2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CAR GOES INTO A MODE WHERE IT WILL NOT LET THE CONSUMER SHIFT INTO GEAR AND BECAUSE IT IS ELECTRIC SHIFT, THE CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. IF HE IS ON A HILL THIS CONDITION WOULD MAKE THE VEHICLE COAST DOWN HILL. WHEN THE CONSUMER GETS INTO THE CAR, PRESSES THE BRAKE AND PRESSES THE POWER BUTTON THE CAR GOES INTO THE IGNITION ON MODE INSTEAD OF THE READY MODE. IF HE IS LOOKING AT THE DASH HE CAN TELL THIS HAS HAPPENED BUT IF HE DOES NOT LOOK AT THE DASH HE WOULD NOT KNOW THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE CAR INTO GEAR. IF THE CAR IS ON A SLOPE IT WILL GO DOWN THE SLOPE AS SOON AS HE LETS OFF THE BRAKE AND STEPPING ON THE GAS DOES NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. OBVIOUSLY IF THERE IS ANYTHING IN FRONT OR BEHIND THE CAR AND THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE CARS PATH DOWN THE HILL HE WOULD RUN INTO IT. ALSO, TWO VISITS TO THE DEALER UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT IS INTERMITTENT. *NM *JB

DT: WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH VEHICLE LOST POWER/DIED. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER WHO REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY. *AK

DRIVING DOWNHILL ~50 MPH WHEN ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. CAR WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. GAS ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND BATTERY CHARGE WAS DROPPING FAST. LIMPED ~1 MILE HOME AT 25 MPH. TURNED OFF CAR, TOO LATE TO CALL TOYOTA THAT NIGHT. TURNED CAR ON AND GAS ENGINE STARTED RIGHT UP. ALL WARNING LIGHTS STILL ON, AND MAIN BATTERY NEARLY DRAINED. SLOWLY DROVE AROUND ON LOCAL STREETS, BATTERY CHARGED. PARKED AND TURNED OFF CAR. LATER IN DAY, TURNED ON CAR, ALL WARNING LIGHTS WERE OFF. TOOK IT TO DEALER WHEN WE GOT HOME. DEALER CLAIMED COMPUTER HAD NO RECORD OF THE PROBLEM. PRIOR TO THIS EVENT, TOYOTA HAD UPGRADED THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE ON THIS CAR AS DESCRIBED IN HV ECU SOFTWARE UPDATE 00204. WE WERE TOLD THIS FIXED THE STALLING PROBLEM, BUT OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT. JB

DT: CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE STALLED/LOST POWER ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. *AK

CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER WHEN BEING DRIVEN 30 MPH ON CITY ROAD. COMPUTER SAID BATTERY POWER LOST; SEEMS LIKE GAS ENGINE WAS NOT RECHARGING BATTERY, BUT THERE WAS NO WARNING UNTIL POWER LOSS. I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A CITY STREET WITH 2 SMALL CHILDREN, AS THE CAR WOULD NOT MAKE IT TO SIDE OF ROAD. ANOTHER MOTORIST HELPED PUSH ME TO SIDE OF ROAD AND NO ONE WAS HURT. THE GAS TANK WAS FULL AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT. ALTHOUGH VEHICLE COULD NOT MOVE, THE DASHBOARD AND COMPUTER STILL HAD POWER; IT WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO SHUT IT DOWN, OR REMOVE THE KEY FOB. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP, AND NOW MUST BE TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALIERSHIP THAT SERVICES THIS MODEL. NO REPAIR HAS YET BEEN ATTEMPTED BUT I WANTED TO REPORT INCIDENT BECAUSE MY INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATED YOU WERE INVESTIGATING THIS MODEL FOR A NUMBER OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER 2003 AND HAS 15,299 MILES ON IT. I HAD ONE INCIDENT 12 MONTHS AGO WHEN I COULD NOT START THE VEHICLE, BUT I WAS ABLE TO FINALLY AFTER 10 MINUTES OR SO. I HAVE HAD NO PREVIOUS BREAK DOWNS HOWEVER.

I WAS ACCELERATING INTO A YIELD SITUATION WHERE I HAD ROOM TO MERGE FROM AN OFFRAMP AND THE GAS MOTOR DIDN'T KICK IN. THE CHECK-ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED, THE CAR VIBRATED, AND IT MOVED ONLY AS IF THE ELECTRIC MOTOR WAS GOING FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN, AS I WAS FLOORING IT, THE CAR JARTED OUT INTO THE INTERSECTION WHERE NOW THERE WASN'T ROOM AND I BECAME INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS APPROXIMATELY 35-40 MILES PER HOUR ON A LOCAL STREET WHEN THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND THE SAFETY TRIANGLE LIGHT BOTH ILLUMINATED. I NOTICED THAT THE GAS ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE ALTHOUGH THE ELECTRIC MOTOR GOT ME TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CAR IS SERVICED. THE DELERSHIP CALLED ME IN A COUPLE OF HOURS TO TELL ME THAT THE CAR IS READY. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY JUST HAD TO RESET THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE TO FIX THE CAR. I KNOW THAT YOU ARE RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM AND WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF MY SITIUATION. THANK YOU.

1) MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AND THE CAR HAD A WARNING LIGHT TURN ON ON DISPLAY, WENT TO "LIMP" MODE (SLOW) AND SUDDENLY STOPPED AFTER 1/2 MILE. 2) CAR COULD NOT BE CONTROLLED, NO POWER. 3) TOYOTA TOWED CAR TO SHOP AND REPLACED ECU CONTROLLER IN AREA OF FUEL TANK, ECU RELAY AND ENTIRE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY. PROBLEM HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN.

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH AND FELT THE POWER DIE AND SAW THE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. I HAD TO STOP AT A LIGHT AND THE CAR ACCELERATED BUT FELT LIKE IT WAS COASTING. I WAS VERY CLOSE TO HOME AND MADE IT ABOUT 500 FEET FROM MY DRIVEWAY WHEN THE CAR STOPPED. I COULD NOT TURN OFF THE ENGINE, THE LIGHTS NOR WOULD THE CAR GO INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. SINCE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES I PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND ROLLED DOWN THE HILL CLOSER TO THE CURB. AFTER I GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I ONCE AGAIN TRIED TO START THE CAR AND THIS TIME IT STARTED EASILY. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM NOR DEALT WITH IT. THEY CALLED THE NEXT DAY TO SAY THE COMPUTER SAID IT NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMED AND THAT THE CAR WAS FIXED. THEY HAD NO IDEA WHY THIS HAPPENED BUT NOW THAT THE PROGRAM WAS RESET, "IT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN." I LOVE THIS CAR HOWEVER, I AM GETTING 40-42MPG WHERE OTHERS I HAVE SPOKEN WITH ARE INTO THE 50 MPG RANGE, AND NOW I AM CONCERNED ABOUT IT STALLING OUT. THE CAR HAS ABOUT 13,000 MILES.

DT: THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH AND REMAINED ON FOR ABOUT A DAY. OTHER LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS WELL BUT THE CONSUMER CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONES. THE CONSUMER MADE IT TO HIS DESTINATION WHERE HE STAYED 2 HOURS, AND UPON LEAVING THE ENGINE STARTED IMMEDIATELY. THE CONSUMER CALLED THE DEALER BUT THEY OFFERED NO DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALER DID NOT REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT. *AK *NM