NHTSA Safety Recalls
2008 Toyota Prius Recalls
The 2008 Toyota Prius has 4 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on November 14, 2012.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2008 Toyota Prius. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 1,497
- Crashes reported
- 152
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
6 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2008 Toyota Prius, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
4 recalls on the 2008 Toyota Prius
Engine and engine cooling
- Campaign
- 12V536000
- Reported
- November 14, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 350,662
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2007, 2009 Prius
Steering
- Campaign
- 12V537000
- Reported
- November 14, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 669,705
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2007, 2009 Prius
Equipment: other: labels
- Campaign
- 10V036000
- Reported
- February 3, 2010
- Vehicles affected
- up to 153,418
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 110, tire selection and rims
- Same campaign
- also 2005–2007, 2009–2010 Prius, 17 other models
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
- Campaign
- 09V388000
- Reported
- October 5, 2009
- Vehicles affected
- up to 4,445,056
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash, injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2007, 2009 Prius, 6 other models
2008 Toyota Prius complaints by year
NHTSA has received 1,497 owner complaints about the 2008 Toyota Prius, the newest on May 12, 2026. Of these, 152 describe a crash (10%) and 6 a fire; owners reported 71 injuries and 7 deaths.
In complaints about the 2008 Toyota Prius, the component group named most often is the exterior lighting (39%), followed by the electrical system (16%) and the service brakes, hydraulic (11%).
None of the 2008 Toyota Prius's 4 recalls concerns the exterior lighting.
Where 2008 Toyota Prius owners gave the mileage (1,247 complaints), the median was 51,300 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Exterior Lighting579
- Electrical System235
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic171
- Vehicle Speed Control156
- Service Brakes145
- Service Brakes, Electric77
Complaints received, by year
| 2007 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 30 | |
| 2009 | 145 | |
| 2010 | 477 | |
| 2011 | 82 | |
| 2012 | 93 | |
| 2013 | 89 | |
| 2014 | 110 | |
| 2015 | 83 | |
| 2016 | 69 | |
| 2017 | 60 | |
| 2018 | 86 | |
| 2019 | 59 | |
| 2020 | 28 | |
| 2021 | 25 | |
| 2022 | 17 | |
| 2023 | 7 | |
| 2024 | 17 | |
| 2025 | 15 | |
| 2026 | 4 |
Complaints about the 2008 Toyota Prius peaked in 2010, when NHTSA received 477. 49% arrived between 2007 and 2011, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2008 vehicles, the 2008 Toyota Prius drew 11× the complaints of the median Toyota Prius year in the same window: 3rd highest of the 21 ranked years.
That makes 2008 one of the Toyota Prius years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
The 1,497 complaints about the 2008 Toyota Prius are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Toyota Prius by model year
Other 2008 Toyota models
Newest record on this page: May 12, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted