Featured 2009 Prius more reliable than 2010+?

i think it's premature, but possible. toyota may have decided too many cars were going way beyond warranty. but with new technology, that's how engineers operate. maybe we were spoiled.
but then, not sure we can assume 2009 more reliable than 2008. statistics being statistics.

 

This is a compilation of information about vehicles sent to auction. Being sent to auction generally means that the car is not desirable to the dealer who took it in trade or he already has too many of that vehicle. So I question if the sample is truly representative.

If the car is so reliable that its owners will keep it in the family till long after some other brand/model or be able to sell it privately easily/quickly, that wouldn't show. It would never hit the auctions.

 

2009 was also the final year of the Gen 2 model, all the manufacturing bugs have been worked out by then, so surely it must be the most reliable year. I have a 2015 Gen 3, so hopefully my Prius would benefit from the same manufacturing reliability, though kinda troubling seeing the 2013 model spike in powertrain defects

 

Their score for 5,582 Prius is well above everyone else but we don't have details that identify the specific weak areas. For example, 12V battery life which would explain the spike at 100k miles.

Bob Wilson

 

The model years are in comparison to an average for that year. The 2009 average was better. If it was the same as 2008, the 2008 and 2009 Prius would have been about the same.

 

I don't trust statistics, there are to many things that can go wrong on a car. Some important, some less so.

 

You can maybe trust statistics, but keep in mind: they're sure as heck not certainties, and can be completely upset by vagaries: various car issues, well meaning owners' mess-ups, and so on.

 

E tune complaints should put Toyota at the bottom of everything.

 

The OP link isn't like J.D. Powers or Consumer Reports in which things like the the infotainment interface being clumsy or a squeak only the owner hears are counted as an issue. Dash Light is only looking at power train issues.

Ford's Sync dragged them down.
But being older, many Toyota owners may not even use Entune, and thus don't complain about it.

 

have no idea what Entune even is...

 

Dashboard Light is where data is stored for the Long-Term Quality Index (LTQI) project. As mentioned, it's a compilation of used car auction results. Both LTQI and Car Complaints note the 2009 Prius model as having fewer problems than the 2008 or 2010 model years. True Delta shows the 2009 model as having more problems than the 2008 or 2010, although fewer serious problems that cost over $1000 to fix, and Consumer Reports shows the 2010 model year as having fewer problems than either the 2008 or 2009 models.

The data is not conclusive that the 2009 model is better than early 3rd gen Prius models, but it was persuasive enough for me to buy a 2009 model.

 

You can probably trust statistics provided you understand the limits. Sad to say, they can easily be abused and used to mislead.

Bob Wilson

 

Don't recall who said it, but whoever I'm quoting said...
.. there's lies, damned lies and statistics!

 

Given the methodology, I would consider the conclusions worthless. Auction gives a poor sample set for the universe of prii.

I had infant mortality of my 12 V battery, less than 2 years, replaced for free at the dealer. Unfortunately it was another battery that probably was not manufactured well. I ended up buying a non toyota battery to replace that one and it is working fine. Gen III from november of 2009. brake software also updated under waranty. More of a PITA than my previous lexus, but maintenance bills have been the lowest of any car I've ever owned.