2002 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

WHEN DRIVING IN TRAFFIC HYBRID BATTERY COMPLETELY DISCHARGES CAUSING CAR TO LURCH WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. ONCE THE CAR IS OUT OF TRAFFIC THE BATTERY OVER CHARGES CAUSING THE BATTERY TO OVER HEAT AND CAUSE THE CABIN TO FILL WITH A SCARY SMELL OF BURNING. THE HYBRID BATTERY FAN IS ON. TOOK TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP PAID NEARLY $300 FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY COULD FIND NO ERROR CODES RELATED TO THE PROBLEM. CALL CHP TO ASSIST IN TOW TO DEALERSHIP. *TR

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER WRITES REGARDING A FATAL COLLISION INVOLVING A TOYOTA VEHICLE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE TOYOTA PRIUS CROSSED OVER A GRASS MEDIAN BETWEEN A DIVIDED EXPRESSWAY AND STRUCK A CHEVROLET BLAZER.

STEERING WHEEL SHAKES VIOLENTLY FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN STOPS. UP UNTIL YESTERDAY IT DID THIS SPORADICALLY WHILE BACKING AND TURNING. YESTERDAY, IT DID IT DURING WET WEATHER, 50 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, BACKING AND TURNING. THEN IT DID IT AGAIN WHILE DRIVING AND TURNING IN A PARKING GARAGE. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IT HAS EVER DONE IT GOING FORWARD. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR APPROX 8 YEARS ON AND OFF. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE PROBLEM. *TR

ELECTRONICALLY-ASSISTED POWER STEERING RACK ASSEMBLY DEFECTIVE ON 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS, PARTICULARLY VEHICLE ID NUMBER [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

2002 TOYOTA PRIUS STEERING RACK FAILURE. APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS AGO THE STEERING IN MY PRIUS BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN AND PULSATED WHEN TURNING. THE TOYOTA DEALER, WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, INSPECTED THE CAR AND INFORMED ME THAT THE STEERING RACK WAS FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $3,000. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM INHERENT TO THESE 1ST GENERATION PRIUS MODELS. I CONTACTED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND OPENED A CASE TO SEE IF TOYOTA WOULD OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE IN THE REPAIR OF MY CAR. ONLINE AT OWNER FORUMS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM THERE WERE MANY INSTANCES WHERE TOYOTA WOULD REPAIR THE VEHICLE AT NO COST TO THE OWNER OR AT LEAST OFFER SOME ASSISTANCE WITH THE COST. I WAS REFUSED BY TOYOTA WITH ANY HELP OF ANY KIND. I BELIEVE THAT SINCE TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THIS DEFECT DURING THE 2001- 2003 MODEL RUN AND CHANGED THE STEERING RACK FOR THE 2004 REDESIGN TO ELIMINATE THIS PROBLEM THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO ADDRESS THIS MATTER. I BASE THIS ON THE VOLUME OF CARS EXPERIENCING THIS ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT TOYOTA HAD A SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN IN PLACE AT ONE POINT THAT REPAIRED THESE AFFECTED VEHICLES WHEN CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. TOYOTA IS NO LONGER RUNNING THIS REPAIR CAMPAIGN. *TR

1. RECENTLY, THE STEERING STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY PERIODICALLY UPON TURNING 2. THE STEERING PERIODICALLY SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND IT BECOMES DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE CAR 3. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THE TOYOTA EXECUTIVE OFFICES AND THEY "DECLINED PARTICIPATION" UPDATED IVOQ 11/02/10 *TR

SEVERE SHAKING IN STEERING OF 2002 PRIUS. ALSO ENCOUNTER LOSS OF POWER STEERING FOR A SHORT TIME 4 DIFFERENT TIMES. TAKEN TO DEALER 3 TIMES !ST TWO TIMES I WAS TOLD IT JUST NEEDED GREASE ON THE STEERING COLUMN. 3RD TIME WAS TOLD IT NEEDED $3400 OF WORKING AND THAT THE CAR WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 107,000 MILES THE THIRD TIME I TOOK IT IN. AFTER I CONTACTED TOYOTA CORP. THE DEALER CALLED TO SAY HE WOULD WORK WITH ME ON THE PRICE, BUT I CAN NOT TRUST HIM TO DO THE WORK. IT HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET I HAD ASK THE SERVICE MANAGER IF THE CAR WAS SAFE TO TAKE ON A LONG TRIP THE 2ND TIME I TOOK IT IN AND HE SAID YES. IT WAS ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE TRIP THAT I LOSS POWER STEERING DRIVING ON I95. THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE UNTIL POWER STEERING RESUMED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. SHE STATED WHILE PULLING OUT FROM A DRIVEWAY AND APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE AND CAUSED HER TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGES TO THE ENTIRE FRONT STRUCTURE AND WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A COMPLAINT FILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 24,000.

MY 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS'S ELECTRONIC MOTOR STEERING ASSEMBLY STOPS WORKING AFTER APPROXIMATELY 1HR OF DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. AT 75 MILES PER HOUR, WARNING LIGHTS TURN ON AND STEERING ASSIST FAILS. STEERING THE CAR FROM THE ROAD IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, THE STEERING WORKS ONCE AGAIN. THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AS THE STEERING FAILS UNEXPECTEDLY AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE DEALER STATES THAT THE FIX WILL COST $3200, WHICH IS OVER HALF OF THE VEHICLE'S KELLEY BLUE BOOK TRADE-IN VALUE. *TR

THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY MALFUNCTIONS AND STOPS PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO THE DRIVER ON A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS, ON ONE INSTANCE THE GASOLINE MOTOR STOPPED WORKING AND I WAS LEFT DRIVING AT LOW SPEED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE ELECTRIC MOTOR ONLY. THE LATEST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON MAY 31ST, 2010 WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 65 MPH ON A FREEWAY, THE CAR LOST THE POWER STEERING OPERATION, MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON THE SCREEN, THE GAS MOTOR SHUT DOWN AND THE SPEED OF THE CAR DROPPED TO AROUND 23 MPH. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS RESPONSIVE ONLY IN THE RANGE OF 0~23 MPH. I TOOK THE CAR TO A SERVICE CENTER AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. REVIEWING THE SERVICE RECORDS FOR THE CARS I FOUND THAT IT PRESENTED THE SAME SYMPTOMS ONCE IN 2006 AND THREE TIMES IN 2008. THE SERVICE CENTER EITHER CLEANED A SENSOR OR COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE PART WAS NEVER REPLACED. WHILE RESEARCHING NHTSA SITE I FOUND THAT TOYOTA HAS FILE TSBS BACK IN 2004 RECOGNIZING A PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR COMPONENT AND IN SOME CASES EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THE PART. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY REFUSE TO ASSIST IN THE COST OF THE CAR REPAIR. *TR