2008 Prius problems? Mine was made in Japan, so not recalled, anyone had any issues with this model?

SUSAN G

I just bought it used - found out horn doesn't work, nor do overhead lights above visor, nor dashboard phone charger - could this be electrical system problem or just a blown fuse?















Jerry you were right about the strange process of getting the visor lights to work - thanks. Still don't know about the horn or cigarette lighter/charger...floods?! Ack! I hope not!















Shelby, wow - I did buy it from a dealer, do I have any recourse? I have a 60 day warranty - they will fix, but not replace a car; that doesn't really help me, does it? I am going back there today to ask them to fix the horn and show me the recall fix results (there are no floormats in the car presently) I spent numerous hours at that dealership already and don't have the time to continue doing so...

JerryJ

No issues with this model (or any other for that matter).































The lights above the visor are tricky. You have to:































1. Have the switch by the visor turned on.































2. Have the mirror door open.































3. Have the visor tilted at the correct angle.































All three are required to make the light go on.































The power ports only work when the Prius is on.































The horn could be a fuse or a damaged hom.































Did you get the Prius checked out before you bought it to make sure that it wasn't one that was in a flood?

JerryJ

No issues with this model (or any other for that matter).































The lights above the visor are tricky. You have to:































1. Have the switch by the visor turned on.































2. Have the mirror door open.































3. Have the visor tilted at the correct angle.































All three are required to make the light go on.































The power ports only work when the Prius is on.































The horn could be a fuse or a damaged hom.































Did you get the Prius checked out before you bought it to make sure that it wasn't one that was in a flood?

shelby

First- I need to correct your statement "Mine was made in Japan, so not recalled"















The fact is that ALL 2008 Toyota Prius are made in Japan.















They are exported to the USA and other countries, but built in Japan.































The ones that were built in Japan, for use IN Japan were NOT recalled. The ones that were built in Japan, FOR the USA,and then exported to the USA, WERE recalled.















But ALL of them ARE BUILT IN JAPAN.















You will note that the first character in the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)is a "J". That character always denotes the country that the vehicle is assembled in."1" is USA"2" is for Canada"3" is for Mexico"K" is for Korea"J" is for Japan















etc.















________















Secondly-































NHTSA lists 2 Safety Recalls on the 2008 Prius:















(one is a tire/load labeling infraction)















The other one is:















----Copied from NHTSA's site>>>>















Make: TOYOTA Model: PRIUS















Model Year: 2008















Manufacturer: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. Mfr's Report Date: OCT 05, 2009















NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V388000 N/A















NHTSA Action Number: N/A















Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL















Potential Number of Units Affected: 4260319















Summary:















TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT.















Consequence:















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 DEATH.















Remedy:















TOYOTA FILED AN AMENDED DEFECT REPORT ON NOVEMBER 25, 2009, STATING THAT DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND, ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, ALTER THE SHAPE OF THE FLOOR SURFACE UNDER THE PEDAL. THESE CHANGES ADDRESS THE RISK OF PEDAL ENTRAPMENT DUE TO INTERFERENCE WITH THE FLOOR MAT. REDESIGNED ACCELERATOR PEDALS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE BEGINNING IN APRIL 2010 AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY MODIFIED PEDAL WITH THE NEW PEDAL IF DESIRED. ALSO, DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY GENUINE TOYOTA OR LEXUS ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MATS WITH REDESIGNED ALL-WEATHER MATS, OR REPURCHASE THE PREVIOUS MATS FROM OWNERS WHO DO NOT WANT THE NEW ONES. ADDITIONALLY, SOFTWARE MODIFICATIONS WILL BE INSTALLED ON CAMRY, AVALON AND LEXUS ES 350, IS 350 AND IS 250 MODELS THAT WILL ENSURE THAT THE BRAKE OVERRIDES THE ACCELERATOR IN THE EVENT BOTH BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS ARE APPLIED. TOYOTA WILL BEGIN MAILING LETTERS TO OWNERS IN DECEMBER 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331, LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.















Notes:















TOYOTA RECALL NO. 90L/90LG. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .















_________end copy__________































Third- If you bought this vehicle from licensed reputable dealer, the Horn would work. That is part of a basic Safety inspection that any dealer would have complied with before selling it to you.















Also a dealer would have checked the VIN against the recalled vehicles for you. If you haven't purchased from a dealer & instead bought a vehicle "As Is" from a private party, then you will need to fix the Horn yourself immediately. An inoperative horn is a MAJOR safety infraction.















Also you'll need to check Toyota's recall center site to see if your vehicle has had the recall fix done yet.















______________________















Fourth-















The NHTSA-o.d.i (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration - office of defects investigations) currently has on file 655 individual Consumer safety complaints on the 2008 Toyota Prius. Each complaint is filed by an individual, and lists the vehicle identification number of the car. They are viewable to the public (and every single VIN begins with a "J", by the way)































_________















I'll try to post a link to the file, but The link and the file are exceptionally long so it probably will be truncated when I try to post it here















you may have to go to the NHTSA site & submit the year/make/model yourself, but I'll give you the site URL















Complaints:















http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complai...intVersion=YES















______________________















Fifth- there have been many complaints about the traction control on your Prius















Again the links are too long and the google search results are enormous















so enter "Toyota prius traction control problems" into search engine browser















______________________















Sixth-















there are even more complaints about "premature tire wear".