Driving on freeway and car overheated. There was never any warnings of overheating problems before. Pulled over on freeway and had car towed to auto service. Water-pump was not working, fan stopped turning, cost to replace was $1260, toyota would not help as car was out of warranty.
2010 Toyota Prius engine complaints
Page 6 of 7: complaints 131 to 160 of 173, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Around 4pm on thu jan 2nd 2014, we were driving eastbound on bel-red rd just about to come to the intersection of ne 116th st when I noticed the ABS lit up, along with that a whole bunch of other lights lit up on the dashboard and I lost power to the car (no accelerator/brake/steering). All electricals seemed to work. I tried to power down and restart the car. I called toyota of kirkland and checked if they had a towing service, they didn't. A cop offered to call a towing service. The tow truck came by and he agreed to give me a ride to toyota of kirkland as well. At the dealership, they just did the paperwork and said they'd call tomorrow. Friday jan 3rd 2014 I waited until 11:15am. No call from toyota of kirkland. I called them. I specifically asked for the error codes. He called back a little while later and said that it looked like the inverter was faulty. This would be covered under the drive train warranty which was for 3 years or 36,000 miles whichever came first. So, I would be looking at paying about $3300 for the part, $300 for labor, $110 for the diagnostic test and taxes. They could get the part in tomorrow and potentially have it fixed sat or latest monday. The error codes were p0a94 & p324e I looked up online for these error codes. There were some other complaints that were very similar to the one I had and the problem was the inverter. And it also seemed that there was a recall on the inverter (or parts) for the models from 2005-2009. So, called 1‑800‑331‑4331 (toyota customer something). She took down all the details. While she put me on hold to look up the warranty information, toyota of kirkland called and left a message saying that he had misunderstood the warranty and that it was all covered and he could order the part in, it would be there tomorrow (sat) and the car would be ready monday! The case # with toyota is [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
While carefully parking my prius 2010 at a hospital it accelerated suddenly and crashed over the cement curb. I say carefully because my prius had done this before but not enough damage was done to file with insurance. There followed another accident and another accident. Then this evening while driving into my carport my prius accelerated again. It threw my dog that was in the front seat to the floor but I was able to avoid car damage as I was going to stop. I was barely moving, that is I still had my foot on the accelerator,maybe I could say coasting, when this acceleration suddenly occurred. This was the same type acceleration that caused all the prior accidents. I have reported this to toyota... And now you. Hopefully you will help me. My prius is in the carport. It has not been moved. However, it is my only transportation. My prius' latest happening, before the one just stated, the hybrid system quit working during rush hour traffic on the interstate near a busy intersection. This was repaired before toyota sent some one to investigate the prior accidents. If more information is needed just let me know. This prius also had a battery replaced shortly after it was purchased as a new vehicle. This prius has wheel rim scratches.
Driving the car at 40 MPH went it suddenly stopped. Was able to coast to the side of the road. Found out today that the water pump caused the inverter to become non-working which caused the engine to shut down. Very dangerous. Lucky I was not on the interstate.
We noticed that the carpet was saturated. The dealer told us it was because there were spider webs blocking the drain from the A/C. It was repaired at a cost of $1,554, the work included drying the air bag module and replacement of carpet. We believe this should be the subject of a recall as it is the identical problem recalled for the toyota camry.
I was driving 15 MPH and all of a sudden the car stalled and stated, "check hybrid system". Stopped the care right away called aaa and took it to a toyota facility where they diagnosed the problem as a failed inverter, which is part of the hybrid system. This is a safety issue and must be addressed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the engine stalled without warning. Upon restarting, the vehicle resumed normally but the failure later recurred. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where the volt battery was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 49,312. ..updated 10/30/13 *bf updated 10/31/13*lj the consumer stated the dealership did not put the engine guard on the vehicle properly, the engine cover detached, the tires went flat frequently, lights needed to be replaced, and the battery completely powered off. A separate dealership informed the consumer that the vehicle was defective. The consumer stated that the second time the vehicle shut down was at 60 MPH the vehicle powered off 10 within 10 minutes on the same day during rush hour. Updated 11/4/2013 *js the consumer stated the vehicle powered off twice while driving on the highway. The first time it happened, she was driving 15 MPH and the second time it happened she was driving 60 MPH and she lost power all together.
Driving on the highway in albany, ny area, slowed down to go through tollbooth as I began to accelerate to continue on highway, check hybrid light came on and engine abruptly stopped. I was able to coast the car from left lane over to the breakdown lane. Turned off car and was unable to restart. Toyota dealership found that the power inverter had failed and needed to be replaced. Error codes listed by dealer: p0a94 dc/dc converter performance.
