2008 Toyota Prius electrical problems

Filed Oct 1, 2025 · Electrical · CA

In the cars digital instrument cluster have problem on the same model many of cars because I know many of friends that have same model car and I get problem so I go to the mechanic and the mechanic says it is a manufacturing problem on that same model have same problem I repair it twice and now it again appears it's also a safety concern because the problem is the light is completely go out completely blank so we are not able to see the vehicle speed vehicles fuel gas and vehicles other information that shows on digital cluster so if we drive in this condition we don't know how much speed is on my car right now

Filed Aug 31, 2025 · Body, Electrical · MI

Trunk lock will not unlock or allow opening, back latch malfunctions, when car battery dies or car looses power《• you cannot open the trunk and access emergency tools/equipment and battery to jump car. •》You have to access by climbing through the front of the car if you are able-bodied too. There is no opening handle from the inside of the trunk to be let out, scariest and one of the most important major safety concerns, theres no emergency exit from inside vehicle. Water/snow/ice also falls down into the vehicle when opening hatchback, it slides inward from hood of car or slides back from rear windshield and door, causes water to be pooled up in my battery compartment.

Filed Aug 31, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · MI · crash

Randomly my instrument panel goes blank while in motion and can only be retrieved by hard turning the car off when stopped, you loose your speedometer, lights, and all until reset. Other issue with speedometer readings that are consistently off between 5-15mph with no fix, resolutions or repairs.

Filed Aug 11, 2025 · Electrical · 200,000 miles · AZ

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a direct purchase from the previous owner on August 3, 2025. The contact made other reports with a personal lawyer, the State Attorney General's Office, and AZ.FraudReport Agency. The contact had not heard back from the other contact regarding the other reports made. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 50,000 miles, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was over 200,000.

Filed Jul 7, 2025 · Electrical · 90,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the instrument panel went blank. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a permanent failure. In addition, the front headlights and rear taillights failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at various speeds, the front headlights failed to work as intended. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the bulbs had melted into the wiring harness. The contact stopped driving the vehicle at night. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Filed Jun 5, 2025 · Brakes, Electrical · LA

I recently took my vehicle to the dealership because all the hazard lights on the dash came on. They diagnosed it as an issue with the inverter water pump and suggested that the engine was overheating, which was causing the hazard light to appear on the dashboard. So I had them replace that part and everything was fine. A week later, I went to drive to work and my entire dashboard was out. My radio, clock, blinkers, and brakes worked, but I could not see the speedometer, gas gauge, odometer or any other dashboard features. When I tried to restart the car, it wouldn't turn off. I tried several times and even got my husband to try. When we couldn't turn it off, I drove blindly straight to the dealership. They diagnosed the issue as being a problem with the combination meter. Recently, I found out that there was a Customer Support Program through Toyota that replaced the combination meter in my same car model. This service expired in 2017. I got the car in 2020-21. Thankfully I was home, and was able to follow my husband to the dealership. I'm not sure what I would've done if this happened while I was out. I am also have traction issues with the brakes. When I try to brake on a slope or incline, the glide hazard lights come on. It's happened several times when it's raining, but it's been happening more when it's not. I typically give enough space between myself and the car in front of me, but it's concerning that the brakes lock up when I'm on any type of sloped surface.

Filed Nov 21, 2024 · Electrical · 72,000 miles · CT

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel went blank. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a permanent failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

Filed Jul 23, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · AZ

About 3 years ago we started getting the red triangle of death with 2 amber lights on display the vsc and the round circle with the exclamation point in the center. This could happen in 500 miles or it could happen tomorrow. When this happens I loose all exceleration and air conditioning and a orange car emblem with an exclamation point in it on the display screen. Once safely off road press power button off and back on and everything is back to normal except red triangle and car on display screen car is then drivable again. Using a code reader to check codes no codes appear but still have red triangle. Leaving car set for a period of time and restarting car and red triangle is extinguished. Have to drive in right lane on freeway in case it wants to quit. The most recent time was last week had driven it about 80 miles with a stop about halfway for 1 hour and stopped for a movie came back got in car started it and within 1000 feet got the red triangle, was in left turning lane with red light, shut off and restarted and was able to drive again as in all other times, took it to a neighbor who had a code reader(about 9PM) and no codes found, he reset it and red triangle extinguished. This type of happening is very unnerving to say the least, dont know when or where it will lay down with us. Don't know if anyone else has had similar issues with their Prius ours has 213,000+ miles on it. Original hybrid battery it was checked in 2015 and some cells replaced by a shop certified to replace cells in this battery. Thank you.

Filed Jan 21, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · MD

Hello. My 2008 Toyota Prius had a malfunction with the "combination meter" which caused the vehicle dashboard to turn off completely, and we could not turn off the engine at times when stopped and parked. The dealer fixed the problem at a cost of $1580, and both the dealer and Toyota corporate through their brand engagement advocate acknowledged a long term problem with the combination meter. They had extended the warranty coverage for owners for this specific problem for about 10 years but not for owners like me with a vehicle 15 years old. I believe Toyota should cover and reimburse owners for this problem, which is potentially dangerous, no matter the age of the vehicle, especially for long term, loyal owners. There are many of these vehicles still on the road. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 17, 2023 · Electrical · FL

The vehicle we own is no longer covered by an extended warranty offered to Toyota owners of 2004-2009 Prius. The warranty covered the replacement of the digital combination meter which, when failing, no longer displays anything on the dashboard. The situation is dangerous because you lose the ability to monitor fuel tank capacity, speed, warning lights, reverse lights and backup camera. To get around this malfunction requires that the back storage panels be removed and 12-volt battery be disconnected and reconnected. However, the fix is short term since the problem resets itself once the car is turned off. Even when the display is working, we have just discovered that the fuel gauge is inaccurate, causing a serious overflow of fuel due to the display showing 1 bar, when the tank was actually 50% full. Toyota, fully aware of this problem offered a "warranty enhancement" that offered replacement coverage up to September 30, 2013. It only covered customers whose care was demonstrating the problem, excluding any cars that were not showing signs of malfunction. We have a 2008 model, purchased from a Toyota dealership in 2011, that up until around 2-years ago showed no signs of malfunctioning. Therefore, the warranty did not apply. We now, however, are experiencing the malfunction on a daily basis and our vehicle is unsafe, and inconvenient to drive. I called Toyota regarding this and they will not offer any further coverage beyond the September 30, 2013 date. The repair for this malfunction is a minimum $1000, which rightfully should be covered by Toyota due to the potential safety issues surrounding this problem. We would like Toyota to acknowledge customers such as ourselves where the malfunction did not appear until later during our ownership of a 2008 Prius, and pay or reimburse for the repair.