2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS-WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON INCLUDING GO TO A DEALER IMMEDIATELY WHICH I DID. PROPULSION POWER ALMOST VANISHED IN ONE MILE OF DRIVING. DEALER FIXED THE PROBLEM AT NO CHARGE SAYING THEY "REPROGRAM ENGINE ECU"

POWER LOSS ON HIGHWAY, ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. PULLED OVER TO SIDE. RESTARTED BUT THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYTED ON

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS SEDAN. STALLS OUT WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 35 MILES HOUR AND THE ELECTRIC RECHARABLE BATTERY DRAINS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES TO ME AND I HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO TOYOTA DEAL FOR THIS. THE 1ST APPROXIMATELY JAN -FEB TIME FRAME. DEALER COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. 2ND TIME APPROXIMATELY EARLY APRIL. DEALER SAID HAD TROUBLE CODE IN COMPUTER AND HAVE CORRECTED PROBLEM BUT LET THEM KNOW IF HAPPENS AGAIN OR ANY OTHER PROBLEM. ENGINE LOAD, AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTS HARD AND CAR ROLLS SLIGHTLY WHEN PUT INTO PARK.

DT: CONTACT HAS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS, AND WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT HAS FAILED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. A. HOW LONG AND AT WHAT SPEED WAS THE CONSUMER DRIVING BEFORE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER? APPROXIMATELY 15 -20 MINUTES, GOING ABOUT 45 MPH. B. WAS THE CONSUMER ACCELERATING, DECELERATING, OR DRIVING AT A STEADY- STATE WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST POWER? DRIVING AT A STEADY RATE. C. AFTER THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, WAS THE DRIVER ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING THE VEHICLE? IF SO, HOW LONG AND AT WHAT SPEED? THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD. D. DID ANY WARNING LIGHTS APPEAR BEFORE AND/OR AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED? YES , IF SO, DESCRIBE THE LIGHTS THAT WERE LIT. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. E. DID THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY STALL AND COME TO A STOP? HOW LONG DID THIS OCCUR AFTER THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE LIT? ONE PART OF THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING BUT THE DRIVER COULD NOT ACCELERATE. F. WAS THE DRIVER ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE RIGHT AFTER IT STALLED? IF SO, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE (# OF ATTEMPTS AND/ OR TIME ? EX: 3-4 TIMES OR 2-3 MINUTES)? YES, THE ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING BACK ON. 1 TIME, RIGHT AFTER THE VEHICLE STALLED. *AK

TOYOTA PRIUS GAS ENGINE STALLED AFTER TOYOTA SERVICE PATCH WAS DOWNLOADED TO CORRECT PROBLEM. BOUGHT CAR MARCH 1, 2004. CAR STALLED MAY 13 AND JUNE 1- SEE REPORT FILED UNDER MAY 13 DATE. JULY 31, 2004 TOYOTA DOWNLOADED PATCH TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS FINE. CAR WAS OK FOR ALMOST A YEAR. THEN, JUST 2 WEEKS AGO ON JUNE 2, 2005 I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY (LUCKILY IN A LOT OF SLOW TRAFFIC SO ONLY GOING ABOUT 40 MPH) AND THE GAS ENGINE DIED AGAIN SO THE CAR DROPPED TO 20MPH ON THE ELECTRIC ENGINE. ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. THIS TIME I STOPPED AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE ENGINE (GAS AND ELECTRIC) CAME BACK ON. THIS IS WHAT THE DEALER HAD SAID THAT THE OTHER CUSTOMERS HAVING THE PROBLEM HAD FOUND- IF YOU STOP AND TURN IT BACK ON AFTER A STALL EVERYTHING WORKS. SO SINCE MY KIDS WERE NOT IN THE CAR I DID THIS AND DROVE IT TO A PARKING LOT. THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE STILL ON AND NOW I AM REALLY SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR. IN ALL THREE SITUATIONS I FEEL LIKE I WAS JUST LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT GOING FASTER AND ESPECIALLY INTHE SECOND CASE THAT THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS AWARE ENOUGH TO AVOID MY SUDDENLY POWERLESS CAR. I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO REPORT THIS BECAUSE WE THOUGHT TOYOTA'S SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD PUT IN IN JULY 2004 WORKED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BUT IT CLEARLY IS STILL HAPPENING. I WILL NOT DRIVE THE CAR NOW WITH MY CHILDREN IN IT AND AM CONSIDERING GETTING RID OF IT. IF IT WERE ANY OTHER CAR IT WOULD BE GONE BY NOW, BUT WE ARE BIG BELIEVERS IN THE HYBRID TECHNOLOGY AND REALLY WAITED TO REPORT THIS TO GIVE TOYOTA A CHANCE TO FIX IT. I THINK THIS IS HAPPENING A LOT MORE THAN IS BEING REPORTED BECAUSE A LOT OF THE CUSTOMERS FEEL AS WE DO THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO REPORT ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE HYBRID. HOWEVER, THIS IS TOO SCARY NOW AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. WITH A THIRD BABY ON THE WAY WE WERE SIGNED UP FOR THE HYBRID HIGHLANDER BUT UNFORTUNATELY WILL WAIT UNTIL WE KNOW THIS PROBLEM IS SOLVED.

