There's a poll which assumes: A) You've owned more than one Prius, and B) You've had problems with at least one of them. This is a more realistic poll.
As of this writing it's already gotten more results than your poll. In other words, what difference does it make if you had zero problems to know if it's a 2004, 2005, etc.? In other other words, there is no "bad" year for a Prius.
My 2007 initially had wacked out front and rear alignment. The real problem was the dealers refusal to take it seriously and fix the car. Once the problem was fixed, I have had no issues in 33k of driving. I participate in True Delta which is a database of reliability and repair info for various models and years. The alignment is considered as normal maintenance by True Delta, so it was not reported as a problem. Maybe Sandy should check out TrueDelta Car Reliability and Gas Mileage Information for info by model year. I do know that the repair rate for all years of the Prius is very low compared to most other vehicles.
I'm totally P'ed off with mine, I bought my car when it was 3 years old and I have had to spend $25 on repairs over just 2.5 years!! That is outrageous considering it is a Toyota!
It does make a big difference. The odds of developing a problem get higher as the car's age and mileage increases.
Good point. The original poll was looking for a "bad year" to avoid. Since there isn't any, a good rule of thumb would be "the older the car, the more likely you are to get problems."
New results are out from TrueDelta and in this time of recalls etc it's good to see some factual data on our cars. If our PC members are not participating in this site I hope you'll do so. I read this post last fall and joined it.
This pretty much sums up my Toyota ownership experience (and why I probably won't be buying another one). They won't even check it. Hell, they didn't even seem to want to check things that were seriously,obviously wrong.
I'm fortunate that I can do most maintenance and minor repairs myself. I have to make 8 years of engineering school pay off somehow. Instead of buying an extended warranty, I will probably buy scan tool software instead if I ever need it. That is what I did for my Ford Ranger and Explorer since the dealer experience is normally poor with Ford too.
I am a hybrid enthusiast since 2002, that year is when I bought a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid. That car turned out to be something that I would not wish on my neighbor and traded it. After an accident, "not my fault" happened with my Mazda Miata I rented a Toyoata Prius and had it for a month. I was able to compare it to the Honda Civic Hybrid. I spoke to my neighbor with this advice... that if he was interested in a hybrid car that the Toyota Prius was the one I recommended, and guess what? he bought a 2006 Toyota Prius. He has over 100k miles and has had no trouble with it. Although we have heard others having trouble with their Toyota cars that would never make me change my mind about American made cars, I know there is no quality built into them like Toyota has built into their cars. Remember it was an American made gas pedal in the Corolla's and an added floor mat put on top of the original that is part of the demonizing of the Toyota brand. The brake issue I feel is a software problem and can be fixed with the proper update. If I have made any mistakes here I to can be fixed with the proper input from other loyal Toyota owners. -HP
My MFD died completely within the first two months. Full warranty repair, but I still consider it a 'major problem'. Its' death is what prompted me to buy the 100k platinum through this group -- which has since saved me the cost of two coolant storage water pumps beyond normal warranty -- something I likely would have considered more than a 'minor problem' if I didn't have the warranty plan. Now I have the left HID winking out regularly. Yes, I know I can possibly replace it myself [as long as it is only the bulb], but given that it is hardly at the normal effort level of 'bulb replacement', I don't know that I would call that a 'minor problem' either. I suspect if I get stopped for it before it gets warm enough outside for me to try to work on it, I might think it even somewhat more of a problem. And I do have to say that the three Camrys I had sequentially owned prior to the Prius [first used, second and third new -- all driven into the 150k range] really never experienced anything beyond tire and brake replacement [and one muffler that I destroyed by backing into a parking barrier].
I voted no problems....but I did have to cram about 15 little pieces of foam rubber into every possible nook and cranny to stop the multiple dash rattles......other than that....nothing.
This sounds serious enough to call your TV station and contact your local newspaper. You can bet it will get leading coverage if they can make something of those repairs sound dangerous. Seriously, isn't it time that those 99% of Toyota/Prius owners who are completey satisfied with their cars speak up and make themselves heard--in this one-sided media "debate"?
