2009 Toyota Prius Electrical System Problems
- 45
- 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 45 stored complaint records:
- 2 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 4 indicate fire
What owners report
- without warning · 6 records
- several times · 5 records
- started making · 4 records
- making noise · 4 records
- failure mileage · 4 records
- passenger side · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 12 |
| 1–30k mi | 10 |
| 60–100k mi | 8 |
| 150–400k mi | 5 |
| 30–60k mi | 5 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Service Brakes
Our prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. Happens while driving, while parked and i just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. When i hit on brake, the brake makes very annoying noise.
ODI 11161023
Electrical System · Service Brakes
Our prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. Happens while driving, while parked and i just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. When i hit on brake, the brake booster makes very annoying noise.
ODI 11156702
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
Complete shutdown of prius automobile with no warning while in motion on a city street. Rolled to a stop in safe area. Nothing worked except emergency blinkers. No instrumentation or warning lights appeared. The car was locked in fwd park and could not be towed by flatbed tow truck as there is no override. Lift tow truck was used to get to dealer. Diagnosed as melted hybrid invertor pump. Dealer replaced pump and…
ODI 11144121
Electrical System · Exhaust System · Service Brakes
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that a warning indicator flashed on the instrument panel regarding the brake system when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact also noticed smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact inspected the vehicle and found a leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to salinas toyota (700 auto center cir, salinas, ca 93907, [redacted]) where…
Fire reported
ODI 11130560
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
2009 toyota prius driver side headlight keeps going out, it works when you turn on the vehicle, and then it goes out, i have changed the bulb, and also change the ballast, but no luck, i got the warning 3 days ago, and now if i get pulled over, i will get the ticket,
ODI 11128456
Electrical System · Service Brakes
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. While driving approximately 60 mph, all the warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred approximately three other times. The contact also stated that the brakes seized while driving through a parking lot. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact mentioned that there was a technical…
ODI 11099817
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
My headlights keep randomly turning off on their own while parked or driving, in the dark or the light. To troubleshoot i have replaced the headlights and tightened the wire connections, but the problem continues. Only turning the headlights off and back on seems to temporarily fix the problem...until the next time it turns itself off. I had a similar problem with my honda pilot 2005 a few years ago and there was a…
ODI 11139674
Electrical System
The multi-function display (mfd) stopped working around 200k. At first, the screen would not respond to touch, then it would freeze or appear fuzzy, then the display had static or would go on and off, now it is just black, with the rare incident (every couple of months, usually when it is cold outside) where the mfd displays a white screen or gray screen with lines through it. As many of the vehicles features (rear…
ODI 11196161
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly exploded and burst into flames without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle was securely parked for six weeks while the contact was away. The police and fire departments were at the scene, but no reports were filed. There were no injuries. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and…
Fire reported
ODI 11058532
Electrical System · Service Brakes
I was driving my 2009 toyota prius on a very cold day (roughly 10 to 20 degrees f). The red brake warning light was on, along with the abs, vcs and yellow "!" lights. The brakes were extremely soft for about the first 5-10 minutes of operation. I would push the brake pedal as far as it would go (it would not go all the way to the floor) and the brakes would seems to be engaging at about 30%-50% of their normal…
ODI 11061987
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Right headlight intermittently goes out. Sometimes turning headlights off and back on brings the headlight back on. The headlight usually does not turn on when the car is started up.
ODI 11084797
Electrical System · Unknown Or Other
Display for odometer, speedometer and gas gauge goes out intermittently.the 'combination meter' (a.k.a. 'instrument panel' or 'cluster', the thing you're looking at in front of you) is bad. There are several electrical components in the circuit board that control how it 'powers up', and they fail. Lacking the ability to power up, the display goes black. Joe myers quoted us $1156 for repair, and one week repair time.…
ODI 11047530
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Service Brakes
My headlight passenger side keeps going out after a few seconds of turning on. This keeps me from driving at night. My computer controls on my dash board that works the ac. And displays the information about the car does not work. My abs break light will not go off. This has affected my breaking system on my car. All of these items i have mentioned all occurred while i was driving the car.
ODI 11056249
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control
Traveling 101 north toward ventura, on the top of the down hill grade just south of the camirillo springs exit. All lights on panel came on. Estimate 65 mph, applied brake to slow with traffic flow. No brakes,no warning.semi tracker trailers also slowing. Took exit bottom of hill with flashes on, went thru stop sign as my speed at approx 45-48mph. Went thru second stop sign made sharp left pulled emergency brake…
ODI 10953876
Electrical System
I have contacted toyota concerning the failure of a combination meter in my daughter's 2007 prius. This happened on startup. This item is related to the display screen. As mentioned in their warranty policy bulletin no: pol 12-05 dated 10/12/12 a failure can result in the screen going dark. If this happens in the night this can result in a serious safety issue both because of the unexpected and immediate distraction…
ODI 10944417
Electrical System
Multifunction display functions intermittently. Originally, problem only appeared in conjunction with combination meter failure during cold weather starts. Combination meter has been replaced by toyota per their extended warranty but multifunction display problem persists. On cold starts in the morning the unit does not function. Later in the day, after sitting in the sun for a while, the unit will occasionally…
ODI 10905730
Electrical System
2009 toyota prius. Consumer writes in regards to damaged inverter. *ld *js the consumer stated while driving the vehicle began to lose power and warning lights flashed on the dashboard. *js
ODI 11204613
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Headlights go off without warning, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes both. Inconsistent and notice only at night. Can't fix and can't find solution. Headlights don't need to be replaced - there is something wrong with car wiring or other. I've had this car since 2009 and only had problem last six months or so - probably starting 1/2016. Car has approx. 65k miles on it. Very unsafe - especially at night in…
ODI 10839059
Electrical System · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. When the ignition switch was turned to the on position, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic power steering ecu failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,331.
ODI 10786102
Electrical System · Steering
Steering in my 2009 prius completed failed and locked up. I literally was unable to steer my car. Luckily, i was on a neighborhoor street about to turn into my driveway and was not driving at high speeds or in a turn lane. I cannot believe that an electronic steering component like this can faili? How is this possible? I want to ensure that this doesn't happen to other prius drivers and ensure that this isn't a…
ODI 10778058
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
The ballasts for the hid lights in the 2009 prius are famously unreliable. Mine demonstrated this last evening in a very unnerving way. The headlamps would simply turn off without warning, sometimes one, and many times, both, leaving me to the mercy of street lights! This is incredibly dangerous. I checked on it and found that this happens to hundreds of prius drivers. Isn't toyota concerned that its $1,200 charge…
ODI 10761636
Electrical System
This car has had 3 new batteries and it has just over 5,000 miles. Today aaa jumped the car and i drove for over an hour to charge up the battery, then i went grocery shopping, came out and the car wouldn't start. Called aaa they came out and started my car and came home. Got up to take it into the dealership and it won't start. The test he ran on the battery i was told the battery is ok, there is something wrong in…
ODI 10683130
Electrical System · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
When my 2009 toyota prius goes over 65 mph the problem light flashes on the display and the the engine oil light illuminates as well. *tr
Crash reported
ODI 10700810
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Driving on a dark road i went from high beams to low and the entire lighting system went out. I was quick so cycled the headlight switch, everything came back on but the passenger headlight. Tried replacing the light bulb, it still wont work. I paid extra for these h i d headlights. Now i'm told 1000 dollars to fix them. *tr
ODI 10649449
Electrical System · Fuel/Propulsion System
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 toyota prius. While driving 30 mph, the rear passenger side of the vehicle caught fire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the impound lot. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. The vin was not available.
Fire reported
ODI 10789528