2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I OWN A 2004 PRIUS AND ALSO EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE SYSTEM SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO. THE ENTIRE GAS ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. THE ELECTRIC MOTOR REMAINED OPERATIONAL AND ALLOWED ME TO GET OFF THE ROAD AND INTO A PARKING LOT SAFELY. THE DEALER (CABE TOYOTA - LONG BEACH, CA) GAVE ME A BRIEF AND UNSATISFACTORY EXPLAINATION..BRUSHING THIS OFF AS A MINOR PROBLEM SIMILAR TO A COMPUTER NEEDING TO BE RESTARTED. I ASSUME THEY UPGRADED MY SYSTEM BUT STILL FEAR A RECURRENCE IN A LESS CONVENIENT LOCATION. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS. VEHICLE VIN = [XXX]

I HAD DRIVEN APPROXIMATLEY 20 MILES TO MY HOCKEY GAME AND WAS DRIVING AT 40 MPH. AN ! AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WAS THEN REDUCED TO ONLY RUNNING OFF OF BATTERY. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT DANGER AND SHUT DOWN THE CAR AND CHECKED THE OIL AND GAS TO VERIFY THAT WASN'T THE CAUSE OF THE ISSUE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES I STARTED THE CAR AND THE ! AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON, BUT THE GAS ENGINE WAS FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. I DROVE THE REMAINING 3 MILES TO MY DESTINATION AND CALLED TOYOTA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND ARRANGED FOR A TOW TRUCK. AFTER FINISHING UP MY HOCKEY GAME ( 1 HOUR) I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AND THERE WERE NOT WARNING LIGHTS OR ISSUES. I CANCELED THE TOW TRUCK AND DROVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE NEXT DAY THE DEALER UPDATED THE CODE IN THE CAR TO US TSB EG047-04. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR SINCE THEY UPDATED THE CODE WITHOUT ISSUE.

DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS HOME FROM WORK, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER A FEW MILES FROM MY HOME ON A BUSY THOROUGHFARE. I DRIFTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. ALL WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH WERE ON. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT. IT WENT A FEW SECONDS BEFORE DYING AGAIN. THIS CONTINUED SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL I MADE IT HOME. THE INCIDENT CAUSED OTHER CARS TO HAVE TO SLOW DOWN, HONK AND MOVE AROUND ME. I WAS VERY SCARED. IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT. I CALLED MY HUSBAND TO COME HELP ME BUT HE WAS NOT HOME. THE NEXT DAY THE CAR STARTED AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, AND SAID THEY "RESET THE ENGINE/BATTERY RATIO" SO THE CAR WOULD RELY MORE ON GAS THAN ELECTRICITY , AND THAT I WOULD EXPERIENCE A SLIGHT DECREASE IN MY ENGINE EFFICIENCY. I LATER COMPLAINED TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, THAT MY PRIUS HAS HAD NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS SINCE I PURCHASED IT IN AUGUST OF2005. TWICE IT WOULD NOT START IN THE MORNING AND I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT WHAT THE SERVICE PERSON TOLD ME WAS INCORRECT, THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THEY CAN "ADJUST" THE ENGINE/BATTERY RATIO. HE GAVE NO EXPLANATION FOR MY PROBLEMS AND SAID "NO ONE ELSE" HAS HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THEIR CARS. I WANT TO RETURN THE CAR FOR A NEW ONE, BUT HE SAYS HE FEELS "CONFIDENT" TOYOTA WILL CORRECT ANY PROBLEMS I AM HAVING. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR IN CASE THIS HAPPENS AGAIN. TOYOTA HAS DONE NOTHING SINCE I HAVE COMPLAINED. I FEEL THEY OWE ME A NEW CAR WHILE THEY FIGURE THIS OUT.

