What, if anything, is a problem with the GIII?

1. Uncomfortable seats on long drives. See if seats are different from your 2007. Get the power seats if they are.

2. No auto/on/off headlights.

3. No auto day/night mirror.

4. 6" Nav is crude and quirky with maps and addresses and Entunes.

5. You can't get all the options you want on car. Have to sacrifice some for others.

6. No nice factory standard alloy wheels. All hubcaps or 17" with lots of performance and wear issues.

2013 is almost here. Depending on your option mix etc. you might want to wait and see if Toyota adds some "std" features as as it did in 2012 with DRL's, another item like Auto/on headlights, power seats, day/night mirror that should be standard or added on any but the base model.

 

Hands down.....the seats.

 

yeah the seats hurt my back after a few hours, still more comfortable than my old car though.

 

#1 the seats.

But it's still a great car

 

There is an ever-increasing list of mechanical issues for 2010-2011:

1. Engine knocking at startup.
2. Engine mount vibration.
3. Front and rear brake hardware rattles/squeaks/noises.
4. Fender rattles.
5. Battery fan susceptible to clogs (like GII)
6. Oil change "door" falls off.
7. 12V battery is same as GII.

 

We are talking about a Prius here and this is PriusChat... there is nothing wrong with the GenIII, upgrade now.

The only recall was the re-flash of the brake ECU for the latency issue.

 

No major flaws for me at 24K miles/3yr. Tire rotations and oil changes is all.

 

Those are all minor complaints/areas of improvement, not major issues in the likes of water pump failure, etc.

The 2012 does have auto on headlights if you select the appropriate trim. They've just refreshed the 2012 so expect no real change for 2013.

 

So far I've experienced:

• the engine knock a few times in cold weather, once while in traffic when the engine restarted.

• the steering column clunking randomly while steering tight turns. Seems to happen more often at start up.

• the uncomfortable driver's seat, but got improvement by jacking it up to the full height. That tilts it forward which seems to help a lot.

 

My 2012 Five is solid so far.
None of the issues listed above (mine has auto headlights), except for Entune being finicky but I guess that's what happens with new software. At least it's free for now.

 

2012, yeah seats, I still think my seats are not square with steering wheel

 

I kind of feel that too in my 2011!!

 

With the Four you do get power seats, auto headlights (maybe other trims too). Got the 7" Nav and love it.

 

Alignment is definitely one to watch.

At 31k, my total rear toe is very close to the max allowed by Toyota.

 

Mike,

Do you think the springs and/or sway bar contribute to your current situation?

 

That brake "problem" is a non issue. From what I've read, it happens on basically every hybrid.

In fact, a similar issue happens with some of the hybrid buses at Texas A&M. When coming to a stop, those buses would make the distinctive sound of a motor winding down, followed by a hard jerk and a "cogging" sound. It jerks hard enough that standing passengers not used to it occasionally lose their balance.

 

No problems, not to be confused with annoyances!

 

At first I thought it was related to the springs, but after some thought, I think it is just a sign that the rear suspension is starting to age.

At about 30k now, I am starting to see the right-rear corner have toe in the 0.25 range. Per Toyota, as long as the total rear toe is below 0.58, it is OK due to the toe-correction bushings.

Also, the rear is technically a solid beam. Lowering it should not have any effect on the camber or toe.