DT: TOYOTA PRIUS GAS ENGINE STALLED 3 TIMES, TWICE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND ON RAMP. 1) MAY 13 2004 STALLED IN BUSY INTERSECTION GOING ABOUT 40 MPH, ELECTRICAL ENGINE STILL WORKED, SO SPEED DROPPED TO 20 MPH, AND CONSUMER STOPPED ON THE SIDE. ALL WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA, AND THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG EXCEPT DIRTY GAS. THEY RESET WARNING LIGHTS, AND TOLD IT WAS SAFE. 2) JUNE 1, 2004, WHILE MERGING ONTO A HIGHWAY GOING UP THE RAMP AT ABOUT 50 MPH CAR JERKED AND SLOWED TO ABOUT 25 MPH WITHOUT WARNING. CAR BEHIND M HAD TO GO ONTO SHOULDER TO AVOID REAR ENDING CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. ALL WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON AGAIN . WHEN CHECKING ENGINE DISPLAY ONLY ELECTRICAL POWER WAS WORKING AGAIN. GAS ENGINE HAD STALLED, CAUSING THE IMMEDIATE DECREASE IN SPEED, WITHOUT BRAKE LIGHTS SO CAR BEHIND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. TOWED TO TOYOTA. THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG AGAIN EXCEPT DIRTY GAS. CONSUMER CHANGED GAS STATIONS AND USED THEIR RECOMMENDED ONES SINCE THE LAST INCIDENT. CONSUMER REFUSED TO TAKE THE CAR BACK . HAD TWO TODDLERS WHO WERE IN THE CAR AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENTS. GMC DEALER SENT A PATCH WHICH WA SSUPPOSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT PATCH DID,T WORK. PROBLEM RECURRED.*AK

STARTED MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AND PLACED VEHICLE INTO REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF PARKING SPACE AT DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL. CAR DIED WHILE BACKING, BLOCKING TRAFFIC, AND WOULD NOT RESTART. ORANGE LIGHT GLOWED ON THE STARTER BUTTON. THIS IS 7:45PM. CALLED ORIGINAL DEALER IN WASHINGTON PA FOR ADVICE. NO HELP. LOOKED IN OWNER'S MANUAL FOR ADVICE. NO HELP. CALLED LOCAL DEALER IN CHARLOTTESVILLE VA. NO HELP. A MALE TEACHER OPENED THE HOOD AND FUSE COVER TO ENSURE THAT ALL FUSES WERE SNUG AND SECURE. NOTHING. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES, THE CAR FINALLY RESET ITS SELF, THE STARTER BUTTON WENT GREEN AND WHEN TRIED THE CAR STARTED. TOLD THE LOCAL DEALER OF THIS INCIDENT AND THEY DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ANY TROUBLE LIKE THIS. COINSIDENTLY, MY GPS SYSTEM HAD FAILED JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. IT TOOK A MONTH TO GET IT REPLACED.

PRIUS STALLED WHILE DRIVING, ALL LIGHTS CAME ON DEALER RESTARTED COMPUTER I HAVE READ ABOUT MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS COMPLAINT

I OWN A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS, 15680 MILES. THE ENGINE STOPPED WHEN I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 60 MPH AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT ON THE ELECTRICAL MOTOR FOR ABOUT 1 MILE TO A GAS STATION BEFORE THE BATTERY RAN OUT. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY DEALER, TOYOTA OF BOWIE IN MD. THE NEXT DAY, IT STARTED RIGHT UP AND THEY SAID THAT THEY CHECKED IT AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS HAPPENED A FEW DAYS BEFORE NEWS STORIES OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THIS IS A FRIGHTENING, AND POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I'M SURPRISED AND UPSET THAT THE DEALER OR TOYOTA HAS NOT CONTACTED ME WITH A FIX SINCE THEY HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.

DT: WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH SUDDENLY CAR DIED. NO POWER WHATSOEVER. HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD COMPUTER NEEDED UPDATING. THIS WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. DID CALL TOYOTA, AND CONFIRMED THAT THE REPAIR HAD BEEN DONE. NO PROBLEMS SINCE COMPUTER WAS UPDATED. *AK