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Should You Buy a Second-Hand Prius?

Maintenance costs may outstrip fuel savings

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

April 4, 2008

With sales of new hybrids increasing by almost 30 percent a year and gasoline prices following at a faster pace, a second-hand hybrid can appear to be a smart alternative in a tight economy.

But because of the car's relatively new design, there is little information available to help consumers judge the reliability of a used Prius other than reports from previous Prius owners.

Consumer beware. The risks may be higher than you think.

Battery blues

Doris in Smithville, Tennessee bought a used Prius in July 2006.

“Trying to inform myself prior to buying the car, I asked about the battery and was told never had they seen the whole battery fail, only a cell at a time to the tune of $200 per cell,” she was told. “I did not want to spend the money on a brand-new Prius. I wanted to test the waters on a used one first.”

The decision to buy a second had hybrid was costly.

The 2006 Prius had 73,200 miles on the odometer leaving 26,800 remaining on the hybrid battery warranty. “I bought it and thought I was living the dream, but only for a moment,” Doris told ConsumerAffairs.com.

When the weather turned cold her Prius would have no power. The engine was difficult to start. “Finally it went totally down,” she said. “No power!”

The Toyota dealer told Doris at first that she must have over-filled the gas tank and may have ruined the Prius computer system. The repair cost would be $1,900.

One year later the Prius lost all power while driving at 65 mph on an Interstate highway. "I was scared to death,” Doris wrote. The Prius was towed to a dealer and Doris was told “the main battery was down it would be $6,890 to fix it.”

Remember, the first dealer told her the battery never failed completely and the replacement cost would be roughly $2,000.

Doris was lucky as things turned out.

“They called tech support and found it was a leaf sucked up in a filter which in turn prevented gas and air from going to the battery and drained it." Doris spent $225 to tow the Prius to the dealer and $276 to charge the main battery plus tax, a lot less than the original $6,890 repair estimate but still $549.85.

But not all the repair news was good. "They told me it could happen again. So I'm stuck with what I feel is a defective product. I'm Toyota's rolling gunea pig,” she said. “I cannot trade the car because they tell I'm $5,500 up side down," she said. “I have to buy a new car to roll this amount with it. I can't afford a new car with a $425 per month payment.”

Transmission troubles

In Loomis, California, Sam tells the tale of expensive repairs with his 2003 Prius.

After a series of problems with the Prius engine, Toyota informed Sam that he needed to have the transmission replaced. The estimate for repairs was around $7,000, almost the value of the entire vehicle, according to Sam.

“Naturally the vehicle was no longer covered by the warranty,” he said.

The Prius had 116,289 miles on the odometer when the car began to malfunction. The check-engine light came on and the engine quickly shut down. The dealership informed Sam that the gasoline engine quit because the battery ran out of juice. The dealership checked the spark plugs and coils, detected slight misfire until warm but could not reproduce the problem. The cost of the service was $123.77.

The repair bill seemed too good to be true. And it was.

When the problem occurred a second time, the Toyota dealership said that the “problem was not really the spark plugs but that the sophisticated hybrid transmission needed to be replaced. The estimate for the parts and labor for this repair would be approximately $2,000.” The estimate was quickly revised to $7,000 with parts and labor. The “cost of the new transmission alone was $5,000,” Sam reported.

Early adopter

In Sunnyvale, California, Matt was one of the original 2001 Prius hybrid owners.

“Now, after 130,000 miles of driving the main battery is dead. The Toyota dealer is telling me the life of the main battery was 100,000 for my car, although the new Prius comes with a 150,000-mile warranty,” he said.

Matt said that the dealer told him he was the third Prius owner to require a main battery replacement.

“Labor and parts, plus tax was $4,500. Unfortunately, there is no third-party service provider who knows how to fix Prius,” he said.

Matt warns consumers interested in a second hand Prius to be prepared to pay $4,500 for the main battery before 150,000 miles have been recorded on the odometer.”

Complexity

That is not all.

“The car is loaded with electronics and solid state controllers. Be prepared to pay outrageous prices for diagnostics and repair. Very rarely you will walk out with a bill costing under $300,” Matt said.

“You will pay nearly $150 for having a duplicate key made to your Prius. That is because the key apparently has an anti-theft chip which has to be programmed by Toyota,” he said.

There's no doubt the Prius gets good gas mileage (though perhaps not as good as many buyers expect). But whether the total cost of ownership is reasonable is another question indeed.

Consumers who need reliable, inexpensive transportation are still better off with a simple, straightforward economy car -- a Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic or something similar with a four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission are likely to provide trouble-free, economic transportation for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Here are some of the reports we've received from other Prius owners:

Jason of Rockville, MD February 9, 2010

My question is: if Toyota knowingly sold their Prius's with brake issues, don't the consumers such as myself have an option to get a refund for the car? I mean, if I had known about this issue I would definitely not have purchased the car.

Kelly of Saint Pete, FL February 8, 2010

At 60,000 I avoided wrecking my Prius whose Abs system failed completely and got to a dealership. 16000 later I had a new abs. Is this a lemon? I would think so. Very costly and seemed too early for brakes.

