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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg The odd-looking Toyota Prius is consistently at or near the top of consumer satisfaction surveys and its owners are always eager to assure you that they are doing their part to help humanity....That's all fine but if everyone drove a battery-equipped hybrid today, there would be a huge toxic waste problem when it came time to scrap the batteries. Also, there is some question about just how economical and reliable these cars will be longterm. (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_prius.html#ixzz0HdFVFbCI&C)

http://www.youtube.com/v/oOvp69lnZbA&hl=en&fs=1&Go with your feelings. You always hated the Prius - of course the traction battery is unreliable and toxic, the EMF is going to microwave you, it will lunge at you in the garage or the highway. Besides, only socialists that blame America first drive this POS. If you are a real man you will believe these hearsay accounts before peer-reviewed reports and statistics! See - the Prius SUCKS! - Ed

CONSUMERAFFAIRS (http://www.consumeraffairs.com) - June 6, 2009

Excerpt: The Toyota Prius nearly killed a mechanic and me today, literally. I had the car stored for months in my flat level driveway for a relative who is traveling abroad. Naturally, the battery went dead after not being driven during this time. So, I had a mechanic come and he started the engine today. While the Prius engine was running, both the mechanic and myself were half in and half outside the car; the mechanic by the driver side and me by the passenger side. The car suddenly lunged in reverse and the driver side opened door of the Prius totally destroyed my car driver side door parked along side it, and somehow the mechanic brought the car to a stop. The mechanic claims the Prius was in neutral but the brake had been applied when it suddenly, with no warning, accelerated in reverse. Im thankful we escaped without injury but now I have a hefty expense to replace my car door. Just imagine if someone had been behind the Prius today, they likely would have died.... http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_prius.html#ixzz0HdFVFbCI&C

Got a simple question: If the emergency brake is on, how can a Prius or any other car lunge?

I've been suspicious of www.consumeraffairs.com. An infamous serial troller of hybrid, EV, and other green sites is fond of using this URL for "evidence".

I posted a glowing review of the Prius on that website. We'll see if it shows up. Here's part of the wording of the email I got in response to my attempt to post:

Your report will be reviewed by our editors and may be published on ourWeb site and shared with members of the media, government investigatorsand attorneys prosecuting actions on behalf of consumers.

Notice the "may" part. They only post the comments they feel like posting, which fit their obvious litigious nature.

What a crock!

Harry

I like the post on that page, near the bottom, where the owner was saying that the fresh air intake has no screen and a mouse found its way in. So he had to pay $92 to have a dead mouse removed from the defroster duct. Well, that settles it. I'm not buying one of these cars. Now, even mice are dying because of the defects. :rolleyes:

The Prius has a little known secret. I stumbled on it a while back but I wanted to keep it secret. Since the cat is out of the bag I might as well tell you.

If you get the SOC down to 40%, Apply the emergency brake, and put the car in neutral the Prius can do 0-60 in about 3.8 seconds in reverse. The best part is it does the 0-60 all in electric mode. Its able to do this because there is a hidden set of batteries below the car that hold about 3kWh of energy by my calculations.

Another complaint: a woman lost control of her Prius in a heavy hailstorm, sliding into the other lane, causing a collision with another car. She blamed the Prius for that! The truly scary thing about that is the complainant's mental process, blaming the car, and taking no responsibility for her own lack of judgment and poor driving skills. That woman is doomed to slide into the opposing lane of traffic the next time she encounters slippery conditions on the road. And that web site is irresponsible to the point of posting an outrageous comment like that? Unbelievable...

Harry

I'm just waiting for an idiot to link unexplained Prius accelerations on wet highways to improper airspeed in that Atlantic thunderstorm that downed Flight 447.

Yawn...

People blaming their cars when they themselves don't know how to drive.

If the Prius was that deadly, Big Oil Bush Jr would have invoked some hidden article of the Patriot Act and had the cars sent to Gitmo for rendering. Gimmie a break. I'd take a hit in a Prius over a Cobalt or HHR any day.

I like the post on that page, near the bottom, where the owner was saying that the fresh air intake has no screen and a mouse found its way in. So he had to pay $92 to have a dead mouse removed from the defroster duct. Well, that settles it. I'm not buying one of these cars. Now, even mice are dying because of the defects. :rolleyes:

The best one I saw was the one from Jason L. Camps, who complained that he took his Prius to a third-party guy who said he was perfectly familiar with the Prius, but then because the guy overfilled his "oil tank," problems ensued. Still having trouble figuring out why that's a problem with Toyota.... :eyebrow:

Can't back this up, but some say every dime of every dollar spent is for legal fees. We are the most litigious country on earth. We need tort reform and that site is an excellent exhibit against frivolous lawsuits. Penalize plaintiffs that are suing to get easy money.

Can't back this up, but some say every dime of every dollar spent is for legal fees. We are the most litigious country on earth. We need tort reform and that site is an excellent exhibit to stop this. Penalize plaintiffs that are suing to get easy money.

I think some version of "loser" pays would help a lot. The way things are now when things go wrong anybody nearby is part of the suit.

My employer is currently being sued because we were on-site when a driver barreled through a construction zone and killed the client representative who was supervising us. Not because we were at fault, but because the attorney representing the victim saw a company's name in the paperwork and figured since it didn't cost her anything, she should rope us into court on the off chance that previous investigations missed something she could blame us for. It'll cost a few thousand dollars to defend ourselves from an accusation that never would've been made if plaintiffs had to pay the reasonable costs of those they unjustly accuse.

I think some version of "loser" pays would help a lot. The way things are now when things go wrong anybody nearby is part of the suit.

It's my understanding that a few states already have Loser Pays, but Judges rarely enforce it. :confused:

I have an '08 Prius...and it's a great automobile....because I use it for for what it's specifically engineered for! I'm sorry the people on this website are having problems or have experienced injury and loss. But honestly, most of what I have read shows me a total lack of intelligence and common sense. I am astounded that people are actually trying to use this car in conditions I'd hesitate driving my Tundra truck with a V-8 in.

The Prius is engineered for urban, in-town, moderate road conditions...Not the Alaskan bush country! If you need to drive up a steep gravel incline or blizzard to get home every day, BUY A VEHICLE DESIGNED TO USE THAT WAY for God's sake!

And I'm sorry...but getting an attorney involved in a situation he or she knows absolutely nothing about is ludicrous. The novel-length diatribe accusing Toyota of ignoring a supposed defect with brake failure is comical. If brakes are worn down to metal-on-metal, it's a case of long-term brake usage and ignorance of the owner-operator...not Toyota. I really like the guy who expected to get 60 MPG on a USED '05 Prius. Yeah, 60 MPG...on a used car no less. Idiot. Try a motorcycle dude. You also might try reading the specs on the car before you buy it. That will help take away some of the disappointment. Hey people...they're cars...they break. Name me one car that doesn't have problems.

The problem I see in most of these complaints is unrealistic expectations by owners, poor knowledge of basic automotive engineering principles, and lack of common sense. Ignorant people + automobiles. Bad combination.

Well, 60mpg in a used Prius is definitely possible (as we all know here), but the rest is spot on.

Okay, lemme get this straight: the *mechanic*, the professional,
is in the drivers seat fooling around and has managed to get
the car into neutral. Both people are disposed haphazardly across
the seats, presumably trying to lean down and find something.
The shifter paddle is right there, and guess whose elbow or
head or shoulder nudged it upward?
.
I think it's immediately obvious who's at fault here. Hope he
carries lots of GL.
.
_H*

If we are looking for deep pockets to sue (vehicle mfrs or others) it makes little sense to observe or imagine defects in products manufactured by bankrupt companies. Therefore...

DAS

These Prius flaming articles crack me up. It's about like the way that Explorer tires were blamed for the vehicles rolling over. Then, Car and Driver tested it and couldn't make the thing do what people claimed it was doing.

LIke Lloyd says in Dumb and Dumber, "Lot a bad drivers out there".

Man, these here hyberids are dangerous. Dude! Everyone who drives them eventually ups and DIES. Do you know of one hyberid-type dude who has driven the thing for any unreasonable amount of time (umn, lets pick a number at random, like 4 score and 10) that hasn't eventually just keeled over?

Why do you think Dee-troit gave up on electrifi-whatcha-callits back in 1912 or so? Think they didn't suspect nothing?

In response to the article....wow...Do we really, in such a prosperous country, have this many uneducated citizens??? This is appalling to say the least. I'm embarrassed. I hope the volt isn't given this when we try to export it to China and other countries.

In response to the article....wow...Do we really, in such a prosperous country, have this many uneducated citizens??? This is appalling to say the least. I'm embarrassed. I hope the volt isn't given this when we try to export it to China and other countries.

Critical thinking is not a skill the average American has (just look at what and how people drive).

These Prius flaming articles crack me up. It's about like the way that Explorer tires were blamed for the vehicles rolling over. Then, Car and Driver tested it and couldn't make the thing do what people claimed it was doing.

I remember that one. The had a remote-control instant-deflate device on the tires. The final step was at 60 mph, and the driver didn't even touch the steering wheel when the tire "blew". The car rolled straight down the track until it stopped.