PROBABLY JUST A PROBLEM I WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH BUT I ALWAYS TRY EVERYTHING. *TR

IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID ONCOMING CALVES ON A COUNTY DIRT ROAD DRIVER INADVERTANTLY PULLED STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND HIT A TREE AT ROAD SIDE. TREE IS TWELVE INCHED FROM ROAD SURFACE. BEFORE SEAT BELT RESTRAINED DRIVER, DRIVER'S FORWARD MOMENTUM BROKE THE STEERING WHEEL. DRIVER WAS NOT INJURED. WENT TO LOCAL HOSPITAL ER. SHERIFF INVESTIGATED. WITH THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE THE AIR BAG SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. IT DID NOT. PHOTOS TAKEN. YOUR ORGANIZATION IS BEING NOTIFIED AS WE FEEL THE AIR BAG SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. WE WILL ALSO CONTACT TOYOTA. THANK YOU. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHEN I TURNED ON THE CAR, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN ON. BOTH LIGHTS HAD BEEN FULLY OPERATIONAL THE DAY BEFORE. BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAMS ON BOTH SIDES DID NOT WORK, SO IT IS DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE THAT FOUR SEPARATE BULBS OR FUSES ALL BLEW INDEPENDENTLY. I TRIED TURNING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE FOG LIGHTS DO ILLUMINATE, BUT THAT IS NOT ENOUGH ILLUMINATION FOR SAFE DRIVING IN MY AREA. *TR