Wierd reading about all the problems.....

[mootsman]

Since purchasing our 2006 Prius, I've noticed a LOT of posts here and on the other Prius forums regarding vehicle problems -- everything from minor issues to total meltdowns. Our other vehicle is a Honda Element and I've hung out on those forums for several years and the frequency of bringing up reliability issues is very low relative to this and other Prius forums. Given that Consumer Reports and other bodies rate this vehicle as very reliable, you have to wonder what is going on. My initial guess would be that, as with cable news, things just get beat to death to the point that the problem(s) seem bigger than the reality....but that doesn't explain why the Honda Element and Subaru forums I've frequented appear to have fewer issues. Any thoughts???

[marjam]

My thoughts after being on this BB for two months. Prius ownership is really like a cult for some people. If there had always been the Internet we would have seen the same thing with the Model T and the Volkswagen Bug. Prius owners really love this car and we are very disappointed when it does not love us back! It is not just a car to us, it is a whole new way to the future of transportation.

I have had 2 Prii and they have been magnificent cars. When compared to the almost 20 cars I have owned (many of them Toyotas) it seems to me to be the most reliable car I have owned. I don't think that I would have been so concerned when my upper glove box stopped working if I had not read here about the problem and how to fix it.

Prius Owners expect this to be so much more than a mode of transportation that when it disappoints us we grouch about it. I don't think that the members of the other forums have as big expectations for there cars.

This is IMHO.

[galaxee]

well, my husband rarely sees anything half as strange as what pops up here on occasion, and he works in a shop with a pretty high prius traffic volume. he sees fewer problems with prii than he sees with other models, actually, and pretty much all the complex prius issues go directly to him.

i think a lot of times we have folks coming around looking for answers because even if you know how the basic gas-driven car works, all the new tech you see on the prius is something that the majority of the public simply doesn't understand. that leads people to fear getting screwed by the dealer, which unfortunately happens often enough to be a legit concern.

another thing we notice is that prius drivers are a truly unique group of people- much more attentive to their vehicles than others, generally speaking. so they would show more concern and want more info when something goes wrong.

also with this car there aren't half as many techs who know their way around a prius like they'd know their way around, say, a camry. couple that with the fact that a very small percentage of people working on vehicles for a living are highly proficient in diagnostics and you get a much higher chance that the person working on your problem is going to have a hard time with it and that the problem becomes a major annoyance rather than a minor thing that might otherwise not bothered the owner a bit.

[Rangerdavid]

First of all, I, like many other Pruis owners, may be a littie anal about their cars. I am, and I want it to be perfect. Every little noise I don't recognize, I'll probably ask about. Many other Pruis owners are like me, thats why I fit in here. Also, I love my car. Its not just a car to me, but in reality it is just a car, so I'm probably setting myself up for a let down at some point.

Also, I believe there have been many more Prii sold than any other hybrid vehicle. Its new technology, and I believe the owners of this vehicle are pioneers in a sense that this is indeed the car of tomorrow, and we're driving it today. Furthermore, the hybrid synergy drive used by Toyota in this vehicle is unlike any other hybrid on the road today. All of the posts, compliments, and complaints will make this a better car for the upcoming models of Prii. It will also, I believe, help in the development of better more fuel efficient vehicles in the future for those who purchase hybrid, electric, or fuel cell vehicles. All this, IMHO......

[seasalsa]

You have to remember that for every problem that is reported here there are thousands of us that are driving trouble free Prius.

[RichBoy]

I have had zero problems with my Prius so far.

[pete bogumill]

i to am knew to toyota and the prius. i've owned chevrolets-pontiacs-cadillacs-chev metro-geo metro-and a ford over the years. i've only had the prius for 6 months but in that six months i've really grown to like that car. i am not disappointed one little bit and if i had to do it again i would buy it again. i wish every car was a prius and the big oil companies could go plum to you know where with and drown in their oil! so like i say i have been very happy with the prius and its been perfect from the paint on it to the engine that drives it. so i would recomend a prius as a near perfect car. thank you . pete

[rufaro]

The other answer involves statistical anomalies. PriusChat seems to have a just a tad of a "cult" following. The sample you see here is NOT statistically valid! As noted above, we are, as a group, anal, obsessive, what-have-you. This is NOT a car junkie forum....LOTS more geeks here than gearheads!

Send a properly created questionnaire out to the entire universe of Prius owners, not just the ones who hang out here, and the picture, I suspect, would be entirely different.

I mean, c'mon...how many threads are there here about TRIM RINGS???

WE ARE NOT NORMAL (and I mean that in the NICEST possible way...)!

[mssmith95]

You have to be realistic too.

Even on this forum, where it seems there are a lot of people, there are only around 15K+ members. Of those, maybe 2-3k actively post. Compare this with all of the Prius out there in the world...and we are a very small, but vocal bunch who are fanatical about our cars.

I needed to find some information about my wife's car...a Ford...and I went looking for similar Forums. I found some, but there were barely alive and most posts go unanswered....people just don't feel the same way about there other cars like we do about ours.

My car is great and just getting more and more fun to drive.

[rufaro]

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.