Summary:
The Prius is a lemon
Faults:
Air conditioning system has gone bad in it three times. First two were covered by warranty, and the last was after the warranty was out. This cost $1200.00 to fix.
The right headlamp has gone bad twice. The first time was covered by warranty, then the second was not. This was a cost of just over $1000.00. Imagine that, a thousand dollars for a headlamp assembly.
Right tail light wire harness shorted out. After warranty this was $850.00 to fix. WOW! $850 for a few feet of #14 stranded wire with a plug on both ends.
I'm saving the best for last.
The whole braking system has now died at 117,000 miles. My local Toyota dealer says that it needs two new relays and a brake system actuator to resolve the brake trouble codes. Since it is out of warranty, this will come to a total of $3500.00. OMG!!! I wonder if the new actuator that they plan to install in my car is made of 24K gold and diamonds. How can a problem like this cost $3500.00.
I took the Prius to Just Brakes and they told me that there is nothing they can do. The Prius requires a special computer system to diagnose and fix any problems with the Prius. Neither they nor any other shop could do anything for me. I would have to take it into a Toyota dealer to repair.
The reason they are charging me $3500.00 to repair my brakes is because they can. No one else can do it. They have that market cornered. That's dirty business man. Solution for owning a Prius is when the warranty is about to go out. SELL IT QUICK...
General Comments:
I bought this car because it was suppose to be the future of hybrid technology. They advertised it at 55 to 60 MPG. I have yet to see that kind of mileage, but it does get 40-45 MPG on a regular basis. This Prius does not get 55-60MPG ever. Sorry, that must be a mistake.
This car was a good driver until about 55,000 miles when everything on it started failing. AC system X3, Headlights X2, tail lights, and now the brake system at the tune of a total of $6550.00 in repairs. That's an absolutely horrible track record. I have a '93 Ford F-150XL that has never been shopped once except for regular maintenance. GO FORD!!!!!
This means the money that I saved in gasoline expenses went to repairing the vehicle. I see the method in Toyota's madness. More money for them. It all makes sense now.
Long story short, I will never buy another Toyota in my life and I will discourage anyone that I come in contact with from wasting their money on these useless, expensive piles of garbage. I am very disappointed. Toyota used to be a good reliable car. I guess they have lowered their standards considerably.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 20th September, 2009
15th Aug 2010, 09:52
I certainly understand the reviewer's frustration. That is a lot of trouble, most of which is very uncommon in a Prius (I don't doubt the truthfulness of the review).
The HID lights are truly a sore point in the second generation Prius, and the price of repair is just as the reviewer describes. I don't recommend HID lights in general, and in the second generation Prius in particular.
The braking system is very nice when it works, but is typically expensive to repair. It is about the same price as ABS systems in most cars, but as the reviewer says, is different enough to require dealer repair. The brakes are a very uncommon failure, though; this is the first report I have heard of actual brake failure in any generation Prius.