Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
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).
The contact owned a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while his mother was driving approximately 37 MPH, a second vehicle crashed into the rear passenger side causing the vehicle to go airborne and crash. During the crash, the front driver's side and front driver's side curtain air bags did not deploy. The driver's chest impacted the steering wheel causing her heart to sustain severe pressure and her ribs to collapse. Also, the front seat passenger was ejected from the vehicle through the windshield. Both occupants sustained fatal injuries due to the crash. The front passenger was not wearing a seat belt during the crash. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was then towed by Toyota who confirmed there was an air bag failure. The vehicle was resold after being salvaged. …
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the brakes failed when pressed causing the vehicle to crash into the rear end of a second vehicle. During the crash, the air bags did not deploy and the rear driver-side seat belt had sprung outward, although no rear seat passenger was present. The second vehicle's rear driver's side passenger was later treated for an undisclosed injury. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 240,000.
Air bags did not deploy Driver's side Seat belt adjustment did not go low enough Seat belt tightened so tight my pelvic bone could have broke and killed me The reflection of the dash lights on the windshield at night The battery replacement(s) being way too expensive and explosive Needs the blind spot mirrors The undercarriage needs to be more secure The cost of amount of public knowledge for muffler Needs lifted up a bit Easier ways to add covers to seats I guess the whole Navy missed coach buzzer a little more than we did lol Headlights t Center vents air flow Speedometer change delay by maybe .2 seconds Not enough charging ports Nor were they real None of my hands free electrical safety features worked properly Gas guzzler My boyfriend thinks I tried to kill him Backseat adult who doesn't listen really just didn't listen or care Driver remembers everything Braking should always be …
the cruise control was inop, technician said it was a clockspring failure, replaced the clockspring with a new part from walmart, then at times, the airbag failure light would come on, paid a technician to replace the replacement clockspring with an new one and the failure stopped, walmart is selling a part that could result in death
I was in an automobile accident in feb of 2015 I hot another vehicle going approximately 15mph no air bags were deployed and the police officer and body shop both were surprised no air bags deployed. I'm curious if this was due to a fault you airbag and luckly I wasn't seriously injured. My dash computer sensor went out in 2015, causing me to not be able to read an odometer, speedometer, etc. I had this part replaced at my expense due to the safety hazard it potentially could cause I'd like to see a formal recall for this part. Toyota acknowledged the safety error and did issue a extended warranty which I was not covered by. I replaced my inverter a third time in 2017 die to over heating. After the recall was performed I did noticed deceased power which greatly affected the performance of my vehicle making it more sluggish. …
I was impacted directly from the side, while in motion on a city street heading straight. I slightly swerved to the right. The other driver ran a stop sign from a cross street. The impact was hard enough to total the vehicle, and to bounce my head against the driver's side window, push me into a curb on the opposite side and cross traffic. The damage was at the majority toward the rear door, but impacted the center of the car and driver door enough where it was pushed an 1-inch and the driver door could not be opened. Firefighters at the scene were concerned that the curtain airbags did not deploy. I am also concerned. I would like to know if this is a defect that could involve other cars and other people in an accident.
My daughter was driving with a passenger in the front, on a town street and a vehicle pulled out in front of her. The impact was on her front bumper and hood pushing the side quarter panels back. The other vehicle was an older Pontiac grand pris, their airbags deployed. No airbags deployed on the Toyota Prius.why did the airbags not deploy?
Hit - t-boned. Drivers side - front quarter panel -knocked out- car totaled- four air bags in front- not one went off- want to know why ???? Car was in motion. .....updated12/07/15; updated 04/27/18
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. …
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 5 MPH into a parking space. The contact engaged the brake pedal and the engine revved extremely high with an increase in the acceleration. The vehicle would not stop and traveled over a cement parking block. The vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into a brick wall. The air bags failed to deploy with the impact involved. There was no personal injury. A police report was filed of the incident. The estimated cost for the brick wall damages was $2,500. The vehicle was repaired under the NHTSA campaign id number 09V388000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal) in June of 2010. The contact stated the remedy did not correct the problem. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Airbag complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2008 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 41 complaints about the air bags of the 2008 Toyota Prius, 3% of the model year's 1,497 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Toyota Prius airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2008 Toyota Prius, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Toyota Prius airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 66,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 34 crashes, 0 fires and 32 injuries and 5 deaths to air bags 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.