general problems of the 2004 Toyota Prius - part 2

I am having the same problem described here: the multi-function display (mfd) failed. (cross reference NHTSA complaint #10173892). . Read more...

On my 2004 Toyota Prius, the lights go out randomly. Of course, at night. I took it to two Toyota dealerships, and the first couldn't replicate the problem. The second dealership said the fix for one light would be an astonishing $850 because it's a defective electronic controller. Since my lights worked intermittently or after being turned on and off. . . And after searching the internet and discovering this defect is common. I'm thinking lights cutting out while driving, is quite dangerous, and it's a potential hazard for both drivers and pedestrians. Many Prius owners believe this is a product defect in need of a recall from Toyota before someone gets hurt.

The digital dashboard which includes the speedometer, odometer/tripmeter, shift indicator and fuel gauge goes blank. This creates a safety hazard especially during night or poor weather driving, and when shifting. My local Toyota service department manager acknowledged that Toyota knows this is a common problem, but refused to fix it at no cost. The service manager also told me that he must impound my car until the new part is installed. He said that federal law required this as the new odometer must be set at the distributor before being shipped to the service department. This would cost approximately $800. 00. Luckily for me the display came on during troubleshooting and I refused further service at that time. Now, a month or so later, the display shut off again and I am only driving the car during daylight hours.

Multi-function monitor display intermittent blank out. No display for multi-function display unit. It occurs very often since January 2008.

I was quoted $466 just for the price of my bulb for the headlight of my Toyota Prius. For a non luxury car it so expensive that a lot of people will choose to make due with their flickering one. It is outrageous that Toyota did not give a more affordable choice. It is going to be more dangerous out there.

Hid headlights go off intermittently while driving. Headlights can be reset by turning healight switch to off and back on again. A search of the NHTSA and other websites demonstrate that this same problem is widespread for several year models of Prius autos. The dealer estimates to replace the headlight bulbs is about $1000 per headlight, making this a serious problem because people will seek lower cost remedies which are not safe. Toyota thus far has not officially recognized or attempted to address this issue. Since a total loss of lighting can occur at anytime with serious consequences, a recall should be performed to correct this issue before fatalities occur.

High intensity discharge headlights intermittently going out. No rhyme or reason as to when the outage occurs but turning the circuit off and back on again will re-illuminate the hid headlight. . . But for how long??.

The hid headlight leveling sensor part# 89408-47010 failed. Big red exclamation on the dash and car won't pass inspection. Toyota says it costs $600 to replace.

The multi-function display (mfd) failed. (cross reference NHTSA complaint #10173892). . Read more...

Erratic loss of pc use, touch screen, audio deactivated, no picture at all dealer wants $980 to replace with refurbished and $4000 for new. Worried about all the other dot troubled listings of total electrical power loss.

2004 Toyota Prius with computer problem. Started getting an error message that air conditioner wasn't working. Then the computer would not give the gas mileage. Then the temp wouldn't show. Then couldn't use the radio (it would come one but you couldn't see what the station was), now it is all blank. It does not work at all. Then it works for 5 minutes about once a quarter. Can't control air/heat, radio, can't see mileage, can't see the temp. Took it to dealer and they said that it would cost hundreds of dollars to diagnose it. Read on Toyota board online that this is common problem that Toyota does not stand behind. I have owned Toyotas since 1980s and have 5 now (kids, work, adults). I am satisfied with all but the 2004. I have a 2005 Prius also but no problems (so far).

I own a Toyota Prius 2004 and the headlights go on/off whenever they feel like it. When they go off if you turn the switch they go back on. Are there any other complaints on this issue?.

Multifunction touch screen display (mfd) malfunction disables the windshield defogger. One must wipe the windshield by hand. If the windshield fogs while driving on a narrow and winding road or busy highway, the driver and passengers are at high risk. . Read more...

On December 25, 2007 when I started my car it locked up with a christmas tree like effect all of the lights came on and I could not shut the car off. All of the gears were engaged according to the display and the car was in slooooow motion forwards. Not even a crawling speed. Imperceptibly slow forwards. It would not shut off nor would it do anything that would allow me to control the motion of the car except use the brake to hold it in place. I had a scan gauge connected to the obd port and was able to pull the following codes from it: u0293 and p0a1d. I have been told that the first code means lost communication with hv ecu and the second code means hv ecu malfunction. The outdoor air temperature was about 20 degrees fahrenheit. Only the use of the scan tool code reset allowed me to power the vehicle off. Otherwise I would have had to place the vehicle up against an immovable object to keep it under control.

