2004 Toyota Prius Complaint Log

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"

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS, STALLED WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE SHOP FOR THIS PROBLEM.

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS DEVELOPED PROBLEMS WITH STALLING.***NO ANSWER REQUIRED***. *MR THE FIRST TIME THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE, THE DEALER DETERMINED THE BATTERY WAS NOT HOLDING A CHARGE. THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED 2 OTHER INCIDENTS WITH THE VEHICLE. *JB

VEHICLE'S GAS ENGINE QUIT AFTER LEAVING A STORE'S PARKING LOT. WARNING LIGHTS INDICATED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER IMMEDIATELY. DEALER INDICATED IT WAS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM, AND UPLOADED A FIX. 2 HOURS OF WORK TIME WAS LOST.

DT: 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.*AK

TOYOTA PRIUS GAS ENGINE STALLED AFTER TOYOTA SERVICE PATCH WAS DOWNLOADED TO CORRECT PROBLEM. BOUGHT CAR MARCH 1, 2004. CAR STALLED MAY 13 AND JUNE 1- SEE REPORT FILED UNDER MAY 13 DATE. JULY 31, 2004 TOYOTA DOWNLOADED PATCH TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS FINE. CAR WAS OK FOR ALMOST A YEAR. THEN, JUST 2 WEEKS AGO ON JUNE 2, 2005 I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY (LUCKILY IN A LOT OF SLOW TRAFFIC SO ONLY GOING ABOUT 40 MPH) AND THE GAS ENGINE DIED AGAIN SO THE CAR DROPPED TO 20MPH ON THE ELECTRIC ENGINE. ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. THIS TIME I STOPPED AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE ENGINE (GAS AND ELECTRIC) CAME BACK ON. THIS IS WHAT THE DEALER HAD SAID THAT THE OTHER CUSTOMERS HAVING THE PROBLEM HAD FOUND- IF YOU STOP AND TURN IT BACK ON AFTER A STALL EVERYTHING WORKS. SO SINCE MY KIDS WERE NOT IN THE CAR I DID THIS AND DROVE IT TO A PARKING LOT. THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE STILL ON AND NOW I AM REALLY SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR. IN ALL THREE SITUATIONS I FEEL LIKE I WAS JUST LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT GOING FASTER AND ESPECIALLY INTHE SECOND CASE THAT THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS AWARE ENOUGH TO AVOID MY SUDDENLY POWERLESS CAR. I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO REPORT THIS BECAUSE WE THOUGHT TOYOTA'S SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD PUT IN IN JULY 2004 WORKED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BUT IT CLEARLY IS STILL HAPPENING. I WILL NOT DRIVE THE CAR NOW WITH MY CHILDREN IN IT AND AM CONSIDERING GETTING RID OF IT. IF IT WERE ANY OTHER CAR IT WOULD BE GONE BY NOW, BUT WE ARE BIG BELIEVERS IN THE HYBRID TECHNOLOGY AND REALLY WAITED TO REPORT THIS TO GIVE TOYOTA A CHANCE TO FIX IT. I THINK THIS IS HAPPENING A LOT MORE THAN IS BEING REPORTED BECAUSE A LOT OF THE CUSTOMERS FEEL AS WE DO THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO REPORT ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE HYBRID. HOWEVER, THIS IS TOO SCARY NOW AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. WITH A THIRD BABY ON THE WAY WE WERE SIGNED UP FOR THE HYBRID HIGHLANDER BUT UNFORTUNATELY WILL WAIT UNTIL WE KNOW THIS PROBLEM IS SOLVED.

I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 101 NORTH IN A STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. I NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY LEVEL CONTINUED TO DROP AND THE GAS ENGINE FAILED TO START TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY. I MANAGE TO SLIDE OUT OF THE FREEWAY AND STOPPED ON THE SHOULDER. I COULD NOT SHUT OFF THE CAR FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AFTER 5 MINUTES AND THE GAS ENGINE STARTED. THE DISPLAY SHOWED SYMBOLS OF "CHECK ENGINE" AND "HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING" AND A TEXT MESSAGE - "PROBLEM!". I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO THE DESTINATION VIA A LOCAL ROUTE.

HEADLIGHTS UNEXPECTEDLY AIM DOWNWARD IN MY 2004 PRIUS EQUIPPED WITH THE HIGH INTENSITY ARC HEADLIGHTS. THIS CAUSES A SERIOUS, DANGEROUS, NIGHTTIME DRIVING CONDITION. *JB

I PULLED OUT OF A PARKING SPACE INTO TRAFFIC AND THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STALLED. I COULDN'T TURN IT OFF, AND I COULDN'T GET IT INTO DRIVE. PARK AND NEUTRAL WERE THE ONLY OPTIONS. TRAFFIC WAS COMING AT ME FROM BOTH DIRECTIONS AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO, BUT PUT ON THE 4 WAY FLASHERS.USING MY CELL PHONE I CALLED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY ADVISED ME TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED. I CALLED THE TOW COMPANY.

SUMMARY: INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE DIED WHILE DRIVING. LOTS OF INDICATOR LIGHTS ON DASH, AND MESSAGE APPEARED ON MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY. WAS ABLE TO GET TO A SAFE LOCATION ON BATTERY-ONLY POWER. DETAILS: DRIVING HOME FROM TOWN (ABOUT 10 MILES). CAR WAS BEHAVING NORMALLY, AND HAD BEEN DRIVEN APPROX 30 MILES EARLIER TODAY WITH NO ISSUES. JUST BEFORE WE GOT HOME, THE FOLLOWING LIGHTS CAME ON (I RECORDED THEM EXACTLY): (1) RED TRIANGLE (MASTER WARNING LIGHT), (2) ENGINE CHECK (AMBER), (3) BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING (AMBER EXCLAMATION POINT IN PARENTHESES), (4) VSC, (5) HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT (THIS WAS ALSO INDICATED ON THE LCD SCREEN). LCD HAD A MESSAGE ON IT WHICH I DID NOT RECORD EXACTLY (IT WAS SOMETHING GENERIC LIKE "THERE IS A PROBLEM"). THE INFO SCREEN WAS INDICATING THAT WE WERE RUNNING ON BATTERY ONLY, AND THE CAR HAD VERY LITTLE "PICKUP", BUT WE WERE ON OUR HOME STREET, WHICH IS QUITE STEEP. THE CAR HAS ABOUT 11000 MILES, AND DID SOMETHING SIMILAR WHEN WE FIRST GOT IT. AFTER TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES, THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE SEEMS TO WORK AGAIN, AND MOST OF THE INDICATORS HAVE NOW GONE OFF. (AMBER "ENGINE CHECK" IS STILL ON). AFTER ALL THIS HAPPENED, I GOT ONTO THE INTERNET TO SEE IF OTHERS HAD SEEN SIMILAR PROBLEMS, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE MAY BE A CLASS PROBLEM (I NOTE THERE HAVE BEEN A LARGE NUMBER OF THESE IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS - COULD IT BE TEMPERATURE-RELATED?) CAR WAS NOT OUT OF GAS (JUST REFILLED YESTERDAY) - GAS GUAGE SHOWING NEARLY FULL. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED AUGUST 2004 (AFTER THE TSBS CAME OUT THAT IMPLICATED COMPUTER PROBLEMS), SO I'M SUSPECTING THIS MAY BE A DIFFERENT ISSUE THAN WAS DEALT WITH THERE. [XXX]. WILL NOTIFY TOYOTA TOMORROW AND REQUEST INSTRUCTIONS AS TO HOW TO PROCEED. *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DRIVING MY 2004 PRIUS ABOUT 25MPH ON MY WAY HOME, ALL OF A SUDDEN WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD LIT UP. THE YELLOW BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING, THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR, THE MASTER WARNING AND THE VSC WARNING LIGHTS WERE ALL ON. THE DISPLAY HAD A MESSAGE THAT INDICATED A HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING. THE NEXT DAY, UPON STATING THE CAR, THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND THE VSC WARNING LIGHTS HAD GONE OFF. ALL OTHER LIGHTS WERE STILL ON. DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL I COULD CONTACT DEALER (IT WAS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND). AFTER CONTACTING SERVICE DEPT, THEY SAID TO DRIVE IT INTO THE DEALER. WHILE DRIVING, THE BATTERY LEVEL WAS IN THE "MAGENTA" RANGE , ABOUT THREE BARS, MUCH LOWER THAN NORMAL. IT ROSE TO THE NORMAL RANGE PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE DEALER. THE REPAIR ORDER STATES "FOUND ECU CALIBRATION OFF" AND "REPROGARM ECU TO NEW CALIBRATIONID 34705100". THE LIGHTS ARE NOW OFF AND THE CAR SEEMS BACK TO NORMAL. THE SERVICE PERSON WAS UNABLE TO REASSURE ME THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, ONLY THAT IT WAS EASILY FIXED AND TOYOTA WOULD COVER IT. MY CAR HAD ALREADY HAD THE ECU REPROGRAMMED IN 08/04, AS PER RECALL 40D.

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.

MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS LOST POWE, EVENTUALLY RUNNING ON BATTERY ALONE UNTIL POWER WAS COMPLETELY LOST. CONTACTED MY DEALER TRISTATE TOYOTA IN DUDLEY. BY CONTACTING TOYOTA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, I WAS TOWED TO DEALER. SERVICE MGR. IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE REPROGRAMMING OF MY COMPUTER AS COVERED IN TSB ISSUED AROUND 10/04. CAR SEEMS TO BE BACK TO NORMAL, BUT THIS WAS VERY DISCONCERTING. REVIEWED THE SITUATION WITH SERVICE MGR. ON 5/31, POINTING OUT THAT THIS WAS A SERIOUS CONDITION WHICH SHOULD CALL FOR A RECALL AO ALL 2004 & EARLY 2005 MODELS. THANK GOD I WAS CLOSE TO MY DEALER RATHER THAN OUT IN THE BOONDOCKS SOMEWHERE. I HAVE AN UNEASINESS ABOUT THIS FIX. CAN TOYOTA ASSURE ME THAT IT WILL NOT REOCCUR. REMEMBER THIS TSB WAS ISSUED IN 10/2004 BUT I WAS NEVER WARNED TO RETURN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR CORRECTIVE STEPS TO BE TAKEN. ADDITIONAL COMPLAINT - FUEL GUAGE INACCURATE. WHEN WARNING BLINKER COMES ON I CAN ONLY ADD AT MOST 7.5 GALLONS, IN THE CAR WHOSE TANK CAPACITY IS 11.9 GALS. THEY TRIED A FIX ON THIS - BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY INNEFFECTIVE. OTHER THAN THESE TWO ITEMS I AM ELATED WITH THE CAR. I JUST HOPE THEY WILL DO THE RIGHT THING HERE.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, BUT I JUST LEARNED THIS IS THE VENUE TO STATE MY COMPLAINTS(I HAVE ANOTHER COMPLAINT ON THIS BOARD. I BOUGHT THIS CAR TO SAVE GAS,MONEY AND THE ENVIRONMENT,BUT NOW THIS CAR IS DOING NONE OF THESE FOR ME IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. WHILE I'M STUCK IN TRAFFIC IN DC(I395N), THE BATTERY TAKES OVER. THE PROBLEM IS THE GAS DOESN'T KICK IN WHEN THE BATTERY IS LOW. I FIND THE BATTERY DOESN'T STAY CHARGED FOR OVER 28MINUTES WHILE MOVING IN TRAFFIC ABOUT 3 FEET EVERY 5 OR 10 MINUTES. I HAVE FIGURED OUT IN ORDER TO NOT GET STALLED (WHICH HAS HAPPENED TO ME, 2 TIMES ALREADY,BESIDES TODAY.) I HAVE TO HOLD THE BRAKE PEDAL DOWN WITH ONE FOOT AND REV THE GAS PEDAL WITH THE RIGHT FOOT IN ORDER TO CHARGE THE BATTERY AND NOT GET SLAMMED INTO FROM A VEHICLE BEHIND ME! MY WIFE REFUSES TO DRIVE THE CAR NOW FOR FEAR THAT SHE'LL STALL. I'M FILLING MY TANK MORE OFTEN NOW THAN WHEN I FIRST GOT THIS VEHICLE. DUE TO THE REVING OF THE VEHICLE WHICH WASTES MY GAS(SORTA DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF BUYING A HYBRID FOR THE MOST PART!), ALSO THIS CAN'T BE GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT EITHER! OH AND LETS NOT FORGET THE SAFETY FACTOR. I HAVE PEOPLE YELLING AT ME AND SAYING THEY WANT TO BUST MY A**! AND EVEN AN ELDERLY WOMAN WITH HANDICAP PLATES GAVE ME THE FINGER RIGHT AFTER SHE ALMOST SLAMMED INTO MY STALLED CAR. I'M EMBARRASSED AND SCARED TO DRIVE OVER 65 BECAUSE THE WAY THE CAR DIED ON ME 2 TIMES BEFORE.

CAR WAS DRIVING NORMAL AT 45 MPH....ENGINE QUIT. WOULD NOT RESTART. CAR WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALER.

WHILE DRIVING AT 25MPH, 4 TROUBLE LIGHTS LIT UP ON DASHBOARD. AFTER 1-2 MORE MILES, THE ENGINE LOST ALL POWER, DESPITE THE GAS ENGINE STILL RUNNING. THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM SHOWED NO BATTERY POWER. RESTARTING THE ENGINE DIDN'T HELP, AND THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED.

DT: 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. *AK *TT *NM

(1) ENGINE STALLED WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOPLIGHT. WEATHER WAS COOL (LOW-50S) AND RAINY. DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP ('RED TRIANGLE OF DEATH', CHECK ENGINE, BRAKING SYSTEM) (2) DRIVER PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD USING ELECTRIC POWER ONLY (3) DRIVER CALLED HUSBAND, WHO ADVISED WIFE TO CYCLE THE POWER OFF AND ON, POSSIBLY MULTIPLE TIMES, UNTIL THE ENGINE RESTARTED. CYCLING POWER SUCCESSFULLY RESTARTED ENGINE, BUT 'RED TRIANGLE OF DEATH' AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED LIT. CAR OPERATED NORMALLY THEREAFTER. DEALER APPLIED TSB EG047-04 AT NO CHARGE. PROBLEM HAS NOT RETURNED. SUSPECT THIS IS ANOTHER INSTANCE OF 'PRIUS STALLING' PROBLEM. GIVEN THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS (1), THE DEALER RESPONSE (SATISFACTORY) AND THE RECOVERABILITY FROM THE PROBLEM (POWER CYCLE), I CONSIDER THIS A MINOR PROBLEM. OTHERWISE HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH CAR.

DRIVING MY 04 PRIUS AT NORMAL SPEED - ALL OF A SUDDEN LOST ALL POWER. MADE IT TO DEALER FEW BLOCKS AWAY AFTER SITTING AWHILE. DEALER TOOK 48 HOURS - SAID WRONG PROGRAM WAS IN COMPUTER. REPROGRAMED.

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. *JB *NM

I HAD DRIVEN APPROXIMATLEY 20 MILES TO MY HOCKEY GAME AND WAS DRIVING AT 40 MPH. AN ! AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WAS THEN REDUCED TO ONLY RUNNING OFF OF BATTERY. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT DANGER AND SHUT DOWN THE CAR AND CHECKED THE OIL AND GAS TO VERIFY THAT WASN'T THE CAUSE OF THE ISSUE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES I STARTED THE CAR AND THE ! AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON, BUT THE GAS ENGINE WAS FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. I DROVE THE REMAINING 3 MILES TO MY DESTINATION AND CALLED TOYOTA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND ARRANGED FOR A TOW TRUCK. AFTER FINISHING UP MY HOCKEY GAME ( 1 HOUR) I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AND THERE WERE NOT WARNING LIGHTS OR ISSUES. I CANCELED THE TOW TRUCK AND DROVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE NEXT DAY THE DEALER UPDATED THE CODE IN THE CAR TO US TSB EG047-04. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR SINCE THEY UPDATED THE CODE WITHOUT ISSUE.

DT: 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.*AK *SB

MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS STALLED WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 40-45 MPH WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS ON 5/14/05. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND IT COASTED TO A STOP. I TURNED OFF THE POWER SWITCH AND RESTARTED IT AND THE ENGINE CAME BACK ON AND RAN FINE EXCEPT WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL ON. THE NEXT DAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS OFF AND THE ENGINE RAN FINE. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER'S SERVICE CENTER AND THEY SAID THEY DID SOMETHING WITH THE SOFTWEAR AND IT SHOULD RUN FINE NOW.

DT: WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING CAR STALLED AT 40 MPH AND HAD TO BE TOWED. CALLER COULD NOT TURN POWER OFF FROM POWER SWITCH. ONLY THING THAT WAS WORKING WAS THE PANEL LIGHTS. DEALER SAID IT WAS A CAR COMPUTER PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. CALLER SAW SEVERAL ARTICLES THAT AN INVESTIGATION WAS ON THIS CAR.*AK

MY 2004 PRIUS CUT OUT AT ABOUT 25 MPH AND WOULD NOT RESTART.

I OWN A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS, 15680 MILES. THE ENGINE STOPPED WHEN I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 60 MPH AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT ON THE ELECTRICAL MOTOR FOR ABOUT 1 MILE TO A GAS STATION BEFORE THE BATTERY RAN OUT. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY DEALER, TOYOTA OF BOWIE IN MD. THE NEXT DAY, IT STARTED RIGHT UP AND THEY SAID THAT THEY CHECKED IT AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS HAPPENED A FEW DAYS BEFORE NEWS STORIES OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THIS IS A FRIGHTENING, AND POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I'M SURPRISED AND UPSET THAT THE DEALER OR TOYOTA HAS NOT CONTACTED ME WITH A FIX SINCE THEY HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.

2004 PRIUS SLOWED, THEN STOPPED ON A HIGHWAY DUE TO A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER CORRECTED THE NEXT DAY.

WHILE DRIVING MYH TOYOTA PRIUS HAS STALLED FOR NO REASON 3 TIMES. I'VE BROUGHT IT IN ONCE AFTER THE 2ND TIME AND THEY SAID THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG.

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT APPROX 45 MPH IN MY '04 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AND BATTERY POWER RAN OUT CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL.

DT: PROBLEMS BEGAN 5-10-05. SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED ON DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER. THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND THE BATTERY WERE WORKING CORRECTLY, HOWEVER, THE GAS PORTION OF THE ENGINE WAS NOT WORKING. DEALER REPORTED ECU WAS OUT OF CALIBRATION, AND WAS REPROGRAMMED. VEHICLE IS NOW REPAIRED. DRIVER VISITED A FORUM WHERE SHE NOTICED THERE WAS A REPORT IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND SHE FELT UNSAFE DRIVING VEHICLE.*AK *SB *NM

A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS IT LOST POWER AND ALL SORTS OF WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I TOOK IT STRAIGHT TO THE DEALER. AT THAT TIME THEY TOLD ME IT LOSS IT'S COMPUTER PROGRAM AND WENT INTO THE "LIMP HOME" MODE. THEY REPROGAMED IT AND IT RAN FINE. ON 5/8/05 AFTER A SHORT DRIVE I STOPED AND WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART IT, IT WOULD NOT START. ALL I COULD GET WAS A LOT OF WARNING LIGHTS AND A WIRLING SOUND. I CALLED AAA TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. JUST AS THE TOW TRUCH ARRIVED I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN AND IT STARTED LIKE NORMAL. I DROVE IT TO THE DEAL AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO THEM. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY TROUBLE CODES OR PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. IT HAS RAN FINE SENCE THEN. BUT I NOW WORRY WHEN IT WILL ACT UP AGAIN.

DT: CONSUMER OWNS TWO 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AND BOTH HAVE SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING. CONSUMER HAS TAKEN BOTH VEHICLES TO DEALER AND HAD THEM REPROGRAMMED. *TT NORTHBROOK TOYOTA REPROGRAMMED CARS COMPUTER, CAR IS OK FOR NOW. *SB *NM

1) AFTER BREAKING GENTLY TO A STOP, THE CAR SWITCHED TO BATTERY-MODE AND REPORTED ERRORS, INCLUDING "CHECK ENGINE" 2) THE CAR WOULD NOT SWITCH BACK TO THE GASOLINE ENGINE, AND COULD ONLY BE DRIVEN AT 40MPH ON BATTERY TO THE DEALER 3) THE DEALER REPORTED THAT THE ERROR CODES SUGGESTED THE ONBOARD COMPUTER HAD TO BE RESET, AND ONCE IT WAS RESET THE CAR WENT BACK TO NORMAL OPERATION

DT: PROBLEM BEGAN 5/7/05. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED. THE INDICATOR SAID TO CONTACT DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER RESET THE COMPUTER AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED.*JB

MY WIFE'S 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS LOST POWER 100 MILES AWAY FROM HOME. SHE WAS WITH OUR 3 MONTH OLD BABY AND FORTUNATELY WAS NOT REAR ENDED OR INVOLOVED IN AN ACCIDENT.

5/6/05 MY 2004 PRIUS WITH 20,400 MILES WITHOUT WARNING LOSS ALL POWER AND SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING HAZARD LIGHT CAME ON WARNING TO TAKE TO TOYOTA DEALER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE BATTERY METER LEVEL WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO MAITA TOYOTA 2500 AUBURN BLVD, SACRAMENTO, CA 95821, 916 481-5353 FOR REPAIR. THE WORK ORDER STATED THE CAUSE WAS THE ECU WHICH WAS REPROGRAMED WHICH CLEARED STORED CODES. CODE PULLED P3191. IS THIS A NEW FINDING IN THE PRIUS?

DT:TWO WEEKS AGO, THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING HER 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AT 50 MPH AND IT DIED. LUCKILY IT WAS NOT DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND OCCURRED NEAR AN EXIT RAMP. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO AN EXIT RAMP WHERE SHE COASTED DOWNHILL INTO AN OFF STREET. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND THEY HAVE HAD IT FOR 2 WEEKS NOW AND THEY STATED THE INVERTER THAT TIES THE HYBRID TO THE GAS SYSTEM WAS THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER FEEL THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND FEELS THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY TOYOTA OF THIS PROBLEM. *JB *SB

STARTED MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AND PLACED VEHICLE INTO REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF PARKING SPACE AT DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL. CAR DIED WHILE BACKING, BLOCKING TRAFFIC, AND WOULD NOT RESTART. ORANGE LIGHT GLOWED ON THE STARTER BUTTON. THIS IS 7:45PM. CALLED ORIGINAL DEALER IN WASHINGTON PA FOR ADVICE. NO HELP. LOOKED IN OWNER'S MANUAL FOR ADVICE. NO HELP. CALLED LOCAL DEALER IN CHARLOTTESVILLE VA. NO HELP. A MALE TEACHER OPENED THE HOOD AND FUSE COVER TO ENSURE THAT ALL FUSES WERE SNUG AND SECURE. NOTHING. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES, THE CAR FINALLY RESET ITS SELF, THE STARTER BUTTON WENT GREEN AND WHEN TRIED THE CAR STARTED. TOLD THE LOCAL DEALER OF THIS INCIDENT AND THEY DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ANY TROUBLE LIKE THIS. COINSIDENTLY, MY GPS SYSTEM HAD FAILED JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. IT TOOK A MONTH TO GET IT REPLACED.

TOYOTA PRIUS OWNED BY OUR AGENCY HAS HAD THE ENGINE STALL PROBLEM 3 SEPARATE TIMES. *NM

DT: CONSUMER HAS TWO 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS AND BOTH HAD ENGINE FAILURES WHILE GOING BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH. INCIDENT ON MAY 28, 2005 AND MAY 4, 2005 APPROXIMATELY.*AK NORTHBROOK TOYOTA REPROGRAMMED VEHICLE'S COMPUTER. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE NOW PERFORMS OK. *TT *NM

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS (14250 MILES) ON A FREEWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON (RED EXCLAMATION MARK IN A TRIANGLE , ENGINE FAILURE WITH EXCLAMATION MARK, ANOTHER EXCLAMATION MARK IN A CIRLCE AND SOME OTHER SCARY SIGNS). I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER ON THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY, AND STOPPED THE CAR.I CHECKED THE OWNER'S MANUAL TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF THOSE SIGNS AND IT SAID "DO NOT DRIVE AND CONTACT YOUR TOYOTA DEALER IMMEDIATELY", SO I DID. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THE DEALER HAD IT FOR A DAY.THE DEALER HAD IT CHECKED AND TOLD ME THAT THE SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE UPGRADED.HE TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THE UPGRADE WAS ALREADY OUT. I THINK IT IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. NOW I WAS SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRIUS SOFTWARE PROBLEM, I FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY INCIDENTS OF THIS TYPE WHERE ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SOFTWARE CRASHES.

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 - 35 MPH, THE ENGINE OF MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS CUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE "WARNING LAMP" TURNED ON AT THE TIME THE ENGINE QUIT, NOT BEFORE. I COASTED TO A STOP IN A NEARBY PARKING LOT. WHEN I COULD NOT RESTART THE CAR, I CALLED AAA FOR TOWING. AFTER WAITING 30 MINUTES, I TRIED TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN, AND IT STARTED WITH NO PROBLEM. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON, AND I HAD NO FURTHER PROBLEM. I HAD A SECOND INCIDENT IDENTICAL TO THE FIRST, EXCEPT THIS TMIE I TRIED TO RESTART THE MOTOR AFTER WAITING ONLY 4 -5 MINUTES.

STARTING AROUND MAY,2005, WHEN VEHICLE WAS STARTED WITH THE BATTERY INDICATOR NOT QUITE AT FULL CAPACITY, LETS SAY SEVEN 'BARS', JUST PUTTING THE CAR IN REVERSE WOULD BEGIN THE GRADUAL DECLINE OF CHARGE. IF DRIVING UP A FRWY RAMP, THE INDICATOR WOULD SHOW THE CHARGE HAD DROPPED INTO THE 'RED' ZONE. AT THIS TIME THE ENGINE WOULD SOUND LIKE THE RPMS WERE ABOUT 4,000, A REAL REVVING SOUND. SLOWLY ,WITH A STEADY LEVEL DRIVE THE BATTERY WOULD RECHARGE AND LOOK AS IF IT WERE NORMAL. THERE WAS NO STALLING OF ENGINE BUT I RARELY DRIVE AS SLOW AS 65 MPH! THE WHOLE PROCESS, HAPPENING AT LEAST ONCE A DAY WAS VERY NERVE WRACKING...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOHAVE DESERT WITH MANY 18-WHEELERS SURROUNDING THE CAR. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I IMMEDIATELY CALLED TOYOTA OF TEMECULA VALLEY. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT GOOD AND TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR DIAGNOSIS. WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN, A 'TECHNICIAN' LOOKED AT THE INDICATOR AND SAID IT WAS OK AND NOT WORRY ABOUT IT. I HAD A DIFFICULT TIME BELIEVING THAT AND MADE AN APPT. WITH TOYOTA OF EL CAJON. WHEN THEIR TECHNICIAN USED A DIAGNOSTIC SCANTOOL HE ALSO SAID HE COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. I DID NOT BELIEVE HIM OR THE SERVICE $80/HR. GUY AND SAID THERE WAS EITHER SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEIR DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS AND/OR SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEM TO THINK I WOULD GO ALONG WITH THEIR STORY. I HAD NO IDEA HOW RIGHT I WAS UNTIL I READ ABOUT THE DEFECT INVESTIGATION ON YOUR WEBSITE. MY PRIUS HAS NOT STALLED (YET) BUT IT HAS ALL THE PROBLEMS LEADING UP TO IT. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS, ON THE WORK RECEIPT THEY GAVE ME, TO HAVE RECALCULATED THE HV ECU WITH THE 40D CODE AND THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WORSE. I WILL HAVE TO GO BACK AGAIN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND FIGHT FOR MY RIGHT TO A SPEEDY REPAIR. *JB

DT: TOYOTA PRIUS, VEHICLE STALLED AT 35 MPH WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. PULLED OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD BECAUSE CALLER WAS LOSING POWER FROM BATTERY, AND COULD NOT DRIVE IT. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER, AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. PROBLEM DID NOT COME UP ON CAR COMPUTER WHEN DIAGNOSTIC WAS DONE. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. CALLER READ ARTICLE IN NEWSPAPER ABOUT PRIUS. *AK *NM

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. HE STATES THAT VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS.THE INCIDENT JUST HAPPENED ONE TIME. THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE VEHICLE, NOT SURE IF IT FIXED IT OR NOT.*AK CAR LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT RE-START. IT WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT. ENGINE CONTROL UNIT WAS REPROGRAMMED AND CAR HAS SINCE RAN PROPERLY FOR 600 MILES.*SB *NM

CONSUMER STATED WHILE TRAVELING 40 MPH ALL OF A SUDDEN , THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD AND THEN EVERYTHING SHUT OFF. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS A COMPUTER GLITCH REGARDING THE RELEASE OF GAS TO THE ENGINE. JUST BEFORE A LOSS OF POWER THE DVD NAVIGATION SYSTEM WENT COMPLETELY OUT ABOUT 2 MILES BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE. *JB THE DVD NAVIGATION SYSTEM FAILED AS WELL. *SC

WITHOUT WARNING, THE WARNING LIGHT AND ALARM COME ON. THE GAS ENGINE DIES AND DOES NOT ENGAGE AT ALL. THE ELECTRIC MOTOR IS THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS THE CAR MOBILE. ONCE THE POWER IS TURNED OFF THEN BACK ON, BOTH THE GAS AND ELECTRIC MOTORS MOVE THE CAR AS NORMAL, BUT THE WARNING PERSISTS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT TWO DIFFERENT COMPUTER WERE THE CAUSE. THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED AT ABOUT 5,000 MILES, AND THIS LATEST HAPPENED JUST OVER 10,000.

I WAS ON THE 101 FREEWAY HEADING SOUTH WHEN MY 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS LOST POWER, ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON; I COASTED TO THE SHOULDER. IT TOOK SEVERAL TRIES OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT 15 MINUTES TO GET THE CAR SHUT OFF. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IT IN IF I COULD GET IT STARTED, WHICH I FINALLY DID.

1. I WAS DRIVING ON THE LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY. TRAFFIC BECAME CONGESTED SO THE PACE WAS STOP AND GO. I STARTED TO ACCELERATE (WAS GOING ABOUT ~35 MPH) WHEN MY 2004 PRIUS LOST POWER. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. ALL THESE LIGHTS CAME ON INDICATING THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND GET OFF THE ROAD., I CALLED THE 800 NO. FOR ROADSIDE ASSIST. BUT THE WAIT WAS OVER AN HOUR. AFTER ~20 MINUTES I STARTED THE CAR TO TRY TO BOOST THE POWER THE ELECTRIC BATTERY. I DROVE IT IN A PARKING LOT AND KEPT BRAKING. THE CAR SEEMED FINE SO I CANCELLED ROADSIDE ASSIST. I THEN DROVE IT ANOTHER 250 MILES HOME WITHOUT A PROBLEM. AFTER HEARING THE NEWS I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM I HAD WAS THE SAME. I WASN'T SURE WHAT FURTHER STEPS TO TAKE. I DID HAVE MY TOYOTA DEALER CHECK IT OUT BUT SOMEONE ELSE DROPPED THE CAR OFF FOR ME SO I'M NOT SURE THEY TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD THE ACTUAL PROBLEM. THEY DID A COMPUTER ADJUSTMENT. NO PROBLEMS SINCE THIS ONE AND ONLY INCIDENT.

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING OUR 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS IN FAST TRAFFIC WHEN THERE WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEM AND THE CAR SHUT DOWN. HER LIFE WAS IN DANGER - BUT A POLICEMAN HAPPENED TO BE PASSING BY AND DIVERTED TRAFFIC AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO MORRISTOWN TOYOTA IN MORRISTOWN NEW JERSEY WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A COMPUTER FAILURE. THE COMPUTER STAYED OVERNIGHT AT THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE "REFRESHED" THE COMPUTER AND THAT "THIS SHOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM." I AM REPORTING THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE DANGEREOUS SITUATION THAT DEVELOPED DUE TO A COMPUTER FAILURE - AD MAY FIT IN WITH OTHER REPORTS YOU ARE RECEIVING.*AK