Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||||
| 00207 | 04/26/2007 | 10022143 | Techstream ecu flash reprogramming procedure. *kb | 07/06/2007 | |
| 016 | 10/17/2003 | 01603 | 10010089 | 2004 my prius pre-delivery service. *jb | 11/04/2004 |
| 00204 | 04/05/2004 | 10007124 | Emergency response guide location. *tt | 05/26/2004 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | ||||||
| PE05029 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 05/31/2005 | 10/12/2005 | ENGINE STALLING | ||
| Odi opened pe05-029 based on 33 reports of alleged gasoline engine stalling on the subject vehicles.the subject vehicles are gasoline/ electric hybrid vehicles that can be operated in gasoline or electric modes, or a combination of both depending on the power demand.all reports allege that the gasoline engine shut down suddenly without warning.some of the complainants reported that the vehicle continued to operate using the electric mode for a period of time after the gas engine stalled and some reported that the vehicle shut down at the same time that they felt the gas engine stalled.some consumers reported that they were able to restart the vehicle either immediately or after allowing the vehicle sit for a short time, whereas others reported that they had their vehicle towed.during pe05-029, additional failure data was identified as noted in the failure report summary above.the complaint data represents incidents where engine stalling was alleged or where the vehicle was alleged to have one of the various conditions that causes the gas engine to stall.in its august 26, 2005 response to odi's information request, toyota identified various conditions that could cause the subject vehicles to experience a gas engine stall.if this happens, the driver is alerted by an audible sound and various warning lights.the vehicle will continue to operate in the electric mode and the electrically-powered brake and steering operation will continue to function normally. analysis of the warranty data indicated that over 97% of vehicles experiencing a gas engine stall resulted from an issue with the program logic in the electronic control module (ecm) system, which may cause the ecm system to not start the gas engine when required.as a result, the vehicle will enter the limited operation mode described above.the majority of the odi complaints also indicated that the driver experienced this condition in conjunction with the engine stall. during october 2005, toyota informed odi that it would initiate a special service campaign (ssc) to reprogram the ecm software on approximately 75,000 my 2004 and early 2005 subject vehicles to address the gas engine stalling condition.during this ssc, dealers will also apply special dielectric grease to a transaxle connector to prevent water intrusion which may also cause similar limited operation conditions.based on odi's analysis, this remedy should address most of the incidents resulting in a limited operation mode.given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 11/19/2012 | 117322 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 10/21/2012 | 130000 | ||
| 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/ | |||
| 01/01/2012 | 118000 | ||
| Headlights go out randomly and only come back on by turning light switch off than on. replaced bulb and problem continues. | |||
| 11/24/2011 | 41520 | ||
| The multi function display registered the error code: check connection of air conditioner. a diagnostic test at pappas toyota on 12/2/11 showed a defective mfd. a new replacement would cost $4300. a refurbished one was to be located but a call was not received as to this having happened. toyota was aware of this possibility at least by 1/10/2005 when a service bulletin was issued. since the defect in the part was known to toyota and involves a safety issue a request for warranty replacement was made. this request was denied. on 12/23/11, after having been told a week would be needed to find the part, i e-mailed pappas and asked that one be located. i made an appt. at that time to have it installed on 1/3/12. i had not received any information by 1/2/12 so i called again and learned the part was to be ordered on 1/2/12 as toyota was closed for the holiday period. the mfd activates the front and rear defrosters. this is critical as the inability to do so is a safety issue in missouri with snow and ice being a possibility. on 1/4/12 a message was received from the dealership, the essence of which was: those displays are on back order status at this time; the mfd holds the memory for the mileage odometer so when it is ordered the vehicle can not be driven so that the actual odometer mileage remains the same; and until i hear from you i have placed your order on hold; there are currently two orders ahead of yours and they will be filled first; they are not able to give us a timetable when they will be released; and once they are available it will take approximately 7-10 business days to receive. toyota is not making the necessary part available; expecting the consumer to be deprived of use of the prius for an undetermined period of time; and of bearing the cost of the defective part. | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 170000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 10/05/2011 | 86360 | ||
| While driving slowly in traffic, after a particularly rough transmission shift, the large red exclamation mark warning inside a triangle lit up on the dashboard, along with the yellow check engine and vsc (vehicle stability control) warnings. the car was pulled over to a safe location and stopped. the engine was turned off and on a few times and the warnings continued. on the fourth or fifth turn-on, the problem cleared itself and has not recurred. this is the second electronic glitch that has occurred on this vehicle while driving. the first was reported as odi id number 10407518. both times, the problems, which had different symptoms, corrected themselves after turning the engine off and on a few times. since the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem in the first case, the dealer has not yet been informed in this case. it has been exceedingly fortunate that both of these electronic glitches, neither of which were related to floormats by the way, were not of the sudden-unwanted-acceleration variety. the randomness of both the timing and the symptoms of these electronic glitches suggest that sudden unwanted acceleration could easily have been the result. | |||
| 10/20/2011 | 76250 | ||
| The dashboard computer in my 2004 prius malfunctions. the energy monitor does not show any of the arrows or current gas mileage. i can't access any of the menus: climate, audio, etc. this means that i can not turn on the defrost heat in the morning when the windshield is frozen. sometimes the telepohone menu is inaccessible. the stereo skips and turns itself off. within a few mintues of turning on the car, the computer will right itself and start working. but sometimes the computer will spontaneously malfunction in the middle of driving the car. there is no way to tell what causes the malfunctions and there's no way to know when it will happen. | |||
| 10/05/2011 | 86360 | ||
| While driving slowly in traffic, after a particularly rough transmission shift, the large red exclamation mark warning inside a triangle lit up on the dashboard, along with the yellow check engine and vsc (vehicle stability control) warnings. the car was pulled over to a safe location and stopped. the engine was turned off and on a few times and the warnings continued. on the fourth or fifth turn-on, the problem cleared itself and has not recurred. this is the second electronic glitch that has occurred on this vehicle while driving. the first was reported as odi id number 10407518. both times, the problems, which had different symptoms, corrected themselves after turning the engine off and on a few times. since the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem in the first case, the dealer has not yet been informed in this case. it has been exceedingly fortunate that both of these electronic glitches, neither of which were related to floormats by the way, were not of the sudden-unwanted-acceleration variety. the randomness of both the timing and the symptoms of these electronic glitches suggest that sudden unwanted acceleration could easily have been the result. | |||
| 10/20/2011 | 76250 | ||
| The dashboard computer in my 2004 prius malfunctions. the energy monitor does not show any of the arrows or current gas mileage. i can't access any of the menus: climate, audio, etc. this means that i can not turn on the defrost heat in the morning when the windshield is frozen. sometimes the telepohone menu is inaccessible. the stereo skips and turns itself off. within a few mintues of turning on the car, the computer will right itself and start working. but sometimes the computer will spontaneously malfunction in the middle of driving the car. there is no way to tell what causes the malfunctions and there's no way to know when it will happen. | |||
| 10/05/2011 | 86360 | ||
| While driving slowly in traffic, after a particularly rough transmission shift, the large red exclamation mark warning inside a triangle lit up on the dashboard, along with the yellow check engine and vsc (vehicle stability control) warnings. the car was pulled over to a safe location and stopped. the engine was turned off and on a few times and the warnings continued. on the fourth or fifth turn-on, the problem cleared itself and has not recurred. this is the second electronic glitch that has occurred on this vehicle while driving. the first was reported as odi id number 10407518. both times, the problems, which had different symptoms, corrected themselves after turning the engine off and on a few times. since the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem in the first case, the dealer has not yet been informed in this case. it has been exceedingly fortunate that both of these electronic glitches, neither of which were related to floormats by the way, were not of the sudden-unwanted-acceleration variety. the randomness of both the timing and the symptoms of these electronic glitches suggest that sudden unwanted acceleration could easily have been the result. | |||
| 10/20/2011 | 76250 | ||
| The dashboard computer in my 2004 prius malfunctions. the energy monitor does not show any of the arrows or current gas mileage. i can't access any of the menus: climate, audio, etc. this means that i can not turn on the defrost heat in the morning when the windshield is frozen. sometimes the telepohone menu is inaccessible. the stereo skips and turns itself off. within a few mintues of turning on the car, the computer will right itself and start working. but sometimes the computer will spontaneously malfunction in the middle of driving the car. there is no way to tell what causes the malfunctions and there's no way to know when it will happen. | |||
| 08/18/2011 | 180000 | ||
| Toyota prius 2004 generation 2, speedometer intermittent display problems. the dashboard lights go off and on very frequently for no reason. no display of speed and fuel gauge and also the odometer. | |||
| 05/29/2011 | 84380 | ||
| While drivimg under cruise control at approximately 70 mph, a continuous loud beep occurred, accompanied with the following warnings on the dashboard: red brake warning and yellow ((!)), abs (antilock brake system), and vsc (vehicle stability control) warnings. attempting to pull over and stop, the brakes had no power assistance but, fortunately, could be operated under heavy foot pressure. after pulling over and stopping and restarting the engine, all the warnings and the beep were still there while the car was driven to a safer location at a gas station. braking was still entirely under foot pressure only. as this was in canada, driver turned off the engine while trying to decide the next course of action. after a few minutes, the engine was again started in order to move the car slightly in the parking lot (to get away from a puddle) and all systems, including brake power assistance, were now operating normally with all the warnings off. the problem has not recurred. the car was taken to the dealer about two weeks later and the diagnostic report states, could not duplicate customer's complaint. thus, no repair was done nor further action was taken by the dealer. | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 123000 | ||
| I was driving on the freeway at about 63 miles per hour, i had been driving for about 20 minutes when my engine cut out, all the lights on my dash turned on including the check engine and red triangle warning light. i drifted to the shoulder and powered the car off. i tried to start it 2 more times, both times the engine did not start and the red triangle and the check engine lights came on again. i waited longer and tried to power up the engine again, it started with the check engine light on. i took it to the dealership 3 days later (they could not see me sooner), ran the codes and it only came up with the code poaof, which means that the engine did not start. they had no explanation of what happened and did not seem to share my concern that this could happen again. the did recall work for me and sent me home. | |||
| 11/01/2010 | 1 | ||
| 2004 toyota prius. consumer writes regarding recall accelerator pedal interference *tgw the consumer stated he has received two recall letters. he stated he is pleased with his vehicle and is skeptical about letting the dealer work on his vehicle. *jb | |||