2008 Toyota Prius Electrical System Problems
- 197
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 197 stored complaint records:
- 7 indicate a crash
- 6 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
What owners report
- combination meter · 21 records
- both headlights · 13 records
- water pump · 10 records
- instrument panel · 8 records
- rear hatch · 8 records
- come back · 8 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 60 |
| 30–60k mi | 32 |
| 100–150k mi | 31 |
| 150–400k mi | 28 |
| 1–30k mi | 25 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Hinge And Attachments
Rear hatch release cover melts off switch. My prius rear hatch release rubber cover became sticky a year or so ago. Then started melting off the switch this year. I left the car sit for a week in high 90 temps and the rubber cover was nearly melted to my license plate. It was no longer attached to the electric switch. I researched on line and found several people complaining about this issue. Toyota wants $200 plus…
ODI 10526169
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
While driving my car the headlight go off without any warning. This is extremely dangerous. I have already filled one complaint. I thought i had fixed the problem when i replaced my headlights but that only worked for about a month and the same thing started to happen again, now i cant drive at night with out my headlights going out. *tr
ODI 10554841
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
While driving home, friends who were following me passed me then calledto let me know that my car's right front light and left rear light was not working. For the last week or so people coming towards me blinked their lights .. I have regular checkups at the toyota place, so i ignored it. Looking back on it, they were probably trying to tell me about the headlight. I took my 2008 prius to the toyota dealer to…
ODI 10525814
Electrical System · Structure
Rear hatch button rubber has melted. Causes electrical hatch opening mechanism to fail completely. Rubber remains sticky in hot weather, transfers tarry residue to fingers. In cold weather button will not function at all. Safety issue because rear hatch is not accessible. Can not access spare tire. There is no hatch release available at driver's seat in front. There is no mechanical only alternative. Child trapped…
ODI 10654331
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
I was driving down the highway at night at approx. 70 mph and both headlights turned off. I then slowed down and shut the headlights off manually and then turned them back on. Both headlights turned on and worked properly. Within that week i brought the car to a shop and had him replace both headlights at a crazy cost. Thinking that this fixed the problem i continued to drive the car, i have had one other time that…
ODI 10563395
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Left hid headlight flickers on and off, then turns off. If i turn the headlights off and then back on again, the light will stay on for a bit, but then will eventually flicker out again. Also, the bulb is very difficult to access and replace, and toyota reportedly charges a lot to replace and install these bulbs. *tr
ODI 10522065
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
All lights suddenly went black, front, back everything. I was going 50 mph on a mountain road and was on a straight road section out of the curves when everything went black. It was night-time at about 9:30 pm so very dark. I went into shock immediately slammed on brakes, just glad no one in back of me and carefully tried to feel to the side of the road. This is a road with alot of 18 wheelers as it is a major…
ODI 10515077
Body · Electrical System
Rear switch that allows lift gate to be open, fails. Rubber breaks down and becomes like glue, making it hard for individual opening lift gate to remove hand as normally expected, inducing strain on individual back and creating unexpected twisting motion causing injury and damaging trim on car. Toyota has issued recall in japan but not us [https://toyota.jp/recall/kaisyu/121107.html] [not sure of exact date, this is…
1 injury
ODI 10811934
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Intermittent headlight failure. Headlight will go out. Usually, if lights are turned off and back on, headlight will come back on. Sometimes the headlight will turn on, sometimes it won't. This has happened several times (3 or 4) since i have noticed the failure two months ago. *tr
ODI 10512687
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
My car had hesitation issues since shortly after i bought it. It would bog down, and almost die in traffic. I would lose speed on the hwy/road & nearly get hit. Previously, the dealer replaced the gas tank because its "bladder" was bad @ 54,057 miles on 08/05/2011. The factory split the cost on this repair (which appears to occur more than they are admitting). The performance improved for a little while, but there…
ODI 10502447
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
The driver headlamp turns off after approx 5 minutes of use. Can turn lights off then on again to restart headlamp. I first took to dealer after purchasing used because of this problem and they did not mention what i have recently learned is a known defect. This has been occurring for the last two years. Changing bulb fixes problem for a while but problem re-occurs. This issue is a major safety issue, and toyota is…
ODI 10669928