AN ARTICLE IN YESTERDAY'S L.A. TIMES (5/17) DETAILED A PROBLEM WITH THE 2004/05 TOYOTA PRIUS, WHERE IT MENTIONED THAT 13 PRIUS OWNERS REPORTED THAT THEIR VEHICLES STALLED SUDDENLY, OFTEN AT HIGH SPEEDS. ON APRIL 12, 2005, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME. WHILE SLOWING FROM 65 M.P.H. ON I-10 IN WEST L.A. ONTO THE I-405 INTERCHANGE, EASILY ONE OF THE MOST CONGESTED HIGHWAY INTERCHANGES IN THE COUNTRY, MY PRIUS STALLED AND I WAS EXTREMELY FORTUNATE TO MAKE IT TO THE END OF THE INTERCHANGE WHERE THE SHOULDER BEGAN. HAD IT OCCURED A MERE TWO MINUTES LATER, I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FAST LANE OF THE 405, TRIGGERING A POTENTIAL DISASTER AND CERTAIN SIGALERT, AS IT OCCURED AT 8:15 A.M.--RUSH HOUR. MY CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 8,700 MILES AND WAS PURCHASED NEW IN AUGUST, 2004. I HAD IT TOWED TO TOYOTA OF SANTA MONICA WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR, AND WAS DISMAYED AT THEIR NONCHALANCE. A BRAND NEW CAR SHOULD NOT BREAK DOWN FOR NO REASON, AND IT COULD'VE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. MORE TRO UBLING, THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT'S TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE PROBLEM WAS THAT IT WAS A "COMPUTER GLITCH," AND THAT THEIR REPAIR SERVICE WAS TO "REPROGRAM THE COMPUTER." I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL AND VOCAL SUPPORTER OF THIS HYBRID VEHICLE, PLEASED IN EVERY WAY WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CAR. NOW WHEN PEOPLE ASK, I GIVE THEM MUCH THE SAME ANSWER, BUT VERBALLY INSERT AN ASTERISK AND TELL THEM ABOUT THE TIME IT BROKE DOWN WITHOUT WARNING, AND HOW I HAVE NO GUARANTEE IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. YOU CAN COUNT ME AS THE 14TH OWNER TO REPORT THIS IDENTICAL PROBLEM. AND YOU CAN BE SURE THAT WE ARE ONLY A PERCENTAGE OF THE EVER-GROWING PRIUS OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS. I HOPE YOUR FINDINGS AND THE ARTICLE WILL MAKE THEIR WAY TO TOYOTA'S RECEPTIVE AND RESPONSIVE EARS. THANKS.

THE CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD JUST AFTER ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON

WITHOUT WARNING, THE WARNING LIGHT AND ALARM COME ON. THE GAS ENGINE DIES AND DOES NOT ENGAGE AT ALL. THE ELECTRIC MOTOR IS THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS THE CAR MOBILE. ONCE THE POWER IS TURNED OFF THEN BACK ON, BOTH THE GAS AND ELECTRIC MOTORS MOVE THE CAR AS NORMAL, BUT THE WARNING PERSISTS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT TWO DIFFERENT COMPUTER WERE THE CAUSE. THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED AT ABOUT 5,000 MILES, AND THIS LATEST HAPPENED JUST OVER 10,000.

MASTER INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUNINATED, INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FAILED TO RESTART.

5/6/05 MY 2004 PRIUS WITH 20,400 MILES WITHOUT WARNING LOSS ALL POWER AND SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING HAZARD LIGHT CAME ON WARNING TO TAKE TO TOYOTA DEALER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE BATTERY METER LEVEL WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO MAITA TOYOTA 2500 AUBURN BLVD, SACRAMENTO, CA 95821, 916 481-5353 FOR REPAIR. THE WORK ORDER STATED THE CAUSE WAS THE ECU WHICH WAS REPROGRAMED WHICH CLEARED STORED CODES. CODE PULLED P3191. IS THIS A NEW FINDING IN THE PRIUS?

DT: PROBLEM BEGAN 5/7/05. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED. THE INDICATOR SAID TO CONTACT DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER RESET THE COMPUTER AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED.*JB

HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. LESS THAN 40,000 MILES ON THE CAR. WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND IT SUDDENLY DIED FOR NO REASON. TOYOTA DEALER SAID IT WAS A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION AND COULD NOT GUARENTEE IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. VERY UPSET ABOUT THIS AS IT IS A NEW CAR I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR