Your complaints/disappointments with your C?

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by BrunoPuntzJones, Mar 17, 2012.

  1. SILVERCwSUN

    SILVERCwSUN Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2012
    261
    77
    29
    Location:
    Western North Carolina foothills
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    My "C" came equipped nicely and with what I wanted.

    I would have liked the option of a backup camera since I already have the gps.
     
  2. Tracy

    Tracy Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2012
    171
    101
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I've had The Cheetoh a bit over a month now so here are the things (much as listed by others) that I wish were different....none is a deal breaker, but several would definitely contribute to a bit nicer experience:

    1. sun visor extension - this is #1 for me right now because it's a real PITA going back and forth to work - the sun is always hitting my eyes from left or right (exploring options)
    2. auto headlights
    3. rear camera - I'd have bought a C4 if I could get a camera! Feel like this is a major miscalculation on Toyota's part to not make this available (and I wish I was a handy person who could install this myself since those who have are able to address this issue pretty inexpensively)
    4. toy rear wiper - SERIOUSLY? That's a wiper? I get the problem with the short window, but....put in 3 of these little babies and maybe we'll be cooking come winter.
    5. rear head rests - foldable, adjustable, whatever it takes, just make them go away so I can see what is behind me (I'm taking mine off)
    6. cargo cover - I can barely get groceries in the back of the car "as is" which means I need to remove the cargo cover so that it is easy to fold down the seats when needed. Totally fixable, but I just think it looks rather rinky dinky on it's little strings.
    7. "Standard" gauges would have been nice! Engine temp, oil pressure, in the case of the C, maybe battery temp? (or I just haven't found this?) water temp
    8. Here's one I haven't seen anyone else mention.....why does the vent for the battery have to be inside the car so that I have to be so careful about loading items there? And if you're going to do that, then why behind the driver? Should be passenger side BECAUSE....as a usually single driver, if I can't fit things into the "trunk" then I load them in the back seat....and I want to load them behind where I'm sitting so that it's easier to UNload them. But I have to constantly be careful there so I don't block the vent. Dumb IMO.
    9. Lack of seatbelt adjustments - it hits me wrong (I have long legs and the seat is all the way back and I feel like I'm fighting being strangled sometimes)
    10. Head room - I got the moonroof; I knew it cut into head room. But I still wish I had both a moonroof AND at least another 1-2" for sure.
    11. Useless cups/containers on dash on driver side - who is going to leave something there for every car thief to check out (or to create glare on the windshield?). Needs a cover!
    12. The airbag light - yup, I agree with everyone on that. If something lights up, I expect that there is something wrong. Especially when it's RED. Totally counterintuitive and really annoying.
    13. (Baker's dozen) - a little more ground clearance - at least up front. When I pull into a parking space I'm having to be so darn careful not to scrape the underside of the front bumper!
     
    robertmaria likes this.
  3. Tracy

    Tracy Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2012
    171
    101
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    ETA: Deleted second posting (server timed out and then it posted twice! Technology is fun ;-)
     
  4. brucepmiller

    brucepmiller Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2012
    150
    73
    0
    Location:
    Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I wish it was a Tesla.
     
    studiopeg and Revan86 like this.
  5. Rick Smih

    Rick Smih Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2012
    14
    8
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    I
    The fact that they consider the front speakers as 4 speakers when they are clearly two component speakers.
     
    lensovet and Tracy like this.
  6. photogrl13

    photogrl13 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2012
    115
    47
    59
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    This is a great thread. My last car had no cupholder in the backseat, huge blind spots, and non-lit, non extending visors. It was a Honda Civic Hybrid. This car had a LOT more bells and whistles compared to what I would normally want. I bought the car purely because of function and economy (mpgs). My only complaint would be the dead pedal, but I'm saving up for some floor mats that cover that area anyways (weather tech). Blind spots on this are WAY smaller than any car I've driven before. Drive a CR-Z and then talk about blind spots hahaha o_O Oh, wish I had gotten alloys as well, but that's always fixable.
     
  7. DietCoke

    DietCoke Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2012
    8
    5
    0
    Location:
    Richmond Hill, GA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Auto headlights + No leather wheel option. I hate to have to buy the $500 wheel and import it from Japan, but thats the only solution. Such a waste
     
  8. kwh29

    kwh29 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2012
    2
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    My only complaints are the somewhat rattly interior. I'm not thinking that will age well.

    Regarding the laundry list of additional features lots of people want - almost every one of them add weight. If I'm buying a car like this primarily to maximize MPG then I don't want any more heavy stuff than absolutely necessary. Some of the parts are clearly built to a very tight price point (like the map lights) but I'd rather deal with a lightweight switch than a heavier silicone damped push-on lens.

    Of course I'm strange and am looking at what I can take out of the car to save weight without hurting day to day comfort... I'm comfortable making mods to the car and will probably do a few in the next few months, such as figuring out how to block out the BRIGHT airbag warning light and building a light storage bin to replace the foam blocks in the hatch. I've already pulled the cheesy Jetson's speaker as that noise was just plain annoying and it's not illegal to remove.
     
  9. RJphxC

    RJphxC New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2012
    22
    3
    0
    Location:
    Glendale, Arizona
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    1. Siri. I'm going to complain about this a lot. Why do I need to push the button on my phone. How hard would it be for Toyota to update the firmware.

