2006 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

MY HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT WITH NO WARNING. I AM DRIVING AND LIGHTS WILL GO OUT -- DASHBOARD SIGNAL INDICATES LIGHTS ARE ON. I HAVE BEEN STOPPED TWICE BY POLICE FOR DRIVING WITHOUT LIGHTS (SOMETIMES HARD TO DETECT WHEN DRIVING IN WELL LIT AREA). IF I TURN LIGHTS ON AND OFF THEY COME BACK ON. I FIRST STARTED SEEING THIS PROBLEM OVER A YEAR AGO BUT IT HAS BEEN MORE PRONOUNCED IN PAST FEW MONTHS. I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR TO DEALER AND THEY HAVE NOT SEEN A PROBLEM ALTHOUGH NOW I AM READING THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE NIH LIGHTS. NO LIGHTS, NO WARNING THAT THERE ARE NO LIGHTS ... THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I BOUGHT 4 NEW PIRELLI CINTURATO P5 TIRES FOR MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS IN JUNE OF 2009 FROM DISCOUNT TIRE. I WAS TOLD THAT THESE TIRES WOULD LAST FOR 85,000 MILES BEFORE HAVING TO REPLACE THEM. SINCE THEN I REGULARLY ROTATED AND BALANCED THEM. WHEN I WENT TO GET MY TIRES ROTATED AND BALANCED AGAIN 6/2009, I WAS TOLD THAT TWO OF THE TIRES ARE ALREADY WORN OUT AND I WOULD BE BETTER OFF TO GET TWO NEW TIRES TO KEEP ME SAFE WHILE DRIVING. I INFORMED THE SALES PERSONNEL THAT THESE TIRES ARE JUST 3 YEARS OLD AND WITH 40,400 MILES SINCE PURCHASED. HE MENTIONED TO ME THAT TIRES MANY A TIMES DO NOT GIVE THE MILEAGE THEY ARE RATED FOR. IN MY CASE, I GOT LESS THAN ONE-HALF THE RATED MILEAGE. WITH MY DRIVING PATTERN (13,000 MILES/YEAR), I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THESE TIRES TO LAST FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS AS I TAKE GOOD CARE (ROTATING, BALANCING, AND ALIGNMENT) OF THEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE REAR WINDOW SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,500.

OWNER ENTERED VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED TO LATCH DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT. UPON PLACING TAB INTO BUCKLE, BUCKLE SHOT A SPRING INTO THE CAR AND WOULD NOT LATCH. THERE WERE NO OTHER INCIDENTS WITH THIS BELT PRIOR TO THIS DATE. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED AND IS ORDERING A NEW SEATBELT LATCH FOR PURCHASE AND REPLACEMENT BY OWNER. *TR

I AM WRITING TO YOU ABOUT A PROBLEM WITH MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. IN JULY 2008, THE DRIVER'S SIDE ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAILED AND WAS REPLACED BY MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER - I HAD EXTENDED WARRANTY SO IT WAS COVERED. NOW, THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR HAS ONCE AGAIN FAILED. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IN 2008 IF I DIDN'T HAVE THE WARRANTY IT WAS GOING TO COST ME WELL OVER $1,000. THE FAILURE OF THIS ACTUATOR HAPPENING TWICE IS UNBELIEVABLE. I'VE NOTICED SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS. *TR

UPON PURCHASE OF VEHICLE FROM A USED CAR LOT, I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD BE WORK AT TIMES BUT AT OTHER TIMES THEY WOULD BE VERY DIM TO NON-EXISTENT. TURNING THE LIGHT ON AND OFF WOULD SEEM TO TEMPORARILY FIX THIS PROBLEM. UPON RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE THROUGH THE INTERNET, IT WAS REVILED THIS WAS A COMMON ISSUE AMONG PRIUS OWNERS IN MODEL YEARS 2006-2009 WHERE TOYOTA CHOOSE TO USE HID LIGHT BULBS. NOT ONLY WAS THIS COMMON, BUT FOR SOME OWNERS, THE ISSUE APPEAR TO RE-OCCUR AND THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF HID BULBS APPEARS TO BE VERY LOW AND INFERIOR TO VIRTUALLY ANY OTHER TYPE OF BULB. FORTUNATELY, THE DEALER EXTENDED A HELPING HAND AND PROVIDED THE LABOR TO INSTALL THESE HARD TO GET TO BULBS. DUE TO POOR DESIGN, THE LIGHTS ARE VERY HARD TO GET TO WITHOUT TAKING THE BUMPER OFF. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE LIFE EXPECTANCY AND DESIGN THAT TOYOTA CHOSE IN THIS MODEL OF PRIUS. *TR

CPSC#I1230059. 2006 TOYOTA PRUIS COMPUTER ASSEMBLY. CONSUMER STATED THE HID HEAD LAMPS AND ASSOCIATED CONTROLLER COMPUTER USED ON THE TOYOTA PRUIS HAVE A DESIGN FLAW THAT MAKES THEM ITERMITTENTLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING, QUIT WORKING. *LN THE CONSUMER STATED HE EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE THREE TIMES WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON WHENEVER OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS ABOVE 45F OR SO. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A FAULTY COOLANT FLOW CONTROL VALVE THAT WAS RESULTING IN CODE P1121. THE DEALER SAID THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE COOLANT CAN LEAK OUT, AND RECOMMENDED IT BE FIXED ASAP AT A COST OF NEARLY $1000. THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM FOR PRIUS'S AND AN ONLINE SEARCH SHOWED THAT TOYOTA DID COVER THIS UNDER WARRANTY (EXTENSION) FOR SOME MODEL YEARS UP TO 35K MILES. I WROTE TO TOYOTA MOTOR SALES TO ASK IF THEY WOULD COVER OR ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR COST, AND IF THERE WAS A HIDDEN RECALL OR WARRANTY EXTENSION ON THIS ISSUE, AND THEY RESPONDED THAT I SHOULD JUST TRY TO NEGOTIATE A BETTER PRICE WITH THE DEALER. I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD COVER THIS, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD INTERMITTENTLY FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE BUT REPLACED THE HEADLIGHTS. THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 57,000.

MULTIPLE HID HEADLIGHT FAILURES STARTED APPEARING AFTER 5.5 YEARS AND 110000 MILES. DEALER WANTED $500 PER BULB (FRONTIER TOYOTA) TO REPLACE THE BULBS WITH NO GUARANTEE THAT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER RESEARCHING BULB CHANGING PROCEDURES I FOUND THE FRONT END DOES NOT REQUIRE REMOVAL IF YOU HAVE SMALL ENOUGH HANDS AND SOME PATIENCE. I PURCHASED 2 NEW AFTERMARKET HID BULBS FOR $55 AND REPLACED THE "OLD" BULBS. THE NEW BULBS LASTED ABOUT 3 COMMUTES BEFORE ONE, THEN THE OTHER STARTED TURNING OFF ON ME. NOW THE HEADLIGHTS ACT THE SAME AS BEFORE, HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY TURNING OFF AFTER 2-5 MINUTES ON THE DARK ROAD. RE-CYCLING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH BRINGS THEM BACK TO LIFE FOR ANOTHER 3-5 MINUTES. NOW I AM FACED WITH REPLACING ONE OR BOTH BALLAST UNITS THAT DRIVE THE BULBS. THIS WILL REQUIRED REMOVING BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES TO ACCESS THE BALLAST BOXES WHICH ARE MOUNTED TO THE SIDES OF THE ASSEMBLIES FACING OUTWARD TOWARDS THE FENDERS ! THIS WILL REQUIRE BUMPER FACIA REMOVAL TO REMOVE THE LIGHT ASSYS. LOVELY & EXPENSIVE. IF AFTER REPLACING BOTH BALLAST ASSEMBLIES DOESN'T WORK, I WILL BE FORCED TO REPLACE THE VEHICLE'S ECU, OR BRAIN ! ANOTHER EXPENSIVE CHECKLIST ITEM. GOOD THING I AM CAPABLE OF DOING THIS MYSELF AS I CAN SAVE THE GREEDY LABOR CHARGES, BUT ITS NOT RIGHT THAT TOYOTA GETS OFF SCOTT FREE. THEY SHOULD RECALL ALL PRIUS' NO MATTER THE MILEAGE OR AGE. THIS IS A HIGHWAY SAFETY MATTER AND THE LATEST OLIVE BRANCH FROM THE JUDGE WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A WRIST SLAP. *TR