2004 Toyota Prius having problems starting. * the consumer stated after several tries, the vehicle started, however when he shifted into the drive, the engine raced and the vehicle lurched forward rapidly, even though the accelerator had not been applied. The consumer was unable to stop the vehicle by using the brakes. The vehicle continued forward about 25 feet and crashed into a garage. The consumer received minor scratches to his knee. The consumer also noted that the air bags did not deploy.

My multi function display has failed on me for the past three years. This is a very common problem for Toyota Prius owners. This means I have had no navigation, air condition/heating, radio/cd and more due to this defective device. There is no physical damage to the screen, and these screens seem to fail only a few years after manufactured. It appears to be the same exact solder joint breaking in every single case too from what I have read online. I can't justify buying a brand new screen, especially since I have spent so much on this one to begin with.

My 2004 Toyota Prius electrical display (touch screen) has 'shorted out' with a loud ticking noise through the speakers. It has been in the springfield, va Toyota shop twice, and it is continuing to happen. The screen goes dark, and then there is no access to the defroster, gps, etc. They all become non-functional.

2004 Toyota Prius electrical problems. I have been experiencing severe electrical problems with my 2004 Toyota Prius and they have gotten more severe after the Toyota dealer uploaded new code that was supposed to fix a recall. Problems include loss of display, loss of control of climate system, radio turns itself off, and occasionally there is loss of power at low speeds which is sometimes fixed by a reboot of the car. After the last loss of power, the car then responded by the gas engine revving very high and not responding to the gas pedal - yet the car was not traveling any faster.

I turned left into driveway of a home- driveway has an incline. I turned off power and two children exited car. One passenger returned within five min and sat in front. I placed foot on brake. Brake felt "locked" with no give. I pressed power button with foot on brake, and placed gear in reverse. I let foot off brake to roll slowly out of driveway. When I attempted to brake to slow exit, my foot went all the way to floor--no power. I notice gear was neutral. Power would not turn off. Car was rolling closer toward a busy four lane street. I noticed the power button light color was red, and the following yellow warning indicators were lit: brake system warning light, malfunction indicator lamp, anti-lock brake system warning light, slip indicator light. I depressed the emergency brake to stop. I told my 14 y/o passenger to exit the car and when she did the master warning light came on while the above lights remained lit. The brake continued to depress to the floor. I again attempted to turn off the power without success. I exited the vehicle with my Smart entry key in hand and as expected loud buzzing noise came on. I then contacted Toyota roadside assistance. The reference number is 269-568-6678. I called back later to change the reference number to 269-492-2066. I had asked for police assistance for traffic control, but the police did not show. On 9/6 a. M. , jim at metro Toyota service, kalamazoo, mi called & I described the above to him. At 1530 on 9/6/06, I described my experience to marvin at Toyota customer relation. The case number he provided was 200609051137. This is the second like incident with this vehicle. I did not report the first incident to the NHTSA which occurred a few months after I took possession of the then new 2004 Toyota Prius. No reason was found for the first incident, by the same dealership service. The consumer stated the vehicle accelerated on its own. Also, when the consumer applied the brakes, the pedal became soft and went down to the floor. Updated.

I have a 2004 Toyota Prius I purchased used last Feb (06). Starting the car does not immediately bring up the dash display. It remains blank, however I can shift into gear. The power steering is off as well. I restart and restart and eventually the dash will pop on. The car is drivable but all the warning lights are not. Not at once though. The red triangle with the ! in between is always present but sometimes it is joined by the check engine light or the abs failure light. The Toyota dealership is still trying to figure out what's going on.

Regarding my 2004 Toyota Prius: the 'multi-information display, I. E. , computer display, does not function frequently, at which time a message saying the air conditioner is disconnected. Simultaneously, when this message appears, the radio instantly turns off. When this occurs access to the computer is impossible, controls of the air conditioner system are unavailable except through those on the steering wheel which continue to function. The computer function later randomly is restored for brief to long periods but remains subject to random failure again. This failure has existed for years. Dealerships refused to take responsibility for repair or replacement of the equipment. This defect is a major distraction to safe operation of the vehicle. For example, during computer shutdown periods, it is impossible to alter air conditioner fan speed during freezing ambient weather.

: the contact stated on December 6 2005, a recall remedy was performed for the engine. In January, all the warning lights in the vehicle illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer and the problem with the warning lights was fixed. However, the warning lights defect recurred in both February and March. The dealer was consulted after the second recurrence and was unable to determine the cause of the problem. Updated 3/29/2006 - the abs light illuminated in the vehicle . The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for them to fix the problem. Each time the vehicle was returned to the consumer the problem recurred.

On three occasions my 2004 Prius has started without pushing the "start" button. On 11/19/05 two people had gotten into the back seat and closed the doors. I was standing behind the car. It was at night. As I slammed the hatch back door shut I could see the display panel light up in the dark and hear the car start. When I got in the car I only had to put the car in reverse to pull out. The dealer said this wasn't possible.

