2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

BOTH HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT DARK. MY WIFE AND I ARE ABOUT 95% SURE THE ENTIRE DASH WENT DARK AS WELL. WE STOPPED AND TOGGLED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH, AND EVERYTHING CAME BACK ON. THE DEALERSHIP RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE "HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE" HEADLIGHTS, BUT THEY DO NOT KNOW WHY THE DASH WOULD HAVE GONE DARK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HOT AND COLD AIR WAS BEING EMITTED FROM THE VENTILATION SYSTEM WHEN NEITHER THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT NOR THE HEATER WAS ACTIVATED. ADDITIONALLY, THE WRENCH WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TOWED TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE WATER PUMP FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE WATER PUMP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 12V536000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED PER THE RECALL HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ONE YEAR LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS LATER CONTACTED AND ADVISED HIM THAT THE DEALER COULD HAVE PREVIOUSLY REPLACED THE WATER PUMP WITH A DEFECTIVE ONE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 185,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 194,000.

CONSISTENTLY A SINGLE HEADLIGHT ON MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS WOULD FLICKER AND GO OUT. "IT MAY GO OFF AGAIN, IN ANOTHER FIVE OR 10 MINUTES, BUT I COULD GET THEM TO WORK AGAIN BY TURNING THEM OFF AND TURNING ON AGAIN. *TR

MY PASSENGER SIDE HID HEADLIGHT GOES OUT A FEW MINUTES AFTER TURNING ON. WHEN TURNED OFF AND ON AGAIN COMES BACK ON ONLY TO GO OUT A FEW MINUTES LATER. *TR

CAR SHIFTS TO NEUTRAL UPON SHIFTING TO DRIVE OR REVERSE WHEN STARTING CAR (O MPH) CAR SHIFTS BACK TO NEUTRAL WHEN DRIVING (25 MPH) PROB. SEEMS RELATED TO COLD AMBIENT TEMPERATURE. *TR

A COMBINATION OF 2 ISSUES. FOR SEVERAL MONTHS THE GEAR SHIFT SELECTOR HAS BEEN STICKING IN THE D POSITION INSTEAD OF AUTOMATICALLY RETURNING TO THE N POSITION AS IT SHOULD. IT IS DOCUMENTED BY OTHER PRIUS OWNERS THAT THE DUST COVER INSIDE THE SHIFTER CAN BEGIN TO WARP OVER TIME CAUSING THIS STICKING. HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/THREADS/GEAR-SHIFTER-STICKS.38199/ I THOUGHT THIS WAS JUST A NUISANCE ISSUE UNTIL LAST MONTH AND ON ONE OTHER OCCASION WHERE THE SHIFTER STUCK IN THE D POSITION AND I HADN'T NOTICED AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR INTO "PARK" BY PRESSING THE SEPARATE P BUTTON THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK. IT IS NOW APPARENT THAT THIS IS RELATED TO THE SHIFTER STICKING IN THE D POSITION AND PREVENTING THE CAR FROM GOING INTO PARK. THERE IS ONE REPORT OF A NEAR INCIDENT OF THE CAR DRIVING AWAY WHEN THE DRIVER DIDN'T NOTICE THAT THE CAR FAILED TO GO INTO PARK WHICH IS A CLEAR SAFETY PROBLEM: HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/THREADS/2004-PARK-BUTTON-INTERMITTENT-FAILURE.118257/. *TR

ONE OF THE HEADLIGHTS OPERATES INTERMITTENTLY. TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON CAUSES IT TO LIGHT AGAIN. *TR

HID HEADLIGHTS TURNING OFF REPEATEDLY, WILL GO OUT RANDOMLY HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH MOVEMENT, ON TIME, THE LIGHT WILL COME BACK ON IF SWITCH IS TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN BUT LIGHTS ARE UNRELIABLE. CONDITION IS OBVIOUSLY DANGEROUS DURING NIGHT, FOG OR POOR ROAD CONDITIONS. RANDOM TURNING OFF HAS KEPT RE-OCCURRING UNTIL PRESENT TIME, WHERE LIGHT WILL PERSIST ON FOR ONLY A FEW MINUTES AT A TIME. TOYOTA DEALER WANTS 1,000 OR MORE TO REPAIR, WHILE LIGHT BULB ONLY COSTS LESS THAN 50 DOLLARS ON AMAZON, STATING THE DEFECT MAY HAVE TO DO WITH A FUSE AND OR BALLAST. *TR

WATER INTRUSION CAUSED CORROSION OF THE MAIN ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WHICH CAUSED A FAULT IN THE AUXILIARY 12V BATTERY AND HAS MADE THE VEHICLE UNDRIVEABLE. TOYOTA CANNOT DETERMINE THE SOURCE OR CAUSE OF THE WATER INTRUSION EVEN THOUGH I HAVE BROUGHT IN THE VEHICLE FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE SINCE I PURCHASED IT AND I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT A PROBLEM WHICH IS RELATED TO THE AUXILIARY 12V BATTERY SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST. THIS SEEMS TO BE A FLAW IN THE 2004 PRIUS DESIGN. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS HOME AT NIGHT ON A DARK, WINDING ROAD, BOTH HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT OUT!!!! THERE WAS NO LIGHT! PITCH BLACK! CRAZY! I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT MY LIGHTS WERE OUT. MY BRIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING EITHER. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CAR! I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO WRECK/CRASH. I WAS ABOUT 18 MILES FROM HOME. AS I DROVE, I TURNED ON MY DOME LIGHTS SO THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC COULD SEE ME. AFTER TURNING THE CAR LIGHTS ON AND OFF, THEY CAME BACK ON, BUT WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!!! I FOUND OUT THAT OTHER TOYOTA PRIUS OWNERS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THERE CARS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL AND REPLACE THESE FAULTY HEADLIGHTS! *TR