2006 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

RIGHT PASSENGER HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. WAS ABLE TO GET IT BACK ON BY TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON. ON THE DRIVE TO THE DEALER TO GET IT FIXED, LEFT DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. AGAIN ABLE TO GET IT BACK ON BY TURNING IT OFF AND ON. DEALER CHECKED OVER THE CAR AND ONLY REPLACED THE RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT EVEN THOUGH I TOLD THEM BOTH HAD BEEN OUT. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE LEFT DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT. DROVE AWAY FROM DEALER AND THE LEFT DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AFTER I DROVE LESS THAN 1 MILE. WENT BACK TO THE DEALER, BUT DID NOT TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON. HE COULD NOT BELIEVE IT, BUT THE LIGHT WAS OUT. HAD THE LEFT DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT REPLACED. IS THIS SOME KIND OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEM? THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IF BOTH WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING! *TR

I WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE REAR HATCH BECAUSE THE RUBBER/PLASTIC COVERING HAD HARDENED TO THE POINT THAT I COULDN'T CAUSE IT TO MAKE CONTACT AND OPEN. SINCE THEN, I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO OPEN THE HATCH WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLD AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OPEN IT WHEN THE WEATHER IS WARM. A DEALER IN TENNESSEE TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD COST $300 TO REPLACE THE WHOLE PART. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCESS THE SPARE TIRE, FIRST AID KIT, OR TO OPEN THE HATCH IN EMERGENCIES TO ALLOW PASSENGERS TO ESCAPE IF OTHER DOORS ARE INOPERABLE. *TR

WHILE PRESSING ON BRAKE WHILE GOING LOW SPEED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT, THE CAR ACCELERATED BEFORE BRAKING. A FEW MINUTES LATER, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PARK IN A PARKING GARAGE. WHILE PULLING INTO THE PARKING SPOT I APPLIED THE BRAKE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. INSTEAD OF DECELERATING, THE CAR AGGRESSIVELY ACCELERATED INTO THE CEMENT BARRIER AT THE HEAD OF THE PARKING SPOT. *TR

WE WERE EXITING 66 AT EXIT 55 (FAIRFAX CO. PARKWAY) NORTHERN VA. WE WERE GOING 3 MPH, A HEAVY DELIVERY TRUCK HIT US GOING 40 MPH PUSHING US WITH CONSIDERABLE FORCE INTO THE VAN IN FRONT OF US. OUR AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, NONE OF THEM DEPLOYED. MY HUSBAND SUSTAINED HEAD INJURIES FROM HITTING THE STEERING WHEEL AND I WAS BOUNCED BACK AND FORTH A FEW TIMES INJURING MY HEAD, NECK AND BACK. MY DOCTORS THINK MY INJURIES WERE MADE WORSE BY THE FACT THAT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT PREVENT ME FROM BEING THROWN SO FAR FORWARD. WE CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY DID NOT WANT TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE. *TR

DRIVING DOWN A DARK ROAD BOTH MY HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. I ALMOST WRECKED. I THEN TURNED THEM ON AN OFF AND THEY CAME BACK ON. THIS IS THE SECOND 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS WE HAVE OWNED WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL....DOES SOMEONE NEED TO DIE OVER THIS COMMON ISSUE? *TR

RUBBER COVER TO THE REAR HATCH SWITCH (HANDLE) HAS DETERIORATED OVER TIME (CAR WAS 4 YEARS OLD WHEN THIS FIRST BECAME NOTICEABLE). IT IS NOW 8 YEARS OLD WITH 81,000 MILES AND THE DETERIORATION IS SO DRASTIC TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS OFTEN DIFFICULT TO OPEN THE REAR HATCH, OR VICE-VERSA SOMETIMES THE HATCH WILL NOT LATCH CLOSE. STICKY GOOEY TAR ALWAYS GETS ON THE FINGERS UPON EVERY ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE HATCH. NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE NOTED THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE ONLY HAND-WASHED THE CAR WITH PLAIN WATER, AND I LIVE IN A VERY MILD CLIMATE (SAN DIEGO). OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A DEFECTIVE BATCH OF RUBBER USED BY TOYOTA. THIS PRESENTS A SAFETY PROBLEM IN THAT IT COULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCESS THE SPARE TIRE AND TOOLS TO CHANGE A FLAT TIRE IN AN EMERGENCY. THERE IS AN INTERNAL MECHANICAL RELEASE SWITCH, BUT THIS COULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCESS IF THERE ARE LARGE ITEMS STORED IN THE TRUNK. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS WILL SHUT OFF RANDOMLY WHILE I AM DRIVING, THE SOLUTION I HAVE FOUND IS TO FLIP THE SWITCH ON AND OFF AGAIN AND THEY TURN BACK ON, BUT THIS ONLY WORKS TEMPORARILY AND THEY SOON SHUT OFF AGAIN. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ON A DARK ROAD AT NIGHT ALONG A CURVE. THE TOYOTA SPECIALISTS RECOMMENDED THAT I REPLACE THE BULBS BUT THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

ON JULY 20,2014, I NOTICED MY PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT IS OUT. I STARTED THE CAR AND PUT THE LIGHT ON, IT CAME ON FINE.. WHILE DRIVING ON HIGH WAY AT NIGHT ALL THE SUDDEN THE LIGHT WENT OUT AGAIN PASSENGER SIDE. I PULLED IT ON THE SIDE AND INSPECT DRIVER SIDE LIGHT WAS WORKING FINE BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS OUT. I TURN THE LIGHT OFF AND ON AGAIN IT CAME BACK ON. AT THIS TIME I AM SCRATCHING MY HEAD THAT WHAT IS GOING ON. I TAKE MY CAR TO THE MECHANIC HE TELLS ME THE BULB IS FUSE. IT COST ME $300. TO CHANGE THE BULB. AFTER FEW DAYS AFTER THE BULB GOES OUT AGAIN. I TAKE IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC HE CHECKS EVERY THING IS FINE, TELL ME THE BULB WENT OUT AGAIN. SCRATCHING MY HEAD AGAIN "BULB WENT OUT AGAIN AFTER FEW WEEKS" I WENT TO AMAZON AND BOUGHT ANOTHER BULB.. AND IT WENT OUT AGAIN. I WAS PULLED OVER SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 BUY COPS TO FIX MY HEADLIGHT. HEADLIGHT ARE STILL GOING OUT AND I HAVE TO KEEP BUYING THE HEADLIGHT BULB. *TR

ON OCCASION, WHEN I STEP ON THE BRAKE TO STOP MY CAR (USUALLY WHEN DRIVING UNDER 30 MPH), IT FEELS AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE TRIES TO ACCELERATE. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE ELECTRONIC PORTION OF THE VEHICLE IS TRYING TO ENGAGE AND BRIEFLY ACCELERATES WHEN I AM TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR

FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS MY PRIUS' PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT TURNS OFF AND ON INDISCRIMINATELY. I'VE REPLACE BULBS, I'VE REPLACED FUSES, AND EVEN THE WHOLE LIGHT ASSEMBLY AT A TOTAL COST OF CLOSE TO $3000. I STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM TO THIS DAY. I GET PULLED OVER ABOUT EVERY TWO WEEKS OR SO FROM POLICE AND FOR MY JOB THE CAR DOES NOT PASS THE INTERNAL INSPECTION OF MY COMPANY. I HAVE READ ON MANY SITES THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL OF PRIUS JUSTIFYING A RECALL. THANK YOU *TR