general problems of the 2004 Toyota Prius - part 1

I need your help to get Toyota to fix 2 items: -abs accumulator: I understand Toyota at one time had a recall on the ‘abs accumulator’, that may have expired. At that time, I did not have any issue, nor was I aware of the recall. Now the ‘abs accumulator’ has gone out and is really hurting the braking. I had to get new brakes & they get locked because of the abs malfunction. It is an expensive item – more than the cost of the car. I intend to keep the car for a long time, if Toyota can help me get the abs accumulator fixed? -mfd: the multi-functional display (mfd) in the middle of the dashboard, has gone blank. It used to just partially blank out before, but now the whole screen is blank all the time, making it very hazardous to drive. Obviously, there is nothing I have done & it is a manufacturing defect, because it should last the life of the car. Please have Toyota fix the 2 problems (abs & mfd). All requests to Toyota have gone unfulfilled. Your help is needed & will be greatly appreciated.

I am the owner of a 2004 Prius. After buying my car used 2 years ago I noticed that once in awhile the display, including fuel consumption, speedometer, odometer, and more, would not light up and that the car would not turn off easily several times I have been in situations where I have little gas an am unable to see my gas gauge or know how fat iam going on the highway. I understand that this was once covered by Toyota under the warranty extension but is not considered a safety concern. The warranty extension is expired. In what universe are a functioning fuel gauge and speedometer not considered a safety concern? I am also concerned that this will deteriorate further and cause an accident.

This occurred to me yesterday while traveling 60 mph in 94� f heat on I-76 e just before the 676 / 76 split. I was traveling in the far left lane when the car suddenly lost power. Looking at the dash I noticed the shifter had moved itself into n (neutral), it would not move back into drive. I applied my hazard lights and began forced my way rightward across three lanes to the shoulder, speed rapidly decreasing and seemingly more sluggishly than a normal coast. I think the emergency brake was automatically being applied or I was fighting a braking system. One lane from the shoulder, a ups truck was headed for me from behind. Luckily, he was able to swerve into the shoulder and pass me there as he could not move left into other traffic. We only narrowly avoided a collision with me or the elevated barrier on the side of the road. I had only 10 mph left and no ability to redirect my vehicle. Once on the side of the expressway, I was able to google this well-known issue with the vehicle. I let the vehicle cool off, turned off the air conditioning, though didn't want to risk turning the vehicle off. I was concerned I would have to wait until nightfall to get back into traffic (still flowing around 60 mph and a very narrow shoulder) luckily during a small traffic backup up the road I was able to re-enter traffic at a modest speed. I crossed my fingers as the rest of my commute (another 2 miles or so) was 95% highway driving. Luckily the car held out for me to get home.

Speedometer & other control information display went blank. Pulled over to side of road but unable to turn off engine. Contacted Toyota & was told problem is known & warranty extend to 9 years & unlimited miles. However, my vehicle is older than nine years, so I must pay estimate $1400 to fix & car will be unavailable for estimate 2 weeks. The vehicle is unsafe to drive, prior to this known problem occurring car was operating perfectly ( averaging 50 mpg per tank of gas, documented). This appears to be a safety problem that was known by the manufacturer, however they seems to be trying to hide this by making the statistical estimate that by extending the warranty the majority of these cars would be off the road and their lawyers & legal insurance would cost less than the few humans kills after this arbitrary 9 year risk period. I could have been killed as a result of this failure! fortunately I was not, however I am left with a vehicle that is undriveable (with no warning!) and can only be repaired by Toyota at a cost I am not able to afford!.

When ambient temperature is cold, sometimes dashboard lights and speedometer do not come on when the car is started. Car runs but with no instrument panel. Sometimes when the car is in this state the car cannot be turned off by pressing the start button. Car can only be turned off by pressing and holding the start button down for several seconds, and even this does not always work. This problem has been getting worse over time. Toyota dealership refuses to investigate the problem, but it is documented in their warranty repair t-sb-0172-09 combination meter intermittent display bulletin. Instead, the dealership tries to sell us a new car!.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 55 mph the vehicle accelerated on its own. The vehicle crashed into a concrete divider on the highway. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact was able to drive the vehicle after the crash. The driver and the passengers sustained injuries to their back and neck and were under going therapy for their injuries. There was no police report filed. The contact stated that the crash caused damage to the front bumper and the front passenger side door which would not open. The manufacturer stated that an inspector would inspect the vehicle. The inspector stated that there was a problem with the abs brakes. The contact received the report from the manufacturer and they did not indicate that there was a safety failure and were unable to provide further assistance. The body damage was repaired. The contact stated that she did not feel safe driving the vehicle after the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

While heading up my driveway in my 2004 Prius, the car began to accelerate, I threw it into reverse and turned back toward my garage where it crashed thru the wall.

The automobile was stopped at a intersection and the pavement was wet from a light rain. I applied normal pressure to the accelerator and felt the car move forward as expected. Then the problem occurs, I felt the tires slip due to a lost of traction with the wet pavement. At that point the anti-skid/traction control engaged and stopped all power to the wheels. This left me part way into the intersection and no power to the wheels. Pressing the accelerator even to the floor resulted in no change, no motor or engine power. This has occurred three time in similar conditions, with mixed results. Twice the problem could of lead to an major accident. In summary this problem disable the drive train in a unpredictable manner that takes the driver out of the process.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. While driving at approximately 55 mph the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle surged forward. The vehicle would not stop until repeated pressure was applied to the brakes. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the issue was not a big deal. The failure and current mileages were 102,595.

2004 Toyota Prius. Consumer asserts that vehicle accident was caused by a computer malfunction the consumer stated prior to the accident, on one occasion, the vehicle bolted and jerked slightly as she stopped the vehicle. When she attempted to take off, the vehicle responded sluggishly and then accelerated quickly. The day of the accident, as the consumer approached the stop sign, the vehicle started bucking and jerking violently. After she pulled off from the stop sign, she crashed into a large SUV. The consumer stated she saw the SUV pass, so she purposely waited so she could make a left turn, but ended causing severe damage to her vehicle.

I was turning my 2004 Prius into a parking garage at between 2-5 miles an hour, applied the brakes as I was going in over a small lip/bump in the pavement, and the car accelerated on it's own. I was lucky enough to swerve and reapply the brakes in time to avoid hitting an oncoming exiting car. It was very scary and I almost hit the other driver. I have never had this happen before. There has been a couple similar incidences where I was braking while coming up to a stop, hit a bump or pothole in the road and the brakes felt like they stopped working for a split second and then seemed to have resumed. It is a strange sensation when you are expecting a stop. The car has always been serviced at a Toyota dealership every 5,000 miles since it was new and will be due again in about 2 weeks.

2004 Toyota Prius. Consumer states acceleration problems when the consumer attempted to stop at a red light, the vehicle continued to accelerate. The consumer swerved into the next lane to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of her. The motor revved and the vehicle began to fishtail. Then the motor returned to normal and the vehicle stopped. The consumer called the dealership to make an appointment, but was told the vehicle was not a part of the recall and the diagnostic testing would not be covered by Toyota. The dealer was unable to find anything wrong with the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota pruis . The contact stated that while driving he attempted to slow down by applying the brake, but the vehicle accelerated on its own . The dealer was contacted and they advised the contact to bring the vehicle in to have it diagnosed. The dealer stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and they could not duplicate the failure. The contact believes that there is something wrong with the braking system. There have been no repairs to the vehicle. The vehicle is at the dealer. The contact does not want to pick the vehicle up due to the safety risk. The failure and current mileage was 52000. Updated 03/04/10 updated 07/23/jb.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. While at a complete stop, the rpms suddenly increased and the vehicle attempted to move forward while the contact's foot was on the brake pedal. The dealer was contacted and he was awaiting a response. No repairs were made to date. The failure and current mileages were 103,690.

2004 Prius: after driving at 10mph on gravel road with potholes and then turning on to smooth paved road engine speed and speedometer started to vary wildly with speedometer going up to 45mph down and back up again for a 5 minute period while driving on the paved road at about 30mph. This continued but car itself did not accelerate abnormally despite change in engine speed and wild speedometer.

About 40% of the time, my Toyota Prius doesn't want to stop or slow down when the brakes are applied. Under these conditions, I have to apply the brakes hard and then the car will slow down. It feels like the car wants to "run away" when the brakes are applied. It exhibits this behavior in many circumstances: stopping at a stop light, slowing down on an expressway, or slowing down on a city street. Updated 11/23/09 the check engine light illuminated. The passenger front window switch wasn't opening or closing the window unless the master switch was used. The throttle body had to be cleaned. The fan belt and brake light switch were replaced. Updated 11/24/09 updated 01/06/10 updated 01/07/10.

I have a 2004 Toyota Prius. On October 19, 2009, the car accelerated by itself to 65 mph. I was able to press on the brake, slow down the car and pull to the side of the road. I had the car tolled to the local dealership and they said they could not "duplicate the problem. " they told me to take the floor mat out. In the meantime, they charged me $1400 to replace a water pump and perform other maintenance services. The recent acceleration recall by Toyota does not include my car although I had the acceleration problem with this car. When I called the company to inquire the reason for this, they told me that this model was made in japan with a different part manufacture, thus it is not under the acceleration recall, just the floor mat recall.

Twice my Toyota Prius has "surged" unexpectedly. I was coasting into a parking space both times, so was able to stomp on the brake and stop the car. When the first recall was issued I knew it wasn't the floor mat. Mine was the original one and was firmly attached. It did not move and "entrap" the pedal and I did not have my foot on the gas when the surges happened. I did not bother to report it at the time, as I am an older female and have been treated like an idiot at the dealership when I spoke with the service people. The car has been fine in every other way. I believe this is a throttle or computer/electronic problem and I believe that they know it.

I was driving on the 605 freeway in the carpool lane at approximately 70 miles per hour when without warning, the car suddenly lost power and the check engine and master hybrid warning lights came on. I had to cross four lanes of rush hour traffic to pull to the right side of the freeway as the car lost power. I was barely able to drive the car safely to the right shoulder of the freeway. The car was towed to the dealer since it was not drivable. This was a very dangerous and scary experience. Fortunately, a serious accident was narrowly avoided. The dealer attributed the problem to a short. The hybrid vehicle control computer was replaced. The replacement part number is 89981-47270.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. While driving in clear, normal road conditions at speeds of 50 mph, the contact attempted to accelerate into the flow of traffic. She then applied the brake pedal, however the vehicle did not decrease in speed. The brakes would not engage and the rear of the vehicle spun out of control or fish tailed. The contact could not maintain control of the vehicle and crashed into a guard rail and a nearby tree. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was not available at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were 100,000. Updated evoq. 05/27/10.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. When he applied pressure on the brake pedal at 50 mph in the dark, the vehicle would not stop. The anti-lock brake system activated, but the vehicle did not stop. Consequently the vehicle crashed into a tree. The vehicle was completely destroyed. He sustained injuries. The failure mileage was 62000. The vehicle identification number was unavailable.

2nd occurrence of Toyota Prius acceleration. While wife leaving daughters school, car accelerated (pedal off the accelerator!), she jammed on brakes, but was close in provoking an accident on main street. This is the second occurrence. First time, she hit a taxi while stopped in a red light. Accident was reported by police (no injuries). First time took car into the dealer (no apparent problems). Planning on taking car again to dealer tomorrow. !.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. While the contact was driving 12 mph she was hit by another vehicle damaging the brake line which caused the contacts vehicle to contunially move after the crash. In order to stop the vehicle the contact had to engage the emergency brake. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was difficult to stop due to the damaged brake line. The failure and current mileages were not available.

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.

May 29, 2006 - I was pulling into a school parking space when the Prius accelerated on its own, and although I hit the brakes, the engine started to roar, and the car jumped a concrete parking lot curb, went into a drainage swale, and stopped only when it hit an iron fence around the school where I worked. I took it to Toyota to be fixed. Told them what happened. They put it down as "car jumped curb. " I wrote to Toyota on October 11, 2009, describing the incident and enclosing documentation for the repairs. They said they were sorry about the incident "however, as we were not provided the opportunity to inspect your vehicle at the time of the incident, we have no way of addressing your specific claim and are unable to offer further assistance to you in this matter. " Toyota wanted me to have them inspect my car for a problem that they didn't know existed.

Total breakdown of consumer's wife 2004 Prius on September 2, 2005 in san jose, California. The vehicle suddenly lost power while merging into the interstate. A loss of gas engine power with failure of the internal combustion/engine to start, resulted in only electric motor propulsion and breakdown on the highway as the battery quickly went to single pink bar level within a 1/2 mile. Multiple mil lamps lit up. Began to merge onto the highway from a stop speed of 30 or 40 mph and slowly accelerated into heavy traffic. Had to pull off to the breakdown lane of the highway with all of its debris , etc. The dealer completed the repairs at san jose's capitol Toyota on 9/2/05. The dealer fixed the car. But the consumer contacted a Toyota pries advisor who stated if there was a service bulletin for this characteristic that would prevent the roadway failure then why was it not executed during prior services on 3/9/05, 5/26/05 and 6/09/05. This indicated that the car was reliable after the repairs. The consumer, an accomplished engineer, said Toyota knew about software bugs. A software bug did not impair operation until the right combination of environmental factors was reached. All pries had this potential bug that contaminated the electronic control module (echo).

Total breakdown of wife's 2004 Prius on September 2 in fine weather one in san jose. The vehicle displayed sudden and significant loss of power while merging into the interstate. Loss of gas/engine power with failure of the internal combustion with engine to start, resulted in only electric motor propulsion and breakdown on the highway as the battery quickly went to single pink bar level within a 1/2 miles. Multiple mil lamps lit up and stayed on. Began to merge onto the highway from a stop speed of 30 or 40 mph and slowly accelerated into heavy traffic. She had to pull off to the (ugh) breakdown lane of the highway with all of its debris, etc. The dealer completed the repair, san jose invoice number tocs190787 dtd 9/2/05 applied eg047-04 on car. The dealer repairs seemed to have fixed the car. Contacted a Toyota Prius advisor with three concerns: if there was a service bulletin for this characteristic that would prevent the roadway failure then why was it not executed during prior services 3-9-05, 5-26-05 & 6-09-05 at this same dealer. What led one to believe that the car was not reliable after this repair. The consumer, an accomplished engineer, a knew about software bugs. A software bug did not impair operation until the right combination of environmental factors was reached. The consumer assumed that all Prius had this potential bug that contaminated the electronic control unit (ecu). Ecu.

While driving 50 mph vehicle lost power/died. Consumer took vehicle to dealer who replaced the electronic throttle body.

Contact stated the engine stalled/lost power on two different occasions.

A. How long and at what speed was the consumer driving before the vehicle lost power? 4 minutes, 50 mph. B. Has the consumer accelerated, decelerated or drove at a steady pace when the vehicle lost power? steady pace. C. After the vehicle lost power was the driver able to continue driving the vehicle? if so, how long and at what speed. It stalled out. D. Did any warning lights appear before and/or after the incident occurred? if so, describe the lights that were lit. As it happened a hazard icon and an engine check light came on. E. Did the vehicle eventually stall and come to a stop? how long did this occur after the warning lights were lit? yes, 30 seconds. F. Was the driver able to restart the vehicle right after it stalled? if so, how long did it took, 3-4 times or 2-3 minutes)? took a couple of times, but it started within a minutes. G. Was driver able to restart the vehicle after letting it sit awhile? yes. H. Was the vehicle towed? no. I. What was wrong with the vehicle? it required an update of a computer program. J did the dealer reprogram the electronic control unit (ecu) or any software? yes. K. Vehicle had special service campaigns 40a or 40d performed prior to the incident? when consumer called Toyota she was told vehicle was up to date on all services . L. Had vehicle any problems since the repair? no. Consumer had a problem six months ago where it stalled. .

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 contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. While entering an interstate highway during traffic, the vehicle accelerated without intention. She shifted the vehicle into neutral and coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer for inspection. A technician concluded that the floor-mat was the cause of the failure. However when the failure occurred she noticed that the floor-mat did not interfere with the accelerator pedal. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 80,000.

Vehicle stalled /died. And lost power due to throttle failure.

Dt:. How long and at what speed was the consumer driving before the vehicle lost power? had driven about 10 minutes on commuting home was driving at least 50-60 mph. B. Was the consumer accelerating, decelerating, or driving at a steady- state when the vehicle lost power?driving at a steady state. C. Vehicle lost power, was the driver able to continue driving the vehicle? if so, how long and at what speed?not able to continue driving, could not restart vehicle. Did any warning lights appear before and/or after the incident occurred? an odd beep and then some symbols illuminated on control panel but can't remember what symbol, thinks it make have been a car with an x through it. Referred to owners manual. Called for help. . Came to a complete stop just seconds after the beep and warning lights. F was unable to restart vehicle. G. No restart whatsoever. H. Was the vehicle towed? yes to a dealer. I. What did the dealer say was wrong with the vehicle? diagnosis code did not have available, but was aware of service bulletin pertaining to this issue. Questioned why there had not been a recall. J. Did the dealer reprogram the ecu (electronic control unit) or any software? yes-the ecu. K. Did have recall on navigation software update prior to this episode. L. Has the vehicle had any problems since the repair? no but fearful it may happen again.

My wife was coasting into a parking space with her foot on the brake. The engine apparently experienced a power surge causing the car to shoot forward violently going through a fence and over a two foot retaining wall, across a driveway and crashing into another car. Whether it was the gas engine or electric drive is not clear. Our daughter who was in the front passenger seat observed that my wife's foot was on the brake the whole time. Both my wife and daughter received neck injuries requiring treatment.