prius

(martyz)

Toyota Recalls 106,000 Prius Vehicles Over Steering Concerns
By Chris Morran on June 1, 2011 8:21 AM   13 Comments
Toyota has issued a recall on some early model (2001-2003) Prius vehicles over concerns that a problem in the steering system could could lead to drivers having difficulty controlling the car. More »

(jerm IX)

California To End Carpool Lane Benefit For Hybrid Owners
By Chris Morran on May 17, 2011 11:30 AM   109 Comments
From 2005 through 2007, the state of California made a pretty tempting offer to get drivers behind the wheels of hybrid cars: Buy one and you'll get a sticker that allows you to cruise in the carpool lane without having to have that annoying other passenger (or mannequin) next to you. It was like a VIP pass on the highway. But those halcyon days are about to end. More »

(It's Our City)

650,000 Prius Hybrids Need Water Pumps Fixed
By Ben Popken on November 30, 2010 12:00 PM   21 Comments
Toyota is going to pay to fix the water pumps on 2004-2007 Prius hybrids starting in December. The pumps can glitch, causing the car to overheat and lose power. More »

(unobtainable)

How To Give An Electric An MPG When They Don't Run On Gas?
By Ben Popken on October 15, 2010 11:00 AM   92 Comments
Cruising the electric cars on the showroom floor, consumers could soon be faced with an array of new numbers and stats on the piece of paper in the car window. Until now we've just had the traditional city vs highway MPG, but how do you give a rating that makes sense to car that doesn't run on gas? More »

(geognerd)

Want To Rent A Hybrid? Be Prepared To Pay A Lot More Green
By Chris Morran on June 28, 2010 1:15 PM   47 Comments
When it comes to car rentals, I've rarely cared about the make and model of what I'm driving, so long as it's in my (low) price range, it has a working radio and the driver's side door operates properly. So it's a good thing I've never tried to rent a hybrid, because the New York Times says I'd be paying anywhere from 30-70% more for the thrill of it all. More »

Police Report Supports Runaway Prius Driver's Story
By Meg Marco on March 17, 2010 11:34 PM   65 Comments
The Associated Press is reporting that a newly released police report confirms details given by the driver of the runaway Prius, but does not address inconsistencies between the driver's story and information provided by Toyota. More »

Video: How To Stop A Speeding Prius If You're F****** Stupid
By Ben Popken on March 16, 2010 8:36 AM   77 Comments
This masked video troll is the zeitgeist. His 40-odd f-bomb-fueled demonstration of how to stop a Prius captures the mood among a swath of consumers that runaway Toyotas are just the fault of "stupid" drivers. Nevermind that the driver of an out-of-control Lexus did both the "power off" and "put it in neutral" tricks he shows, potentially pointing to an electronics system issue, and it didn't help. "Get your head out of your ass, stop thinking about saving the planet, and figure out how to drive your car," he admonishes. Very NSFW, cursing. More »

Toyota Still At Loss For How To FIx Problem WIth Prius
By Chris Morran on March 9, 2010 2:33 PM   19 Comments
A day after a 2008 Toyota Prius went rogue at speeds over 90mph on a California interstate, Toyota has admitted that, even though the Prius is on the current recall list, they don't quite know how to fix the problem. More »

(fallenposters)

Toyota Recalls More Than 400,000 Cars For Faulty Brakes
By Meg Marco on February 9, 2010 3:25 AM   23 Comments
Hey! The rumors were true! Toyota is recalling more cars! This time they are hauling you back to the dealer for a braking problem that is affecting several of their hybrid models — including the 2010 Prius, the Sai, which is not sold in the U.S., the plug-in version of the Prius, and the Lexus HS250h. They are also recalling 7,300 Camrys for a completely different problem. More »

Report: Toyota Will Recall 270,000 Prius Hybrids Over Brake Problems
By Meg Marco on February 5, 2010 1:35 AM   34 Comments
The Associated Press is reporting that a top Japanese business newspaper (that we don't understand because our Japanese reading comprehension really sucks) says that Toyota will recall 270,000 Prius hybrids over complaints about "inconsistent" braking. Consistently being able to brake, of course, is something you tend to want in a car. The braking problem is unrelated to the floor mat and the "sticky pedal" issue. More »

Great, Now People Are Complaining About Toyota's Brakes
By Meg Marco on February 3, 2010 12:15 PM   69 Comments
Toyota is having a hell of a time lately. According to CNNMoney, "more than 100 complaints alleging poor brake performance have been lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration against the 2010 Prius." In addition, there have been 14 complaints in Japan. Ouch, if it's not one pedal it's another, eh? More »

Toyota Recalls 3.8 Mil Cars For Stuck Gas Pedal Danger
By Ben Popken on September 29, 2009 8:27 PM   96 Comments

—>Toyota is recalling 3.8 million cars and warning owners of certain late-model cars to immediately remove their driver's side floor mat to avoid accelerators getting stuck. The affected Toyota and Lexus models are:  More »

Honda, Toyota, Ford Top Cash For Clunkers Sellers
By Laura Northrup on August 5, 2009 7:03 PM   46 Comments

—>Some initial statistics are in on the vehicles traded in and purchased in the "Cash for Clunkers" program. Unsurprisingly, 80% of the vehicles traded in are trucks or SUVs, and the top sellers among car-buyers come from Honda, Toyota, and Ford.  More »

2010 Prius Uses Roman Numerals For Trim Levels. Eh?
By Ben Popken on March 11, 2009 3:48 PM   49 Comments

—>Instead of stuff like SE, LE and XLE, the different options packages or "trim levels" on the 2010 Prius will be demarcated by roman numerals II, III, and IV. There is no Prius I. Odd. Probably to set it apart from your normal, not-getting-50-mpg cars. [Kicking Tires]  More »

UPDATE: Consumer Takes Sleazy Prius Salesman To Court
By Ben Popken on July 7, 2008 7:23 PM   41 Comments

—>23 months after we first posted her story, Angela Weigold writes in with the latest update about a Prius salesmen who left multiple harassing phone messages daily, calling Anela a "whore" and put her phone number on online escort websites.  More »

Car Sales Plummet: Automakers Just Don't Make The Cars You Want
By Meg Marco on July 1, 2008 7:58 PM   144 Comments

—>CNNMoney says that consumers are avoiding gas guzzling SUVs and buying... nothing! whaddayaknow.  More »

When Does It Make Financial Sense To Downsize Your Car?
By Meg Marco on June 17, 2008 10:59 PM   78 Comments
Over at Consumer Reports they've been running the numbers, trying to figure out when it makes financial sense to downsize into a more fuel efficient car.   More »

High Gas Prices Transform Geo Metros From Weak To Chic
By Jay Slatkin on May 21, 2008 1:51 PM   103 Comments

—>The formerly mocked and neglected Geo Metro is finding new popularity amidst high gas prices. According to CNN, the Geo Metro is making a spectacular comeback, especially on eBay. You might be surprised to learn that the Geo Metro and Toyota Prius get nearly the same gas mileage. Now consider that a Metro can be found for about $7000 compared to a new Prius which costs $21,000+, it becomes easy to see the attraction. Details, inside...  More »

Reader Takes Comfort In Making The DMV Type The F-Word In A Legal Document
By Meg Marco on December 6, 2007 12:17 AM   63 Comments

—>The DMV is making reader Paul surrender his license plates because they could stand for something untoward, but he takes solace in the fact that he made them type a nasty word in a legal document.  More »

Computer Glitch Causes Toyota Prius To Fail Georgia Emissions Test
By Meg Marco on November 27, 2007 6:57 PM   54 Comments

—>If you bought a Toyota Prius and have been trying to pass an emissions test in Georgia, you're probably pretty stressed out right about now.  More »