Check a VIN

2008 Toyota Prius transmission complaints

Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 54 of 54, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2008 Toyota Prius transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Aug 28, 2010 · Transmission · 44,000 miles · WI

When I put my 2008 prius into the park mode along with the brake but still having the car running, I will open the driver's side door to get my mail. When I then close the door and try and put the car into drive, it will automatically shift into neutral. Numerous tries to get the car into the drive mode will fail. I then coast my car down the hill into my driveway. I have tried shutting off the car and starting from scratch but it will shift into neutral. This has happened intermittently over the last month. I took it to my local dealer and they could find nothing wrong. It occurred after they said there was nothing wrong so I will be taking it back in. The consequences are that I am on a road and can't get my car to drive. One other issue that occurred during this time is that I was driving at approximately 50mph and all of a sudden my car shifted into the b mode. I was able to shift out of it but my concern is that there is something wrong.

Filed Jul 30, 2010 · Acceleration, Transmission · 19,000 miles · CA · crash · 1 injury

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that he shifted into reverse gear and the vehicle moved forward. He was able to apply the brakes in order to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure occurred approximately ten times but he did not take the vehicle to an authorized dealer. He stated that the failure occurred in a parking lot when the brakes were applied and crashed into another vehicle. No damage was done to either vehicle. The driver sustained a knee injury. He called the dealer and they referred him to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was called but they have not returned his call. The failure had been on going for six months. The failure mileage was 19,000 and the current mileage was 22,300. Updated 10/05/10 *bf updated 10/07/10

Filed Jun 17, 2010 · Transmission · 85,800 miles · MN

I am having a recurring transmission problem on a 2008 prius that seems to be a very similar problem to one described by other prius owners. When the car is warm (warm day, drive for longer than 15 minutes) the transmission can slip out of drive (or reverse) into neutral. It will do this repeatedly and not allow to proceed in gear until you turn off the ignition for some minutes. The car will operate if you manually push the gear shift lever into driver and hold it there continuously until you reach your destination. I will take it into toyota for service but I do think it may be an engineering or design flaw with the transmission. The experience of other drivers (including a video link for the same exact problem) can be found online here: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3233114#post3233114

Filed May 20, 2010 · Electrical, Transmission · 12,000 miles · CA

Severe safety concerns with a 2008 prius are the following: the answers and solutions to the following are necessary before anyone could be considered safe driving this 2008 prius: 1.why did our prius have a power failure on april 13th while driving at 60 MPH on a flat stretch of hwy 101 going north at the blithedale exit in mill valley, ca? 2.why while driving up divisidero around 11:30 or 12 noon on april 25, 2010 did the car begin beeping loudly when going up the hill in pacific heights? 3. Why did it then start making two different beeping sounds? We then pulled over and found that the transmission indicated that it had jumped into reverse even though the car was still going forward. We had not touched the shift lever, both hands were on the wheel. It jumped into reverse by itself. 4.why , after we then returned the shift to drive, were we able to go further up the hill and the loud beeping started again while the transmission was still in drive? We stopped the car and kept a foot on the brake pedal until help arrived. Aaa came. Aaa drove the car without beeping to a more level part of the street to load it upon a truck and carried the car to the san francisco geary toyota service center. They have yet [5.20.10] to accurately diagnose and correct these problems so it is safe to drive.

Filed May 3, 2010 · Electrical, Transmission · AZ

2008 toyota prius. Consumer states fault in vehicle *tgw the consumer stated he backed out of a parking space, shifted into drive and the vehicle refused to respond to drive as he pressed the accelerator. It seemed the brake was on. A master fault appeared on the screen. It said batteries will not charge if let in the neutral position. After several tries, it finally responded.

Filed Apr 6, 2010 · Transmission · 17,285 miles · WI

Last night about 6:00pm cst. My gas pedal stuck on my 2008 toyota. I was at a used car dealership looking at trucks. I got out of the prius to look at a truck. I got back into the car put it in drive and when I took off the pedal stuck to the floor. I put the shifter into neutral stopped the car, put it back into drive and the pedal was still stuck. Once again I put the shifter into neutral, stopped the car and put the shifter into park, adjusted the floor mat (I don't know if the mat was the problem or not) then put the shifter into drive and it was fine. I sure it is not related but I had just had the car in the shop (smart motors) the previous week to adjust the tire pressure light.

