2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNING MY 2004 PRIUS I EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. IN THE OLD DAYS (I'M 71) IF YOU EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION YOU WOULD RIGHT OFF CHECK YOUR GAS PEDAL AND FLOOR MATS. THAT KIND OF PROBLEM WASN'T ALL THAT UNCOMMON WHEN YOU OWNED OLD CARS. IF YOU DIDN'T FIND A PROBLEM IN THE AREA OF THE GAS PEDAL YOU WOULD PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND USUALLY FIND THE THROTTLE SPRING ON THE CARBURETOR MESSED UP IN SOME WAY OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. WELL, WHEN IT HAPPENED ON MY PRIUS GOING ABOUT 40 MPH ON A STRETCH OF ROAD NOT SO FAR FROM MY HOME I INSTINCTIVELY CHECKED MY FLOOR MATS AND THROTTLE SHAFT FOR INTERFERENCE OR STICKING. NO PROBLEMS FOUND. I GOT THE CAR STOPPED - DON'T REMEMBER HOW (WITH YEARS OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE YOU INSTINCTIVELY TRY THINGS UNTIL YOU FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS). ANYHOW, AFTER THAT I WENT DIRECTLY TO MYTOYOTA DEALER WHERE THEY CHECKED IT OUT BUT FOUND NOTHING. THE PROBLEM NEVER OCCURRED AGAIN. NOW I SEE THIS CLAIM THAT IT'S NOT AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM ON THIS DRIVE-BY-WIRE CAR. I DON'T BELIEVE IT. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IF IT HAPPENS JUST ONE TIME ON MY ONE PRIUS IN THOUSANDS OF MILES OF DRIVING, THAT MAKES AN INCIDENT OF THIS SORT PRETTY RARE, RARE ENOUGH TO WHERE IT'S UNLIKELY TO OCCUR UNDER CONTROLLED TESTS (IT WOULD BE INFINITELY EASIER TO FIND THE PROVERBIAL NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK). VIRTUALLY EVERY MICROPROCESSOR CONTROLLED PRODUCT I'VE EVER USED HAS REQUIRED A RESET NOW AND THEN. USUALLY THERE'S NO INDICATION OF WHY THE PRODUCT LOCKED UP (OR WHATEVER). IF YOU USE SATELLITE TV, A DSS MODEM, OR OWN A PC I'M SURE YOU'VE EXPERIENCED IT. WHY IT SHOULD BE ANY DIFFERENT WITH CAR MICROPROCESSORS IS BEYOND ME. THE ANSWER IS FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO REQUIRE SOME KIND OF FAIL-SAFE APPARATUS ON EVERY DRIVE-BY-WIRE CAR IN THE FUTURE (I SEE TOYOTA IS ALREADY IMPLEMENTING THIS CONCEPT INTO THEIR 2011 CARS). HECK, MY LIFE OR THE LIFE OF MY CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN MIGHT VERY WELL DEPEND ON IT. *TR

MY 2004 PRIUS FEELS LIKE THE BRAKES LOSE CONTROL WHEN I'M GOING OVER A BUMP. I APPLY THE BRAKE, IT CATCHES, THEN RELEASES MOMENTARILY, THEN GRABS. THE TIME OF THE RELEASE FEELS TOO LONG TO BE SAFE, AND I AM NEVER REALLY SURE THAT IT WILL GRAB EVENTUALLY. THIS PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED SINCE I BOUGHT IT, AND TOYOTA ASSURES ME IT'S NOT A PROBLEM. *TR

FAILURE OF INVERTER COOLANT PUMP OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS IS APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM OCCURRING AT MANY DIFFERENT MILEAGE INTERVALS FOR OTHER OWNERS. IMMEDIATE SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF POWER AND SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. CRUISE CONTROL AND A/C WENT OFFLINE. REQUIRES REPLACEMENT WHICH IN THIS INSTANCE WAS $605.00. *TR

MY MULTI FUNCTION DISPLAY HAS FAILED ON ME FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR TOYOTA PRIUS OWNERS. THIS MEANS I HAVE HAD NO NAVIGATION, AIR CONDITION/HEATING, RADIO/CD AND MORE DUE TO THIS DEFECTIVE DEVICE. THERE IS NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE SCREEN, AND THESE SCREENS SEEM TO FAIL ONLY A FEW YEARS AFTER MANUFACTURED. IT APPEARS TO BE THE SAME EXACT SOLDER JOINT BREAKING IN EVERY SINGLE CASE TOO FROM WHAT I HAVE READ ONLINE. I CAN'T JUSTIFY BUYING A BRAND NEW SCREEN, ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAVE SPENT SO MUCH ON THIS ONE TO BEGIN WITH. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH MY WIFE AND INFANT DURING THE EVENING LAST SUMMER, AND OUT OF THE BLUE THREE RED INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON AS WELL AS A BUZZER, AND MY BRAKES STOPPED WORKING. THE PEDAL WAS ABLE TO BE PUSHED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR. PUMPING DID NOTHING. SINCE IT WAS LATE THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS AROUND, SO WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND CHECKED FOR ANY DAMAGE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND NOTHING. OVER THE NEXT HOUR WHILE WAITING FOR THE TOW TRUCK, WE TRIED RESTARTING THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES, AND THE BRAKES WERE JUST GONE. WE FINALLY GOT TOWED AND GOT A LOANER CAR. THE NEXT MORNING AFTER THE TOYOTA DEALER HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE CAR, THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. THEY DID A COUPLE HOURS OF DIAGNOSTICS ON MY DIME AND RESET THE FAULT CODES. THERE WAS NO AIR IN THE BRAKES, FLUID LEVELS WERE JUST FINE, AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH ANYTHING. APPARENTLY THE BRAKES FIXED THEMSELVES IN THE PARKING LOT OVER NIGHT. THIS HAS MADE ME FEARFUL SINCE THAT DAY THAT IT COULD HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN AT ANYTIME, PERHAPS DURING RUSH HOUR NEXT TIME. I'VE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THE DEALERSHIP SINCE THEN, AND THE ONLY SOLUTION THEY HAVE TO GIVE ME IS TO HAVE MY BRAKE SYSTEM CHECKED REGULARLY. THIS DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A NORMAL THING TO HAPPEN AT ALL, AND I WOULD FEEL GUILTY EVEN SELLING THIS CAR TO SOMEONE ELSE AT THIS POINT. I'M NOT SURE WHAT MORE I CAN DO SO I AM NOW REPORTING TO SAFERCAR.GOV. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A VEHICLE AS SHE ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE CONTACT WAS INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 74,000.

HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID) HEADLIGHTS "WINK" OFF & ON RANDOMLY, WHICH CAUSES A SERIOUS SAFETY/VISIBILITY PROBLEM IN THE DARK. I UNDERSTAND YOU OPENED AN INVESTIGATION ON THIS ISSUE A WHILE AGO BUT THEN CLOSED IT WITHOUT A FINDING OF A SAFETY DEFECT. PLEASE REOPEN IT AGAIN. THERE IS A CONTINUOUSLY GROWING BODY OF REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE WITH THE TOYOTA PRIUS. GO TO WWW.PRIUSCHAT.COM AND SEARCH FOR THE HID HEADLIGHT THREAD TO SEE WHAT I MEAN. MANY OWNERS HAVE HAD TO PAY $500 TO $1000 OUT OF POCKET TO TOYOTA DEALERS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. IN SOME CASES, THE PROBLEM HAS RECURRED A FEW MONTHS LATER. PLEASE ASK TOYOTA TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL OF PRIUS MODELS AFFECTED BY THIS ISSUE. I HOPE YOU CAN GET TOYOTA TO DO THIS BEFORE SOMEONE DIES BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. OTHERWISE, YOU WILL HAVE A SITUATION SIMILAR TO THE "UNINTENDED ACCELERATION" PROBLEM WHICH HAS KILLED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

RECENTLY, I PERFORMED A ROUTINE FLUSH OF THE BRAKE FLUID ON MY TOYOTA PRIUS. WHEN I STARTED THE PRIUS AFTER COMPLETING THE BRAKE FLUID FLUSH, THERE WERE WARNING LIGHTS SHOWING ON THE DASHBOARD FOR THE BRAKES, THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, AND THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM. THIS DIDN'T SURPRISE ME THAT THE CAR DETECTED AN ABNORMALITY DURING THE BRAKE BLEEDING OPERATION. WHAT DID SURPRISE ME IS THAT THE PRIUS COMPUTER INSTRUCTED THE FRONT BRAKES TO BECOME NON-OPERATIONAL THE TROUBLE CODE IN THE PRIUS COMPUTER AUTOMATICALLY DISABLED THE FRONT BRAKES BECAUSE THE COMPUTER WAS CONFUSED BY THE VARYING PRESSURES PRESENT IN THE BRAKE LINES DURING A ROUTINE BRAKE FLUID FLUSH. I DROVE TO A REPAIR SHOP WITH ONLY THE REAR BRAKES OPERATIONAL. AT THE REPAIR SHOP, A TECHNICIAN CLEARED THE TROUBLE CODES FOR THE BRAKE SYSTEM STORED IN THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE OF THE PRIUS. THE BRAKES WERE THEN COMPLETELY OPERATIONAL. I FIND IT UNCONSCIONABLE THAT THE CAR COULD DECIDE ON IT'S OWN TO DISABLE THE BRAKES, EVEN WHEN THE BRAKES WERE OTHERWISE FULLY FUNCTIONAL. PLEASE REQUIRE TOYOTA TO PROGRAM THEIR CONTROL MODULES TO ALLOW THE BRAKES TO FUNCTION WHEN TROUBLE CODES ARE ACTIVATED.

S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING RE TOYOTA VEHICLES RECALL, OWNER OF A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS EXPERIENCED SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED AS HE WAS DRIVING, HE APPROACHED A SLOWER MOVING VEHICLE, BUT WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE INSTEAD ACCELERATED. AS HE HIT THE BRAKE HARDER, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED EVEN MORE. THE CONSUMER HAD TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT BY CROSSING OVER THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AND QUICKLY MOVED BACK OVER TO THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONSUMER STATED THE GAS PEDAL WAS NOT STUCK AS TOYOTA IS CLAIMING THERE IS A QUICK FIX AND PLACING THE BLAME ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, THE CONSUMER STATED AS HE WAS WAITING IN A LINE, WITH HIS FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE SEEMED TO SUDDENLY REV UP AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD BUT DID NOT MOVE DUE TO HIS FOOT BEING FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHEN HE HIT THE BRAKE THE RADIO AND AIR CONDITION WOULD COME ON. THE DEALER CLAIMED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG AND THAT THE CONSUMER MUST HAVE HIT THE RADIO AND CLIMATE CONTROL BUTTONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THE BRAKING SYSTEM INFLUENCES THE ELECTRONICS OR COMPUTER AND CAUSES THE ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. *JB

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK THIS MORNING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AS I WAS MERGING TO MY LEFT. AS I WAS MERGING I FELT THE CAR ACCELERATE AND THE DECREASE IN PRESSURE AGAINST MY FOOT AS THE PEDAL DEPRESSED ON IT'S OWN. I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR AFTER FORCEFULLY STEPPING ON THE BRAKES TWICE, AT WHICH TIME THE GAS PEDAL CAME BACK UP.