Automatic Transmission Control Module Problems of Toyota Prius

Car stalled pulling into traffic. Took about 15 sec to restart. No diagnostic lights lit up on dash. Car lost power last month and engine light went on and engine could not be restarted. Had to be towed to dealership. It replaced valve assembly for vacuum and reprogrammed pcm. However, that issue was preceded by a creep of diagnostic lights (course of 1 hour), from check oil to check engine, and then it completely shut down.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota Prius 🔎.

While driving Prius on major highway in dfw metroplex during evening rush hour the warning light came on, then a couple seconds later, entire dash board information screen and all warning lights flashed. Car engine continued to run, and would not turn off, but no power was available to steering or brakes. This problem occurred at the apex of a bridge. However, was able to coast the car into the median between the merge ramp of the major highway and the interstate. Very dangerous situation if it had occurred before apex of the bridge. )called the dealership, who in turn, called a tow truck. Had to basically play with power button, brake, and gear shift to get it into neutral so the car could be loaded onto the tow truck. Took dealer three days to diagnose the problem. It was blamed on a short in auxiliary battery. However, it seemed to be working okay. This was the third time occurrence such as this happened to this car, as well as a non-functioning driver information screen, that if the car was hot inside then information screen worked, if no, then the screen stated no connection to air conditioning , which occurred since first time the shut down happened. Thought this problem was supposed to be fixed with the software upgrade that they installed after the last occurrence. It appeared that this defect happened every 18,000 miles . Now there is 79,000 miles on the car.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Cause: flat tire in the front left or front right of the vehicle. The front left demonstrating the most severe hazard failure: the traction control system engages regularly due to a discrepancy between the spare and normal tire size. Traction control cuts power to the drive wheels and cannot be overridden, causing vehicle to lose speed in non-deterministic manner. Vehicle is not responsive. Condition is worst during the first 40 miles driven on the spare tire but consequently improves due to learning inside the car computer. Unfortunately, vehicle is most dangerous when the driver has the least control over the situation. Correction: none, the manufacturer claims the vehicle is operating as designed.

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2005 Toyota Prius: in slippery conditions, when a front wheel slips, both wheels stop rotating and then the wheel that did not slip is given power. This takes about 1 second. During that time the motor has shut down, losing substantial forward momentum. If the second wheel slips,the process is repeated giving the original wheel power. The 1 second time interval occurs again and more forward momentum is lost. On a slippery hill, this basically stops the forward motion of the auto very quickly. If both wheels continue to slip,the auto just sits there , with the electric motor starting and stopping as the power is switched between front wheels. If there are cars behind yours, then backing up is impossible. If the wife and kids are in a bad neighbor hood and this happens,that could mean real trouble. The condition is totally unacceptable. All the Prius' should be recalled and the traction control reprogrammed to allow reduced power to the slipping wheel, not zero power. This will tend to maintain forward momentum and keep the motor from shutting down. I spoke to the original dealer and they claimed no knowledge of the design flaw.

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My Toyota Prius stalled while moving at about 35-40 mph in city traffic in chandler, arizona. The emergency light came on and the engine quit. I was able to maneuver the car to the side of the road as it coasted, then we pushed it into a parking lot. I had the car towed to tempe Toyota (now power Toyota) and they re-programmed the on-board computer, and I haven't had a problem since.

The shift-by-wire transmission selector in my 2005 Toyota Prius ignores my shift if I move the shift lever too quickly. This has almost led to several accidents. On my first day driving my Prius, I was parked in a diagonal, on-street space. My view of approaching traffic was blocked by the vehicle beside me. When I backed out far enough into the traffic lane, I realized that traffic was coming. I needed to move forward quickly to avoid getting hit. I quickly moved the shift lever to “d� and accelerated. The car lurched backwards instead of forwards. I hit the brake and quickly but carefully shifted to “d� again. Approaching traffic was now almost at my location. I accelerated again but the car lurched backwards, not forwards, again. The car had ignored both inputs from me and remained in reverse. Luckily the approaching traffic slowed to avoid crashing into me, giving me time to slowly and deliberately move the shift lever to “d. €� this time the car moved forward. I can easily shift the lever too quickly, which results in no gear change. Toyota said this dangerous condition is normal for the Prius. Also, there is a column-mounted stalk too close to the dash-mounted gear shift lever. It is easy to momentarily put your hand on the wrong stalk when trying to shift gears. Finally, the car loudly beeps whenever reverse is selected. This is inside, not outside – I assume to let you know that you are in reverse. That loud, distracting interior beeper is a safety hazard. I was not aware of hearing it when I had the backing incidents described above but I am very aware of it when I am carefully backing up and trying to watch and listen for pedestrians, cars, etc. Behind me. My Toyota dealer told me that it cannot be disconnected. All drivers – from owners to valets, expect the gears to change when they shift. The public should be warned about the Prius until Toyota makes a transmission fix – such as retrofitting the cars with a conventional shift mechanism.