Filed Mar 17, 2010 · Brakes, Electrical · 39,055 miles · CA · crash

I left my 2008 toyota prius running and had to run back into a home where I'd just left a sales appointment. Eventhough I had the key fob in my pocket, I noticed out of the corner of my eye as I was crossing the street back towards the house that my car was careening into the buick parked across the street. I ran and jumped in and steered it away from t-boning the parked buick, but could not keep it the driver's side of the prius from scraping along the driver's side corner of the buick's rear bumper.

Filed Mar 11, 2010 · Transmission · CA

After reading about the run a way prius in san diego monday, I attempted to put my prius in neutral. Neutral does not exist or does not work. While accelerating one cannot put the prius in neutral. This is a concern. I called the dealer and the rep said that prius' are a breed all there own and pretty much agreed that the neutral did not work. People should know this.

Filed Feb 10, 2010 · Transmission · 18,000 miles · MA

I own a 2008 toyota prius. Several months ago I started to experience a problem with the vehicle. When I travel in reverse and then stop to go forward, the vehicle doesn't move when I shift it to forward. When stopped, I have returned the shifter to reverse and it doesn't move. If I turn off the car and place it in drive, it moves. I believe it's a electrical problem because the shifter doesn't have linkage and its electric. It doesn't happen all the time and has occurred on four different occasions. When I brought the car to the dealer for service, nothing was found because it wasn't occurring at the time.

Filed Feb 9, 2010 · Transmission · 22,000 miles · CA

With the motor running, the transmission in park and the emergency brake set, the car lurched forward. The engine was warm at the time. On another occasion with the transmission in reverse and the brake pedal depressed, the car lurched rearward almost striking a pedestrian.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes, Transmission · 20 miles · MI

I own a 2008 toyota prius which surges ahead when I am braking under certain conditions: wet, uneven surfaces, and bumpy roads. It is scary because I nearly hit someone at a stop sign and I feel out of control when it does this. On average, happens 1-2x week. It happens when my foot is off the gas pedal and I am under 20 MPH. It seems like a computer error and not accelerator related.

Filed Nov 9, 2009 · Transmission · 300 miles · PA

2008 toyota prius loses all power when traction control engages.

Filed Sep 18, 2009 · Transmission · 55 miles · WA · crash

Sep. 1st I was driving my 2008 prius and it started shifting by itself from drive into neutral and one time even from drive into neutral into reverse. This happened after I pulled off the highway on an exit ramp and then slowed to a stop in order to get onto the local road. On the prius, when you put the shift into the drive position, the shifting knob then returns to its starting position, but the car is supposed to remain in the drive gear. My car wouldn't do that. About 2 seconds after I put it in drive and then applied the gas, it would shift out of drive and into neutral.. The only way I could drive the vehicle was by manually holding the shifting knob in the drive position the entire trip home (25 miles). When I got home and tried to put it in park, it wouldn't do it. It did go into park however, when I powered off the vehicle. The next day I was able to drive the vehicle by hanging a heavy metal shop clamp around the shifting knob in order to hold it in the drive position. I called the nearest toyota dealership, which is griffith motors in the dalles, oregon. They said they had never heard of this happening before and to bring it in. I also called a much larger (and farther) toyota dealership in gresham, oregon. They said no one had ever heard of that happening either. I waited until the following day to taken the car into the closer dealership in the dalles (sep rd), but the car was no longer doing its weird thing. They said they checked it out thoroughly with the computer diagnostic system and could find nothing wrong. They said there were no codes in the system indicating that anything was wrong. It drove fine until sep 15th, when at approx. 4 pm it suddenly started shifting into neutral at a busy intersection in kennewick, wa, and I then had a collision with another vehicle. No one was hurt, but the car is now in a body shop. I googled this problem and found a person on consumeraffairs.com who's prius is doing the same thing. Suggestions.

Filed May 19, 2009 · Transmission · 32,000 miles · MN

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. Whenever the vehicle runs out of fuel, the gear shifter becomes difficult to maneuver. The vehicle becomes nearly impossible to move or placed into neutral to push to a safe spot. The owners manual does not contain information regarding this failure. The contact stated that it takes a minimum of three gallons of gasoline in order for the vehicle to restart. The dealer stated that they did not have to notify consumers of this issue. The contact found numerous complaints for the same failure that he experienced and believes that it is a serious safety hazard. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 32,000.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2008 Toyota Prius?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history