2009 Toyota Prius Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 22about this part
- Share
- 4%of 502 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 19,985miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 22 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2009 Toyota Prius, 4% of the 502 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 19,985 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was gliding into a commercial parking space with my foot off the accelerator in the second before I moved my foot onto the brake. Suddenly, the accelerator pushed down by itself, the car surged forward towards the truck in the space in front of mine. I slammed on the brake. End of incident. No mat was in the way. I had taken part in the recall.”
NHTSA complaint #10436712, filed 2011-11, 23,687 miles“Driving vehicle on a city street in drive gear and it slipped out of drive into neutral without warning. Tried to put it back in drive (as I was on the road) but every time I switched gears back to drive and released the gear shifter it would immediately pop back into neutral. I parked & turned the car off, waited and then turned it back on again. It seemed to be okay so I got on the freeway home and after I merged into traffic the same problem happened (but while I was driving at a much faster speed). …”
NHTSA complaint #11320816, filed 2020-04, 123,000 miles“I own a 2009 Toyota Prius. I was pulling into a parking spot in a shopping center when my car suddenly accelerated. I hit a small tree and the car beside me. The car is being towed to camelback Toyota in phoenix az. The car seemed to accelerate even though I stepped on the brake. I did not step on the breake hard but the car just pulled ahead”
NHTSA complaint #10307568, filed 2010-02, 10,000 miles“This car cuts off power to save the powertrain from damage, that is what Toyota told me. You must be extremely careful when entering traffic because you can lose power for 2-3 seconds if the cars computer senses any wheel spin. The way I see it this is a machine that was designed by the engineers to save itself from damage, the safety of the driver is of no concern to the computer program. You must always!!! Be aware when driving this car that it can and will cut all power when you enter traffic. …”
NHTSA complaint #10853968, filed 2016-04, 103,000 miles“I purchased a new 2009 Toyota Prius hybrid (gas/electric) on march 31, 2009. The car worked great, but with only 490 miles on the odometer, I did a routine shut down of the car on may 20, 2009 which turned out to be anything but routine. During this event, I shut the car off using the procedure taught to me by the dealership salesman, which was the same procedure outlined in the user manual. …”
NHTSA complaint #10297382, filed 2009-12, 490 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10134454Aug 24, 2015TechTip: Condition - The vehicle may be difficult to start or have an abnormally low or rough idle after the battery has been disconnected or power to the Engine ECM has been…
- 10109403Oct 16, 2014TSB: World Standard (WS) Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) was introduced to reduce maintenance costs and increase the mileage between scheduled maintenance checks. Here are…
- 10133836Feb 20, 2013This bulletin contains general vehicle pulling diagnosis and repair procedures along with specific information to help correct pulling complaints.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 13% |
| 2024 | 1 | 4% |
| 2023 | 3 | 14% |
| 2022 | 1 | 4% |
| 2020 | 1 | 7% |
| 2019 | 2 | 7% |
| 2018 | 2 | 5% |
| 2017 | 4 | 4% |
| 2016 | 15 | 10% |
| 2015 | 13 | 8% |
| 2014 | 6 | 3% |
| 2013 | 14 | 3% |
| 2012 | 21 | 5% |
| 2011 | 18 | 3% |
| 2010 | 79 | 3% |
| 2009 | 22 | 4% |
| 2008 | 54 | 4% |
| 2007 | 41 | 2% |
| 2006 | 22 | 2% |
| 2005 | 41 | 4% |
| 2004 | 34 | 6% |
| 2003 | 5 | 5% |
| 2002 | 9 | 5% |
| 2001 | 5 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2009 Toyota Prius
199 complaintsExterior lighting
111 complaintsVehicle speed control
71 complaintsElectrical system
60 complaintsOther or unknown
36 complaintsFuel system
24 complaintsEngine
19 complaintsBody and structure
19 complaintsAir bags
17 complaintsSteering
13 complaintsElectronic stability control
12 complaintsEngine cooling
7 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2009 Toyota Prius
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology