no report yet
Engine and engine cooling
Risk. The corroded coil wire may break and the water pump could stop.
2008 Toyota PriusProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 1,498 owner complaints about the 2008 Toyota Prius, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 4 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through November 7, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: SsmIntrigue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2008 Toyota Prius has problems
1,498 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
579Exterior lighting1 crash/fire/injury
235Electrical system11 crash/fire/injury
171Service brakes, hydraulic33 crash/fire/injury
156Vehicle speed control57 crash/fire/injury
146Service brakes18 crash/fire/injury
77Service brakes, electric
68Structure
54Power train
49Engine
29524 other systems68 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior lighting | 579 | 1 |
| Electrical system | 235 | 11 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 171 | 33 |
| Vehicle speed control | 156 | 57 |
| Service brakes | 146 | 18 |
| Service brakes, electric | 77 | 14 |
| Structure | 68 | 13 |
| Power train | 54 | 5 |
| Engine | 49 | 3 |
| 24 other systems | 295 | 68 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
4 recalls
2008 Toyota Prius recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
no report yet
Steering
Risk. Over time, the splines may wear and eventually fail resulting in a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
no report yet
Other: labels
Risk. A DRIVER MAY OVERLOAD A VEHICLE WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
no report yet
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
Risk. A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR…
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Toyota.
Mileage at failure
When do exterior lighting problems start?
57kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 514 exterior lighting complaints. 81% were reported before 100,000 miles.
69under 30k miles414under 100k miles100100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Exterior lighting
108 owners mentioned a cost$387median
Middle half: $253 – $567
Service brakes
29 owners mentioned a cost$2,802median
Middle half: $2,500 – $3,000
Electrical system
27 owners mentioned a cost$925median
Middle half: $418 – $1,250
Structure
13 owners mentioned a cost$280median
Middle half: $197 – $315
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2008 vs. every other Prius year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Prius median. How we score
'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2008 Toyota Prius safety ratings
2008 Toyota Prius 4-DR.w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: Optional
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2008 Toyota Prius, and the recalls they led to.
- Intermediate Steering Shaft SeparationNo recall
- Pedestrian alert soundsLed to recall 22V-063
In owners' words
What Prius owners report
Recent exterior lighting complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
Hello. My 2008 Toyota Prius had a malfunction with the "combination meter" which caused the vehicle dashboard to turn off completely, and we could not turn off the engine at times when stopped and parked. The dealer fixed the problem at a cost of $1580, and both the dealer and Toyota corporate…
On June 1st yesterday this issue happened again but it was the taillights. The uploaded document is from the most recent repair shop bill for the front headlight (under warranty since it stopped working so close to the previous repair) Intermittently without cause the front right head light goes…
I am currently having this issue with Combination Meter, which means the Prius dash board will not show any speed, fuel, P, R, D label and many more important information is not shown on display. I had complained to Toyota, CASE[XXX] on 19Dec2022, I have spoken to Danial N and manager Alex S from…
Own a 2008 Prius?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.