2008 Toyota Prius: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1892 complaints
1892
Total Complaints
55,000mi
Median Mileage
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Top Issue
214
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

27,470 25th Percentile
55,000 Median Mileage
99,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
553
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
228
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
157
SERVICE BRAKES
145
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
142
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
77
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
50
ENGINE
48
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
43
POWER TRAIN
41

Severity Assessment

214
Crashes
10
Fires
103
Injuries
8
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I HAVE REPORTED TO TOYOTA MY CONCERN ABOUT THE 2008 MODEL YEAR PRIUS, THE MIDDLE BACK PASSENGER SEAT. THE SEAT HAS BEEN RAISED UP ABOUT 2 INCHES (PADDING) BUT IS NARROW, CAUSING IT TO NOT BE STABLE/COMPATIBLE WITH AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT CHILD RESTRAINT/BOOSTER SEATS THAT WE HAVE TRIED. THIS WAS NOT TH..."
"I HAVE REPORTED TO TOYOTA MY CONCERN ABOUT THE 2008 MODEL YEAR PRIUS, THE MIDDLE BACK PASSENGER SEAT. THE SEAT HAS BEEN RAISED UP ABOUT 2 INCHES (PADDING) BUT IS NARROW, CAUSING IT TO NOT BE STABLE/COMPATIBLE WITH AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT CHILD RESTRAINT/BOOSTER SEATS THAT WE HAVE TRIED. THIS WAS NOT TH..."
"WHEN I TURN MY HEAD LIGHTS ON AFTER A FEW MINUTES LEFT LIGHT GOES OFF I TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND TURN BACK ON AGAIN THE BOTH LIGHTS ARE ON FOR FEW MINUTES AND THEN AGAIN LEFT LIGHT GOES OFF. *TR"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28