2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. HE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION TWICE ON JANUARY 16, 2008 AND MARCH 6, 2008. WHILE HE WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED UP TO 100 MPH. HE CONTINUOUSLY APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL HE WAS ABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED, BECAUSE THE FLOOR MAT WAS TRAPPED UNDER THE GAS PEDAL. THE DEALER REPLACED AND SECURED THE FLOOR MAT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. HE HAS NOT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE AGAIN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,154 MILES AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 61,000.

MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS HID HEADLIGHTS AND THEY HAVE BECOME ALMOST COMPLETELY FOGGED OVER IN SPITE OF MY BEST EFFORTS TO CLEAN THEM. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE THE INSIDE OF THE LAMP, WHICH CAN'T BE CLEANED. TOYOTA WANTS $355 PER HEADLIGHT TO REPLACE THE PART + LABOR. THIS HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE AND NONE OF MY OTHER CARS HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 80 MPH BEFORE THE PEDAL RELEASED.THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. NO REPAIRS HAD BEEN MADE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 71000.

I WAS TURNING MY 2004 PRIUS INTO A PARKING GARAGE AT BETWEEN 2-5 MILES AN HOUR, APPLIED THE BRAKES AS I WAS GOING IN OVER A SMALL LIP/BUMP IN THE PAVEMENT, AND THE CAR ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SWERVE AND REAPPLY THE BRAKES IN TIME TO AVOID HITTING AN ONCOMING EXITING CAR. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND I ALMOST HIT THE OTHER DRIVER. I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN BEFORE. THERE HAS BEEN A COUPLE SIMILAR INCIDENCES WHERE I WAS BRAKING WHILE COMING UP TO A STOP, HIT A BUMP OR POTHOLE IN THE ROAD AND THE BRAKES FELT LIKE THEY STOPPED WORKING FOR A SPLIT SECOND AND THEN SEEMED TO HAVE RESUMED. IT IS A STRANGE SENSATION WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING A STOP. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP EVERY 5,000 MILES SINCE IT WAS NEW AND WILL BE DUE AGAIN IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS. *TR

I WAS ENTERING A MAJOR HIGHWAY FROM A PARKING LOT WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AT FULL SPEED. VISIBILITY WAS GOOD. THERE WAS A SMALL POTHOLE SO I DID TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR. NEXT I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY & HIT BY A CAR GOING 65MPH. I DO NOT THINK I HIT THE ACCELERATOR RATHER THAN THE BRAKE ALTHOUGH THAT WAS THE ONLY EXPLANATION AT THE TIME. *TR

LAST FALL THE LEFT HEADLIGHT WAS NOTICED TO BE OUT ON MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS BY A NEIGHBOR WHEN I CAME HOME ONE NIGHT IN NOVEMBER, 2009. MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET IT FIXED AT MY TOYOTA DEALER, BUT THEN IT CAME ON THE NEXT DAY. WHEN I CANCELED THE APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER THEY MENTIONED TO WATCH IT, SINCE THE HEADLIGHTS WERE KNOWN TO GO ON AND OFF. WE LEFT WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS FOR A VACATION DRIVE FROM MD TO NC. HEADLIGHT STAYED ON UNTIL WE WERE IN NC. WENT TO A TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE $900 TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT SINCE THE COMPUTER BEHIND THE LIGHT HAD TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. AT THAT OUTRAGEOUS PRICE - FOR JUST ONE HEADLIGHT - WE DID NOT GET IT FIXED. THE HEADLIGHT THEN STAYED ON MOST OF THE REST OF THE TRIP, BUT PERIODICALLY GOES OFF. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IT SHOULD CERTAINLY NOT COST ALMOST A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO FIX A HEADLIGHT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 12 MPH SHE WAS HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE DAMAGING THE BRAKE LINE WHICH CAUSED THE CONTACTS VEHICLE TO CONTUNIALLY MOVE AFTER THE CRASH. IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE THE CONTACT HAD TO ENGAGE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO STOP DUE TO THE DAMAGED BRAKE LINE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE NOT AVAILABLE.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). MY 2004 PRIUS ALMOST KILLED US IN 2004. IT ACCELERATED SO FAST, THAT I HAD TO GO IN THE MEDIAN. WE COULD NOT SOW IT DOWN OR STOP IT, THERE WAS A BRIDGE AHEAD, SO I MANAGED TO GET BACK ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER AND TAKE IT OUT OF GEAR AND SLOW IT DOWN. SINCE THEN HAS BLAMED EVEYRTHING ON ME, I FELL ASLEEP,ETC. I DID NOT KNOW UNTIL KNOW THAT IT WAS THE CAR THAT CAUSED IT. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! SHE INSISTED WE GET RID OF THE CAR, I SOLD IT TO CARMAX IN LAS VEGAS,WHERE WE LIVED. [XXX] *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH ON A GRAVEL ROAD. PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THERE WAS NO POWER RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE OPPOSING VEHICLES DRIVER, AND PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MODERATE INJURIES. THE POLICE WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE. THE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY PRIOR TO THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR AN ESTIMATE OF THE BODY DAMAGES. CURRENTLY, THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED AT AN AUTO BODY SHOP. THE CAUSE OF FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT, AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE; UNLESS THE TEMPERATURE, BRAKE OR OIL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AND THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURES WERE RELATED TO THE INVERTER WATER PUMP AND THE SKID CONTROL ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU). THE INVERTER WATER PUMP WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED A SECOND TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 61,000.