2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

PROBLEM STARTED WITH THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT TURNING OFF INTERMITTENTLY. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP ON 8/27/2013 WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM BECAUSE THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THEN THE SAME THING STARTED HAPPENING WITH THE LEFT HEADLIGHT. I CAN CORRECT THE PROBLEM BY TURNING OFF & THEN BACK ON THE LIGHT SWITCH BUT THIS CORRECTION DOES NOT LAST LONG AND THE PROBLEM RECURS. I HAVE RESORTED TO DRIVING WITH MY FOG LIGHTS ALSO TURNED ON IN ORDER TO PROVIDE SOME SEMBLANCE OF LIGHT. IT IS DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE LIKE THIS IN THE LONG ALASKAN WINTERS WITH SO MUCH ICE AND SNOW ON THE ROADWAYS. I CAN ALSO MAKE THIS PROBLEM OCCUR WHEN WARMING UP MY CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY. *TR

PASSENGER HEADLAMP GOES OUT WHILE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN. DRIVER SIDE HEADLAMP REMAINS ON (ILLUMINATED). TURNING HEADLAMP SWITCH OFF AND ON CAUSES PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE HEADLAMP TO ILLUMINATE. ON RE-ILLUMINATION, PASSENGER SIDE HEADLAMP SOMETIMES APPEARS NORMAL AND AT OTHER TIMES APPEARS TO BE DIMMER, MORE YELLOWISH. DEALER QUOTED REPLACEMENT HID BULB AND LABOR TO REPLACE WILL COST $225.00 TOTAL. *TR

THE BASIC PROBLEM: THE GEAR SHIFT SELECTOR STICKS IN DRIVE OR "B" (ENGINE BRAKING MODE). IF THE DRIVER STOPS THE VEHICLE, WITH THE BRAKE DEPRESSED, AND THEN PRESSES THE PARK BUTTON TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK, THE VEHICLE REMAINS IN DRIVE MODE. THE VEHICLE WILL MOVE AS SOON AS THE DRIVER LIFTS THEIR FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL, EVEN THOUGH THE DRIVER BELIEVES THEY HAVE ENGAGED THE PARK MODE. THE DRIVER HAS TO PLACE THE NORMALLY SPRING-ACTIVATED GEARSHIFT LEVER INTO THE HOME POSITION BEFORE THE CAR WILL SHIFT INTO PARK. DANGER TO THE DRIVER AND OTHERS WHO DRIVE THE CAR. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, AS THE DRIVER GETS VERY USED TO BEING ABLE TO PLACE THE CAR INTO PARK BY PRESSING THE PARK BUTTON. OTHERS WHO DRIVE THE CAR, LIKE PARKING ATTENDANTS OR FRIENDS, WILL NOT SUSPECT A PROBLEM. THE FAILURE OF THE PARK MECHANISM WHEN THIS HAPPENS IS GOING TO CAUSE ACCIDENTS. TOYOTA'S RESPONSE. THE TOYOTA DEALER'S TECHNICIAN SAYS IT IS A BROKEN SPRING IN THE GEARSHIFT MECHANISM, BUT WANTS ME TO PAY FOR IT. TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER CARE CENTER SAYS THEY WILL NOT FIX THIS DESIGN FLAW BECAUSE OF THE AGE AND MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE, UNLESS I PAY FOR THE $565.00 GEARSHIFT MODULE. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE NOW HAS OVER 165,000 MILES, THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, AND THE DESIGN SEEMS UNREASONABLY DANGEROUS. I HAVE SEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON CHAT SITES, AND ANOTHER ON THIS SITE. *TR

SAME INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT PROBLEM POSTED HERE HUNDREDS OF TIMES. WHY IS TOYOTA ONLY FIXING 2006+ MODEL YEARS? THE SAME PROBLEM PLAGUES ALL MODEL YEARS. *TR

2004 & 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REAR VIEW VISIBILITY AND BRAKING ISSUES IN BOTH VEHICLES. *SMD

MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS'S HID LIGHTS ARE GOING OFF INTERMITTENTLY AND COMING BACK ON WHEN I TURNED THEM OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN. THE DRIVER'S SIDE IS GOING OFF AGAIN AND WILL COME BACK ON AGAIN WHEN I TURN IT OFF AND THEN BACK ON. ALSO, MY HEADLIGHT LEVELING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT IS COMING ON. WHEN I DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY LIGHT GOES OFF, I FEEL VERY UNSAFE. I HAVE TO TURN THEM OFF AND BACK ON IN SECONDS TO AVOID A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT. DEALER CAN'T FIND THE ISSUE. THEY RECOMMEND TO CHANGE THE BULBS BUT IT DOESN'T SOLVE PROBLEM. *TT

HEADLIGHTS (HID) INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT REGARDLESS OF SPEED OR ROAD CONDITIONS. TURNING THE LIGHT SWITCH THEY COME ON AGAIN AND IT RANDOMLY OCCURS MAKING DRIVING DANGEROUS. I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHTS YET THE INCIDENT RECURS RANDOMLY MAKING IT NECESSARY TO TURN THE LIGHTS COMPLETELY OUT THEN ON AGAIN. *TR

BOTH HEADLAMPS GO OFF AND ON SPORADICALLY, AS FOLLOWS: APPROXIMATELY THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER BUYING THIS USED CAR, THE LEFT HID HEADLAMP APPEARED BURNT OUT. BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLAMPS WERE REPLACED ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 8, 2013, AS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS TYPE OF LIGHT. ON INSTALLATION, EITHER LIGHT WOULD FLASH ON BUT THEN GO OUT AGAIN, BUT TURNING THE HEADLAMP SWITCH OFF THEN ON AGAN SEEMED TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. BOTH HEADLAMPS THEN REMAINED ON FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, AT WHICH POINT THE LEFT HEADLAMP WAS SPORADICALLY OUT FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, WHEN IT WOULD GO ON ONLY IF THE HEADLAMP SWITCH WERE TURNED OFF THEM BACK ON AGAIN. BOTH HEADLAMPS THEN WORKED FOR APPROXIMATELY SIX WEEKS, AT WHICH POINT THE LEFT HEADLAMP WENT OUT FOR APPROXIMATELY FOUR WEEKS, BUT THEN CAME ON AFTER APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH WHEN THE POLICE FOUND THE RIGHT LIGHT TO BE OUT. THEY SAID IT NEEDED TO BE FIXED; THAT IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD, AT WHICH I EXPLAINED THE HISTORY OF TOYOTA PRIUS HEADLAMP ISSUES AND THAT I WOULD PURSUE AN APPROPRIATE REMEDY FOR THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE RIGHT HEADLAMP REMAINS OUT TO THIS DATE, BUT DID COME ON FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK IN THE INTERIM. TURNING THE HEADLAMP SWITCH OFF THEN ON AGAIN HAS NOT HELPED SINCE THE DAY OF INSTALLATION. *TR

DASH BOARD CONTROLS AND LIGHT WENT OFF. I HAVE INFORMED TOYOTA AND THE DEALERS OF THIS ISSUE SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS GO OFF AND THEN THE CAR DOESN'T SHUT DOWN FOR A LONG TIME. I FINALLY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE MYSELF (BAD COMBINATION METER) AND INFORMED THE DEALER. THEY INFORMED ME THAT ALTHOUGH TOYOTA HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE METER THAT MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. EVENTHOUGH I HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE BEFORE, IT WAS NOT DOCUMENTED PROPERLY AND THEREFORE NOT THE DEALER OR TOYOTA ITSELF WOULD FIX THE ISSUE. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ISSUE. AS THE CAR DRIVES WITHOUT ANY OF THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS ON. YOU HAVE NO WAY TO KNOW HOW MUCH GAS YOU HAVE OR HOW FAST YOU ARE DRIVING. AND IF YOU FIND YOURSELF OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY PERIOD THEY ARE UNWILLING TO FIX THE ISSUE. HELP !!!! I CAN DIE DRIVING THIS CAR !!!! I AM IN THE PROCESS OF SELLING IT BUT I HAVE TO DRIVE IT TO AND FROM WORK. THIS NEEDS TO BE A FORCED RECALL !!!! CALL ME I HAVE DETAILS OF MY CONVERSATIONS WITH TOYOTA ! THIS SHOULD BE IN THE NEWS. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

RECENTLY, VEHICLE HAS STARTED INTERMITTENT OUTAGES OF HID HEADLAMPS. USUALLY ON THE DRIVER SIDE, BUT SOMETIMES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. APPARENTLY THIS IS THE RESULT OF A COMPUTER CALLED THE HID BALLAST OR SOMETHING. TOYOTA IS QUOTING OUTRAGEOUS SUMS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED AND THE PROBLEM FIXED FOR FREE. *TR