2008 Toyota Prius Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 54 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2008 Toyota Prius, 4% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 66,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “gear shift” (17% of reports).
- 54power train complaints
- 66,500median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 19%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Gear shift: mentioned in 9 of 54 complaints (17%)
- Shifted neutral: mentioned in 5 of 54 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 49 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 54 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Toyota Prius power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Prius | 2 | 13% | — |
| 2024 Prius | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2023 Prius | 3 | 15% | 35,050 |
| 2022 Prius | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2020 Prius | 1 | 7% | — |
| 2019 Prius | 2 | 7% | 4,500 |
| 2018 Prius | 2 | 5% | 590 |
| 2017 Prius | 4 | 4% | 24,000 |
| 2016 Prius | 15 | 10% | 24,000 |
| 2015 Prius | 13 | 8% | 22,267 |
| 2014 Prius | 6 | 3% | 10,750 |
| 2013 Prius | 14 | 3% | 42,000 |
| 2012 Prius | 21 | 5% | 25,300 |
| 2011 Prius | 18 | 3% | 60,000 |
| 2010 Prius | 79 | 3% | 9,800 |
| 2009 Prius | 22 | 4% | 19,985 |
| 2008 Prius | 54 | 4% | 66,500 |
| 2007 Prius | 41 | 2% | 54,317 |
| 2006 Prius | 22 | 2% | 75,845 |
| 2005 Prius | 41 | 4% | 76,063 |
| 2004 Prius | 34 | 6% | 73,318 |
| 2003 Prius | 5 | 5% | 85,000 |
| 2002 Prius | 9 | 5% | 68,500 |
| 2001 Prius | 5 | 3% | 106,272 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2008 Toyota Prius. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
In temperatures above 95 degrees the vehicle shifts into neutral while driving, and you need to physically hold the shift lever in Drive or Reverse to keep it out of neutral. It won't go into park at all unless you restart. This could cause a fatal accident while driving, particularly on the…
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, she heard a beeping sound, and the instrument cluster flashed the parking brake and a triangle symbol with an exclamation point was illuminated. The contact stated that the "Failure with Transmission - Pull…
Automatic transmission slips into neutral unexpectedly, and when it does, often you can't get it out of neutral without turning car off. This has an electronic shift selector. This appears to be a rampant problem with this car. Do an internet search on 2008 prius slips into neutral and you will see…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Toyota Priuss have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 54 owner complaints about power train for the 2008 Toyota Prius (4% of the 1,497 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Toyota Prius power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 66,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2008 Toyota Prius?
The most frequent phrase is “gear shift”, in 9 of 54 complaints, followed by “shifted neutral” (5).
Other 2008 Toyota Prius problems
See all 2008 Toyota Prius problems or power train problems across all Prius years.