2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

THE HEADLAMPS KEEP SWITCHING OFF INTERMITTENTLY ON MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FAIRLY REGULARLY OVER THE LAST YEAR, BUT LAST NIGHT (8-2-2011) BOTH HEADLAMPS FAILED AT THE SAME TIME WHEN ON A DARK, WINDY ROAD CAUSING ME TO ALMOST CRASH INTO A TREE (I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING WITHOUT THE LIGHTS). WHEN I SWITCH THE HEADLAMP CONTROL ON AND OFF, THE HEADLAMPS COME ON AGAIN, SO IT IS UNLIKELY TO BE THE BULBS. SOMETIMES ONLY ONE LAMP GOES OUT, SOMETIMES BOTH; BUT THEY ARE FAILING VERY FREQUENTLY AND CAUSING ME A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ONLINE AND THERE SEEM TO BE MANY CONSUMERS THAT HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. PLEASE HELP. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE. THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR UPON APPLICATION. THE CONTACT PROCEEDED TO DRIVE, ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP UNLESS THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED REPEATEDLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED THE ABS ACTUATOR. TWO WEEKS AFTER THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THE DEFECT COULD POSSIBLY BE RELATED TO THE SKID CONTROL UNIT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND RECOMMENDED THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

MY 2004 PRIUS WITH 36,600 TOTAL MILES HAS A FAILING RIGHT HEADLIGHT. TOYOTA SERVICE IN HONOLULU ESTIMATE COST OF PARTS & LABOR TOTALING $500. TO REPLACE THE FAILING HEADLIGHT AND $700 TO REPLACE BOTH HEADLIGHTS, WHICH TOYOTA RECOMMENDS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SLIDE BACKWARD AS A RESULT FROM A POSSIBLE BLOW OUT IN THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CROSS OVER A FIVE LANE HIGHWAY. THE CONTACT THEN CRASHED INTO A FREEWAY SIGN POST ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SLIDE BACKWARD AND CRASHED INTO A TREE HEAD-ON YET THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS RESIDENCE BUT WAS NOT INSPECTED FOR THE FAILURE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 168,000.

WHILE DRIVIMG UNDER CRUISE CONTROL AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, A CONTINUOUS LOUD BEEP OCCURRED, ACCOMPANIED WITH THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS ON THE DASHBOARD: RED "BRAKE" WARNING AND YELLOW "((!))", "ABS" (ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM), AND "VSC" (VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL) WARNINGS. ATTEMPTING TO PULL OVER AND STOP, THE BRAKES HAD NO POWER ASSISTANCE BUT, FORTUNATELY, COULD BE OPERATED UNDER HEAVY FOOT PRESSURE. AFTER PULLING OVER AND STOPPING AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE, ALL THE WARNINGS AND THE BEEP WERE STILL THERE WHILE THE CAR WAS DRIVEN TO A SAFER LOCATION AT A GAS STATION. BRAKING WAS STILL ENTIRELY UNDER FOOT PRESSURE ONLY. AS THIS WAS IN CANADA, DRIVER TURNED OFF THE ENGINE WHILE TRYING TO DECIDE THE NEXT COURSE OF ACTION. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE ENGINE WAS AGAIN STARTED IN ORDER TO MOVE THE CAR SLIGHTLY IN THE PARKING LOT (TO GET AWAY FROM A PUDDLE) AND ALL SYSTEMS, INCLUDING BRAKE POWER ASSISTANCE, WERE NOW OPERATING NORMALLY WITH ALL THE WARNINGS OFF. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RECURRED. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER AND THE DIAGNOSTIC REPORT STATES, "COULD NOT DUPLICATE CUSTOMER'S COMPLAINT". THUS, NO REPAIR WAS DONE NOR FURTHER ACTION WAS TAKEN BY THE DEALER. *TT

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS 160,000 MILES. THE LEFT HEADLIGHT HAS BEEN FAILING INTERMITTENTLY FOR ABOUT A WEEK. TWO NIGHTS AGO, ON A DARK ROAD, THE ENTIRE SET OF FRONT HEADLIGHTS, FOG LAMPS, ALL SUDDENLY WENT OFF. I AM HAPPY TO SAY THE HAZARDS WERE FUNCTIONAL, BECAUSE NO AMOUNT OF TURNING THE SWITCH AT THE STALK WOULD BRING THE LIGHTS BACK. I PULLED CAR OVER AND TURNED IT OFF. I HAD DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES WITH THEM ON PRIOR TO THE EVENT. I LET THE VEHICLE REST WITH POWER OFF FOR APPROX 5 MINUTES AND THE LIGHTS WERE WORKING NORMALLY, AND CONTINUED WITHOUT FURTHER PROBLEMS FOR THE LAST 25 MILES OF MY DRIVE HOME. THERE ARE A GREAT MANY REGISTERED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. I FEEL IT IS INDEED A SAFETY ISSUE AND WOULD APPRECIATE SOME HELP IN GETTING TOYOTA TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ROOT OF THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 63 MILES PER HOUR, I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES WHEN MY ENGINE CUT OUT, ALL THE LIGHTS ON MY DASH TURNED ON INCLUDING THE CHECK ENGINE AND RED TRIANGLE WARNING LIGHT. I DRIFTED TO THE SHOULDER AND POWERED THE CAR OFF. I TRIED TO START IT 2 MORE TIMES, BOTH TIMES THE ENGINE DID NOT START AND THE RED TRIANGLE AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. I WAITED LONGER AND TRIED TO POWER UP THE ENGINE AGAIN, IT STARTED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 DAYS LATER (THEY COULD NOT SEE ME SOONER), RAN THE CODES AND IT ONLY CAME UP WITH THE CODE POAOF, WHICH MEANS THAT THE ENGINE DID NOT START. THEY HAD NO EXPLANATION OF WHAT HAPPENED AND DID NOT SEEM TO SHARE MY CONCERN THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. THE DID RECALL WORK FOR ME AND SENT ME HOME. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. SINCE 2004, MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT 5 TIMES. THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS GONE OUT 3 TIMES AND THE LEFT 2 TIMES. THE LAST TIME I REPLACED THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT, IT DID NOT LAST 12 MONTHS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE DIVIDER ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AFTER THE CRASH. THE DRIVER AND THE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THEIR BACK AND NECK AND WERE UNDER GOING THERAPY FOR THEIR INJURIES. THERE WAS NO POLICE REPORT FILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CRASH CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE FRONT BUMPER AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WHICH WOULD NOT OPEN. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT AN INSPECTOR WOULD INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE INSPECTOR STATED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS BRAKES. THE CONTACT RECEIVED THE REPORT FROM THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY DID NOT INDICATE THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY FAILURE AND WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE BODY DAMAGE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AFTER THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

TRACTION CONTROL DISABLES CAR WHEN SLIPPERY... ENGINE TOTALLY SHUTS OFF. CAN HAPPEN PASSING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WHEN ICY/SNOWY, ETC. ALSO MAKES ASCENDING HILLS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. *TR