Reliability information on first-gen Prius

well, apparently from all these bad forums. I'd give it about out of 100% a 3%.
<3

 

I have a 2001 Prius which I bought two years ago with 113K miles on it. It now has 134K.

The hybrid battery had been replaced at 98K while it was still under warranty. The 12V battery was replaced just before I bought the vehicle. I bought it knowing there was a bad computer that needed replacing, which was done. Until this morning the only other repairs being front brakes and a new set of tires. Occasionally the engine light would go on but I was told that was merely because catalytic converted sometimes went over the low emissions threshold. I live in Mississippi where we have no emissions control anyhow so I ignored this. This only happened once in awhile so I didn't worry about. I did have some problem with my steering column shaking when I backed up in cold weather, but that seems to have disappeared. Today as I was getting on the freeway the Triangle of Death came on. The car slowed down to about 27MPG before I pulled over, hoping if it sat awhile hoping I'd be able to switch it back on as I heard people here had done. When I tried to restart, not only did I still have the Triangle of Death lighted along with the hybrid system warning light but the brakes were on as well making it impossible for me to drive any distance. It is now at the shop but I shutter to think what the repair might cost. I love my Prius but I can't afford a newer model. It was still getting 40MPG.

 

Here is the last on my first-gen Prius. First they told me it was the 12V battery. They replaced that, then said it was the computer. They replaced that, now they are saying it is the trans-axle! I told them I couldn't afford to fix it.

 

Sorry to sound thick headed, but the repair history asked me to wait for another link that would be sent shortly. I had a major servicing yesterday that entailed a few repairs: should I wait or just log in as a recent "trip"?

At any rate, I got my 2002 because I view most envrionmentalists (and I am one) to be overly whiny and unwilling to change their own lives. I bought it new in Nov 2002. It currently has 125,000 miles on the original hybrid battery, and is getting about 45 mpg average (lower in the winter) here in the foothills of the Cumberland mountains.

The only repairs have been
~the replacement of the 12V battery in 2009,
~the replacement of he mass air flow sensor on valentines day of 2008.
~changing the shocks this year. To be fair to Toyota, that one was clearly my girlfriends fault. She hit a railroad tie and busted the passenger side shock pretty good.
~ Yesterday I took it in for its 120K checkup, and it required a new fan belt and cleaning some crud out of the manifold.

It's been a great car. I've made the decision to replace the hybrid battery with a rebuilt battery from Re-Involt when it starts to die and drive the car until the wheels fall off.

 

Hello,

Not sure whether this counts as a reliability issue, but the Gen I Prius often suffers from the following problem:

- The orange &quot;Check Engine&quot; light goes on in the dashboard
- The mechanic says that there's nothing wrong with the car,
except for an error code, P0420, issued by the car computer
- The problem is hard to solve, because the light keeps getting back
on even after all kinds of maneuvers used to switch it off, and
ultimately requires replacing a part of the car's computer (the
ECU), as well as the catalytic converter.
- The dealer may sometimes be reluctant to admit that this problem
is a production defect covered by the warranty, and charge you
upwards of $1000 for the repair.

If this scenario has happened to you, or if you know that the ECU has not yet been replaced in your Gen I Prius, perhaps take a look at the Facebook group I am forming to persuade Toyota to cover the costs of repairing this production defect, which occurred in multiple Toyota models (including the Gen-I Prius):

- Go to your favorite search engine.
- Type the keywords p0420 toyota facebook
- This should bring you to the group's page

If you want to help - please join the group!

Have a nice weekend,

Leor Gruendlinger
Tel Aviv, Israel

 

I will sign up soon. My time on the site is sometimes limited. I had a 02 Prius I purchased in 2006 with 40,000 miles on it. Just a few weeks ago I was in an accident and totalled the car. Between I think April of 2006 to November of 2010 I put on 118,000 miles. Including a trip from Milwaukee, WI to Cincinnati OH, only 400 miles one way but still a good haul. I was sad when I crashed it. So I bought an 01 with 92,000 miles on it and hope it does just as well.

 

I have a 2001 Prius, and it has been a nightmare for me to own since the purchase. I bought it in 2002. Within a year I had to have the accelerator pedal replaced because the car wasn't accelerating. Soon the car only seemed to start when it wanted to. I had to replace the 12V battery about twice a year or more, because their was some kind of short in the car. The dealerships here in Minnesota couldn't explain anything. It was only after the car's motherboard was replaced, and my handyman boyfriend replaced the brake hub and an electrical component that the car seemed to run okay.

Now, my car won't start again I checked my auxillary battery. It is at 12V. All of the fuses seem fine. So I guess I will get it towed again.I think I am going to sell the car back to the dealership. It has been stress since I have owned it. It is completely unreliable.

 

Consumer Reports just did a comparison in their latest edition (February 2011). In this issue, a 2002 Toyota Prius 4dr sedan with 206,000 miles was borrowed and tested again. CR noted that the Prius traction
battery still had no noticable wear and that its fuel efficiency was exactly the same as it was nine years ago. However, the Prius's 0 to 60 mph acceleration was a second longer. See pages 8-9.

Here's another article from Consumer Reports that Prius owners may find reinforcing in their decision to buy a hybrid: Gas prices on the rise in 2011

I currently own a 2002 Prius with over 145K, and it runs like a champ. It is on its second traction battery, but that is because the collision repair shop did not charge the battery correctly while in storage and basically killed it and the "cranking" 12V battery at the same time. I posted a complete thesis on what to look for when taking the car to a body shop. Forgot to mention that the Prius has survived a major ice storm, two deer strikes, and three accidents (all not my fault). The car still looks like new...

 

Have you considered donating this Prius to your local NPR station (via the CarTalk Vehicle Donation Program) and moving on with a different vehicle? If the car is that unreliable and giving you major stress in your life, it is not worth keeping the car, no matter how good it could become after lots of repairs. You should be able to write-off your donation in your taxes next year.