    2. Bluetooth phone access.
    - I've been through the manual and haven't figured out how to move through the phone book using the steering wheel controls.
    - If I'm playing music through my iPhone connected USB (I know I can use bluetooth but a. I like the folders and it's easier to navigate to music, I would use Siri but see #1 and b. sometimes I use it to charge my iPhone) and I receive a phone call or want to make a call or I choose to push the button on my phone to use Siri it doesn't go through the speaker system.

    3. Agree on location of cup holders but for a different reason, I rest my right leg against the center console and because of it's location the edge is very uncomfortable against my leg.

    4. Also agree on the Steering wheel distance, wish it moved a bit closer, my legs are longer than my arms. (I'm 6'3)

    5. I hadn't noticed the rear headrests until I read it on here, really though it doesn't seem to be a big issue for me.

    Other notes:
    So glad I figured out that the thing in the trunk, the divider thing, comes out. That made my day today. Also, ya'll spoiled :D I traded in my very basic, no options, manual, falling apart Mazda 3 so it's hard for me to find anything to really complain but I'm sure I'll find more as time goes on.
     
    Tracy likes this.
  10. Revan86

    Revan86 Animal nerd and alt car guy

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2012
    286
    84
    0
    Location:
    All over northern IL
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    I hear that lol
     
  11. Archaeo

    Archaeo New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2012
    140
    46
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    Absolutely Love my C, just wish the entune system was wireless friendly with the iphone and if toyota would add a solar panel with fan to the roof instead of a moon roof to recharge and draw out hot air in the summer, Wow, what a winning combination that would be!
     
  12. TC400

    TC400 Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2012
    751
    169
    0
    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Put it on the spoiler or something that would be cool.

    They are saving that for Gen 2 c lol
     
    Archaeo likes this.
  13. mkwan723

    mkwan723 Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2012
    32
    6
    0
    Location:
    Ottawa
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    N/A
    Center dome light is missing in any PriusC models also.
     
  14. RocMills

    RocMills Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2012
    789
    276
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Part of what I don't understand about all these "I wish it had that" comments are... didn't you know it didn't have those things when/before you bought it? The only "surprise" disappointment we discovered after purchase was the lack of an ashtray (which drove my husband insane until i bought him a portable one). Every other surprise, after-purchase discovery has been a pleasant one.
     
    carolD and Ryephile like this.
  15. Tracy

    Tracy Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2012
    171
    101
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Speaking just for myself.....the shopping process was definitely a series of trade-offs. I expect my ideal car would have combined a few features from different cars I looked at. In the end, I just had to decide which features were MOST important to me. Most of the things on my list were things I knew about, a few are things that have become annoyances while driving. Like....the visor issue for me is something that never popped up during the test drive and is something I never thought about and it has been a bit of a problem (one that I'll "fix" with something aftermarket). I didn't know about the vent location/recommendations when I got the car. Maybe that's something that should have come up but this is my first hybrid and there are definitely some kinds of questions that I guess I just didn't know enough to ask (I've never had a car with internal vents to keep things running before ;-) The bright light for the passenger airbag (which does NOT dim with the other lights at night) has recently become a distraction, but hey, I can put a piece of electrical tape over it so my eye doesn't continue to be drawn to it. Etc.

    Even KNOWING these things pre-purchase would not have changed my mind. The only reason I (and I suspect others) am listing them is because if Toyota is smart and they monitor the forum, then I think they can learn from their customers and address some of these things in the next version of the C.
     
    RocMills and RJphxC like this.
  16. RocMills

    RocMills Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2012
    789
    276
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    All reasonable points, Tracy, thanks for bringing them up. One can hope that Toyota is listening to their customers, though I don't know if they would do so via visiting forums such as these. We might all get better results for future C owners by writing Toyota directly or submitting our concerns to customer support. I do not know.
     
  17. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2011
    2,171
    659
    23
    Location:
    Maine
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    The US Toyota Prius team used to frequent the forum. There was some personnel movement, so I am not sure they still do, but I suspect it is likely.
     
  18. Tracy

    Tracy Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2012
    171
    101
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I work with a few large companies that tend to monitor consumer forums - sometimes it's just marketing (hey, they're the ones that have to address issues or leverage features/concepts that are popular). I remember seeing some Toyota technical folks posting in older posts so I guess I hoped there might still be people popping in from time to time. In a forum like this they get to hear the GOOD and the bad - usually when people write to the company directly, they're just sharing all the complaints. Social media has really changed the game for lots of companies and for a company like Toyota to NOT monitor a dedicated forum like this would really be surprising. (and dumb....and I don't think they're dumb ..... just....very, very quiet :)).
     
    RocMills likes this.
  19. tk1971

    tk1971 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2012
    253
    133
    0
    Location:
    SG Valley, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    One
    This is not specific to the C, but all Toyotas in general (including my Lexus).

    On the power window lock-out, why does it also lock the driver out of controlling the windows? It should lock everyone else out, except for the driver. Having a 4 and 2 year old, it's like a game... I have to quickly unlock the panel, then adjust the windows and re-lock the panel, hoping either one of them didn't have their fingers already on their respective window switch.

    Seems like one of those finer details. My Ford does it right.
     
    mad4sax and Tracy like this.
  20. Tracy

    Tracy Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2012
    171
    101
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I really shouldn't laugh but....I have to ask - who usually wins the game? You or one of the kids? :rolleyes: