2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

2004 PRIUS: AFTER DRIVING AT 10MPH ON GRAVEL ROAD WITH POTHOLES AND THEN TURNING ON TO SMOOTH PAVED ROAD ENGINE SPEED AND SPEEDOMETER STARTED TO VARY WILDLY WITH SPEEDOMETER GOING UP TO 45MPH DOWN AND BACK UP AGAIN FOR A 5 MINUTE PERIOD WHILE DRIVING ON THE PAVED ROAD AT ABOUT 30MPH. THIS CONTINUED BUT CAR ITSELF DID NOT ACCELERATE ABNORMALLY DESPITE CHANGE IN ENGINE SPEED AND WILD SPEEDOMETER. *TR

HEADLIGHTS, ONE OR BOTH, TURN OFF WITHOUT WARNING AND THE ONLY WAY TO GET THEM TO COME BACK ON IS TO TURN THEM OFF AND THEN BACK ON. *TR

REGARDING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS: THE 'MULTI-INFORMATION DISPLAY, I.E., COMPUTER DISPLAY, DOES NOT FUNCTION FREQUENTLY, AT WHICH TIME A MESSAGE SAYING THE AIR CONDITIONER IS DISCONNECTED. SIMULTANEOUSLY, WHEN THIS MESSAGE APPEARS, THE RADIO INSTANTLY TURNS OFF. WHEN THIS OCCURS ACCESS TO THE COMPUTER IS IMPOSSIBLE, CONTROLS OF THE AIR CONDITIONER SYSTEM ARE UNAVAILABLE EXCEPT THROUGH THOSE ON THE STEERING WHEEL WHICH CONTINUE TO FUNCTION. THE COMPUTER FUNCTION LATER RANDOMLY IS RESTORED FOR BRIEF TO LONG PERIODS BUT REMAINS SUBJECT TO RANDOM FAILURE AGAIN. THIS FAILURE HAS EXISTED FOR YEARS. DEALERSHIPS REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF THE EQUIPMENT. THIS DEFECT IS A MAJOR DISTRACTION TO SAFE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. FOR EXAMPLE, DURING COMPUTER SHUTDOWN PERIODS, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ALTER AIR CONDITIONER FAN SPEED DURING FREEZING AMBIENT WEATHER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH ON A ROAD COVERED WITH THREE INCHES OF SNOW. THE VEHICLE BEGAN BEGAN TO SKID. THE SKID CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO BECOME INOPERATIVE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED DURING ACTIVATION OF THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT WAS A MANUFACTURER DESIGN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000.

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. ON OCTOBER 19, 2009, THE CAR ACCELERATED BY ITSELF TO 65 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO PRESS ON THE BRAKE, SLOW DOWN THE CAR AND PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I HAD THE CAR TOLLED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT "DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM." THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE THE FLOOR MAT OUT. IN THE MEANTIME, THEY CHARGED ME $1400 TO REPLACE A WATER PUMP AND PERFORM OTHER MAINTENANCE SERVICES. THE RECENT ACCELERATION RECALL BY TOYOTA DOES NOT INCLUDE MY CAR ALTHOUGH I HAD THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. WHEN I CALLED THE COMPANY TO INQUIRE THE REASON FOR THIS, THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS MODEL WAS MADE IN JAPAN WITH A DIFFERENT PART MANUFACTURE, THUS IT IS NOT UNDER THE ACCELERATION RECALL, JUST THE FLOOR MAT RECALL. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. I FIND THAT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES ON A ROAD SURFACE WITH BUMPS, THERE APPEARS TO BE A LAG BEFORE THE BRAKES ENGAGE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN DRIVING DOWN A HILL. THE BRAKES DO NOT HESITATE TO ENGAGE ON LEVEL ROAD SURFACES. I ALWAYS ATTRIBUTED THIS TO THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGING, BUT AFTER THE RECENT RECALL OF THE 2010 PRIUS FOR A SIMILAR COMPLAINT, I FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO AT LEAST ADVISE OF THIS SITUATION. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AND THE HEADLIGHTS GO OFF WITHOUT WARNING AND THIS HAPPENS A LOT. IF I TURN THE SWITCH TO OFF AND THEN BACK ON THE LIGHTS WILL WORK AGAIN BUT SOMETIMES THEY GO OFF AGAIN AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

THE FUEL TANK CAN NOT BE FILLED UP WITHOUT SPILLING LARGE AMOUNT OF GAS, WHICH IS A GREAT FIRE HAZARD. IT SEEMS THAT THE FUEL TANK GETS TOO MUCH AIR INSIDE WHEN FILLING UP AND THE AIR PUSHES THE GAS GASHING OUT. *TR

TWICE WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS, I ENCOUNTERED A SMALL SLICK PATCH ON THE ROADWAY SURFACE, FELT MY FRONT TIRES SLIP MOMENTARILY, THEN GRAB, THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON LIGHTING UP THE DASH. IT SAID I SHOULDN'T DRIVE IT. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE FIRST TIME THEY SAID IT WAS THE SMALL BATTERY AND REPLACED IT FOR THE THIRD TIME. THE SECOND TIME, THEY SAID IT WAS THE COMPUTER AND REPLACED THAT. *TR

THIS IS AN UPDATE TO THE COMPLAINT I FILED ON 2008/10/14, ODI 10253642 ABOUT PRIUS HID HEADLIGHT FAILURE. SINCE THAT INCIDENT I HAVE HAD THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE BULBS REPLACED FOUR TIMES AND SWAPPED LEFT-FOR-RIGHT FOR DIAGNOSIS TWICE. EVEN WITH THOSE NEW BULBS, WHICH MY DUBLIN, CA, TOYOTA DEALER SWEARS ARE THE NEWER, "GOOD" BULBS, THE HEADLIGHTS ALWAYS HAVE FAILED AGAIN WITHIN ONE TO FOUR WEEKS. ACTUALLY, THOSE ARE THE INTERVALS AT WHICH I HAVE *NOTICED* THE FAILURES, BUT I'M SURE THE BULBS FAILED SOONER THAN THAT, BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO TELL WHILE DRIVING, AND THE LIGHTS ALWAYS RELIGHT WHEN SWITCHED OFF AND ON. THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE REPLACEMENTS AND FAILURES, BUT I HAVE DELAYED TAKING THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR UNTIL I COULD DRIVE INTO THE DEALERSHIP WHILE THE LIGHT WAS OUT, AS PROOF THAT IT HAS FAILED. IT'S OBVIOUS TO ME AND EVERY OTHER PRIUS OWNER THAT THE BULBS ARE EITHER NOT THE PROBLEM OR AT LEAST NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM--THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE UNDOUBTEDLY ALSO OR INSTEAD IS FAULTY. TOYOTA CORPORATE CONTINUES TO REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SEVERITY, PERSISTENCE, AND BREADTH OF THE PROBLEM. YESTERDAY THE DEALER REPEATED THE LEFT-FOR-RIGHT SWAP BECAUSE "TOYOTA CORPORATE DEMANDS THAT DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE." BUT THE DEALER ADMITTED THAT NO MORE INFORMATION WILL BE GAINED THAN WAS GAINED THE LAST TIME THEY SWAPPED LEFT FOR RIGHT, WHEN THE LIGHT WORKED THERE AT THE DEALER, BUT FAILED ON ME SUBSEQUENTLY (THE SAME-SIDE HEADLIGHT WITH THE SWAPPED BULB). THEY ARE SIMPLY AVOIDING THE EXPENSE AND LIABILITY OF REPLACING THE CONTROL COMPUTER. *TR