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Headlight will go off when driving, sometimes one only. Then the other. There is no set pattern. Headlights will come back on when the on/off switch is turned off then back on, then will go off again. Three oem bulbs have been replaced in one and a half years. I understand that i am not the only person that is having this problem. Toyota does not acknowledge that there is a problem. They say that it is just a bad…
ODI 10586132
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
This morning when i started my car the dash panel lights would not come on. I drove seven miles to top off the gas(i could not tell how much i had because of the dash being off.)i then could not shut the car off. I drove for about a half hour and my dash lights just came on. When i got to my destination i was able to shut the car off and the dash lights are fine now. This happened once before about six months ago. I…
ODI 10494606
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Recently purchased used 2008 prius. When driving at night i noticed that the headlights shut off intermittently. They go back on by turning lights off and on. This happened three times when driving for 10 minutes on a dark road. Very dangerous! *tr
ODI 10493449
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control
On three separate occasions i started my prius by using the electric start button without the key. The car starts and runs but the instrument panel does not light up. Once i arrived at my destination the car will not shut off. It take approx. 1 hr of running before it will turn off. My dealership indicated they had not heard of this issue but after a diagnostic test, discovered that a computer chip communicating…
ODI 10500540
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that the instrument cluster failed to function and the warning indicators did not illuminate. The failure occurred randomly more than five times since the contact purchased the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure, inspected the vehicle, and was not able to replicate and diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The…
ODI 10874570
Electrical System
Turned on car and no dash lights came on. No speedometer, no odometer, no fuel gauge, no gear shift indicator. Broken combination meter. Toyota has issued a tsb - t-sb-0172-09 but will not repair under warranty. *tr
ODI 10485266
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The front headlights intermittently shut off. Sometimes it's the left and or right headlight separately and sometimes they shut off together. If i toggle the lights on and off, they may or may not turn back on. It was very dangerous driving at night on the highway. *tr
ODI 10483325
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
While driving at any speed, the hid headlights intermittently cut off. This usually happens one at a time, and mostly on the passengers side. I am unable to tell when they go off until either i get pulled over and warned which has happened once already or i pull up and see reflection off back of another car. The lights will work for short periods then off again then on again. This appears to be a known issue with…
ODI 10482444
Electrical System
While parked at the local post office the vehicle suddenly started to roll back. It rolled approximately 4-5 ca lengths. The vehicle drug me but came to a stop. The vehicle had to be "engaged" into drive in order to move the car. Not sure if this is an electrical problem or not but obviously the parking did not stay engaged. *tr
ODI 10482111
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
When the headlights are first turned on, both work. In a few minutes the driver's side hid light dims and then goes out. This happens repeatedly. If i turn the lights off and then turn them on again, the same thing happens, both are lit, the driver's side dims and then goes out again in a few minutes. *tr
ODI 10485364
Electrical System · Engine
I had been driving the car for less than 10 minutes when the "red triangle" red problem light came on the screen. I immediately looked for a safe place to pull over when the car made a series of short dinging sounds and the car was automatically put in neutral and the brake engaged--in the middle of a busy intersection! I was forced to flee the vehicle as there were oncoming cars that didn't look like they were…
ODI 10476635
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
2008 toyota prius. The right hid headlight turns off intermittently without warning. When i turn off the lights and turn them back on, the headlight lights up again but sometimes turns off a few minutes later. I paid over $500 to replace both lights, but the problem is still occurring. I contacted the dealer and they said they can't help me, other than to replace the entire headlight system, presumably at a cost of…
ODI 10484064
Electrical System · Service Brakes
The car warnings went on and displayed the symbol for brake systems failure. The car brakes went out and then the car sped up slightly until the brakes re-engaged. I was driving slowly and was near my home, so no one was hurt thankfully. We had to have it towed because the car manual said not to drive it more than 3 mph when you have a brake systems failure. It was determined that the defective parts were the…
ODI 10474361
Electrical System · Service Brakes · Vehicle Speed Control
Around 4:30pm on saturday afternoon, we opened the car door to run some errands and were startled by a piercing noise. The dashboard was lighting up (abs & vsc) and although the car started, the dashboard remained lit and the beeping continued. When driving the car to the dealership, the brakes did not brake fully. After a $58 diagnostic test, we were told that acc pressure sensor needed to be cleared and if we…
ODI 10472673