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It's official... I hate my Prius!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by stealth, Feb 15, 2007.

  1. stealth

    stealth New Member

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    I've had my Prius for about a year and a half and still have less than 15k miles in it. Mechanically speaking I haven't had an issue except for the cd changer breaking and it's worked completely as advertised (except for the 60mpg claim, I get about 45).

    My issue is that either I'm just not meant to own a Prius or mine is posesed by evil spirits. In the brief time I've had the car it's been hit in a parking lot my wife slightly rear ended a mini van, it's been vandalized twice, once at another parking lot and once in my driveway and this morning I got rear ended in stop and go traffic on a freeway. This last one really put me over the top the kid couldn't have been going more than 5 or 10 miles per hour is a Civic type car but it felt like I was slammed into by a truck, my jaw was snapped shut and my back is a little sore. I've been rear ended a couple other times once as a driver in a convertible Mustang GT by a big van going at least 30mph and it felt nothing like this little fender bender I had today. Granted I wasn't expecting it but I'm still a 37 year old guy in pretty good shape and can't believe how poorly the Prius took this hit and there is barely any visible damage so I know he wasn't going that fast.

    Depending on the room and distance we need when going out we would either take the Prius or my wifes Envoy and switch the car seat for my 1 year old daughter but after today my daughter will never go in the Prius again and as soon as I can I'll be trading it in for something else.

    I'm not saying the Prius isn't an excellent car I'm just getting rid of mine and had to vent a little.
     
  2. daronspicher

    daronspicher Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stealth @ Feb 15 2007, 01:18 PM) [snapback]391013[/snapback]</div>
    I think the problem is lack of love. You haven't been spending enough time with your prius. Quit your job and find one that's 150 miles away so you can spend some more time with your car. The bonding will happen. :D



    My 2006 is a year old today and I have 40,110 miles. I'm planning a page and a post on here with a 1 year recap later tonight.

    I think you'd hate any car that went through all that in a year. That's more than most people get in a lifetime of cars. Hope your next one goes better.
     
  3. livelychick

    livelychick Missin' My Prius

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stealth @ Feb 15 2007, 02:18 PM) [snapback]391013[/snapback]</div>
    Sounds like you're holding the Prius responsible for bad luck. I've been rear-ended in a couple of different accidents, and no matter if it was in my old Dodge Colt, Isuzu Rodeo, Isuzu Trooper, or this Prius, they all had different effects on me, depending on how I was sitting in the car.

    Sorry all this bad luck has happened to you. I doubt it has anything to do with your car choice, but if you choose to believe that, then by all means, get rid of the car. And maybe launder your karma a bit--that could help with the next car!
     
  4. andreaswin

    andreaswin New Member

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    This last one really put me over the top the kid couldn't have been going more than 5 or 10 miles per hour is a Civic type car but it felt like I was slammed into by a truck, my jaw was snapped shut and my back is a little sore. I've been rear ended a couple other times once as a driver in a convertible Mustang GT by a big van going at least 30mph and it felt nothing like this little fender bender I had today. Granted I wasn't expecting it but I'm still a 37 year old guy in pretty good shape and can't believe how poorly the Prius took this hit and there is barely any visible damage so I know he wasn't going that fast.


    hi
    Maybe You should try the lottery ? :) seems like You used all Your badluck on the car.

    the Prius is a very safe care, one of the safest ones in its class. it did very good in the ncap tests aswell
    http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_rat...1=3&id2=193

    sounds like your car "jumped" forward quite abit, as far as i experienced this is not too uncommon in a light weight car as the prius after all is (ca1300kg??). especially if the breaks are more or less not on (like barly touching your brakes to stand still)

    and i bet Your Mustang GT had some damages if it got hit in 30mph ??? and the weight is close to 1600kg.-)

    a van maybe 2500kg ? in 30miles an hour ,, auch .-)

    cheers
    Andreas
     
  5. Ken Cooper

    Ken Cooper New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(andreaswin @ Feb 15 2007, 02:39 PM) [snapback]391105[/snapback]</div>
    Then again, Maybe this Insurance Institute for Highway Safety news release of 4/16/06 will explain the situation a bit (look under: First Institute test of a hybrid):

    http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr041606.html
     
  6. R32

    R32 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stealth @ Feb 15 2007, 02:18 PM) [snapback]391013[/snapback]</div>


    Uh, sounds like it took it quite well. Would you rather you didn't feel anything b/c the car crumpled up where it was hit? That's what you want in a serious accident, but for something minor I'll take a little jolt in return for no damage.
     
  7. Charles Suitt

    Charles Suitt Senior Member

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    :( Tough Luck.... Seems some folks are just "snake bit!"

    HOWEVER... Associating it on a certain brand or model car is just childish. Hating an object is irrational. Some might call a series of such experiences "Bad Karma."
     
  8. Tech_Guy

    Tech_Guy Class Clown

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    Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Maybe if you got a Hummer H2 your luck will change (hopefully for the better, not worse). I'm sure that you will feel more loved, especially by Exxon...

    Good Luck!

    Keith :unsure:

    P.S. Years ago I had a Porsche 914. I loved that car in spite of the fact that I was rear-ended 3 times in a 2 year period. Unfortunately I had to get rid of the car after the third accident. It was totaled. Strange as it may seem, all of the accidents were the result of me being in the wrong place at just the right time. In each case, everybody agreed that there was absolutely nothing I could have done to avoid getting hit. It has been many years since my last accident and I have never held any car responsible for a seemingly random accident.
     
  9. brick

    brick Active Member

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    Being mad at your car because it gets abused doesn't make much sense. And the car's design has squat to do with how had an impact feels. That's a mass and velocity thing. Granted the Prius has a lot less mass than the Envoy but it's not a flimsy vehicle.

    Driving in California scares me every time I go. Your problem is not the car, but being surrounded by people who are either a) not paying any attention or B) already past the frustration threshold at which you appear to be, to the point of destructive outbursts against innocent cars.
     
  10. stealth

    stealth New Member

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    Thanks to some for the replies, a few responses

    I was stopped behind the car in front of me and the Prius did jump forward 2-3 feet before I got my foot on the brake.
    The damage to my Mustang was 100x worse and the collision threw it forward about 15 feet (Ok that's not quite 100x) but the Mustang seemed to "cushion" the impact so even though the impact was much worse the jolt was no where near as bad. The impact from the Prius seemed to focus the force directly to me. And yes, the lottery sounds like a good idea right about now.

    Good link sounds like what happened to me, thanks.

    Uh, couldn't disagree more especially when a child is involved and yes I would prefer it to crumple as appropriate, I value life more than a car. I've been in a few accidents, none serious but most worse than this one and I've never felt this jolted before I have lost all confidence in the saftey of a Prius when it gets rear ended and the article Ken linked to seems to explain it pretty well.

    "Another important aspect of crashworthiness is how well seat/head restraints protect people from whiplash in rear impacts. The ones in the Prius earn the second lowest rating of marginal. They can be positioned high enough and close enough to the backs of most people's heads, but good geometry alone isn't enough to provide adequate protection from whiplash. Seats and head restraints have to work together to protect the neck, and the Institute's test indicates that in a real-world crash the seats in the Prius wouldn't keep the forces on the neck as low as in other vehicles.

    When a vehicle is struck in the rear and driven forward, the vehicle seats accelerate the occupants' torsos forward. Unsupported, their heads will lag behind the forward movement of their torsos. This differential motion causes the neck to bend back and stretch. The higher the torso acceleration the more sudden the motion, the higher the forces on the neck, and the more likely a neck injury is to occur."

    which seems to back up what happened to me so get your facts straight.

    Not sure what you're trying to say about being childish for blaming the Prius then saying but it may be bad karma. Sounds like you're completely contradicting yourself. I know it's all in my head but sometimes that's all it takes.

    And finally don't ever suggest I get a pathetic H2, it's the stupidest vehicle on the road. Now the H1 on the other hand, that's one awesome machine (and no I'm not thinking of getting one ;-) ).

    edit:
    Almost missed the response from Brick, first sentence I agree but don't care anymore if just for the reason that my shiny new car seems to have gone through a destruction derby. Second sentence is absurd, mass plays a huge part in accidents but so does design. The mass/velocity was much worse in both accounts in my Mustang accident but it handled the impact much better than the Prius. Car companies spend billions trying to design safer cars and it's obviously paid off when people can walk away from compact car that gets hit by a SUV. I also agree about some of the idiot drivers in CA, it can be a nightmare but I am still not one of them, being upset with my car will not affect my 20 year old perfect drivers record.

    Anyway, I'm not debating that the Prius is a great car, it is but right now I'm really not happy with the one I own...
     
  11. creamer

    creamer New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stealth @ Feb 15 2007, 08:48 PM) [snapback]391232[/snapback]</div>
    I'm finding this exceedingly hard to read, perhaps because it's responding to eight replies simultaneously. When I try to follow this, I see:

    * You and your wife were each in fender-benders in this car, which focuses the force directly on the occupants. You were hurt, and you don't mention the extent of your wife's injuries. I hope she's OK!

    * Your daughter may or may not have been in the car at the time of the accident (you say that there is/was a child involved in the crash). I hope she's OK too!

    * You're saying that someone provided a good link that sounds like what happened to you, you thank them, and then you snap back that you couldn't disagree more with it.

    * The reason for your disagreement is that you "would prefer it to crumple as appropriate" (emphasis mine) -- but I guess I'm not sure who or what you were disagreeing with. R32 stated that cars should crumple in serious accidents but don't need to do so in minor accidents. You're saying that cars should crumple as appropriate. Seems the same to me, kind of like how airbags should only go off as appropriate.

    * The primary reason that it's an unsafe car for a 1-year-old is because of how poorly the "seat/head restraints protect people from whiplash in rear impacts." My belief is that small children ought to be in car seats in the back; when installed properly, the geometry of the front seat head restraints ought not to come into play. Can't imagine them causing whiplash.

    But, as I said, I found this diatribe difficult to read. Regardless of the circumstances, I hope you and your family recover from your injuries swiftly!
     
  12. stealth

    stealth New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Snooze Button @ Feb 15 2007, 10:56 PM) [snapback]391315[/snapback]</div>
    Yes, sorry it's a little confusing with the way I've replied so I'll try to answer the good points you brought up.

    1. My wife was cut off in the rain and barely bumped someones bumper, no damage just one of my "karma" incidents.

    2. Never meant to imply my daughter was involved in any of these incidents (thank god) but if she was I would be very concerned for her considering the impact I felt today.

    3. Replying to two different posts. The first by Ken Cooper has a link from the Institute of Highway Safety that I includes information which seems to indicate that the Pruis is not safe in rear end crashes and then I "snapped" and the next post by R32 who posts a comment that not only doesn't make sense to me but goes against the link from the previous quote which again is from the Institute for highway safety.

    4. Yes I guess, I would have much rather had more damage to the car than had my body jolted the way it was, I completely agree with how you worded your statment the problem is that the Prius transfered the energy (or whatever) to me instead of absorbing it.

    5. No clue as to what you are referring to so I hope you have 2 posts confused. If you are trying accuse me of not caring for my daughter's safety then let me assure you that you are incapable of comprehending the precautions I take for her. I now know the Prius is not a safe enough car for her (at least for rear end collisions) She is only transported in a $300.00 Britax decathalon seat in the back center which has been installed by myself and check by the Simi Valley Police department which is consistantly rated as one of the best in the nation. I'll assume I missunderstood but I promise she could not be more safely secured than she is.

    Sorry no time for spell check the wife need the computer so cya.
     
  13. Nevillewc

    Nevillewc New Member

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    You may have underestimated how hard you were hit because of the lack of damage.
    The rear bumper appears very flexible.
    The other week I was backing into a carpark and there was a bollard at the back corner of the car, which I hit. Got out of the car and saw that the bumper was pushed in 2 inches. :(

    Moved the car forward to get a better look at the damage, heard a pop, got out and the dent was gone and there was no mark.

    All that other cars I have had (even plastic bumpers) leave some sort of damage when I have hit thing. I was very relieved at the lack of damage :D
     
  14. MegansPrius

    MegansPrius GoogleMeister, AKA bongokitty

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stealth @ Feb 16 2007, 03:55 AM) [snapback]391331[/snapback]</div>
    This was certainly interesting to learn. And this post is just a bit of further delving into the IIhs link from Ken's post.

    I really thought I'd looked at all safety ratings before purchasing and didn't recall any negative ratings, but perhaps the rear test results weren't up then or I just missed em. But I did specifically go for the Prius because it did well in crash tests. High vehicle safety ratings are sort of in ingrained in my family, as my father works as an expert witness on airplane crashes.

    By class size of car, the Prius still does pretty well (ranked 4th, behind Civic, Impreza, Versa, respectively). http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=40

    But in rear end, the Prius gets a Marginal on the dynamics and a Good on Seat/Head restraint geometry in rear-end collisions, resulting in a Marginal overall. And is certainly sounds like you experienced those Marginal dynamics, described as:
    In the dynamic tests measurements are recorded on a dummy (BioRID) representing an average-size man. BioRID is designed specifically for rear-end testing at low to moderate speeds. The dynamic ratings are derived from two seat design parameters (acceleration of the dummy's torso and time from impact initiation to head restraint contact with the dummy's head) plus tension and shear forces recorded on the dummy's neck. Overall ratings are based on both geometric measurements and dynamic results. http://www.iihs.org/ratings/head_restraint...nts.aspx?toyota

    Now I still love the car and don't plan on unloading it (as if, not even an option for us, really), but it was a bit of a bummer to read this this morning, as rear-ending other cars is something Chicago drivers are particularly adpet at (one happened beside the bus I was riding to work this very morning).
     
  15. creamer

    creamer New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stealth @ Feb 16 2007, 01:55 AM) [snapback]391331[/snapback]</div>
    Perhaps I did confuse two posts, or perhaps I shouldn't have looked for a logical link between two points that I see as contradictory. The IIHS link you quote says that the Prius would have received its "TOP SAFETY PICK" if not for the marginal design of the seat/head restraints; it received top marks in the other tests. You seem to agree that this was the cause of your injuries (quote: "which seems to back up what happened to me so get your facts straight").

    My problem is that I can't figure out why the stiff design of the front seats makes it an unsafe vehicle for a 1-year-old in a carrier in the back. That is the logic that I had trouble following.

    I'll allow you to accuse me of being incapable of comprehending precautions, if that venting makes you feel better. I'm glad to hear that your wife and daughter weren't injured or involved in these accidents, and again, I hope that the recovery from your injuries goes well!
     
  16. stealth

    stealth New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Snooze Button @ Feb 16 2007, 07:51 AM) [snapback]391436[/snapback]</div>
    Sorry, guess I was venting a little, and you may be correct, my daughter was not in the car at time and she would have been in a very safe car seat in the back center seat. My concern was that she would have felt the impact as hard as I did and could have been injured or possibly my mother, wife etc. but maybe the back seat handles it better and it wouldn't even have been an issue. Luckily no one has been injured in any accidents like I said I was a little sore yesterday but feel fine today and have no plan for seeking any medical damages at all but I appreciate everyone's concern.

    Megan (or 90% Scott) I completely agree with you I know the Prius is still a safe car but I am disappointed with both what I felt and what I read in Ken's link and I'm not suggesting anyone else get rid of their Prius. Overall there are not many bad things I can say about the car in general other than mine is possessed by evil spirits.

    Since I want safe maybe I'll just pick up one of these for 26k

    APC
     
  17. kd5yig

    kd5yig New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Feb 15 2007, 01:49 PM) [snapback]391026[/snapback]</div>

    Wow, I thought I put a lot of miles on a car with about 30k/year.
     
  18. Duffer

    Duffer Member

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    Do you and your wife drive with your headlights on at all times? Stealth is a great thing for our fighter planes and bombers, but people who continue to use it on the road everyday, by not turning on their headlights have only themselves to blame. You said "the car moved foreward 2-3ft before I could get my foot on the brake". Were you sitting in traffic, with nobody behind you, without your brakelights on? Someone approaching from the rear without seeing the red of the brakelights might have delayed braking long enough to hit you. Just food for thought. The best way to not be injured in a crash is to avoid the crash all together.
     
  19. nuse1

    nuse1 New Member

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    The amount of damage to the rear end of newer cars with the plastic bumper covers can be very deceiving. I was rear ended in my Mazda 3 by a Tundra doing 25mph. Hit and run, by the way. After getting off the highway I took a look at my car, did not look like much happened, the bumper cover was popped out at the sites and a tail light was busted and I thought "wow this little car didn't hardly got hurt at all" when I brought it to the dealer for repairs the bill was $5400!! All the actual damage was concealed by that plastic bumper cover that bounces back into shape after an accident, so what looked like minor cosmetic damage was actually frame damage. I was also told that the car was not drivable in this condition (after I put 150 miles on after the accident)

    P.S. I hope the California Highway Patrol officer that responded to my call was not the average cop on the beat. Fat slob did not even get out of his patrol car and tried to talk me out of filing a report so he didn't have to do any paperwork.
     
  20. stealth

    stealth New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clearview22 @ Feb 16 2007, 09:52 AM) [snapback]391550[/snapback]</div>
    No we don't have our headlights on during the day unless the weather is bad but it is a good idea even though it wouldn't have helped in this situation. I stopped and had my foot on the brake with stop and go traffic in front and behind me. When I was hit my foot slipped off and and got it back on before I hit the car in front of me. The kid who hit me even told me he was looking down to grab something so this was a classic case of not paying attention.