Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 00603R | 10/17/2003 | 00603 | 10005824 | Introduction of new automatic transmission fluid. toyota landcruiser 2004 also incuded. revised. *tt | 03/16/2004 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 01/11/2012 | 120000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that the gear shifter could not be shifted into park. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shifter assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 150,000. kmj | |||
| 01/11/2012 | 120000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that the gear would not shift automatically into park. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shifter assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 150,000. dr | |||
| 11/19/2012 | 117322 | 1 | |
| Car shifts to neutral upon shifting to drive or reverse when starting car (o mph) car shifts back to neutral when driving (25 mph) prob. seems related to cold ambient temperature. *tr | |||
| 10/21/2012 | 130000 | 1 | |
| A combination of 2 issues. for several months the gear shift selector has been sticking in the d position instead of automatically returning to the n position as it should. it is documented by other prius owners that the dust cover inside the shifter can begin to warp over time causing this sticking. http://priuschat.com/threads/gear-shifter-sticks.38199/ i thought this was just a nuisance issue until last month and on one other occasion where the shifter stuck in the d position and i hadn't noticed and when i attempted to put the car into park by pressing the separate p button the car would not go into park. it is now apparent that this is related to the shifter sticking in the d position and preventing the car from going into park. there is one report of a near incident of the car driving away when the driver didn't notice that the car failed to go into park which is a clear safety problem: http://priuschat.com/threads/2004-park-button-intermittent-failure.118257/. *tr | |||
| 09/08/2012 | 69135 | 1 | |
| The dash gear selector (common to 2004 - 2009 g2 prius) began clicking when i changed gears (r-d-n) i researched the subject and learned that this can lead to the shifter locking in d or r, a hazardous condition. i also learned that some diy owners have discovered a warped dust plate in the shifter component. it causes this problem. their solution is to remove the plate, trim it, and reassemble the part. link 1 below is a google search that reveals the other two links i included. not all of the hits are relevant. the third link has a video with clear images of the problem and the diy 'solution.' https://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&complete=0&site=webhp&q=prius+%22gear+shift%22+click+sticking&oq=prius+%22gear+shift%22+click+sticking&gs_l=serp.3...2446378.2449925.0.2450814.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0.les%3bcpsugrpq1..0.0...1.1.iimlxlk1u2c http://priuschat.com/threads/gear-shifter-sticks.38199/page-2 http://priuschat.com/threads/how-to-replace-2g-gearshift-lever.65102/ i am believe that toyota should be asked to recall these cars to replace this dust plate (or the shifter module.) unfortunately the gear shift module included with the car does not have a lifetime consistent with the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty on the traction battery. it is dangerous to have owners make this repair themselves. this could be avoided if toyota were required to do it instead. *tr | |||
| 09/08/2012 | 69135 | ||
| The dash gear selector (common to 2004 - 2009 g2 prius) began clicking when i changed gears (r-d-n) i researched the subject and learned that this can lead to the shifter locking in d or r, a hazardous condition. i also learned that some diy owners have discovered a warped dust plate in the shifter component. it causes this problem. their solution is to remove the plate, trim it, and reassemble the part. link 1 below is a google search that reveals the other two links i included. not all of the hits are relevant. the third link has a video with clear images of the problem and the diy 'solution.' https://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&complete=0&site=webhp&q=prius+%22gear+shift%22+click+sticking&oq=prius+%22gear+shift%22+click+sticking&gs_l=serp.3...2446378.2449925.0.2450814.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0.les%3bcpsugrpq1..0.0...1.1.iimlxlk1u2c http://priuschat.com/threads/gear-shifter-sticks.38199/page-2 http://priuschat.com/threads/how-to-replace-2g-gearshift-lever.65102/ i am believe that toyota should be asked to recall these cars to replace this dust plate (or the shifter module.) unfortunately the gear shift module included with the car does not have a lifetime consistent with the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty on the traction battery. it is dangerous to have owners make this repair themselves. this could be avoided if toyota were required to do it instead. | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 87691 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that the gear shifted from drive into neutral several times independently. the contact had to hold the gear for it to remain in drive. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic. the failure was located at the gear shifter. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but denied assistance with the repair. the failure and the current mileage was 87,691. | |||
| 11/01/2011 | |||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated the vehicle would shift from drive to neutral when accelerating. there was no warning prior to the failure. the vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of failure. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 80,000. the vin was not available. | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 87691 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that the gear shifted from drive into neutral several times independently. the contact had to hold the gear for it to remain in drive. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic. the failure was located at the gear shifter. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but denied assistance with the repair. the failure and the current mileage was 87,691. kmj | |||
| 11/01/2011 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated the vehicle would shift from drive to neutral when accelerating. there was no warning prior to the failure. the vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of failure. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 80,000. the vin was not available. rvk | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 87691 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that the gear shifted from drive into neutral several times independently. the contact had to hold the gear for it to remain in drive. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic. the failure was located at the gear shifter. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but denied assistance with the repair. the failure and the current mileage was 87,691. kmj | |||
| 11/01/2011 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated the vehicle will pop from drive to neutral when accelerating. the contact stated there is no warning prior to the failure. the vehicle had not been inspected. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 80,000. the vin was unknown.rl | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 87691 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated the gear shifted from drive into neutral several times by itself. the contact had to hold the gear for it to stay in drive. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic. the failure was located at the gear shifter. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and denied assistance with the repair. the failure and the current mileage was 87,691. li | |||
| 11/01/2011 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated the vehicle will pop from drive to neutral when accelerating. the contact stated there is no warning prior to the failure. the vehicle had not been inspected. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 80,000. the vin was unknown.rl | |||
| 09/01/2011 | |||
| Automatic transmission control problems. the transmission control lever became worn. sometimes the vehicle began to the roll with this defect. the internal spring that moves the transmission lever back to the previous position became worn and now it doesn't return to it's normal position when putting it in reverse or drive. the shifter lever was sticking in drive or reverse. | |||
| 04/19/2010 | 2 | 11/01/2003 | |
| 2004 toyota prius. consumer asserts that vehicle accident was caused by a computer malfunction *tgw 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. *jb | |||
| 01/24/2007 | 37294 | 1 | |
| I was entering a major highway from a parking lot when the engine suddenly accelerated at full speed. visibility was good. there was a small pothole so i did touch the accelerator. next i was in the middle of the highway & hit by a car going 65mph. i do not think i hit the accelerator rather than the brake although that was the only explanation at the time. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2008 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Tl* 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 | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Consumer complaint concerning 2004 prius transmission. *ts the consumer had problems starting in low gear on a hill. the consumer received a notice regarding the intermediate shaft, however when he arrived at the dealership, he was told there were no parts available. the dealer eventually replaced the steering shaft. *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 3 | ||
| 2004 toyota prius hesitates when trying to accelerate. instrumental panel light and slip indicator came on, then vehicle resumes full power. *kb ***nar*** *jb | |||
| 06/08/2005 | 9286 | 1 | 08/20/2004 |
| 2004 toyota prius-while driving various warning lights came on including go to a dealer immediately which i did. propulsion power almost vanished in one mile of driving. dealer fixed the problem at no charge saying they reprogram engine ecu | |||
| 02/15/2005 | 40000 | 3 | 12/10/2004 |
| I have had 3 'stalls' of my 2004 prius which i drive 150 miles a day and it has 48k miles on it. all of the engine stalls have been at low speed (under 20 mph) and have been preceeded by a red warning triangle light and the screen displaying something like 'critical problem'. on one incident i was in heavy traffic and managed to use the electric motor to get me to the side of the highway before the engine/motor stopped with no power. when i turned the power on/off several times the engine would start but there was no power. i did notice that on all three stalls my gas gauge was low (one or two bars) but i have run the car for thirty miles after the last bar started to flash so it's hard to tell if there is a connection. i did report this to the dealer but they had no information on it and the car reset each time after a period of time. | |||
| 03/19/2005 | 6982 | 1 | 01/08/2004 |
| 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. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 01/08/2011 | 52700 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. upon stopping the contact pressed the button to shift the vehicle into park and removed his foot from the brake pedal. the vehicle then rolled forward until pressure was reapplied to the brake pedal. the contact noticed there was a malfunction in which the vehicle was not actually shifted into park after he engaged the park button. the failure has recurred intermittently. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. the failure and current mileages were 52,700. sm. | |||
| 01/03/2011 | 50500 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving the shift would get stuck between drive and neutral. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and they diagnosed a faulty shift lever assembly which was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they told him they were aware of the problem. the failure mileage was 50,500 and current mileage is 50,656. pm | |||
| 01/08/2011 | 52700 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. upon stopping the contact pressed the button to shift the vehicle into park and removed his foot from the brake pedal. the vehicle then rolled forward until pressure was reapplied to the brake pedal. the contact noticed there was a malfunction in which the vehicle was not actually shifted into park after he engaged the park button. the failure has recurred intermittently. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. the failure and current mileages were 52,700. sm. | |||
| 01/03/2011 | 50500 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns 2004 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving the shift would get stuck between drive and neutral. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and they diagnosed a faulty shift lever assembly which was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they told him they were aware of the problem. the failure mileage was 50,500 and current mileage is 50,656. pm | |||
| 05/30/2010 | 50000 | ||
| My 2004 toyota prius has left me standed for 15 minute periods of time while parked on my street. all the dashboard lights come on as well as the following red warning caution - transmission p lock mechanism is abnormal. park in a flat place and apply brake. i was parked on a mild incline and i always use my parking brake. this however makes me suspicious of whether the parking brake is hardy enough to work when parked on the crown of a street parking space. i applied and re-applied my parking brake without success. i open and closed the hood without success. i open and closed my door without success. i placed all my passeger seat items on the floor without success. i held the ignition button without success. i placed my key fob into the ignition without success. and when trying to remove my key fob so i could go call a tow truck, the entire dashboard housing for the ignition key came loose and dis-articulated in my hand. i just carefully pushed the plastic housing back into the dashboard.... however, that was depressing to see. finally, after all the tinkering for 15 minutes, my car finally turned off. i was then able to turn it back on and drive away without a problem. in retrospect, this has happened on at least 4 occasions since december 24, 2009 and i just assumed that during the bout with my injured leg that i was not adequately placing enough force on the parking brake..... but should this happen so easily?? i have seen many other similar complaints online. i would like to know if this is part of the whole safety issues with cars not being able to stop while running. thanks. | |||
| 02/09/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2004 prius. the shift lever began to stick in the select gear position instead of going back to the neutral position. when this happened, the park button would not work, causing the car to move forward if the brake was released. i called toyota and complained twice. the gear select lever needs to be modified so it doesn't stick and the software changed to allow the park function to work when the car is stopped regardless of the position of the gear select lever. *tr | |||
| 05/20/2009 | 42000 | 2 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2004 toyota prius automatic transmission control problems. consumer states that transmission control lever became worn. sometimes the vehicle began to the roll with this defect. *kb the consumer stated the internal spring that moves the transmission lever back to the previous position became worn and now it doesn't return to it's normal position when putting it in reverse or drive. the shifter lever was sticking in drive or reverse. *jb | |||
| 10/18/2007 | 2 | ||
| 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.! | |||
| 09/05/2006 | 77500 | 1 | 10/15/2003 |
| When shifting from park to drive, car sometimes goes into reverse instead. dealer confirmed problem and offered to replace shifting mechanism for $50 deductible on extended warranty. will try to obtain old part. *nm | |||
| 08/07/2005 | 13961 | 2 | 07/22/2004 |
| 3 months ago, all of the check engine lights in my toyota prius 04 came on. i brought it straight to the dealer. they took it for a test drive, but the lights had gone off and they refused to check it, saying it was okay. then, yesterday, all of the lights came on again. i was on the san francisco bay bridge and could not pull over anywhere. then, the accelerator stopped working and the car rolled to a stop. i called 911 and tried to turn off the car. the car would not turn off. the accelerator still wouldn't work and i was stuck in the middle of heavy traffic on the bridge. finally, caltrans used a tow truck to push me off of the bridge. i was then towed to the toyota dealer. the toyota dealer checked the car and discovered that i had a bug in the software control unit. he updated the software and, supposedly, it now works. i asked him if it was the same issue that was reported in the news as a potential recall and he said yes. *jb | |||
| 08/02/2004 | 18800 | 1 | 01/19/2004 |
| 2004 toyota prius internal combustion engine failed to start but vehicle operated in electric mode. when battery failed, the vehicle shutdown in park so we were unable to push the vehicle out of the street. failure of a component should not make it impossible to move the vehicle. vehicle should not fail in park. *jb | |||
| 07/14/2004 | 100 | 02/15/2004 | |
| Dt: the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. the car goes into a mode where it will not let the consumer shift into gear and because it is electric shift, the consumer does not know that he was unable to shift into gear. if he is on a hill this condition would make the vehicle coast down hill. when the consumer gets into the car, presses the brake and presses the power button the car goes into the ignition on mode instead of the ready mode. if he is looking at the dash he can tell this has happened but if he does not look at the dash he would not know that he was unable to shift the car into gear. if the car is on a slope it will go down the slope as soon as he lets off the brake and stepping on the gas does not make a difference. obviously if there is anything in front or behind the car and there was something in the cars path down the hill he would run into it. also, two visits to the dealer unable to duplicate or fix the problem because it is intermittent. *nm *jb | |||
| 09/30/2004 | 20 | 09/27/2004 | |
| Dt: the consumer owns a 2004 toyota prius. he says that he is having problems with the vehicle because it will shut off while in traffic. also the park mechanism will disengaged and the lock button does not unlock the doors as specified in the owners manual. also the start button does not consistently start the vehicle properly. *jb the vehicle experienced: inoperative brake light, the fuel door spring was replaced, dome light remained on, engine would disengage, lights would remain lit after the vehicle was started, vehicle would not move until the vehicle was shut off and restarted to get the brake light to go out, rattling as if it were going to stall, the alarm sounded on one occasion when the door was opened, fuel door spring malfunctioned and fuel door would not open. the technicians were unable to verify the door lock malfunction. the consumer would like the vehicle replaced with a 2005 model equipped as detailed on the original invoice including aftermarket items paid for. *sc | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 04/20/2007 | 78800 | 3 | 03/20/2005 |
| 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.*ak | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 8000 | 1 | 08/31/2004 |
| 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. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 08/13/2006 | 80845 | 1 | 10/17/2003 |
| The prius uses a lever and gate to shift the transmission into gear. on my prius, the lever stuck in the gate position and did not return to the neutral position. i pushed the park button and began to exit the car. it rolled forward in gear and i had to jump back in and jam on the brake to avoid injuring someone. this defect is extremely serious. if the selector lever does not return to the neutral position after a gear is selected, the park function is disabled and the vehicle will move forward. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 02/03/2010 | 150000 | 1 | |
| When the car is cold, the gear shifter won't stay in forward or reverse without being held down manually. it goes into neutral. *tr | |||