Page 11 of 11 · complaints 501–502 of 502

2009 Toyota Prius complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2009 record →

Fuel System, Gasoline
Filed Dec 29, 2008150 milesKY

UNABLE TO PROPERLY FILL THE FUEL TANK. THE FUEL BLADDER COLLAPSES. *TR

Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed Dec 13, 20085,000 milesNY

WE BROUGHT A NEW 2009 PRIUS IN SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR, 2008. I WAS DRIVING IN THE SNOW, AND FOUND THAT THIS CAR HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN; THE TRACTION CONTROL TOOK TOTAL CONTROL OF THE CAR, AND LEFT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD IN A CURVE AS I WAS ABOUT TO GO UP A HILL. THE CAR CAME TO A STOP; I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL! THE SHERIFF, WHO WAS DRIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET HAD TO GO OFF THE ROAD TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME HEAD ON, AND THE PERSON BEHIND ME HAD TO SWERVE TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME. THANK GOD I DIDN'T HAVE AN ACCIDENT! I CONTACTED THE TWO TOYOTA DEALERS IN OUR AREA, AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE RESPONSE FROM THE PRIUS WAS "NORMAL." WHEN I CALLED THE TOYOTA 800 CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER, I WAS AGAIN TOLD THAT THE CAR WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY. THEY ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WE TRY SNOW TIRES ON THE CAR. IN SPITE OF LIVING WHERE WE ARE IN JOHNSON CITY, NEW YORK (NEAR BINGHAMTON), WE HAVE ALWAYS USED ALL-SEASON TIRES WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE. WE HAD A 1995 INTREPID WHICH HAD TRACTION CONTROL, AND WE HAD NO TROUBLE WITH IT. IT HAD A SWITCH THAT YOU COULD USE IF YOU NEEDED TO TURN THE TRACTION CONTROL OFF. I DON'T KNOW WHY THE PRIUS HAS NO WAY TO TURN THE TRACTION CONTROL OFF; I BELIEVE TOYOTA'S DESIGN IS FAULTY AND DANGEROUS. IT'S A DEATH TRAP, A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AND NEEDS TO BE CHANGED! PLEASE HELP US IN GETTING THE ATTENTION OF THE TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY TO DO A RECALL AND MAKE IT SO THAT THIS CAR HAS A WAY TO TURN OFF THE TRACTION CONTROL WHEN IT DEEMS NECESSARY. IT SHOULD NOT BE

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2009 Toyota Prius → · Every Prius year → · How the figures are calculated →