At about 125,000 miles, the engine warned me of low oil. It was the first such warning ever with this vehicle. At that time I could secure only 2 quarts of the required synthetic oil and it was still over 1 quart low. About 500 miles later I took the vehicle to toyota chula vista and explained. They added 3 more quarts of oil and suggested a series of oil consumption tests. I called toyota motor USA consumer relations and opened a case indicating that I was consuming (burning not dripping) 1 to 2 quarts per 1,000 miles and my mpg had decreased from 46 avg to 35 avg. The oil consumption over the next 3 months averaged 1 qt/600 miles and my avg mpg deteriorated further to 29 mpg. In july toyota chula vista performed a teardown and ended up replacing the lower engine, cylinders rings, and valves. I was informed that other 2010 toyota prius engines exhibited failure/wear of the cylinder walls at about the same mileage. Field techs were contacted again by the chula vista service mgr and I contacted toyota national seeking some assistance in the $6,400 repair bill. Both local field rep and national declined those requests. What good is a 10 year hybrid battery with a 3 year engine?
In the last year or so, most noticeably ranging 50k mileage, I've started falling asleep at the wheel. I've never fallen asleep driving nor have I felt this way while operating any of the 4 vehicles I've owned. It happens during my commute to/fro work generally 40-70 minutes long, long and short drives but more often on commute and 30 min or longer trips. Its at random and I've analyzed its not the basic and obvious issues causing it; lack of sleep, food, adequate hydration etc. It got so bad I could not drive to work in the morning or evenings without pulling over and taking a 20 minute nap. Sometimes its worse than other times and it feels like I'm passing out, not quite tired and drowsy, I am all-out can't keep my eyes open, rolling eyes, head bobbing. Eventually when I make it home safe, thinking I'll go to bed right away I am alert and active all night - this is the behavior over and over. I've discussed with the doctor as well and I've been generally fatigued for a few years now, I've owned the prius since 2011. Someone said online in a forum "its a common occurrence of people when they're exposed to high levels of electromagnetic radiation to feel extremely tired and fatigued." but folks say its not enough to cause this type of behavior. Another user also mentions falling asleep in this forum (june 5th 2013) and there's been other notations on the internet, for example http://priuschat.com/threads/prius-emf-radiation-and-toyotas-bold-face.116044/page-6#ixzz2vyi4p2s7.
Car occasionally unintentionally accelerates when hitting a bump for maybe a second. Dangerous when it happens as approaching a stop sign or traffic signal. Happens maybe once every two weeks.
I have a 2010 prius VIN:[xxx] with 37,000 miles. The car experiences random losses of power during which the engine shuts down and does not activate no matter how hard I pump the accelerator. Once I turn off and push again the start button, the engine starts up without any problem and I can continue on my way. I have experienced this problem 5 times since september 2012. I have taken the car in to the dealer (caldwell toyota, nj) where it was examined and they told me the onboard computer did not record any malfunction. I am getting worried since some of the power losses happened when I was on highways at speeds over 60mph and I had to coast to a stop in high traffic areas. I would like to know whether other prius owners have reported similar problems and whether you have suggestions on how to proceed [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The incident occurred when I attempted to accelerate onto a two-lane highway. Because of a slow and sharp u-turn which precedes the short on-ramp, I disabled the eco mode for better acceleration. When I pressed down on the gas, the car immediately emitted a loud sound, became unresponsive and was unable to gain additional speed. Even so, there was no other option but to merge onto the roadway while doing no more than 30 MPH. In the meantime, the instrument panel showed a "check hybrid system" message along with several warning lights. I managed to avoid oncoming traffic (from behind) and safely pulled onto the grass. Attempts to restart the vehicle were unsuccessful with the previous message reappearing each time. The car required a tow to the nearest toyota dealer. I received a call from them the next business day, and they explained the cause to be a defective inverter based on the diagnostic code. Fortunately, the repair will be covered under toyota's hybrid warranty. It remains to be seen and I am hopeful this repair will fully resolve the issue.
Incident #1 brake: on january 17, 2013 as I was entering the intersection about 20mph, I applied my brakes, but they went straight to the floor and warning light started blinking. I pressed brakes very hard and car almost stop, then, its brakes gave up. There is sudden slight "unintended acceleration" and I almost hit car front of me. But, I am able to manage to drove the car into the center island. Brake was totally out, and the car started drove by itself. I panicked and pressed power button to shut off the engine. Car drove about 15 feet and stopped. After this incident, I tow my car to the dealer, they told me that lost brake is due to short circuit made domino effect to multiple computers malfunction. They will replace whole computer system, but service man would not guarantee it will never happen again. Incident #2 power failed and shut down while driving at highway. On december, 2012 and january 2013. I was driving at highway and trying to merge into the center line, car stalled and prompted "key does not detect" message on the screen. I almost hit from behind by another car. While the car still has a speed about 40mph, I managed to restart the car by depressed brake and press power bottom. It is true this car lose brake and does slight "accelerate".
While making a u turn the vehicle lost power and the check hybrid system warning illuminated. The car died in the middle of the road. The dealer claimed that there was oil in the throttle body caused by overfilling and this is a common occurrence with oil overfills on prius vehicles. The last oil change had been 8,000 miles and more than 2 months previous. The place that performed the oil change agreed to look at car and clean the throttle body. They also checked the oil and made sure it was correct level. Three weeks later the same thing occurred. This time the car lost power and the check engine light illuminated. The car died on a freeway transition over pass and we were stranded on the freeway in a very dangerous situation. The car was towed to another toyota dealer and they claimed it was the same thing. The oil change place says absolutely no way is this the problem since they looked at it very closely the last time. I requested toyota to send out a field representative to confirm that this was the cause. They refused. Computer codes p3190 and p0a0f hv.
2010 toyota prius at dealership for 25000 mile service. On 11/07/2012 at 1700 the dealership called and reported that the car is "infested with rodents." stated that headliner is saturated with urine/ feces, air and cabin air filters destroyed, wires chewed, rodents found to be living in dashboard, in door interiors, and other areas. Reported that this was "the worst case we've seen." car is owned by two professionals- no children who would have dropped food and no food ever eaten in vehicle. Purchased new from this same dealership 01/02/2011. Dealership now reports that the car is a health/ safety hazard and could cost "thousands" to repair. Our internet research revealed that rodent infestation is common in the toyota prius, reportedly because rodents are able to gain easy access through the car's ventilation system. Owners reported contacting toyota, who denied liability and denied request for assistance.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota prius. While traveling 40 MPH, the contact noticed a beeping sound coming from the vehicle followed by the seat belts locking. Moments later, the vehicle decelerated to a complete stop independently. The contact was able to resume normal operation. The vehicle was not diagnosed and or repaired. The current and the failure mileages were 35,643.
Tl* the contact was driving a 2010 toyota prius. The contact was driving 40 MPH when the vehicle stopped in the street. Prior to the vehicle stopping, a beeping/alarm sounded, the seat belt locked in place and the warning on the dashboard flashed brakes.
During cold temperature startups the engine knocks loudly for about 7 seconds. The problem happens only during cold temperature. This has happened about four times. Went to dealer and they were not able to fix or find the cause. 2nd trip they replaced the engine mount but the problem is still there.
Engine knocks upon starting but goes away after about 10 seconds. The vehicle doesn't do this very often and it is difficult to duplicate. Reference this youtube video for an exact replication of the problem: http://youtu.be/tcbg97ubx5s.
Cheap thin black plastic engine cover for oil pan is defective with one edge cracked 100% after only 5 oil changes similar to aircraft aluminum metal fatigue. This plastic flap under oil drain plug is now dragging on the road hanging by a single bolt. Ridiculous to fail after opening and closing oil drain pan cover 5 times. We view this as a defect covered under our bumper to bumper 7 year 100,000 mile platinum extended warranty contract for which we paid $1870 on 07-14-2009 for a new vehicle. Minor scratches and dust are not proximate cause of failure.
Second occurrence of this problem in three weeks. Driving downhill on a residential street at 25 MPH, slowing to a stop without applying the accelerator. Suddenly lost engine power. Applied accelerator, no response. Continued to lose speed as I rolled silently downhill toward the intersection. Applied brakes and stopped. Restarted the engine and it started up fine. The previous incident also occurred on a downhill grade, on an exit ramp from an parking garage. Fortunately both incidents happened at low speed and not in heavy traffic. I previously reported the first incident. Toyota dealer checked vehicle after each incident and could not replicate the incident or find a computer code that would explain it. Since this was the second occurrence and was familiar to me, and since I was not in traffic, I let it happen while observing my own actions, trying to check for driver error. My foot was not on the brake.the car was in drive. While the car was slowing, I tried pressing the accelerator deeply and then pumping the accelerator to see what would happen.. There was no response, and no sound. The same was true three weeks ago-no response to pushing the accelerator, even deeply, and no sound. Three weeks ago, the first time it happened, I also tried cycling through the "modes" (EV, prius, eco, power) with no effect. Each time, I hit the power button to power off, and then I hit it again to restart. Powering off and then restarting, both times, seemed like "rebooting" a computer. Fortunately traffic conditions both times gave me ample time to reboot. Will this happen again?
Car stop on crowed warning appered on dash hybid over heating car stop. Had to restat car. By time pulled to shoulder warning light whent off. Car smelled of burning this happen on friday on sat brough car to santa monica they had no answer. As needed more info had car towed on monday left car till sat. Their diagnosis using gas and brake at same time how do you do this with one right foot? . You never drive with the left foot computoe is in error
Exiting from a parking garage. After passing through the pay line, I headed down the exit ramp toward the street. The vehicle refused to accelerate as I pushed on the accelerator. . It did very slowly accelerate to 11 MPH and then started to decelerate. I stopped the car on the ramp, turned the engine off and restarted it. After that, everything was fine, and I was able to drive home. . If this had happened while I was trying to merge into traffic. It would have been hazardous.
Dear sir or madam, a few days ago I found abundant evidence of mice activity in the cabin of my 16 month old toyota prius. After some internet research I found out that this is unfortunately an extremely common problem with prius model cars and other toyota models. The presence of rodents in the engine area is of course unavodiable but this is the first time I hear about the car design allow mice to easily move into the cabin. This obviously has severe consequences: I already have to replace the air filter and the padding behind the gloves compartment and I am not sure if any other parts have been chewed away. More importantly this is certainly a health and safety concern. I have to get the car detailed and the air system flushed to avoid toxic contamination from mouse excrements, and this endangers me every time I drive: a mouse crawling in the cabin of the car while I am driving is a major safety issue! It appears that the placing of screens in as few as 4 parts of the air system would stop the mouse access to the cabin, but toyota, both my local dealer and the national service center, claim there is nothing the can or will do, and that, despite the abundant evidence to the contrary, this is a normal occurrence in all cars. Many people have posted online about mice and rodents in their prius cars. A feel this is a major safety issue with the car, and I am extremely disappointed that neither the local dealer nor the toyota corporate services are willing to helo me solve this situation and prevent it from happening again. I think the consequences of this design defect should be covered under the warranty and toyota should design a scree part to cover the vents where necessary to prevent this from happening in the future.
After car sits for several days engine will idle very roughly upon starting for almost one minute. Idle is so rough that I thought the engine mounts would break and creates a very 4 loud rattling sound. This has happened three times, two after sitting for several days and once after just sitting overnight.
The car was not used for about 4 days or so. When I started it, it exhibited a "rough engine start" for the first time. This happened when the gas engine initiated and lasted for about 10 seconds. During this time the engine made a very loud noise as if the car was chocking and engine wanted to get out of the car's hood. This has happened only once. The car stopped making the noise after 10seconds or so.
My wife and I own a 2010 toyota's prius. On the morning of december 15, 2010, she was coasting the vehicle into a parking spot at her office in reston, va. The accelerator was not depressed and the brakes were not applied. As she got into the space, the gas engine engaged, not uncommon at various times, and the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control striking the curb and some bushes. The vehicle sustained about $400 in body damage and she was injured. She called the dealer who immediately referred the issue to toyota corporate. After 6 weeks of waiting for a decision, toyota said it's not their problem. The dealer refuses to examine the vehicle due to toyota?s restrictions and we cannot even pay to have it examined at that dealer or any other. We are locked out of anything except taking the vehicle back. No warranty work, no maintenance work. Nothing.
After a accident where the car rolled on its side, the engine would not turn off.
Loss of braking effectiveness. Happens when going over bumps while applying the brakes. You don't lose braking power completely, but it would be like you had lifted your foot off the brakes partially. It has happened about a dozen times since I have owned the vehicle (a little over a year). I am unable to determine what factors make it happen. I don't know if it is speed, severity of the bumps, or braking pressure, or combination. I know that temperature makes no difference, as it has happened in winter and summer. The last incident happened when a bicyclist moved in front of my car to avoid bumps. I applied the brakes (it was not severe), and as I went over the bumps, I lost braking power. My speed was approximately 15 MPH. Toyota has done a recall on the brakes, but I continue to have the problem. I have talked to other owners, and they are having the same problem, even after the recall. The consumer stated when he drove over a bump in the road, the braking decreased significantly for approximately 3 seconds. He also stated the engine raced briefly, but the vehicle was not in gear at the time. Updated ivoq 03/01/11
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