2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS LOST POWE, EVENTUALLY RUNNING ON BATTERY ALONE UNTIL POWER WAS COMPLETELY LOST. CONTACTED MY DEALER TRISTATE TOYOTA IN DUDLEY. BY CONTACTING TOYOTA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, I WAS TOWED TO DEALER. SERVICE MGR. IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE REPROGRAMMING OF MY COMPUTER AS COVERED IN TSB ISSUED AROUND 10/04. CAR SEEMS TO BE BACK TO NORMAL, BUT THIS WAS VERY DISCONCERTING. REVIEWED THE SITUATION WITH SERVICE MGR. ON 5/31, POINTING OUT THAT THIS WAS A SERIOUS CONDITION WHICH SHOULD CALL FOR A RECALL AO ALL 2004 & EARLY 2005 MODELS. THANK GOD I WAS CLOSE TO MY DEALER RATHER THAN OUT IN THE BOONDOCKS SOMEWHERE. I HAVE AN UNEASINESS ABOUT THIS FIX. CAN TOYOTA ASSURE ME THAT IT WILL NOT REOCCUR. REMEMBER THIS TSB WAS ISSUED IN 10/2004 BUT I WAS NEVER WARNED TO RETURN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR CORRECTIVE STEPS TO BE TAKEN. ADDITIONAL COMPLAINT - FUEL GUAGE INACCURATE. WHEN WARNING BLINKER COMES ON I CAN ONLY ADD AT MOST 7.5 GALLONS, IN THE CAR WHOSE TANK CAPACITY IS 11.9 GALS. THEY TRIED A FIX ON THIS - BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY INNEFFECTIVE. OTHER THAN THESE TWO ITEMS I AM ELATED WITH THE CAR. I JUST HOPE THEY WILL DO THE RIGHT THING HERE.

MY 2004 PRIUS' COMBUSTION ENGINE SHUT DOWN ON THE FREEWAY IN SEP'04. THE CAR SWITCHED TO BATTERY MODE ONLY AND ROLLED ON UNTIL THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED AND THEN COMPLETELY STALLED. I GOT STUCK IN LANES, CREATED A RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC JAM, AND HAD TO BE PUSHED TO A SHOULDER BY A POLICE CAR. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO SAID IT WAS A SOFTWARE GLITCH WHICH THEY PROCEEDED TO FIX AND THE CAR HAS BEEN WORKING WELL SINCE THEN.

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN IT SUDDENLY STALLED AND THE ELECTRIC ENGINE POWER DROPPED TO ZERO. I COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE TO MOVE AND NEEDED TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE.

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT A STALLING I EXPERIENCED WHILE DRIVING OUR TOYOTA PRIUS (2004) THE CAR STALLED A LITTLE AFTER I MERGED ONTO HIGHWAY 85 IN CUPERTINO. ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE AS I TRIED TO DRIVE UP TO 65 MPH. IT APPEARED THAT THE GAS ENGINE QUIT AND IT WAS RUNNING ON ELECTRIC POWER. I WAS ABLE TO COAST ON TILL THE NEXT EXIT. AFTER GETTING OFF THE FREEWAY, I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT WHERE I TURNED TO CAR OFF. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT AND IT DROVE FINE BUT ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED ON. SO I IMMEDIATELY DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP IN SUNNYVALE WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR WHERE IT WAS FIXED. I AM NOT SURE THAT TOYOTA DEALERS ARE KEEPING ACCURATE RECORDS OF THE PROBLEM. I READ AN ARTICLE IN THE MERCURY NEWS TODAY'S EDITION IN WHICH ADAM SIMMS, THE OPERATING PARTNER AT TOYOTA OF SUNNYVALE HAS CLAIMED THAT "NONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BOUGHT A PRIUS AT HIS DEALERSHIP HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH STALLING". I KNOW THIS IS NOT TRUE BECAUSE I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM AND HAD IT FIXED AT HIS DEALERSHIP. I AM NOT SURE OF THE EXACT DATE THE INCIDENT OCCURED. I BELIEVE IT WAS SOMETIME DURING THE THE SECOND WEEK OF NOV.

I WAS ON THE 101 FREEWAY HEADING SOUTH WHEN MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS LOST POWER, ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON; I COASTED TO THE SHOULDER. IT TOOK SEVERAL TRIES OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT 15 MINUTES TO GET THE CAR SHUT OFF. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IT IN IF I COULD GET IT STARTED, WHICH I FINALLY DID.

ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55-60 MPH. GAS POWER QUIT AND CONSUMED ALL ELECTRIC POWER AND CAR STOPPED. COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO GO INTO ANY GEAR -- STUCK IN PARK. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO DEALER.

WHILE DRIVING AT 25MPH, 4 TROUBLE LIGHTS LIT UP ON DASHBOARD. AFTER 1-2 MORE MILES, THE ENGINE LOST ALL POWER, DESPITE THE GAS ENGINE STILL RUNNING. THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM SHOWED NO BATTERY POWER. RESTARTING THE ENGINE DIDN'T HELP, AND THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED.

OUR 2004 PRIUS STALLED REPEATEDLY ON A DRIVE FROM HOLLAND, MICH., TO ST. LOUIS, MO, ON DEC. 26/27, 2004. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, IT WAS AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR OF HIGHWAY DRIVING, WHEN ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT ON AND THE ENGINE DIED. WE WERE ABLE TO COAST OFF THE HIGHWAY. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (IT WAS HE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS AND A SUNDAY, SO HELP WAS NOT READILY AVAILABLE), WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND RETURN TO HOLLAND. THE NEXT DAY, WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, WHO COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. WE RESUMED DRIVING AND AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR, THE SAME THING HAPPENED. WE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WAITED A BIT, AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. WE REPEATED THIS SEVERAL TIMES, DRIVE, STALL, RESTART, DRIVE, UNTIL WE GOT TO A DEALER IN CHICAGO, WHO DECLARED THAT OUR TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT BUT WE MIGHT AS WELL DRIVE BACK TO ST. LOUIS SINCE IT WOULD TAKE THEM A WEEK TO GET A NEW ONE ANYWAY. SO WE DROVE, STALLED, RESTARTED, AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL WE GOT JUST SOUTH OF SPRINGFIELD, ILL., WHERE THE CAR STALLED FOR GOOD. AFTER AN UNCOMFORTABLE HOUR SPENT ON THE SIDE OF INTERSTATE 55 WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK ON A FREEZING COLD NIGHT, WE FINALLY WERE TAKEN BACK TO ST. LOUIS, WHERE THE DEALER PUT IN A NEW TRANSMISSION.

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 - 35 MPH, THE ENGINE OF MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS CUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE "WARNING LAMP" TURNED ON AT THE TIME THE ENGINE QUIT, NOT BEFORE. I COASTED TO A STOP IN A NEARBY PARKING LOT. WHEN I COULD NOT RESTART THE CAR, I CALLED AAA FOR TOWING. AFTER WAITING 30 MINUTES, I TRIED TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN, AND IT STARTED WITH NO PROBLEM. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON, AND I HAD NO FURTHER PROBLEM. I HAD A SECOND INCIDENT IDENTICAL TO THE FIRST, EXCEPT THIS TMIE I TRIED TO RESTART THE MOTOR AFTER WAITING ONLY 4 -5 MINUTES.

DRIVING MY 2004 PRIUS ABOUT 25MPH ON MY WAY HOME, ALL OF A SUDDEN WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD LIT UP. THE YELLOW BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING, THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR, THE MASTER WARNING AND THE VSC WARNING LIGHTS WERE ALL ON. THE DISPLAY HAD A MESSAGE THAT INDICATED A HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING. THE NEXT DAY, UPON STATING THE CAR, THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND THE VSC WARNING LIGHTS HAD GONE OFF. ALL OTHER LIGHTS WERE STILL ON. DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL I COULD CONTACT DEALER (IT WAS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND). AFTER CONTACTING SERVICE DEPT, THEY SAID TO DRIVE IT INTO THE DEALER. WHILE DRIVING, THE BATTERY LEVEL WAS IN THE "MAGENTA" RANGE , ABOUT THREE BARS, MUCH LOWER THAN NORMAL. IT ROSE TO THE NORMAL RANGE PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE DEALER. THE REPAIR ORDER STATES "FOUND ECU CALIBRATION OFF" AND "REPROGARM ECU TO NEW CALIBRATIONID 34705100". THE LIGHTS ARE NOW OFF AND THE CAR SEEMS BACK TO NORMAL. THE SERVICE PERSON WAS UNABLE TO REASSURE ME THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, ONLY THAT IT WAS EASILY FIXED AND TOYOTA WOULD COVER IT. MY CAR HAD ALREADY HAD THE ECU REPROGRAMMED IN 08/04, AS PER RECALL 40D.