Please cast your vote in the poll! I noticed that a lot of consumer report / satisfaction pages mention this problem, esp. for the 2010 model, so I decided to make a poll to see if this really is such a big problem.
After having a lot of things fail on a relatively new 80k miles 2010 Prius recently I am not too excited about this one. If I went to a dealer for each thing that happened I would have gone there 6 times just for repairs and recalls in last two years and 20k miles, spending over $4000...
they don't make them like they used to. i understand that akio is trying to turn it around, but it's a large ship with a small rudder.
It was mentioned as one of the most reliable cars 2 years ago..... Dont forget to cast your vote bisco!
Started to notice some consumption around 120 k miles. Currently at 146 k miles and using a quart of oil about every 6,500 miles. No complaints other than some under dash rattles appearing .
around 100k seems to be the tipping point. my problem is, at 50k, only 18 are hv. if i still have the car in 2 years, it will be the same age as 2010,s are now, but probably only 25,000 hv miles. i wonder if underuse will cause issues.
i think toyota gets credit for past performance. owners think they don't have any issues, but if they are honest, the last 10 or 15 years are no where as good as they used to be. a lot of it is warranty and recalls, but still a pain.
My 2010 burned oil when I bought it with 57k miles, around 1qt per 2000 miles. Since then I've been using pennzoil synthetic and at 93k miles, it burns a little oil now, maybe a quart every 6000 miles. But I change my oil around 6000 miles so it's not a big deal. One problem I did have is the steering intermediate shaft needing replacement. But other than that, it's been pretty good.
What oil do you guys use? I was sticking to 0W-20 but manual states that everything up to 15W-50 is ok. Maybe something like 5W-30 would be better for lubrication?
Maybe a quart between intervals, maybe less - thats on 10k miles. Also car is seeing a lot of short trips, an average of 4 trips a day less than a mile long since my father is using it to get to his job and he also comes home during half an hour launch break.
I use 5W-30 synthetic and change every about 10 k miles. Unless I am experimenting and change it sooner.
If you read consumer reports, I agree. Toyota walks on water and can do no wrong. I think the only complaints they give Toyota is the length of time between generations of vehicles. But we have a 98 4Runner with 258 k miles on the clock and running strong. Just did the coolant drain, rear differential and transfer case gear oil change outs. Tried doing the front diff but the knuckle dragger that did it last ensured the drain plug never comes out and went "GFT" (185 pound father bouncing on the 1/2" breaker bar and all it did was deform the hex head drain plug). But the only problems I have had with it in 15 years and 210 k miles of ownership is the rear axle seals failing and a fuel injector going out. Other than that standard maintenance. But that is only one data point in my case, but I'll take it over other automakers issues.
In chronological order: - ECU Recall, Airbag recall, some other recall, not sure what - MFD failed completely - $3000 at dealer, settled for chinese android version that is actually much better than OEM - Left front bearing failed - $600 at dealer - Minor problems like dash rattle and once random check engine light when trying to brake, 2 times engine rattle for few seconds when first starting up at around 30F, loud rattle from engine bay after long downhill descent while engine braking, partially clogged EGR, cracking leather seats. Not that much actually but for only 20k miles I conside that a lot on a 5-6 year old car. Buying a fully equiped car and then having MFD malfunction was probably the biggest irritation.
Thank you for sharing. Sounds like the weather in your neck of the woods is pretty harsh on the seats and electronics. The clogged egr might also be some insight into an issue. Are you the do it yourself type? If so there is a good video @NutzAboutBolts that is a stocky in the maintenance section to clean the egr pipe that connects to the intake manifold. Might be worth the investigation and may explain some of the mpg loss and behavior you are experiencing.
