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Prius Safety & Crash Test Ratings

2

Comments

  • jbarnhartjbarnhart Member Posts: 2
    No pics or newspaper articles. It only burned on Sunday, the day he called me. The strange thing (to me) is that he had not driven anywhere Saturday, so his car was just parked by itself, turned off for more than a day, when it spontaneously caught fire.

    I told him to call a lawyer instead of a newspaper. From the description here and on the Yahoo forum, it sounds like Toyota is not stepping up and taking care of these spontaneous combustion cases.

    Whatever the problem is, I hope it does not extend to 2006 Prius models like mine!
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I have only read of pre 2004 Prius fires. Under any circumstances Toyota should cover the loss. They are less than 8-10 years old. The battery warranty period.
  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    "Under any circumstances Toyota should cover the loss. They are less than 8-10 years old. The battery warranty period."

    I don't think the Gen 1 had the same warranty on the battery. Five years comes to mind...
  • suziknsuzikn Member Posts: 8
    Just got back from being out of town. I'll try to send you an e-mail.

    Is his insurance going to cover the fire???

    From what I understand from our insurance company, they are covering our loss and then their lawyers will fight Toyota to reimburse them.

    Since our insurance won't cover the loss of the items in the car, my husband is thinking of taking Toyota to small claims court to cover those items. I thought it was a good idea.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Your home owners policy should cover the items in your car. I know they did when my truck was stolen. Most auto policies cover up to a couple hundred bucks.

    I would be interested in how the insurance companies make out with Toyota.
  • jeyhoejeyhoe Member Posts: 490
    I just stumbled across this topic and want to add a couple of thoughts.

    First, larsb should be absolutely ashamed of his attitude about someone's car catching on fire. He apparently sees it as a political issue to be glossed over lest the Prius get unwanted bad press. Truly a fanboy gone wild.

    Next, I'm quite glad to hear that it seems to be only the early version of the Prius that's been burning as I have several friends with the new version parked in their garage. The Prius, based on my very limited admittedly experience, does not appear to be aging well. Another good friend bought one of the early ones and put about 130,000 miles on it before it "broke down" (and I dont know the details) while the couple were on a long vacation trip. They had it towed to nearest Toyota dealer where the estimate to repair was appx $10,000. That's what I call high maintenance! So they did the sensible? thing and wlaked out to the lot and picked out a new Prius, paid for it and continued their vacation.

    Last and to hopefully demonstrate that I'm not here (just?) to bash the Prius, there most certainly is another vehicle that is prone to burn. Bunch of them in fact. Surpirised no one in here mentioned the Ford "cruise control switch fires" that caused some number of fires, at least one that burned a house down and I think the folks inside were killed. :cry: This poorly designed switch is in a couple dozen Ford models and years back to 1993. Apparently the thing could short out and burn just sitting in the garage. Ford finally stepped up and issued a RECALL. I was affected with my 1995 Econoline work van. I had the recall done about 2 years ago. They replaced the wiring harness and maybe the switch, not sure exactly what. But to top it all off, Ford has just now issued a recall of the recall. Why? Because the new wiring harnesses they installed are fused ON THE GROUND SIDE OF THE SWITCH!!?? Unbelieveably poor Ford has gotten rid of so many people over the past few years that there's no one left who knows that fusing a ground wire is useless.
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    First of all, I'm not a "fanboy" of any sort. I like hybrids because there is nothing else as clean and efficient on the road.

    And second, anyone who classifies the Prius as a "vehicle prone to burn" is just being ignorant.

    There are more than a million Toyota hybrids on the road worldwide, and a large percentage of those cars are Priuses (or Prii, depending on your preferred term.)

    There are very VERY few instances of a Prius catching on fire, and in FACT, I can only find one or two VALID NEWS STORIES using Google which even refer to such an event. Can anyone find and post more?

    So, with such a small number of Priuses catching on fire, can anyone with confidence or solid data say that a Prius is "prone to burn" more than any other car?

    I think NOT.

    P.S. Just Googled "prius fire" + burned and "Prius burned" +fire AGAIN TODAY 2-26-2008 and found virtually nothing new about Prius fires. The data indicating that a Prius is a fire risk just does not exist.
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    I have a 2004 Prius with no problems.
    I also have a 2007 Highlander hybrid which smells like it's burning when we go up a long, steep hill. It has something to do with the electric motor assist. The smell goes away on the way down.
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    That happens with the TCH too. On the TCH, owners have tracked it down to this problem:

    Small problem easily solved during a 4,800 mile trip concluded on Saturday.
    Noticed a burning smell when we got out of the car several times. I first thought it was truck brakes since we first noticed it a rest areas along the last 660 mile grind of the trip. When I got home on Sunday, I had the bugs washed off the car and smelled the burning smell again in our driveway. I opened the hood and discovered that a foam rubber strip which had been secured with some kind of double stick tape to the top area of the radiator had come loose and blew back directly onto the catlytic converter which is near the front of the engine.. I'll say BURNT!... to a crisp!.
    I suppose this could have been worse if it became enflamed but as far as we know it didn't. I removed it and scraped the residue off of the catalytic converter with a putty knife. Problem is solved. I will ask the dealer about this problem this week during servicing. I don't think this is significant and I don't think there will be any long lasting issue with it, but do wonder why they put a cheap piece of self stick foam rubber near the engine compartment and so close to the catlytic converter heat source. So..if anyone else smells something burning, check this out first.

    So the HH might have a similar issue.
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    To my knowledge, no persons have been injured or killed by a Prius fire.

    Not too many cars that have burned over the decades can make THAT claim.
  • nw_vikingnw_viking Member Posts: 11
    I have a 2006 Prius. A I recall, I noticed a slight burning smell when the car was new. I can't recall if it was someone at the dealership, or if it was this forum, but I learned that the culprit may have been the stuff they spray on the engine block to protect it from the effects of salt air during shipment.

    Anyway, the smell went away after a couple of months.
  • galtguygaltguy Member Posts: 2
    hi my camry hybrid cought on fire in october of 07
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    can you give us more details please? Pictures? News stories?

    Was it one of these kind of fires maybe?

    ">link title
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    Another Flaming Camry story
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    Camry on fire in garage in middle of the night
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    Several reports of Camry fires here
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    With all the jokes about having a car fire.... My brother had a lease on a Camry, late one night he hit a piece of angle iron in the road. Sliced his rear tire, bounced up and hit his gas tank somehow. He pulled into a parking garage only to find the flat tire was the least of his worries. He didn't have his cell phone, so he ran down the street to call from a 7-11. The fire trucks beat him back to his vehicle. It was a total loss. The parking structure had security cameras which showed him driving into the garage with his Camry on fire. To make a long story short. The insurance company claimed arson, Toyota took him to court and he wound up paying for the Camry himself. On top of that there were crimminal charges to fight.

    There are these new Toyota adds where people are totalling their current vehicles to get into a Toyota....

    There must be people who actually do this. Because the police, insurance and auto makers will come after you, even if it is not really your fault. So if you have this in mind or it happens to you by accident, you better have the same lawyers OJ had. It will certainly cost you more than the actual value of the car.

    from:
    link title
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    Not to diminish your Camry fire in the least, but as my posts have shown, lots of Camrys and many other types of cars catch fire mysteriously.

    There is nothing inherent to a Camry Hybrid which makes it more flammable than any other Camry.

    Toyota has more than a million hybrids on world roads, and if there was something unusually flammable about their design, we would know it by now.

    Anecdotal reports of maybe three to six hybrid fires does not serve as proof that there is a problem.

    Maybe if we had hundreds of them flaming in garages, yes. But search long and hard on Google to find any hybrids which mysteriously caught on fire and it's not easy to find anything.
  • jenniferljenniferl Member Posts: 2
    My daughter was in a collision this week. She was behind an Escalade moving through an intersection when the driver slammed on her brakes. My daughter was unable to stop in time and slammed into the back of the Escalade. Her hood was smashed back on itself, the winshield cracked, drivers door wouldn't open, and the engine was damaged. No airbags deployed at all, none!!! According to Toyota Corp. the bumper must be hit full on in order for the airbags to deploy. Since the bumper was lower than the SUV bumper it was not impacted. Everyone had their safety belts on, and yet she still hit the steeering wheel and sustained a chest and neck injury, The safety belt did not lock! Just want all of you out there to know about this issue.
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    You mean like a bombadier's release switch? Nah! You're a grownup, act/drive responsibly.
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    Get those "too tall" Escalades off the road. They are a hazard to cars and pedestrians alike. Too big AND thirsty.
  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    "Get those "too tall" Escalades off the road. They are a hazard to cars and pedestrians alike. Too big AND thirsty. "

    I assume you are willing to buy it, or pay for the owner to buy a new car? That is assuming that he doesn't have a large family and require a larger car...
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    Was there a full-sized GM SUV present also? Apparently there have been more than a couple fires that can be attributed to the GMC/Chevy SUVs being a contributing factor.
    Also, the wiring in the cruise control system of the Fords seem to incite fires.
    There is a recall on this one.
  • spinningspinning Member Posts: 4
    i have a friend who had a 2005 toyota prius and it caught fire during the night and burnt his house to the ground, he got out with just his pants and shirt and that was it, he lost all. Yes it was the prius. Have you taken this mattert o court and what was the out come?. It was proven by the fire marshall it was the prius that was the cause. it happened 3/28/07
    Gerri
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    NOT a hybrid! I didn't see it in the article I just sped-read.
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    NOT a hybrid! No mention of it being a hybrid. I sped-read the article, but could not see any mention of it being a hybrid.
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    NOT a hybrid?
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    Never heard of it. HAVE heard of GM products catching fire ( NOT hybrids ), and even Ford having massive recall for cruise control switch causing fires.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    We got your message the first 3 times, but the 4th post was over the top. :P
    For me you begin to lose your appeal. You must have a Prius and think they are the best car on the road. You point out GM just to try and down grade them to make your point better. What about all the Toyota trucks they are quietly buying back due to frame rust on 2 year old trucks. I can remember back a few years ago when people were having problems with the display on the Prius and if I remember they were being charged like 2500 bucks or more for a rebuilt display and the common consensous was to spring for the extended warranty due to this problem. Any car built by humans can and do have problems and that doesn't bother me in the least. What bothers me is how the dealer/manufacturer does at fixing the problem and in that field Toyota I feel does the worst of most companies always dening the clam or their famous its running like it is supposed to like the throtle hesitation on the Camrys or the truck that the government finally made them recall after people were killed by it. Now thats really stepping up to the plate. :shades:
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Yes a hybrid!

