So apparently the arm rest fabric is held on only by a couple simple staples on the standard and plug-in prius'... It's already loose and coming off and the dealer is going to replace it... I wonder how many more 2012+ cars have this as well.
Mine is fine as are all of the other Prii I've been in. I assume you rest your weight on it quite a bit? You can opt to have it recovered with something more durable at an upholstery shop or you can upgrade to leather seat covers from Clazzio like it did. The arm rest cover doesn't fit terribly good but it is very solid and looks nice enough.
I noticed the same thing. You can't have everything. Just one of those compromises. Rather have 50+ mpg than a perfectly fitting arm rest fabric iPad ?
Perfectly fitting is not the issue - the issue is that the fabric is secured as cheaply as possible and with <1 year of use, its already coming apart?? That's my issue. Compared to my 2010 Prius 4 - it seems the car is definitely going down the route of cheapest production to increase profitability. The plastics and their cheap texturing is just another example. As well as the crap pleather used on the newer Prius.
I agree as I myself have discovered at least several "cheap" fitments on my 2010 with 22k miles. Apparently they have not changed the "model of success" with the 2012's. First thing that popped off was the plastic casing on the front passenger side pillar with the airbag logo on it as I was loading a very light cardboard box and accidentally hit it. Another issue was the passenger side door molding/cover or whatever this thing is called on the interior side of the door. I pushed it open just under the arm rest and one of the plastic tabs that was held together by a screw snapped off. Saw what it was when I took apart the door since the area below the arm rest was caving in to the lightest touch. Inside, the parts are very flimsy and bolted/glued/snapped together with seemingly inexpensive pieces that are easy to break if you're not careful. What I've learned from this experience was that all companies cut corners somewhere to make the most profit and with the Prius, I have to say that it is the cheap interior throughout. Still love the car and am looking forward to Gen IV coming around, but after having owned a couple of other Toyotas, their interior is one of the cheapest around, along with Chevy and Fords. Just be very gentle with plastics! Not that I'm rough lol.
So the arm rest was replaced... the new one, based on the fitting/attachment of the fabric looks far superior to what I had... I wonder if there was a redesigned version/part no. change.