2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I HAD JUST DROPPED MY SON OFF AT SCHOOL WHEN ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH AND MULTI DISPLAY OF MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS ILLUMINATED. AS SOON AS I PULLED THE CAR OUT OF THE SCHOOL DRIVEWAY AND ONTO THE HIGHWAY (SPEED LIMIT 45 MPH), I REALIZED THAT I HAD NO ACCELERATION. I MANAGED TO PULL THE CAR ONTO A SIDE STREET BEFORE IT SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. POLICE HAD TO DIVERT TRAFFIC WHILE AWAITING THE TOW TRUCK. AT THE DEALERSHIP, THE CAR STARTED UP AGAIN. THE DEALER COULDN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM, AND TRIED REPROGRAMMING THE CAR. SINCE TOYOTA DOESN'T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE SHUTDOWN, I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, AND THAT THERE WILL BE AN ACCIDENT NEXT TIME.

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING MY 2004 PRIUS ON I35W AT 55 MPH WHEN SEVERAL RED WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE CAR CHIMED. WE WERE ABLE TO EXIT THE INTERSTATE AND LEFT THE CAR RUNNING WHILE WE CONSULTED THE OWNER'S MANUAL, THEN CALLED THE DEALER. WE STARTED TO DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THE CAR'S POWER DIMINISHED NOTICEABLY AT EACH RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN. IT FINALLY STALLED ABOUT ONE MILE FROM THE PARKING LOT WHERE WE HAD INITIALLY PAUSED. THE CAR WAS BLOCKING A BUS ROUTE/HIGHWAY EXIT/SURFACE STREET CONNECTOR AT THAT POINT. A BUS DRIVER AND PASSENGER HAD TO PUSH THE CAR TO A SAFER LOCATION, OUT OF THE BUS' WAY! THE IGNITION LOCKED AND THE FOB COULDN'T BE REMOVED UNTIL AT LEAST 30 MINUTES PASSED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO SAID IT WAS "A SOFTWARE GLITCH" AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT IT, AS THEY HAD TO REPROGRAM IT. NO PARTS WERE REPLACED.

2004 PRIUS SLOWED, THEN STOPPED ON A HIGHWAY DUE TO A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER CORRECTED THE NEXT DAY.

OUR 2004 PRIUS ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS HAD A COMPLETE ENGINE SHUTDOWN WITH LOTS OF INDICATOR LIGHTS LIT ON THE DASHBOARD. THIS HAPPENED TWICE WHILE WE WERE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS IN TRAFFIC AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ONCE IN A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED, AND ONCE AS WE PULLED INTO A TOYOTO DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. WE WERE NOT AWARE WE COULD SEND A COMPLAINT TO NHTSA UNTIL WE SAY TODAY'S MSNBC ARTICLE. THE FIRST ENGINE SHUTDOWN OCCURRED IN THE HYANNIS TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN MASSACHUSETTS. THEY TOOK QUITE A WHILE TO FIX THE VEHICLE AND MADE SEVERAL PHONE CALLS TO TOYOTA ENGINEERS FOR HELP. THEY WROTE ON OUR RECEIPT: "NEEDS TRANS REPLACEMENT FOR PERMANENT REPAIR." AFTER WE LEFT MASSACHUSETTS WE DROVE ACROSS COUNTRY TOWARD OUR HOME IN CALIFORNIA. THE OTHER THREE ENGINE SHUTDOWNS HAPPENED DURING THIS TRIP. WE HAD TO BE TOWED (AT TOYOTA'S EXPENSE) TWICE AS A RESULT OF THE INTERSTATE ENGINE SHUTDOWNS AND ENDED UP AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI. WE HAD TO STAY SEVERAL DAYS AT OUR OWN EXPENSE WHILE THEY REPAIRED THE VEHICLE, AGAIN CONSULTING SEVERAL TIMES WITH TOYOTA ENGINEERS DURING THE REPAIR. AFTER WE REACHED CALIFORNIA WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO SOUTH BAY TOYOTA AND REQUESTED THE "PERMANENT" REPAIR DESCRIBED ON THE HYANNIS TOYOTA RECEIPT. WE WERE TOLD THEY WOULD DO NOTHING BECAUSE THERE WAS NO INDICATOR SHOWING ANY PROBLEMS AT THAT TIME. WE MADE SEVERAL PHONE CALLS TO TOYOTA BUT WERE UNABLE TO GET THEM TO DO ANYTHING FURTHER TO OUR CAR.

1) AFTER BREAKING GENTLY TO A STOP, THE CAR SWITCHED TO BATTERY-MODE AND REPORTED ERRORS, INCLUDING "CHECK ENGINE" 2) THE CAR WOULD NOT SWITCH BACK TO THE GASOLINE ENGINE, AND COULD ONLY BE DRIVEN AT 40MPH ON BATTERY TO THE DEALER 3) THE DEALER REPORTED THAT THE ERROR CODES SUGGESTED THE ONBOARD COMPUTER HAD TO BE RESET, AND ONCE IT WAS RESET THE CAR WENT BACK TO NORMAL OPERATION

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS (14250 MILES) ON A FREEWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON (RED EXCLAMATION MARK IN A TRIANGLE , ENGINE FAILURE WITH EXCLAMATION MARK, ANOTHER EXCLAMATION MARK IN A CIRLCE AND SOME OTHER SCARY SIGNS). I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER ON THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY, AND STOPPED THE CAR.I CHECKED THE OWNER'S MANUAL TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF THOSE SIGNS AND IT SAID "DO NOT DRIVE AND CONTACT YOUR TOYOTA DEALER IMMEDIATELY", SO I DID. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THE DEALER HAD IT FOR A DAY.THE DEALER HAD IT CHECKED AND TOLD ME THAT THE SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE UPGRADED.HE TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THE UPGRADE WAS ALREADY OUT. I THINK IT IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. NOW I WAS SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRIUS SOFTWARE PROBLEM, I FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY INCIDENTS OF THIS TYPE WHERE ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SOFTWARE CRASHES.

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING OUR 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS IN FAST TRAFFIC WHEN THERE WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEM AND THE CAR SHUT DOWN. HER LIFE WAS IN DANGER - BUT A POLICEMAN HAPPENED TO BE PASSING BY AND DIVERTED TRAFFIC AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO MORRISTOWN TOYOTA IN MORRISTOWN NEW JERSEY WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A COMPUTER FAILURE. THE COMPUTER STAYED OVERNIGHT AT THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE "REFRESHED" THE COMPUTER AND THAT "THIS SHOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM." I AM REPORTING THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE DANGEREOUS SITUATION THAT DEVELOPED DUE TO A COMPUTER FAILURE - AD MAY FIT IN WITH OTHER REPORTS YOU ARE RECEIVING.*AK

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS DIED AT 65 MPH ON I-395 CARPOOL LANES. MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS FLASHED ON. WAS ABLE TO COAST IT OVER AND RESTART FOR A MILE OR TWO WHEN IT COMPLETELY DIED AGAIN. WAS TOWED TO SPRINGFIELD VA TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WERE IT WAS SERVICED. ERROR CODES C2318 (LOW VOLTAGE ERROR - POWER SUPPLY MALFUNCTION), BATTERY CODE 8442 WERE REPORTED. ALSO, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, FOUND CODE P3791/ENGINE WON'T START. REPROGRAMMED ECU DP0199. CARS SHUTTING DOWN IN HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC IS A CRASH WAITING TO HAPPEN. WE'RE NOT CONVINCED THAT RE-SETTING THE ENGINE CODE IS ENOUGH TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HAS THE ORIGINAL SOFTWARE PROBLEM BEEN LOCATED AND FIXED? DEALERSHIP COULDN'T GIVE US THAT ANSWER.*AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL JUST STOP. CONSUMER STATES THERE IS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM WITH ENGINE BEING FAULTY FROM THE COMPUTER. CONSUMER RECEIVES A DOZEN WARNING LIGHTS. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP SO THAT THE VEHICLE COULD BE DIAGNOSED. CONSUMER IS AWARE OF OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. *AK *NM

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS FLASHED AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. DEALER STATED THE VEHICLE'S SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. *AK THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RECURRED. *BF *NM