Prius Reliability Statistics - Stay away from the 2004 Prius?

Your thread title asks about staying away from the 2004, whereas the body of your message says older than 2004. Big difference -- 2004 is a different generation.

The 01-03 models have had a smattering of hybrid battery failures, which I'm guessing is what led to CR's downgrading for electrical issues. That still wouldn't necessarily keep me from buying one if the car was in good condition, though it might give me pause (and a reason to negotiate the price downward).

It it's the 2004 you're referring to, I agree with Efusco. The MFD issue would be much less of a concern to me, given that there's an inexpensive fix for it. I too know of no other electrical issues in the 2004s.

 

OP -- did you notice the overall reliability marks at the bottom ?

 

Absolutely have a certified Prius technician check over the car. Most of them are at Toyota dealers, and Toyota has proprietary diagnostic equipment which few independents have. So many things could be wrong with any modern car after even moderate damage, it's scary.

 

I once drove a Model A Ford and compared to a Model T, it was brilliant. Compared to what we have today, the Model A was one step above a Flintstone's car. But there comes a time when a car moves from being practical to an experiment and learning lab.

The 2001-03 Prius, NHW11, is certainly rapidly moving in that mode. We have a lot of data about how they work and insights about problem areas. The lessons learned from the NHW11 led to the NHW20, 2004-2009 and now the ZVW30, 2010 Prius.

If you really want to learn how the Prius works, an NHW11 is a great school, but it should not be the only transportation. If you want to enjoy the lessons learned, get a ZVW30 and treat it as a "magic box."

Bob Wilson

p.s. I started with a used, 2003 Prius bought in October 2005. We still have that car as well as a 2010 Prius. We sold the 2001 Echo.

 

The thread title is a atrociously misrepresentative. Mods, please fix this.

 

Just got an 08.. no problems noted..Im lovin it..

 

How much is it to have the car looked at by a prius certified tech? at the dealership?

 

The reliability chart of the 04's shows decreasing reliability in the electronics. I had a bad time with my 04 prius with then 110 k miles just stopping dead on the road, the inverter electric cooling pump quit, overheated the inverter, and fuses were blown. I also had something smoke at the time, I doubt it was the pump, 35 k miles later I'm still not sure what all happened that day. Check on my profile for the message thread if interested.
Anyway, would a failed inverter pump which causes the inverter to overheat and quit be an electrical issue or engine cooling issue for this graph. I would say an electrical issue. With increasing miles all models would be affected by this, just something for owners with older/high mileage cars to watch for, especially in the hot weather with increased electrical demand from the a/c.

 

The 2004 is the first year of a neww generatiion. Just as thwe 2010 is the first year of a new generation. I have found that you should never buy the first year of a newly designed car.... that's where all the bugs are found. New style , new problems. Wait until the next year, a lot of the bugs will be worked out and it will be a better car. I couldn't ask for better in my 2007 package 6. It is the 4th year of that generation. Most bugs are worked out.

 

93,000 miles on my late year 2005. Zero problems and no warranty work.

 

The thread title still sucks. Looking at the chart the 2004 reliability is above average in every category save one...where it is average. It looks favorable compared to the previous model.

 

Please interpret ConsumersReport data with a grain of salt.
The data was collected from their subscribers only.
The major issue is that consumersReport does not distinguish minor and major problems.
A tail light recall could be interpreted as badly as MFD failure (both electrical). There is no weight put on each problem. It is a survery-based report.

Of cource, 1st year model has its share of problems more than subsequent years. That applies to all brands and all models.

 

90,000 miles on my 2005 and nothing done except new tires and oil changes. Brakes are still like new. I didn't bother with a warranty.

 

All cars as they get older have more problems. Do a comparison for all cars 2003 and older and then post those results. I would be shocked if a 2003 did not have problems that needed fixed out of warranty.

 

My 2004 has been a shocker, piece of crap really. I had to spend $25 for repairs in the last 2 years, being a Toyota that disappoints me greatly.

 

Pat,
Mine has been an absolute disaster. I only have 177k miles on it! So far I have had to change the oil about 10 times! 3 sets of tires! 4 Air filters and sometimes I even have to put gas in it!

I am in a constant state of alarm because in about 150k more miles I will have to replace the original brakes and spark plugs! Outrage! I might actually have to visit the dealership one day!

But seriously folks, the only problem was the MFD which went flaky 9 months ago. I snagged on on ebay for $150 and installed it myself. I never buy an extended warranty, mainly because I have never had a bad experience with any of my Toyotas, Hondas, Subaru's and Acura.