2006 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I BECAME ILL WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A ROAD CONSTRUCTION AREA, BECOMING NAUSEOUS AND DIZZY. MY HEAD BANGED AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL AND I LOST CONSCIOUSNESS, THE VEHICLE LEAVING THE ROAD. I UNDERSTAND FROM REPORTS THAT THE VEHICLE ROLLED AND, FROM LOOKING AT IT AFTER THE FACT, I BELIEVE THIS TO BE ACCURATE. HOWEVER, NONE OF THE AIR BAGS WENT OFF...THERE WERE FOUR: TWO IN THE FRONT AND ONE ON EACH SIDE. NONE OF THEM DEPLOYED. I SUSTAINED MINOR INJURY TO MY FACE (SWELLING AND BRUISING TO MY RIGHT EYE FROM IMPACT WITH STEERING WHEEL AND PROBABLY SHIFT KNOB AS WELL) AND A CONCUSSION. LOCAL POLICE FILED AN ACCIDENT REPORT. I HAVE NOTIFIED TOYOTA OF THIS. THEY SAID AT LEAST THE SIDE BAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED, IF NOT ALL OF THEM. THEY SAID THEY WOULD CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION CHECKING AT LEAST THE VEHICLE'S RECORDING DEVICE WITHIN 30 DAYS AND GET BACK TO ME. I PROVIDED THEM WITH THE NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER OF THE WRECKING SERVICE THAT TOWED MY VEHICLE AND WAS IN CURRENT POSSESSION OF IT. I HAD BEEN THE OWNER OF THIS CAR ONLY SINCE 12 SEPTEMBER 2013, HAVING PURCHASED IT FROM A CARMAX DEALER IN VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. *TR

TL - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE DRIVER BECAME ILL CAUSING HER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT VEHICLE ROLLED OVER AND ALL THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO HER HEAD, CONCUSSION, AND MINOR BRUISING AND LACERATIONS TO THE FACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000. PM

I HAVE THE PROBLEM WITH HID HEADLIGHT 1.5 YEAR AGO AND REPLACED IT BASED ON THE DEALER'S SUGGESTING. LATERALLY, IT WENT OUT SO OFTEN BUT NOT COMPLETE OUT BECAUSE I CAN TURN OFF/ON HEADLIGHT SWITCH. I DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE OUT OR WHERE IT WILL BE OUT. ON THE HIGHWAY OR IN THE REMOTE COUNTRY ROAD. I AM WORRY ABOUT MY OWN SAFETY AS WELL AS OTHER SAFETY. *TR

THE REAR HATCHBACK LATCH OF MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS DETERIORATED OVER TIME. IT STARTED BACK IN FEBRUARY 2012 WITH A DIFFICULTY OPENING THE HATCHBACK EVEN WITH CONSIDERABLE EFFORT. NOW, WHEN I TOUCH THE LATCH RELEASE IT IS GUMMY AND WILL NOT OPEN AT ALL ABOUT 90% OF THE TIME. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS I CAN'T ACCESS ANY OF THE EQUIPMENT (SPARE TIRE, EMERGENCY TOOLS ETC) THAT ARE LOCATED UNDER THE FLOOR OF THE HATCH. I FOUND OUT THAT TO FIX IT WILL COST ME OVER $300. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT A DOOR HANDLE SHOULD FAIL SO QUICKLY. THE REST OF THE CAR WORKS BEAUTIFULLY. I BELIEVE THERE IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT IN THIS LATCH RELEASE AND IT SHOULD BE RECALLED. THERE IS NO WAY TO OPEN THE HATCH FROM THE INTERIOR AS AN ALTERNATIVE (UNLIKE A SIDE DOOR). *TR

THE CENTER CONSOLE SIMPLY TURNED BLACK. I HAVE NO ACCESS TO ANY OF THE CONTROLS. THIS INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM HEATING AND COOLING, TO BACK UP CAMERA, TO GPS MAPPS, TO RADIO CHANNELL SELECTION. THE ENTIRE CENTER CONSOLE TOUCH SCREEN TURNED BLACK AND USELESS. I HAVE BEEN QUOTED $3,000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER 4 YEARS OF UN/DEREMPLOYMENT, I SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD SUCH A COSTLY FIX. *TR

THE FIRST TIME I NOTICED THE PROBLEM, MY CAR WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AFTER RETURNING FROM SHOPPING, STILL RUNNING, WHEN MY SON NOTICED THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. FOR SOME REASON, I REACHED IN AND TURNED THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF, AND THEN BACK ON, AND THE LIGHT WAS FINE. I FIGURED IT WAS AN ANOMALY. FROM THEN, ONE OR THE OTHER HEADLIGHT WOULD DISAPPEAR EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS OR SO, BUT ALWAYS REAPPEAR WITH A TOGGLE OF THE LIGHT SWITCHED. I WAS SEVERELY UNDEREMPLOYED, AND SIMPLY COULD/CAN NOT AFFORD THE $500 PARTS & LABOR THE TOYOTA DEALER WANTED TO REPLACE BOTH HEADLIGHTS. I JUST KEPT TOGGLING AND HOPING FOR THE BEST. I RECENTLY RETURNED TO FULL-TIME WORK, BUT WITH A COMMUTE OF 1.25 HOURS EACH WAY. IT WAS FINE DURING DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME, BUT NOW, I AM TOGGLING CONSTANTLY, AND BOTH HEADLIGHTS ARE GOING OUT AT THE SAME TIME. I AM TRAVELING DARK, COUNTRY, ROADS, FROM FRESNO, CA TO COALINGA, CA TO WORK AT THE PLEASANT VALLEY STATE PRISON. I DON'T WANT TO BECOME A HIGHWAY FATALITY STATISTIC SIMPLY BECAUSE NHTSA DOESN'T HAVE THE "[XXX]" TO FORCE TOYOTA TO RECALL THESE DANGEROUS HEADLIGHTS. I WAS UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED FOR 4 YEARS FOLLOWING A LAY OFF IN THE SUMMER OF 2009. I SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY THE $500 OUT OF POCKET, AND I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY CREDIT LEFT. YOUR INACTION, NHTSA AND TOYOTA, PUTS MY LIFE ON THE LINE TWICE A DAY. YOU BOTH WILL PROBABLY HAVE MY BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS. [XXX] YOU! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I BOUGHT MY 2006 PRIUS IN OCTOBER OF 2012 AND EVER SINCE BUYING IT I'VE NOTICED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE GOES OUT BY ITSELF. I ACTUALLY WENT INTO THE DEALER WITHIN A WEEK AND TOLD THEM MY HEADLIGHT WAS OUT BUT WHEN I GOT THERE AND I TURNED THEM ON IT WAS WORKING. I WAS BAFFLED. THEY DIDN'T SAY A THING TO ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMONLY REPORTED PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA WASN'T GOING TO BE ADDRESSING. ANYWAY, I LEFT AND THE HEADLIGHT PROBLEM HAS BEEN HAPPENING EVER SINCE. I DECIDED TO JUST LIVE WITH IT BECAUSE WHEN I TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON, THE HEADLIGHT COMES BACK ON - AT LEAST FOR A WHILE. I'M VERY WORRIED THAT THE SAME THING MIGHT HAPPEN TO THE OTHER HEADLIGHT AT THE SAME TIME. I'VE READ ONLINE ABOUT THE COST OF REPLACING THE BULB ($330) WHICH IS RIDICULOUS SINCE THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MFG FLAW THAT TOYOTA JUST DOESN'T WANT TO PAY FOR. PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED!! *TR

I NOTICE OCCASIONALLY THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT REQUIRING ME TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF THEN ON AGAIN. MOST RECENTLY BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT. I CAN GET THEM ON AGAIN BY TURNING THEM OFF THEN BACK ON BUT IT IS UNNERVING AND OCCURS EVERY DAY NOW WHENEVER I USE THE LIGHTS. I CHECKED FOR A LOOSE WIRE AND FOUND NOTHING. THESE ARE THE ORIGINAL HID HEADLIGHTS.I CAN REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT. THERE HAPPENED TO BE A LITTLE FOG IN THE AIR. MY SPEED WAS 45 MPH ON A DARK COUNTRY ROAD. MY PASSENGER SIDE HID HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, FOLLOWED BY THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WITHIN 20 SECONDS. I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE LIGHT CONTROL OFF THEN BACK ON. I DID THIS AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN AND KEEPING STRAIGHT. I MANAGED TO STAY ON THE ROAD AND DID NOT HAVE ANY FURTHER PROBLEMS THAT NIGHT. ALL IN ALL IT WAS A PRETTY SCARY EXPERIENCE. *TR

I HAVE HID HEADLIGHTS. MY HEADLIGHTS GO ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIME ONE HEAD LIGHT GOES OUT; SOMETIMES BOTH GO OUT. IF THEY GO OUT, I CAN USUALLY GET THEM TO GO BACK ON BY TURNING THEM OFF AND THEN TURNING THEM BACK ON. I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY CHECK MY CAR'S REFLECTION IN THE BACK OF OTHER CARS TO MAKE SURE BOTH LIGHTS ARE ON. MY MECHANIC MADE ME AWARE THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN A CONSTANT COMPLAINT FOR THIS MODEL AND REPLACING THE HEADLIGHT WILL NOT HELP. ACCORDINGLY, THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE MODULE THAT CEASES TO WORK WHEN IT HEATS UP. MY RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THE FHTSA HAS HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS EXACT PROBLEM, AND THAT TOYOTA SETTLED A CLASS ACTION SUIT (FOR WHICH I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED) REGARDING THE EXACT PROBLEM. TOYOTA NOW REFUSES TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM FOR CARS OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS IS POTENTIALLY A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM EFFECTING THOUSANDS OF CARS. I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT YET, BUT IF YOU DON'T MAKE TOYOTA DO A RECALL, I EXPECT THERE WILL BE SEVERAL ACCIDENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY DUE TO THIS DEFECT. *TR