2008 Toyota Prius problems and complaints
Owners have filed 1497 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Toyota Prius. The most-reported areas: Exterior Lighting (579), Service Brakes (395), Electrical System (235).
Key takeaways
- 1497 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 152 involve a crash, 6 a fire, 71 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 579 | 39% |
| Service Brakes | 395 | 26% |
| Electrical System | 235 | 16% |
| Hydraulic | 171 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 156 | 10% |
| Electric | 77 | 5% |
| Structure | 68 | 5% |
| Power Train | 54 | 4% |
| Unknown Or Other | 50 | 3% |
| Engine | 49 | 3% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 43 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 41 | 3% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Toyota Prius 4-DR.w/SAB | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Engine - filed 2026-05-12
Water pump failed after replacement in 2013 with 30k miles, car had only 93k miles when failed again in 2016. The potentiometer part failed, there is corrosion in the part. Was in freeway when it failed. I have reported this to different representatives. I was charged more 1.5k for a replacement of a faulty part that s...
Air Bags - filed 2026-04-22
the cruise control was inop, technician said it was a clockspring failure, replaced the clockspring with a new part from walmart, then at times, the airbag failure light would come on, paid a technician to replace the replacement clockspring with an new one and the failure stopped, walmart is selling a part that could ...
Service Brakes - filed 2026-03-18
2008 Toyota Prius gen2 with 139k miles. ABS, Brake, parking brake, and Traction Control lights all illuminated while driving the other day. Potential is losing all electronically assisted braking function in the car. Problem has been confirmed by local independent service center. Independent service center pulled c...
Diagnose it yourself
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
More for the 2008 Toyota Prius
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.