Katherine of Roseville, MN February 7, 2010

I have a 2008 Prius. I saw there was another complaint with the same issue for a 2008 Prius that I'm also having which seems to be the same issue with the 2010 Prius. I have been having this problem since I bought my car and mentioned it to my Toyota dealership twice and they stated that it was due to the antilock breaks and that is the way it was designed. I stated that it was dangerous if it was going to propel you forward when you are breaking but they didn't really have much of a comment. Now I am hearing that other folks are having the same issue.

The issue is when the car hits a pot hole or a bump, the car lunges forward (and the traction control light goes on), forcing me to brake. Sometime this actually happens when I'm breaking and hit a pot hole or bump as well. I love my prius but am now worried with all the accidents I'm hearing about. I hope that Toyota recalls other Prius years for the brake problem and not just put it on the back burner like they have been.

The other issue I have add with my 2008 Prius is the keyless remote control. Since the day I bought my car the alarm button does not work unless you are right in front of the vehicle and some times it doesn't even work then. I know this is not a danger but it's annoying when you are trying to find your car and the alarm won't work. I have also complained to my Prius Dealer about this issue twice without resolution. Thanks.

John of Malden On Hudson, NY February 7, 2010

I have always wanted to complain about my 2007 Prius regarding a very dangerous breaking issue. The recent news about Prius has compelled me to list this issue: Very often, when I park the car- I put the car in park and if the car is on the slightest incline it will roll a little. And moreover, when I park it on a hill and even if the emergency break is on it rolls about a foot. This has scared the you know what out of me because I wondered if it will roll infinitely. Now this has happened in dangerous spots light while pumping gas at a gas station where there may be unlevel areas around the pump. Once it rolled while I stopped at a toll booth too to talk to a toll collector. I know there have been many instances where this happens! Its scarrey when it happens.

Andrea of Modesto, CA February 6, 2010

I have a 2008 Prius. I was watching the news and I heard them describing the brake issue with the 2010 Prius and I said to myself that is the same problem I have been having since I bought my car but I didn't think much about it. I assumed it had something to do with it being a hybrid and the weight of the car. But now I am hearing that other folks are having the same issue.

The issue is when the car hits a pot hole or a bump, the car lunges forward (and the traction control light goes on), forcing me to brake. I love my prius but I do think twice when I get in it, because of the deaths/accidents that have happened in Southern California. I hope that Toyota recalls other Prius years for the brake problem and not just put it on the back burner until more accidents occur.

I do think twice about getting in my car but I no choice. I am a graduate student and I have to commute in heavy traffic to get to my school everyday so I really can't stop using my car. But I keep thinking what if my brakes go out in this traffic and the weather in Northern California has been very wet.

John of Livermore, CA February 6, 2010

We bought a 2010 Toyota Prius in October of last year. My wife, Suzanne, was driving home from the gym last week when the brakes failed completely. She was turning right from First Street onto North Mines Road in Livermore, Ca. It had been raining and the roads were wet. When she pushed the brake pedal to slow down during turn nothing happened. It really scared her. Luckily, it was early morning and the traffic was light. There were no other cars in the intersection and she completed the higher-than-normal-speed, awkward turn without incident.

Paul of West Hollywood, CA February 5, 2010

I have a 2009 Prius and have faced the same issue as many other folks - when the car hits a pot hole or a bump, the car lunges forward (and the traction control light goes on), forcing me to brake. This has happened from the beginning and I assumed it was the result of the car being light. I also got in the car to go to work about a month ago (the car only has 8000 miles) and it was completely dead. The dealer had to jump and all the electronics had to be reset. I love the car, but there are clearly ghosts in the machine that Toyota needs to fix quickly.

Carol of Morgantown, WV February 5, 2010

2010 Priuses brake problem. My 2010 Pruis has had a brake issue since I picked it up in July 2009. I've taken it to the dealer 3 differnt times and was made to feel like I was crazy. The first time I put it in the shop to get the oil changed and have the brake checked. I told the dealer that when I had my foot on the brake pedal and hit a pot hole the car would accelerate.

When I got the car back I was told no problem was found. The problem kept happening so I complained again. I was told I wasn't use to the anti lock brake system but it would be ok. The third time I demanded a mechanic or someone ride with me. After talking to the Sales rep my wish was granted. I pick the person up and took him for a ride to the part of the road that the problem would happen most of the time. My driveway was to far away to show him.

Anyway of course the brake worked fine and I felt crazy. He explained to me the anit lock brake system again and told me that if that section of road was causeing the problem to avoid it. I droped him off and haven't been back. I'm happy to find other people now have come forward.

Jody of Rockford, MN February 5, 2010

I have owned a 2008 Toyota Prius for almost 2 years and have always had a problem with the brakes disengaging when go over a bump. I hope my Prius is not going to be left out of this recall.

Donna of Hampden, ME February 4, 2010

I have owned my 2007 Prius since 2007. At first I loved it. Problems with the braking (hitting holes or ice causes traction-stopping problems) gas tank readings, (thank you AAA) and varying mileage will probably stop me from purchasing another int he future.I was at a drive-thru picking up coffee and the car lurched forward, no my foot was not on the gas petal, and it was in park!

I also had problems with the dash lights not working and the car not shutting off that took my local dealer 3 months to fix. I feel the braking problem, acceleration at a stop, gas tank issues all pose a high impact damage outlook for the owners.

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