2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I HAVE HAD 3 'STALLS' OF MY 2004 PRIUS WHICH I DRIVE 150 MILES A DAY AND IT HAS 48K MILES ON IT. ALL OF THE ENGINE STALLS HAVE BEEN AT LOW SPEED (UNDER 20 MPH) AND HAVE BEEN PRECEEDED BY A RED WARNING TRIANGLE LIGHT AND THE SCREEN DISPLAYING SOMETHING LIKE 'CRITICAL PROBLEM'. ON ONE INCIDENT I WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND MANAGED TO USE THE ELECTRIC MOTOR TO GET ME TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE THE ENGINE/MOTOR STOPPED WITH NO POWER. WHEN I TURNED THE POWER ON/OFF SEVERAL TIMES THE ENGINE WOULD START BUT THERE WAS NO POWER. I DID NOTICE THAT ON ALL THREE STALLS MY GAS GAUGE WAS LOW (ONE OR TWO BARS) BUT I HAVE RUN THE CAR FOR THIRTY MILES AFTER THE LAST BAR STARTED TO FLASH SO IT'S HARD TO TELL IF THERE IS A CONNECTION. I DID REPORT THIS TO THE DEALER BUT THEY HAD NO INFORMATION ON IT AND THE CAR RESET EACH TIME AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME.

2004 PRIUS, GAS ENGINE STALLED WHILE EXCELLERATING TO MERGE ONTO FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR, WAS FORCED TO EXIT ON ELECTRIC ENGINE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC DRIVING AT 30MPH. AFTER EXITING FREEWAY AND TURNING CAR OFF IT WOULD NOT RESTART. VEHICLE FINALLY RESTARTED AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE WITH MASTER CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. DEALER SAID THE CAR NEEDED TO HAVE SOFTWARE RESET, BUT NEVER GAVE EXPLAINATION OF WHAT CAUSED ORIGINAL PROBLEM. I AM GUESSING AT THE INCIDENT DATE IT WAS MONTH OR SO BACK.

SUDDEN SHUTDOWN OF 2004 PRIUS. I WAS CRUSING AT ABOUT 40 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE UNEXPECTEDLY SHUT DOWN AND ALL DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS BECAME ILLUMINATED. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER CYCLING POWER BUTTON, CAR STARTED AGAIN, BUT "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. DEALERSHIP FOUND CODE P3191 IN DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM, BUT COULD NOT COME UP WITH AN EXPLANATION. I AM REPORTING THIS NOW BECAUSE OF RECENT PUBLICITY REGARDING SIMILAR PRIUS INCIDENTS.

IN JUNE 2004, THE 2004 TOYATA PRIUS WE HAD PURCHASED IN MID-MAY MALFUNCTIONED AS I WAS ACCELERATING ONTO A FREEWAY ON-RAMP IN DALY CITY, CALIFORNIA. A LOUD BEEP SOUNDED, AND ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS LIT UP AT ONCE, INCLUDING THE EXCLAMATION POINT. THE GAS ENGINE DID NOT ENGAGE AS IT USUALLY DID AT HIGHER SPEEDS, LEADING TO A RAPID DEPLETION OF THE BATTERY, WHICH FORCED ME TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. I TURNED OFF THE CAR, WAITED 5 MINUTES, AND THEN PRESSED THE POWER BUTTON. THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH LIT UP AGAIN BUT THE CAR DID NOT START. I CALLED FOR A TOW, WHICH TOOK ABOUT 70 MINUTES. IN THE MEANTIME, I TRIED THE POWER BUTTON AT 15 MINUTE INTERVALS. AT 45 MINUTES, THE CAR STARTED NORMALLY. HOWEVER, BY THEN THE TOWING COMPANY WAS ON ITS WAY AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE SERVICE CENTER OF THE CITY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN DALY CITY, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR. THE CAR WAS LEFT FOR A FEW DAYS. WHEN I RETRIEVED IT, THEY WERE UNABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. WE HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR SINCE WITHOUT INCIDENT.

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE VEHICLE IS A HYBRID. SHE STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 60 MPH VEHICLE STALLED, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR HER TO BRAKE OR ACCELERATE. THE DEALER TOLD HER THAT IT WAS A SOFTWARE GLITCH, AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY HAD OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS. TOYOTA STATED THAT THEY CONTACTED EVERYONE. HOWEVER THEY DID NOT NOTIFY EVERYONE BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT NOTIFIED. ALSO, THEY DID NOT NOTIFY SOME OF HER FRIENDS, AND THEY DISREGARDED HER TELEPHONE CALLS.*AK

MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS STALLED WHEN I WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER, BUT THEN THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP FOR A PROGRAMMING FIX BEFORE I COULD DRIVE IT AGAIN.

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. I HAVE HAD IT STALL AT LOW SPEED (APPROX 35MPH) MARCH 2004 I HAD IT LOSE POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON NOV 7, 2004.

WHILE DRIVING MYH TOYOTA PRIUS HAS STALLED FOR NO REASON 3 TIMES. I'VE BROUGHT IT IN ONCE AFTER THE 2ND TIME AND THEY SAID THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG.

ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS THE PRIUS HAS HAD A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER TO THE GASOLINE ENGINE, ALL THE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS HAVE BEEN ILLUMINATED AND THE CAR WAS ABLE TO TRAVEL ONLY ON BATTERY POWER FOR A VERY SHORT DISTANCE BEFORE DRAINING THE BATTERY. TWICE THIS HAS OCCURRED AFTER STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN AND ATTEMPTING TO PROCEED FORWARD. TWICE IT HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60-70 MPH. WHEN IT OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR LOST POWER EXCEPT FROM THE BATTERY THAT ALLOWED ONLY 40-42 MPH MAXIMUM SPEED. TWICE THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE FIRST TIME THEY PERFORMED A SOFTWARE UPDATE THE SECOND TIME THEY RESET THE COMPUTER. THE LAST TWO TIMES IT HAS HAPPENED I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP THE CAR, DISCONNECT THE 12 VOLT BATTERY WHICH HAS RESET THE SYSTEM AND THE CAR PERFORMS AS EXPECTED. THIS WOULD APPEAR TO BE SOFTWARE BUG THAT REQUIRES FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY TOYOTA. IN ANY CASE, THIS TYPE OF OCCURRENCE CAUSES AN UNSAFE CONDITION TO OCCUR.

I DROVE MY TOYOTA PRIUS FROM FLORIDA TO COLORADO. AFTER ABOUT 2100 MILES THE CAR STALLED. I WAS STUCK ON THE HIGHWAY FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS AT A TEMPERATURE OF 15 DEGREES UNTIL I GOT TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER. THE DEALER RECHARGED THE BATTERY, WHICH COMPLETELY DISCHARGED WHILE I SAT IN THE STALLED CAR WITH THE HEATER ON, AND THE PROBLEM WAS GONE.