2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

APPROACHING ENTRANCE RAMP TO I495 N EXIT 32 WESTFORD MA AT MODEST SIDE STREET SPEED 25-40 APPROXIMATELY. CAR RAPIDLY LOST ACCELERATION. CONTINUED FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND STALLED ON THE SHOULDER. BATTERY INDICATED SHOWED ONLY ONE BAR. GAS AT LEAST 1/3 FULL. ELECTRIC WINDOWS AND DISPLAYS AND LIGHTS WORKED. CERTAIN WARNING INDICATORS WERE LIT INCLUDING RED DANGER TRIANGLE. COULD NOT TURN OFF THE POWER OR REMOVE THE KEY. AFTER 20-25 MINUTES, WHILE WAITING FOR THE TOW TRUNK, I WAS ABLE TO POWER OFF AND ON AND THEN THE CAR STARTED AND I DROVE HOME (30 MILES). PERFORMANCE APPEARED NORMAL BUT THE RED TRIANGLE AND A FEW OTHER INDICATORS REMAINED LIT.

MY 2004 PRIUS "DIED" WITH LITTLE WARNING WHILE I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH ON A BUSY STREET. I COASTED TO A STOP WITH CARS FLYING BY ME. VERY DANGEROUS. CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO EXPLAINED THERE WAS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM AND THEY REPROGRAMMED THE CAR'S COMPUTER. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROBLEM! I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR.

DT: CONSUMER WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WHILE DRIVING IN A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AT 45 MPH AND WHEN ALL OF THE DAS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. AS IT TURNED OUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT RECEIVING ANY POWER FROM THE GAS ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING ON ELECTRICITY ONLY. WHILE ENTERING THE INTERSECTION THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE TO BACK THE VEHICLE TO THE CURB. THEN , PUT VEHICLE IN PARK OR NEUTRAL ONLY, BUT WAS UNABLE TO SHUT THE POWER OFF. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE. AFTER LETTING THE VEHICLE SIT 35-40 MINUTES WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE ONTO THE TOW TRUCK. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY RESET THE COMPUTER THE FOLLOWING DAY. DEALERSHIP TOLD CONSUMER THEY WERE SEEING THIS HAPPEN FREQUENTLY WITH THE 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRIDS. ALSO, MISSED 1 HOUR OF WORK THE FOLLOWING DAY IN ORDER TO GET A RENTAL CAR. *AK *TT *NM

DT: CONSUMER HAD 2 EPISODES OF ENGINE STALLING. THE 1ST TIME CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE APPEARED IN THE LANE AND CONSUMER ACCELERATED QUICKLY AND CHANGED LANE. THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH A BEEPING NOISE, AND SUDDENLY LOST POWER. WAS RUNNING ONLY ON ELECTRIC POWER UNTIL WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE DID NOT RESTART UNTIL TURNED OFF THE WHOLE SYSTEM AND THEN IT RESTARTED IT. CONTINUED TO HAVE WARNING LIGHTS FOR SEVERAL HOURS. CALLED TOYOTA HOT LINE, AND WAS INFORMED IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. THE FOLLOWING MONDAY TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, WHO PLACED IT ON A COMPUTER AND NOTED IT WAS NORMAL. THEY THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL BECAUSE THAT LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, AND EARLIER WHEN THAT HAPPENED DRIVER SWERVED INTO A LANE. THE 2ND EPISODE OCCURRED AS ACCELERATING TO GET ON A FREEWAY RAMP AND HAD SLOWED TO ENTER TRAFFIC, ANOTHER DRIVER ALLOWED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE TO ENTER AND DRIVER ACCELERATED GAIN AND THE ENGINE CUT OFF. WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ON BATTERY POWER ABOUT A MILE GOING 40 MPH TO THE NEXT EXIT. PULLED OFF, AND AGAIN TURNED SYSTEM OFF, AND AGAIN THE ENGINE RESTARTED. THIS TIME THE VEHICLE,S STABILITY LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE DISPLAY SCREEN HAD A BAR THAT SAID, PROBLEM. WHEN CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALER NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AROUND TOWN AND SOME HIGHWAY, INTERMITTENTLY, THE BATTERY CHARGE LEVEL WILL DROP VERY LOW (ONE RED BAR), THE BATTERY WILL NOT CHARGE, AND THE CAR WILL LOOSE POWER. WHEN THE PRIUS HAS POWER LOSS, THE AVERAGE MPG DROPS FROM THE LOW 40'S TO THE LOW 30'S. THE CAR HAS NEVER STALLED AS PER CURRENT INVESTIGATION WITH '04 PRIUS, BUT, THE LOSS OF POWER ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO A TOYOTA DEALER 3 TIMES, THEY ARE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. HAVE ALSO CONTACTED TOYOTA CORP AND ESCALATED, BUT, THEY MAINTAIN THAT THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM. ALL SOFWARE TECHNICAL BULITENS AND ANY RECALLS HAVE ALL BEEN APPLIED

(1) ENGINE STALLED WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOPLIGHT. WEATHER WAS COOL (LOW-50S) AND RAINY. DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP ('RED TRIANGLE OF DEATH', CHECK ENGINE, BRAKING SYSTEM) (2) DRIVER PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD USING ELECTRIC POWER ONLY (3) DRIVER CALLED HUSBAND, WHO ADVISED WIFE TO CYCLE THE POWER OFF AND ON, POSSIBLY MULTIPLE TIMES, UNTIL THE ENGINE RESTARTED. CYCLING POWER SUCCESSFULLY RESTARTED ENGINE, BUT 'RED TRIANGLE OF DEATH' AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED LIT. CAR OPERATED NORMALLY THEREAFTER. DEALER APPLIED TSB EG047-04 AT NO CHARGE. PROBLEM HAS NOT RETURNED. SUSPECT THIS IS ANOTHER INSTANCE OF 'PRIUS STALLING' PROBLEM. GIVEN THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS (1), THE DEALER RESPONSE (SATISFACTORY) AND THE RECOVERABILITY FROM THE PROBLEM (POWER CYCLE), I CONSIDER THIS A MINOR PROBLEM. OTHERWISE HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH CAR.

DT: A. HOW LONG AND AT WHAT SPEED WAS THE CONSUMER DRIVING BEFORE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER? HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES GOING ABOUT 65 MPH. B. WAS THE CONSUMER ACCELERATING, DECELERATING, OR DRIVING AT A STEADY- STATE WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST POWER? OWNER BELIEVES SHE WAS SLOWING DOWN AT THE TIME OF STALL. C. AFTER THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, WAS THE DRIVER ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING THE VEHICLE? IF SO, HOW LONG AND AT WHAT SPEED? OWNER WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT, AND CALLED DEALERSHIP AND HAD IT TOWED. D. DID ANY WARNING LIGHTS APPEAR BEFORE AND/OR AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. IF SO, DESCRIBE THE LIGHTS THAT WERE LIT. ALL WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON AS IT STALLED. E.DID THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY STALL AND COME TO A STOP? HOW LONG DID THIS OCCUR AFTER THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE LIT? THE VEHICLE DID STALL AND COME TO A STOP. VEHICLE STALLED, THEN LIT UP SECONDS AFTER STALLING. YES. F.WAS THE DRIVER ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE RIGHT AFTER IT STALLED? G. WASS THE DRIVER ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER LETTING IT SIT AWHILE? IF SO, HOW LONG WAS THIS AFTER THE VEHICLE STALLED? NO NO ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO RESTART BECAUSE IT WAS TOWED. H.WAS THE VEHICLE TOWED? YES. I.WHAT DID THE DEALER SAY WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE? DEALER SAID THERE WAS A SOFTWARE GLITCH. DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE ECU (ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT) OR ANY SOFTWARE? YES. *AK *TT *NM

DT: TOYOTA PRIUS, VEHICLE STALLED AT 35 MPH WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. PULLED OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD BECAUSE CALLER WAS LOSING POWER FROM BATTERY, AND COULD NOT DRIVE IT. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER, AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. PROBLEM DID NOT COME UP ON CAR COMPUTER WHEN DIAGNOSTIC WAS DONE. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. CALLER READ ARTICLE IN NEWSPAPER ABOUT PRIUS. *AK *NM

DT: CONSUMER OWNS TWO 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AND BOTH HAVE SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING. CONSUMER HAS TAKEN BOTH VEHICLES TO DEALER AND HAD THEM REPROGRAMMED. *TT NORTHBROOK TOYOTA REPROGRAMMED CARS COMPUTER, CAR IS OK FOR NOW. *SB *NM

DT: CONSUMER HAS TWO 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AND BOTH HAD ENGINE FAILURES WHILE GOING BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH. INCIDENT ON MAY 28, 2005 AND MAY 4, 2005 APPROXIMATELY.*AK NORTHBROOK TOYOTA REPROGRAMMED VEHICLE'S COMPUTER. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE NOW PERFORMS OK. *TT *NM