2006 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, SHE HAD EXPERIENCED INSTANCES OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. SHE WAS ADVISED TO REMOVE THE FLOOR MATS FROM THE VEHICLE BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. SHE CONFIRMED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE WOULD ABNORMALLY ACCELERATE WITHOUT HER INTENT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25 MPH. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000 AND THE CURRENT WAS UNKNOWN.

BRAKES FAILED TEMPORARILY AND MOMENTARILY WHEN BRAKING OVER POTHOLES WHILE APPROACHING AN INTERSTATE ON-RAMP. THIS IS NOT AT ALL THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED. WHEN BRAKING WHILE GOING OVER RAILROAD TRACKS, ESPECIALLY DOUBLE SETS OF TRACKS, IT HAS BEEN COMMON THAT IT WOULD FEEL AS IF I WAS SAILING OVER THE TRACKS -- DEFINITELY NOT SLOWING DOWN (EVEN THOUGH I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES) BUT MAYBE EVEN SPEEDING UP. THAT TOO WAS THE FEELING I HAD, ALBEIT MOMENTARILY, LAST WEEK WHEN I WAS BRAKING OVER POTHOLES. *TR

THE HID HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT ONE AT A TIME. ONCE THEY GO OUT THEY STAY OUT UNLESS I MANUALLY TURN THEM OFF AND THEN ON I CANNOT DETERMINE WHEN ONE OF THE HEADLIGHTS GOES OUT. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN DRIVING WITH ONLY 1 HEADLAMP I HAVE HAD SEVERAL INSTANCES WHEN THE OTHER HEADLAMP HAS GONE OUT AS WELL LEAVING ME WITH NO HEADLIGHTS AT NIGHT. IF I HADN'T KNOWN TO TURN THEM ON/OFF I WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON A ROAD AT NIGHT WITH NO HEADLAMPS. *TR

REFERENCE YOUR CASE PE09019, CLOSED IN AUGUST 2009. I ALSO OWN A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS ON WHICH THE HEADLAMPS FAIL DAILY. AS STATED IN THE REPORT IT USUALLY STARTS WITH ONLY ONE LAMP FAILING BUT IT OFTEN ENDS WITH BOTH LAMPS OUT. I WILL NOT DRIVE WITHOUT MY FOG LAMPS ON FOR FEAR I WILL BE IN TOTAL DARKNESS AT A CRUCIAL TIME SUCH AS A SHARP CURVE OR TURN IN THE ROAD. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO TAKE ACTION AND FORCE A RECALL AS IT IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE THESE HEADLAMPS. IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT FINDINGS AGAINST TOYOTA, YOU SHOULD REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION. I AM NOT CERTAIN BY ANY MEANS BUT I HAD HEARD YOUR ORGANIZATION HAD OVER 500 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE. WHY DID YOU ONLY INTERVIEW 40 OWNERS? DO WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR SOMEONE'S DEATH, PERHAPS MINE OR ONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS, BEFORE WE TAKE THIS SITUATION SERIOUS ENOUGH TO FORCE ACTION ON TOYOTA'S PART? HOW COULD SOMETHING AS SERIOUS AS HEADLAMP FAILURE BE DISMISSED SO CASUALLY? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD FAIL TO ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER HOWEVER THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT WOULD TAKE NO LIABILITY CLAIMING A DEFECT DID NOT EXIST IN THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 53,945.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHEN THE CONTACT FIRST DROVE THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE DASHBOARD AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. ON APPROXIMATELY TWELVE OCCASIONS AFTERWARD, WHILE UTILIZING THE CRUISE CONTROL MECHANISM, THE VEHICLE WOULD ABNORMALLY ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE ACCELERATION WOULD USUALLY OCCUR ON A SMALL DECLINE OR INCLINE. THE VEHICLE WOULD DOWNSHIFT ON ITS OWN AND ACCELERATE UP TO 80 OR 90 MPH. HE HAD TO COMPLETELY DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM ACCELERATING. HE DID NOT CONTACT THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER IN REGARDS TO THE VEHICLE ACCELERATING. DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, HE ATTEMPTED TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE AT SPEEDS OF APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. AS THE VEHICLE GLIDED OVER WET SNOW AND ICE, THE VEHICLE SLID SIDEWAYS AND CRASHED INTO A NEARBY GUARDRAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES; HOWEVER, A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600.

ACCELERATOR STICKING ON A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. IT IS NOT CATCHING ON THE FLOOR MAT, WHICH IS THE RECALL FOR THAT YEAR. THE CAR HAS 89,000 MILES. THIS PROBLEM JUST STARTED IN THE PAST MONTH. I WILL START TO ACCELERATE, AND IT WILL JUST TAKE OFF WITHOUT WARNING. SO FAR, IT HAS POPPED LOOSE AND RETURNED TO NORMAL. MOST RECENT DATE IS LISTED BELOW. *TR

BOTH HEADLIGHTS ON 2006 PRIUS TURNED OFF AFTER LESS THAN 5 MINUTES ON ROAD. MAY HAVE EXHIBITED FLASHING BEFORE TOTAL FAILURE OF BOTH HEADLIGHTS. CONFIRMED HEADLIGHT ON LIGHT WAS PRESENT DURING FAILURE. ONE CAR COMING TOWARDS FLASHED THEIR LIGHTS TO CONVEY MY HEADLIGHTS WERE OFF. I THEN SLOWED DOWN AND TURN LIGHTS OFF THEN BACK ON. BOTH CAME BACK ON AND STAYED ON SINCE THEN. I HAVE BEEN CHECKING EACH TIME I GET IN OR OUT OF CAR THAN HEADLIGHTS ARE ON AND FUNCTIONING NORMAL AT BEGINNING AND END OF TRIP. FYI, I DO NOT USE HEADLIGHTS AS DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHTS. *TR

HEADLIGHTS OF 2006 PRIUS GO ON AND OFF AT WILL. I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD TO CHANGE BOTH BULBS. THE INTENSITY OF THE BULBS ARE NORMAL WHEN THEY COME BACK ON AND I HAVE NEVER OWNED A CAR WHERE THE BULBS RECOVER ON THEIR OWN. IT APPEARS TO BE A WIRING PROBLEM OF SOME KIND AND TOYOTA'S SOLUTION OF CHANGING THE BULBS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A REASONABLE SOLUTION. ALSO THE ONE YEAR GUARANTEE OF AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR DOES NOT SEEM REASONABLE. THE TOYOTA WEBSITE SHOWS HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME CONDITION. *TR

FOR THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS TEMPORARILY ACCELERATES AFTER CROSSING MINOR ROAD BUMPS. I DO NOT HAVE A FLOOR MAT IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE AS TOYOTA HAD ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS MODEL SEVERAL MONTHS AGO SAYING THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE FLOOR MAT CAUSING ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS. THIS ACCELERATION PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF A FLOOR MAT. *TR