    http://www.carspace.com/suzikn/Albums/priusfire/
  • jayma8jayma8 Member Posts: 1
    hello, i came across this forum when i started researching why in the world my perfectly good 2001 Toyota Prius spontaneously caught fire.
    The Prius had been parked in my driveway for 48hrs. At about midday my neighbor came to the door and told me my car was full of smoke.
    I went out and heard crackling coming from the rear end. I opened the trunk and the back of the seat and all the carpet was flaming and melting.
    We got the fire out before it progressed too far and the firefighters said the fire started where heat had melted a hole in the far right corner of the protective metal casing for the Prius Hybrid battery pack.
    I should also say I'm in Australia.
    I phoned the dealership to tell them about the problem and they asked if they could come take photos. Naturally i agreed and waited to hear back from them.
    They did not call, so I called and asked for their assessment they told me we would have to arrange for a tow at my expense and then they would get a very busy specialist to investigate the car in a few weeks or so.
    The car was not fully insured. I did not recieve any letters of any type from Toyota to bring my car in for service or recall.
    I have attached photos of the car here http://www.carspace.com/jayma8
    Toyota Australia told me this was the first time this has ever happened. I informed them that my research identified other similar fires in the Prius.
    Does anyone know who i can talk to for help or if Toyota is doing anything to rectify this situation and help their customers who have had their Prius spontaneously combust?
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    I understand that the Prius IS built by humans.
    And I know of some full-size GM SUVs that have caught fire while parked.
    But, I cannot find anything at any website about a Prius catching fire.
    True, some frames on some Toyota p/ups have rusted badly.
    And some Ford Pintos catch fire when struck from behind, and some GM p/ups have problems with the paint fading/peeling.
    Even some VW Passats have had their seat heaters catch fire.
    Please do not tell me what I think.
    I am merely stating that I have been unable to find any report of a Prius catching fire. I asked if perhaps there were a GM SUV nearby, since they ARE known to catch fire.
    And the fact that someone had to pay out some $2500+ to get their "displays" fixed is truly a big deal. But when a warranty expires, then a warranty expires.
    Buying a car does not entitle you to free service and repairs forever.
    If you cannot afford repairs after the warranty has expired, then by all means by an extended warranty program, or don't buy the car at all.
    I have seen people buy a car, that could not afford to have the car serviced, or to replace the tires once they were worn out.
    Too many people believe that car ownership costs end with the car payment.
    There is a whole lot more to it than that.
    Simpletons, like that, are probably the ones who complain the loudest.
    Their short attention spans do not allow them to realize what they will be in store for after the car's warranty has expired.
    It's like having kids. Surely these folks cannot believe that the hopital delivery bill is the end of the road in costs associated with raising a child.
    I give up. Preach to those who feel victimized by the automakers.
    I am not one of those!
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    I am merely stating that I have been unable to find any report of a Prius catching fire. I asked if perhaps there were a GM SUV nearby, since they ARE known to catch fire.
    So if I park next to a Toyota pickup with a GM vehicle does that mean the frame on my GM will rust out like on the Toyota? According to you the answer is yes.
  • recycler5recycler5 Member Posts: 5
    Our 2-week-old 2009 Prius caught fire in our driveway in the middle of the night. The fire started in the rear battery compartment - same as the others I've read in this forum. We're waiting to see how Toyota will respond. As I consider whether to replace the car with another Prius, I am concerned to read in this forum that there have been almost identically described battery fires in model years from 2001. I sure would like to know just how many of these incidents there have been and whether this issue has been addressed in the 2010 model which is supposed to have a different type of battery. I'd love to have another Prius, but am a bit shaken by our recent experience.
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    Was the car shut off and parked for the night? Were there any add-on accessories ( alarms, sound systems, nav systems, anti-theft devices )?
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    For verification, please post a photo or a copy of a newspaper article describing the fire.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    That's rather demanding, and uncalled for. If the member wishes to do so, that's fine, but we're not going to imply that someone's being untruthful just because they don't produce articles or photos.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • tothemaxx2tothemaxx2 Member Posts: 22
    I have been reading this board for over a year since we bought our 2008 Prius. Our Prius has been flawless (as I am sure 99.9% have been). I have also followed forums for all my cars (GMs, Fords, Hondas, Volvos, VWs, Toyotas) for many years. All I can say is some things happen to all cars. Also, people who write posts tend to be ones (including myself) who have had problems. This is good as it helps people know what to look for. However, this doesn't necessarily mean the problems happen to a significant % of owners, these are just who are vocal. I have no problem with my Prius (it is about the only car I have ever owned w/o a problem of some kind in the first 14 months). Don't get too worried. S__t happens, always.
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    I believe it is difficult to buy a REALLY bad car nowadays. The Yugo is off the US market. After that, life can be a crapshoot. Toyota has always been good to me ( '86, '98, '07 - all still running fine ).
  • recycler5recycler5 Member Posts: 5
    I parked the car at 9pm, and at 3am the following morning I was awakened by the car alarm, at which point I discovered the trunk in flames. The car had the #6 accessory package, so it had all the bells and whistles (GPS, blue tooth, etc.). ">
  • recycler5recycler5 Member Posts: 5
    I have photos, but I don't know how to post them here. I'd be happy to email them to you.">
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    Hi,
    Once you're a registered user in the Forums, you automatically have a carspace page - yours is at www.carspace.com/recycler5. There's a photo album area, where you can upload your pics. That's the best way if you want to make them available to other registered members.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • jpeters1970jpeters1970 Member Posts: 82
    Thanks Kirstie! I didn't know this feature was available! I don't have any burnt Prius to post but I DID have a 1963 Old that caught fire a loooooong time ago. ;)
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Just sent you a CarSpace "friend" request to help you get your list of friends started on your CarSpace page. If you ever need any help or have any question about your page, don't hesitate to ask. That's why the hosts are here!

    Hope you decide to join the ranks of CarSpace bloggers too! :shades:
  • 2shocked2shocked Member Posts: 2
    On Sunday July 26 2009 at 2am my 2005 prius (fully loaded model) caught fire in the garage. The neighbors said that they heard 2 explosions (probably batteries blowing up from heat) and then the garage burst into flames. The prius, the garage and my wife's car were all totally destroyed. The firemen all said that in their opinion the genesis of the fire was with the prius. They said that fire was under the prius and surrounding the engine. We left the car in the garage at 9pm Saturday night, and saw the garage at 11:45 pm before going to sleep. Nothing about the garage looked disturbed or unusual. Is Toyota going to make this right?
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Nope, you will need good home owners insurance. Of course if they don't you can always tell them that the photos and information will be all over the net and on Utube by the end of the day.
  • recycler5recycler5 Member Posts: 5
    Our insurance made prompt payment on my 2009 Prius which also caught fire in the middle of the night (previously posted), but I never heard how Toyota dealt with it. Last week I heard of another Prius catching fire in Santa Rosa, CA, but could not get any details. Please let us know what happens. I'm very glad nobody was hurt.
  • 2shocked2shocked Member Posts: 2
    Thanks. I have reported it to Toyota and to NHTSA. I'll let you know how it comes out. Any information about other non altered by after market prius's burning up spontaneously would be greatly appreciated.
  • recycler5recycler5 Member Posts: 5
    Photos of my 2009 Prius that burned up in the driveway in the middle of the night can be found at: http://www.carspace.com/recycler5/.5c9b8f0c/
  • whitey9whitey9 Member Posts: 138
    I am NOT saying this is the cause of the fire, but here in the Dallas area there have been a rash of midnite car fires believed to have been performed by "bored" kids.
    Like I said, I am NOT saying that is the cause, but there have been SEVERAL incidents by some drivers who have demonstrated to me by not only "non-verbal" communications ( finger-pointing ), but also some who have passed me with so little space between my car and theirs that I was surprised the outside mirrors on both our cars/truck didn't get torn off.
    This has occured several times as I mentioned earlier. I drive the speed limit in the second lane ( the one next to the exit/merge lane, NOT the very inside lane ).
    One guy in his bigg Ford P/U nearly scraped off my left side because I was driving the speed limit ( 50/40 ) on the exit/access road. When I came up behind him at the stop light, he communicated with me, again "non-verbally", so when the light changed, I returned the signal but with BOTH of my middle fingers. He sped to the shoulder, stopped and jumped out, but I was at my turning point and missed out on the "discussion".
    In short, some people just don't like Priui. Even if they aren't covered by "Save the Whales", or Obama stickers. Mine is unadorned. I just mind the speed limit, and try to maintain the following distance interval, much to other's chagrin.
    Perhaps yours was a victim of Priui haters, since it was outdoors.
    I am not familiar with anybody having a Prius fire in their garage.
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