2006 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

WHEN I DRIVING ON A DECLINE AND HIT UNEVEN GROUND OR A POT HOLE, WHILE BRAKING, THE CAR WILL LURCH FORWARD AND THE BRAKING IS SUSPENDED FOR A SECOND. THIS IS A RECURRING EVENT AND CAN BE EASILY REPLICATED WITH HIGH PROBABILITY. I HAVE LISTED THE MOST RECENT TIME THIS ERROR HAS HAPPENED.

TOYOTA IS AWARE OF A WIDESPREAD ISSUE REGARDING THE ELECTRIC DASHBOARD GOING OUT. THEY HAVE REFUSED TO REPLACE MINE DUE TO IT BEING PAST THE "TIME WINDOW". THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. DRIVERS ARE UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE ANY WARNING LIGHTS, WHAT THE FUEL TANK READS, MILEAGE, OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION. THIS AFFECTS MORE THAN JUST THE 2006 MODEL, AS WELL.

ON VERY COLD MORNINGS THE COMBINATION METER (SPEEDOMETER AND DASH LIGHTS) FAIL TO COME ON. THIS FIRST BEGAN IN DECEMBER 2014 SHORTLY AFTER HAVING THE ICE REPLACED AT THE DEALER, BUT IT HAS BEEN VERY INTERMITTENT. A FEW TRIES AND THE PROBLEM USUALLY CORRECTS ITSELF. IT IS RARELY VERY COLD HERE SO GETTING IT TO REPEAT THE PROBLEM IS DIFFICULT. TOYOTA ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE KNOWN DEFECT BUT IT EXPIRED 4 MONTHS AGO AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. TOYOTA IS AWARE THAT THERE IS A DEFECT. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CAR WILL DRIVE BUT THERE IS NO SPEEDOMETER OR FUEL GAUGE AND THE ODOMETER CEASES TO WORK. I DID NOT TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER LAST WINTER BECAUSE FOR ONE THING I COULDN'T MAKE IT REPEAT THE PROBLEM AND ALSO BECAUSE I SUFFERED A GRAND MAL SEIZURE AND WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR FOR A YEAR. NOW I CAN DRIVE AGAIN AND EVERYTHING HAS BEEN FINE UNTIL NOW THAT IT IS WINTER AGAIN. TOYOTA CLAIMS THEY NOTIFIED ME OF THIS WARRANTY EXTENSION BUT I NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THEM. I THINK IT IS A DANGEROUS AND KNOWN DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY TOYOTA. I DO NOT LIKE DRIVING WITHOUT INSTRUMENTS!

THE RUBBER COVER TO THE EXTERNAL TRUNK LATCH ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS MELTED AND THE SWITCH TO OPEN THE HATCH DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. I AM UNABLE TO ADEQUATELY OPEN THE TRUNK HATCH TO ACCESS THE SPARE TIRE AND EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT. THERE IS NO SAFE ALTERNATIVE IS TO OPEN THE TRUNK IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY.

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ONE OR BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OFF.BY TURNING LIGHTS OFF THEN BACK ON WORKS FOR A VERY SHORT TIME I CON NOT BELIEVE TOYOTA HAS NOT TAKEN CARE OF THIS VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM

WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING LOT, THE BRAKE AND THE EXCLAMATION LIGHTS CAME ON FOLLOWED BY A CONTINUOUS BEEP. THE BRAKES SUDDENLY FAILED AND I HAD TO APPLY EXCESSIVE FORCE WITH MY FOOT IN ORDER TO STOP THE CAR. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WENT TO DO SOME ERRANDS, LIKE 10 MINUTES LATER, I TURNED ON THE CAR. THE BRAKE AND EXCLAMATION LIGHTS WERE OFF AND THE CAR WAS ABLE TO BRAKE NORMALLY. THE NEXT DAY, WHILE RETURNING HOME FROM COLLEGE, AFTER A 25 MINUTE DRIVE IN THE HIGHWAY I WENT THROUGH A SECONDARY ROAD, THE SAME PROBLEM SHOWED AGAIN, LIGHTS AND NO BRAKING POWER WITHOUT ANY PRIOR SYMPTOMS. ONCE I APPLIED EXCESSIVE FORCE TO STOP THE CAR THE WHEELS LOCKED. I PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN IT OFF AND THE ON AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO DRIVE NORMALLY. I STOPPED USING THE CAR AFTER THIS. PROBABLY A BRAKE ACTUATOR IS DEFECTIVE BUT THERE WERE NO SYMPTOMS PRIOR THIS PROBLEM, THE CAR JUST SUDDENLY DOES'NT HAVE BRAKE POWER.

WHILE DRIVING 20 M/H VEHICLE SUDDENLY ECCELERATED AND I HIT THE GUARD RAIL WHEN EXPERIENCING UNINTENDED ACCELERATITION

THE CAR WAS AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT (NIGHTIME). WHEN I TRIED TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF, THE CAR WOULD NOT SHUT DOWN. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO TOYOTA ESPECIALLY ON HIGH MILEAGE VEHICLES. THE CAR HAS 217,000 MILES (ORIGINAL OWNER). TOYOTA ISSUED T-SB-0172-09 AS A "WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM" IN ORDER TO AVOID AN OFFICIAL RECALL OF THE PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY, I MISSED THE DEADLINE BY 3 MONTHS.

THE INSTURMENT CLUSTER ( SPEEDOMETER, BACKUP CAMERA, ETC) FAILED ONE NIGHT. A SYSTEM RESET RESTORED THINGS THE NEXT DAY, BUT NOW IT HAS STARTED TO FAIL ROUTINELY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE Y INCAPACITATING THE SPEEDOMETER AND THE BACKUP COMERA. TOYOTA STATES THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ONCE AND WILL NOT FIX IT, EVEN THOUGH THIS CAR HAS NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE BEFORE. THE CAR HAS 60,000 MILES. THE CAR ALSO FAILS TO TURN OFF LEAVING A MAJOR POTENTIAL FOR AN UNAVOIDABLE ACCIDENT.

THE COMBINATION METER ON MY 2006 PRIUS HAS AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL SHORT. THIS RESULTS IN THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS GOING OUT WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING. THIS PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ON THE PRIUS CAN RESULT IN THE BRAKES ON THE CAR FAILING. IN ADDITION THE CAR OFTEN CONTINUES TO STAY ON AFTER WE TURN IT OFF. THIS IS ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD. TOYOTA HAS REFUSED OUR REQUEST TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE COMBINATION METER, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM.