Issues, problems or conerns

Other: I'm concerned that some of the issues other people had (MFD malfunction, etc.) will strike me now that I'm beyond the basic warranty without an extended one...

 

My car only has 5000 miles but for what it's worth the quality seems quite good. A few interior squeeks due to plastic stuff rubbing together but nothing like my Accord was when it was new. All the body panels fit well and nothing has malfunctioned. Overall I am very pleased with the car and it makes me happy to drive it. I usually go down the road with a smile on my face enjoying what I think of as a really cool car.

The problems I have noticed are design problems vice quality control problems. Some of these things could have been remedied by Toyota for the 2005 model year but were not, and I don't think they fixed them for '06 either.

These kinds of problems would include:

1. the drivers seat is uncomfortable for many people, maybe Toyota needs to buy it's designers a Honda Accord EX and make them drive it for a while so they will know what can be done

2. handling and tracking need to be improved, especially tracking in high winds (note to Toyota) a good ride does not necessarily mean you must have a soft suspension

3. the rubber fuel bladder is a mess, redesign it or get rid of it

4. the American and Canadian versions need to have 16" wheels and wider tires for better handling and shorter stoping distances, better quality tires wouldn't hurt either

5. I haven't driven it in the snow yet but from other posts I think the traction control needs to be reprogramed so it will work better in snow and ice.

Those are a few examples of things I would like to see changed. There are more but these are most likely going to get me into enough trouble with some members. Please remember I really like this car but I have never owned a car that couldn't be improved.

 

The seat is not a problem with me but I would like lumbar support. Others have had more problems though.

 

Personally, I've found the seats very comfortable, and this is with the experience of a cross country trip. Not to discount other's complaints with this issue, but it seems it's the larger people that aren't happy. Still, more adjustability would be nice.

The visibility was a concern at first, but I've gotten used to it.

I would have picked stereo quality (or rather, the lack thereof) as the biggest issue, but it wasn't on the list.

I have not experienced the wandering as much as others, but the handling is still an issue, mostly on the highway on a windy, rainy day. I have a stiffener plate and spoiler on order, and I'm hoping that will help.

Overall, I'm very impressed. Any complaints I have are relatively minor compared to the good parts.

 

I wish the seat was more comfy...that's it!

 

Seats arn't comfortable, no aux input for Ipod, poor rearward visability, kind of plasticy interior, really lousy tires. Other then these, I'm very happy with the car.
-Paul R. Haller-

 

I just turned 17k. I've had one engine warning light and one recall - both taken care of by dealer at no charge. I change my own oil using Mobil 1. I just self-installed Sirius satellite radio using the DVD and materials from Internection.

The vehicle earns 60 mpg in warm weather (600 mi per tank) and is currently at 52 mpg with cooler temperatures. I'm about to install an engine block heater for better fuel economy in cool mornings.

My only concern is I wish I had the equivalent of my 4Runner, but with the improvements and fuel economy of the Prius II.

 

Filling up has been my biggest issue. (7 week owner) I don't like to pump really slow when it's literally zero degrees Fahrenheit out there!! I haven't driven any really long extended distances yet, but I think I could be voting the seat comfort too -- and I would consider myself averaged sized (both height/weight).

But - I love my car - and I also smile when I drive it

 

My only real beef is the bladder. If you get the wrong pump the auto cut-off constantly does it's job, making fill-ups take a bit longer than they should. I like the seats fine but they're definitely an issue for taller folks. I was driving in tropical storm force winds on the way to work today. The car definitely tracked but the wind was literally blowing at 35-50 mph sustained! Tropical Storm Wth in Denver in December. Still plenty of other vehicles were having the same problem. I havn't had stability problems in more normal situations. One thing I would really like is an engine temp gauge! It's really annoying that you have to buy an aftermarket device to keep tabs on the engine temp. I wanna block off my radiator and so a temp indicator is a must for me. Otherwise I'm really enjoying the car. Fun to drive and it's turned me into a gear head. I wouldn't have guessed that!

 

What I can't understand is why Toyota hasn't put the windscreen wipers both on the far corners of the windscreen. I had a Peugeot 307 before the Prius which had the wipers in that spot. There's a couple of advantages: there is no need to have different wipers on RHD and LHD versions and the only part of the windscreen that is not touched by the wipers is behind the rear view mirror, so you have maximum visibility.

 

no beefs or issues from this family: No squeeks, handling problems, accelerating problems, wind noise, service.....nothing!...of course, that's based on the current 5000 miles on the vehicle.

First time we've ever had an issue with non-issues!!!!

 

Days shy of two years of ownership, I have no concerns worth marking in a poll answer, as my biggest concerns have been relatively minor. My biggest is the way the heating and A/C controls operate. I'd prefer old-fashioned dial-type controls over the stupid computerized ones. It also annoys me that the car must come to a 10-second stop after being fuly warmed up before it will go into Stage-4 operation. It SHOULD go into S-4 as soon as it is warm enough, without the stop.

But both of these are minor concerns.

Another (minor) concern is that, although the car will go into electric mode up to 42 mph on its own, it cannot be forced into electric mode with the EV switch above 34 mph. Why the difference? Makes no sense.

Handling and stability in a strong cross-wind are not as good as in some other cars, maybe due to the cross-section. That was a problem on North Dakota freeways. N.D. puts Chicago to shame for wind. There's nothing between the north pole and Fargo to stop the wind and it is fierce and brutal.

The gas tank holds less than its rated capacity. But nobody would complain about that if they just said it held 9 gallons instead of 12.

ALL these issues are extremely minor, they are nit-picking, when taking the Prius as a whole.

 

Most of my concerns center on the interior. We have just 500 miles on our 2006 but my first impressions will still hold true at 50K miles. Toyota skimped on the interior comforts, instruments, and poor choice of materials. It needs more seat travel for longer legs (cheap fix is to drill new holes Toyota). Certainly vertical adjustment, lumbar and HEATED seats wouldn't be unreasonable on a $30K car (we have pkg 7). Adding telescoping to the steering wheel and more seat travel would solve many of my concerns.

I am 6'4" and the rear view mirror creates a blind spot looking to the right side of the windshield. The interior fabric (suede-like) on the center console and door armrests is not going to stand up to oily hands grabbing the door or opening the console. I just hope it cleans easily.

Lifting the rear wiper arm to clean or scrape snow is limited by a poorly designed piece of plastic. I am looking at cutting a radius to allow more travel.

Smart Key isn't! You can't work on the outside of the car with the fob in your pocket, the interior lights just keep going on and off, and having to disable the system so you can is just dumb. If the locks are so smart why don't they Auto lock when you start driving? There is even a Poll on the forums asking "How many times do you press the buttons?" The only thing going for it is Toyota didn't have to buy any ignition key mechanisms. I haven't had to climb through the back seat to open the rear hatch yet, but a keyhole in back might make sense, we do have 1 key. Link the car horn to the fob locking sequence so you KNOW the car is locked (just like most every other car in the world, this is almost an international standard)

There is a dashboard dimmer rolling switch that only dims the speedometer portion of the dash but does not control the brightness of the MFD which requires going thru the menus to adjust. I drive from unlit country roads to lighted highways to bright city lighting all on the same trip. The rolling dimmer should do it all.

Add a simple "Make Default" button to each MFD screen so it will stop the silly switching back and forth to other screens.

The only place to find all of the voice activation Commands is in the Help screen!!!!!! By the time you find the command you forget why you were looking, or you wind up just pushing the buttons. PRINT ALL of the Commands in the Owners Manual and make ALL commands available from ANY screen.

I love truly the mileage but there is still room for improvement in this car.

 

My 6 foot tall husband isn't happy with the seats and seating position for driving. He would like more padding and better adjustments for the wheel to get completely comfortable.

I too have minor quibbles. I would prefer having the wheel a bit closer to me. No, moving the seat closer to the front crunches up the legs and my right knee can cramp ie tried that already.

So a Telescoping Wheel would be nice.

Over 6,000 miles and that's the only complaint so far.

I've even gotten comfortable with the Guess Gauge and never need more than 9 gallons to fill up! B)

 

do the 2 minute fix and get on with life. Pull off the black cover and take a knife and heat it on the stove and cut off the front piece that goes down from the front radius. Get some black RTV silicone and put a dab on the inside of the cover and put it back on. Once the you do that the wiper stands straight up and you can wash and squeege dry the window. If you have to take the cover off a steady pull will break the silicone bond.

 

my only beef was visibility. have not had ANY handling issues... so cant comment on that, lucky i guess. the seat could be better, but have taken several LONG road trips including a half dozen that required 6+ hours of driving (cant begin to tell you how nice it is to fill up the tank, drive 5 hours to get somewhere, spend a few hours there and drive back home WITHOUT stopping for gas...totally awesome) and sure, seats are not great, height adjustment is a definite problem (not for me) and i like having the steering wheel at arms length. (my mother for one, could not have driven this car. she is a short Okinawan with even shorter arms!)

and yes, i think that Toyota could have done much better with the information available to the driver. just too much going on that i want to know about. (CANVIEW fixed that so... no biggie...and in retrospect, CANVIEW and its development being more open source and collaborative will probably go twice as far as Toyota would of anyway)

i, unlike most dont feel that there was a premium on this car. i felt that i paid a fair price because i dont consider this to be an entry level car. i guess i could have paid the same and got a comfier car, but i wouldnt trade the technology for comfort for ANY price, so cant complain about what i paid for it.

as far as the vision thing goes, headlights on my Prius works so much better than the last few cars i had, its hard to complain. sure the side post is thick and the rear view sucks, (last few cars ive had had much worse problem anyway, so i try to minimize my backwards driving) but the split window enables me to back up much better than i thought.

i guess what i really have to say is that after 20,000 miles i have no regrets. (except maybe getting SKS)

 

Toyota is finally offering leather for that interior and darker cloth choices. Have to wait for my next one though and watch the light tan in my car get dirtier and dirtier!

Other than that I have done a 4 person road trip to LA and 2 road trips to Paso and Solvang area (1 alone and 1 with a friend). Very comfortable overall, my knees hurt more than my back, but that is age not the car!

 

It is a very sad day for me as I must give up on buying a Prius (at least a 2005 or 2006) because my legs hit the steering wheel as I drive. I did a test drive of a 05 back in December and thought maybe I could just pull my leg out to the side while I drove but I did another test drive today and my leg actually got caught while making a turn and I had to move my entire body to get it free to complete the turn. I said no way after that, it is too risky. Plus that stick coming out of the right of the steering wheel kept hitting my leg as I turned the wheel, I'm sure it would be funny for the passengers if the wipers came on while I drove (if that was what that was) but it was no fun for me. I am only 6'2, I do have long legs...it just is a shame they do not provide options to compensate There was no difference between the wheel hitting me on the leather or the cloth seats. I also tried the Highlander with the same problem. I asked the dealer to please let Toyota know that they lost a sale because of it. They were not aware of any aftermarket power seats or adjustments. I later called another dealer I had talked to previously and told her the story and she asked if I was in her store that day and I said no. She said her coworker had just come in saying someone 6'4 came in that day and had the same problem with the Prius. I will miss you all on PriusChat, I have read dozens and dozens of posts over the past few month

 

My only issue so far is:

My 2006 came with the light gray interior instead of the darker gray that's advertised on Toyota's website.

It's not a BIG issue for me but the principle of the thing...you know.

I'm not sure what happened there, maybe the new darker gray was not ready for the first batch of 06's and they had to make the call.

Aaron