I have a 2004 Toyota Prius I was driving on the highway and my gas engine shutdown and all the warning lights on the dash turned on. I had to have my car towed to the nearest dealer for repair. I had asked the manufacture to see if my vehicle had any recall or TSB and they said "no". Then if that's the case why am I having the same issue that everyone seems to have with this car? I think Toyota does not know what the problem is and does not know hot to fix it. This is a very serious problem lucky I was able to get t the should safely.

I own a Toyota Prius purchased in Feb. 2004. On three occasions, the warnings lights have come on while driving and the car rapidly looses all power and cannot be moved. The most recent incident occurred today, 8/14/05. I have not been satisfied that whatever has caused this problem has been corrected, as apparent with today's incident. I have reported these incidents to Toyota and will send their subsequent correspondence. I have owned Toyota vehicles since 1980 and this is unacceptable. With this third incident, I intend to pursue all avenues available to rectify this situation.

Toyota 2004 Prius. While driving 20-45 mph vehicle stalled and lost power. The stalling was due to a inverter/converter failure.

I was accelerating into a yield situation where I had room to merge from an offramp and the gas motor didn't kick in. The check-engine light flashed, the car vibrated, and it moved only as if the electric motor was going for a few seconds and then, as I was flooring it, the car jarted out into the intersection where now there wasn't room and I became involved in an accident.

When I started my vehicle, all the dash lights came on and remained on. I was able to put my vehicle in park and neutral only. I was unable to turn the power off on the vehicle. It was using electricity only. The gas engine would not kick in when stepping on the gas pedal. I let the car sit for about 5 minutes then was able to turn the power off. I was then able to start the car again and drive it. I traveled approximately 35 miles without incident. I then shut the car off. I then turned the car back on and the same incident occured for the second time that day. I called the dealership the following day to report the incident. I was told they were unable to do anything with the vehicle since it was running ok now. They did fax me a copy showing that I reported this incident. This vehicle has now stalled on me a total of 3 times within a 3 week period. The first incident was on 5/23/2005 and I had to have my car towed to the dealership.

Contact has a 2004 Toyota Prius, and while driving the vehicle it has failed on two separate occasions. A. How long and at what speed was the consumer driving before the vehicle lost power? approximately 15 -20 minutes, going about 45 mph. B. Was the consumer accelerating, decelerating, or driving at a steady- state when the vehicle lost power? driving at a steady rate. C. After the vehicle lost power, was the driver able to continue driving the vehicle? if so, how long and at what speed? the vehicle was stopped and pulled off the road. D. Did any warning lights appear before and/or after the incident occurred? yes , if so, describe the lights that were lit. Check engine light. E. Did the vehicle eventually stall and come to a stop? how long did this occur after the warning lights were lit? one part of the vehicle was operating but the driver could not accelerate. F. Was the driver able to restart the vehicle right after it stalled? if so, how long did it take (# of attempts and/ or time ? 3-4 times or 2-3 minutes)? yes, the engine light kept coming back on. 1 time, right after the vehicle stalled.

The warning lights came on consumer turned car around to take it to the dealer, and the car just shut off. Dealer did clear everything (the lights), and the car started back up.

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.

Car was driving normal at 45 mph. . . . Engine quit. Would not restart. Car was towed to Toyota dealer.

Consumer was approaching an intersection while driving in a 2004 Toyota Prius at 45 mph and when all of the das light illuminated. As it turned out the vehicle was not receiving any power from the gas engine and the vehicle was running on electricity only. While entering the intersection the vehicle stalled. The consumer was able to put the vehicle in reverse to back the vehicle to the curb. Then , put vehicle in park or neutral only, but was unable to shut the power off. Consumer was unable to move the vehicle. After letting the vehicle sit 35-40 minutes was able to drive the vehicle onto the tow truck. Vehicle was towed to Toyota dealership where they reset the computer the following day. Dealership told consumer they were seeing this happen frequently with the 2004 Toyota Prius hybrids. Also, missed 1 hour of work the following day in order to get a rental car.

Dt: 2004 Toyota Prius . The warning lights came on and the vehicle lost power. The vehicle came to stop on the freeway. The consumer was able to get to the shoulder and waited about 10 minutes. After the ten min the vehicle was restarted but had very little power. The consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer reprogrammed the ecu as per TSB. No other problems as of yet. This failure was the only incident.

Consumer stated: vehicle quit while driving, the warning lights did come on before it died. While going 30-35 mph and it just died and couldn't restart. The electrical system stayed on. Called tow truck by the time they got there it started. Still had to take it to dealer, and warning lights went out. Dealership reprogrammed the computer.