Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Toyota Prius owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Randomly my instrument panel goes blank while in motion and can only be retrieved by hard turning the car off when stopped, you loose your speedometer, lights, and all until reset. Other issue with speedometer readings that are consistently off between 5-15mph with no fix, resolutions or repairs.
My name is [redacted] ,i am filing this report on behalf of My daughter [redacted] the driver of the vehicle that involved with the unintended acceleration on the 2009 Toyota Prius .On a good clear morning on [redacted] . My daughter drove the 2009 Toyota Prius to work- when she enter to the parking lot at the speed round 5 mile/hour . Just when she was making a left turn on to the entrance gate with her left foot on the brake pedal . On a sudden the vehicle RPM unintended rev up too high and the vehicle had an unintended accelerating to move forward aggressively causing lose control of the steering . Also she could not brake even though her left foot was on the brake pedal and pressing hard to try to stop the vehicle . . This dangerous incident causing her Prius to bumped into the electrical gate panel control box . …
The inverter water pump failed while I was driving 50mph, it caused the car to stop working and the brakes malfunctioned as well. When I tried to hit the brakes I had to hit them a lot harder and it still acted like it wasn't going to stop. I was lucky enough that the light up ahead was still green and the cars in front of me started going forward.
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[redacted] on 19Dec2022, I have spoken to Danial N and manager Alex S from Toyota. They both have denied solving this issue from Toyota as the Warranty Extension ZTV has expired. Even I had provided them proof that Toyota knew about this problem, please see [redacted] from Toyota regarding this. My Prius has 258000 miles, and it is 2008, It is high mileage as per their documents this will accrue in high mileage Prius with cold weather. I live in NJ, and it is getting cold and my car as high miles. Toyota refuse to take care of the problem and I as a consumer will have to pay over $1200 to get it fix as this is only done at Toyota dealership. …
I was in an automobile accident where I rear ended vehicle in front of me. I tried to stop but the vehicle would not stop or even make an attempt to slow down. My ankle suffered a severe twist from trying to apply brakes. There was plenty of room to stop but the brakes would not react to slow down vehicle. There was a car coming in the oncoming lane so I could not go around vehicle in front of me. My vehicle was in motion in the city and I was going straight. The pavement was a little rough and my ABS light was going off and all I could do was hit vehicle in front of me due to brakes failing and not slowing me down.
On June 2,2008 my wife brought her new Prius into the garage to park it and suddenly it just accelerated and went through the garage door and wall. Damages to the car, house, and insurance increases totaled close to $10,000. Toyota repaired the Prius and we told them verbally how the vehicle suddenly accelerated and they shrugged it off. We had been sent at one time a letter that said we May in the future receive a recall notice but never did. Therefore we would hope Toyota takes care of these issues so we don't need to take further action seeing it was a manufacturing default. …
The vehicle combination meter sporadically will not turn on which prevents the display of the speed of the car. During this condition, the fuel economy will not display, the car May not be powered off by normal procedure, and the fuel gauge, drive train mode indicator, and odometer are not visible. This has occurred for the past 2 years, primarily during cold weather, but also during warm weather, and I have a video recording of this problem while operating this specific vehicle dated February 20 2017. Toyota will not honor their own warranty extension described in their document pol12-05, related to TSB t-sb-0172-09, stating that the dealer must be able to reproduce the issue in order to cover the replacement. Toyota's document pol12-05 specifically states "this condition is primarily found in cold weather climate conditions. …
Instrument cluster in my 2008 Toyota Prius completely went dark while driving from phoenix to my home in tucson. I was travelling on I-10 at a speed of approximately 70mph. Terribly frightening when all gauges fail at the same instant. This happened in jan 2021. Speedometer, fuel gauge, headlight indicators, PRNDL, lcruise control, lights that indicate engine emergencies do not light. Back-up camera does not work nor do the back-up lights. These all are extremely dangerous safety issues. Having researched this problem it is evident that Toyota knew about this problem as they have recalled thousands of Prius' for this issue. They issued an extended warranty for this issue but mine expired before I purchased this vehicle in February, 2020. …
I own a toy.pri.2008,on 02/03/10 I was leaving driveway applied gas,car took off across st. Into tidalflow of at. Ocean at high tide,the car would not shift. Brake or turn off. The police pic's noteded gas pedal was not visible, floor mat was over it, the salt water was in car and upon leaving car it was waist deep. The car was serviced 1/4/10 at Toyota dealer for state inspetion and usual mt. Never mentioned recall of mats which I now find was a well known fact in sept.09. They are insisting it will dry out and be fine,salt water on any car is deadly buti hybrid. The hour it sat in water prior to tow,the car still would not shut off. I called Toyota that day as tow took car to it,they insisted that there was no issues with 2008 Prius. The car was moving much faster than my 10mph of origin and would not brake,shift or shut off. …
Second accident caused by brake failure with acceleration. 2008 Prius in stop and go traffic driving in battery (brake)mode about 10-15 MPH. Car in front slowed down, I hit the brake and the car accelerated slightly. I look to be sure my foot was on the brake pedal and it was and then rear ended the car in front. Car in front move forward but Prius wouldn't stop and started to accelerate again so I pushed on the parking brake with my left foot and slowed it down for the second impact. Car in front then drove slowly to a parking lot and the Prius kept moving so I drove it into the parking lot and when it slowed going up the ramp I pushed the parking button stopping the car. I then restarted it and released the parking brake to move further into the parking lot. 4 people injured, 3 seriously. …
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
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.
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.
Acceleration complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 156 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Toyota Prius, 10% of the model year's 1,497 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Toyota Prius acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-388 (accelerator pedal, Oct 5, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Toyota Prius acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 29,000 miles, and 46% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 55 crashes, 2 fires and 25 injuries and 2 deaths to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.