Complain about a product or service

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:

Bob of Columbiana, AL February 27, 2008

Bob of Columbiana AL (02/27/08)
I purchased a new Toyota Prius in 2004. Backing up is very dangerous. There is a bar across the rear window obscuring rear vision, the car is absolutely silent outside (electric motor)to a person behind me. There is a backing up beeper but it can only be heard inside the car! Toyota should minimize this danger by recalling for a rear camera, and an outside loud beeping backup noise.

Gerald of Carlsbad, CA February 23, 2008

Gerald of Carlsbad CA (02/23/08)
I have a 2004 Toyota Prius that has had only one fault in 70000 miles. From the day we brought it home the brakes have grabbed severely when first starting out in the morning and after the car sets for some hours. The agency keeps saying that it is moisture in the brakes and has to burn off. I have checked with several neighbors who own the vehicle and they do not experience that problem. I get no satisfaction from the dealer and am concerned that my warranty will expire before the problem is remedied.

Russell of Harwinton, CT February 22, 2008

Russell of Harwinton CT (02/22/08)
2006 prius will not go in 1 of snow or more the anti slip traction control kicks in and shuts down power to the wheels. I was entering a intersection on Rt 202 with a slight incline and the wheels slipped and I stopped in the middle of the incline. This almost caused an accident with on coming cars. Toyota dealer said the car was good in new england. He did not say only on sunny days

Dave of Groveland, CA February 16, 2008

Dave of Groveland CA (02/16/08)
My 06 Prius has an intermittent problem with the HID lamp shutting off. After some research on the WEB, I see that this is a wide-spread problem with many 06 Prius owners with HID headlamp systems, and that replacement of the bulb does not solve the problem. This is a potentially dangerous situation, especially when BOTH lights can go out at night;(reports on line). While there have been no serious accidents or deaths because of this problem, I think it is just a matter of time until that occurs. Toyota USA should acknowledge the problem and do the right thing and stand behind the product that made it No. 1 in USA sales and recall and replace the defective part or parts before their success story becomes tarnished, or worse someone dies as a result of an accident where the headlamps failed at night.

Matt of Sunnyvale, CA February 12, 2008

Matt of Sunnyvale CA (02/12/08)
I am one of the first to buy a Prius in 2001. Now, after 130,000 miles of driving the main battery is dead. Toyota dealer is telling me the battery for the main battery was for 100,000 for my car, although the new Prius' come with 150,000 mile warranty. I have been told by the dealer (which I don't trust), that I am the 3rd Prius which required main battery replacement. Labor and part, plus tax: 4,500. Only a week before that I had to have a sensor, that helps air/fuel mix, replaced for nearly 400. Unfortunately, there is no third-party service provides who know how to fix Prius. The independent repair shops don't know about or scared to touch electronic/electrical stuff. Soooo, this means you are stuck with your Toyota dealer and Toyota's prices for parts... to the end.

Here is the big picture for future Prius owners: - Be prepared to pay a 4,500 for the main battery before 150,000 miles. Of course, you can buy a decent used car for the same price. Tough choice... - 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) - Do you know 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. Quite frankly, I am done being a maverick. I am not buying another hybrid car. When is hydrogen powered cars coming???

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.

Back to the top |