2004 Toyota Prius Electrical Problems

The odometer on my 2004 Prius stops at 299,999. This is a known problem in the 04-05 models that was corrected in 2006. Leaves me unable to track miles for maintenance and other uses. This also has the problem with the entire digital dash going dark which means no speedometer or gas gauge. Making the vehicle almost unable to be driven safely at this point. I have reached out to Toyota and they verify that it was an issue with this year range but because I have owned it too long they don't do anything about it

NHTSA ID

11674939

Incident

Jul 18, 2025

During a hot period of summer, my drive selector decided to not stay in the drive position unless I held it there. I could make the initial selection of drive and then stop on the gas, but it would not stay unless I physically held the lever down in the drive position. I never had an issue with the reverse position; only drive. I could always get the car back into Park. This is an extremely unsafe driving condition because it happens without warning and the fix is not obvious. Once the driver is aware of the fix, it forces them into an unsafe driving condition: driving with one hand on the parking selector. Once cooler weather came, the issue went away. It didn't happen on all hot days and was intermittent. I replaced the drive selector in 2022 and have only had the issue come up one other time since replacing this part.

NHTSA ID

11493255

Incident

Sep 1, 2020

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle lost power steering functionality but the contact was able to safely pull off of the road. The contact stated that the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated before the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the instrument panel went black. The contact stated that she attempted to restart the vehicle but the vehicle would not restart. The contact had the vehicle towed to her residence and later towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed and it was determined that a wiring cable connector had melted onto the battery and affected the engine. Additionally, the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,200.

NHTSA ID

11460805

Incident

Apr 9, 2022

Mileage

83,200 mi

ALL THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTS CONTINUE TO GO OUT ON MY 04 PRIUS. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL I HAVE THIS COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE. I DON'T KNOW HOW FAST I'M GOING THIS COULD DEFINITELY BE A SAFETY ISSUE. AND ZERO WARNING LIGHTS COME ON THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. BY LOOKING ON THE INTERNET I CAN TELL THOUSANDS OF PRIUSES HAVE THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER GOING OUT. THIS SHOULD DEFINITELY BE A RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11373705

Incident

Nov 2, 2020

Mileage

160,000 mi

HEADLIGHTS OCCASIONALLY GO OUT AT RANDOM WHILE DRIVING. BEGAN WITH DRIVER SIDE, VERY INTERMITTENT, BECAME MORE FREQUENT, NOW ALSO INCLUDES PASSENGER SIDE. BOTH HAVE GONE OUT AT THE SAME TIME WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT TWICE. TURNING ALL LIGHTS OFF BRIEFLY AND BACK ON WILL RE-ILLUMINATE THE HEADLIGHTS. PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY MORE FREQUENT. NOW, ONCE LIGHT(S) GOES OUT DURING A DRIVE, IT WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO REPEATEDLY EVERY FEW MINUTES. VERY DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID

11321001

Incident

Apr 3, 2020

Mileage

250,000 mi

COMBINATION METER IS BLACK 90% OF THE TIME. RESTARTING ENGINE OR DISCONNECTING BATTERY ONLY WORKS ON OCCASION. HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS.

NHTSA ID

11289673

Incident

Dec 15, 2019

Mileage

130,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11202903

Incident

Apr 22, 2019

Mileage

115,000 mi

(COMBINATION METER PROBLEM) WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON THE FREEWAY THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL (DASH BOARD) STARTED BLINKING ON AND OFF. FOR OUR SAFETY, WE DECIDED TO SLOW DOWN AND EXIT THE FREEWAY AND STOP IN A SAFE AREA. WE TURNED THE IGNITION OFF, THEN STARTED THE CAR, WITH NOTHING APPEARING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BESIDE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. WE LOST THE SPEEDOMETER, ALL GAUGES AND ALL THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS WHICH NORMALLY HELPS TO GUIDE OUR DRIVING.WE HAD TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER THE FOLLOWING MORNING WHICH TOOK SEVEN DAYS TO REPLACE THE COMBO METER. I LATER FOUND OUT THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOT KNEW AND THERE WAS A LETTER ISSUED BY TOYOTA TITLED (2004 TO CERTAIN 2009 MODEL YEAR PRIUS VEHICLES COMBINATION METER WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT NOTICE). THE LETTER STATED THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF THESE PRIUS YEAR MODELS AND THAT IF THE OWNER DID NOT EXPERIENCE THIS CONDITION TO FILE THE LETTER IN THEIR VEHICLE'S OWNER'S WARRANTY INFORMATION BOOKLET. HERE IS MY REQUEST: THIS SHOULD NOT BE A WARRANTY ISSUE BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SAFETY RECALL AS DEPENDING OF THE NUMBER OF MILES THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN, THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO SOONER OR LATER OCCUR. I REPAIRED MY VEHICLE AND PAID FOR ALL THE REPAIRS, ALL I NEED NOW IS FOR THE NHTSA TO LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM, INVESTIGATE IT AND HAVE TOYOTA SEND A RECALL LETTER RATHER THAN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THIS WAY I CAN RECEIVE A REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPAIRS. HERE IS A LINK TO THE LETTER AND ALL CONSUMERS COMPLAINTS: HTTPS://WWW.TOYOHEADQUARTERS.COM/THREADS/2004-2009-TOYOTA-PRIUS-COMBINATION-METER-WARRANTY-EXTENSION-ZTV.174/ I BELIEVE FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL PRIUS DRIVERS IN THE USA, THIS SHOULD BE CHANGED TO A RECALL SINCE MANY OF THESE MODEL AND YEAR PRIUS VEHICLES ARE STILL ON THE ROAD AND WILL REACH A CERTAIN MILEAGE TO MAKE TO COMBINATION METER FAIL.

NHTSA ID

11193001

Incident

Nov 21, 2018

Mileage

5 mi

TAKATA RECALL VEHICLE NEEDS TO HAVE BRAKE ACTUATOR. BG BRAKE FLUID SERVICE.

NHTSA ID

11182905

Incident

Feb 22, 2019

Mileage

135,838 mi

MY CAR HEAD LIGHTS ARE TURNING OFF, AT FIRST IT WAS ONE NOT TURNING ON AND THEN IT WAS THE OTHER ONE, NOW THEY TAKE TURNS. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH ALMOST HAD MAKE ME CRASH MORE THAN 2 TIMES. TO THE POINT THAT I AM UNABLE TO USE THE CAR DURING THE NIGHT. THIS HAPPENS IF THE CAR IS PARKED OR RUNNING.

NHTSA ID

11132191

Incident

Sep 1, 2018

Mileage

150 mi

3 DAYS AFTER BUYING MY 04 PRIUS BOTH OF MY LOW BEAMS AND ONE OF MY HIGH BEAMS WENT OUT. A FEW MONTHS AFTER REPLACING THEM MY DRIVER SIDE LOW BEAM WENT OUT, THE HIGH BEAM WAS FINE. 2-3 MONTHS AFTER RE REPLACING THE DRIVER'S SIDE LOW BEAM THE PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM WENT OUT. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY HEADLIGHTS ABOUT 5 TIMES EACH (10 TIMES TOTAL DRIVER+PASSENGER SIDE) I HAD MY GROUND WIRES CHECKED, I CONSTANTLY CHECK MY FUSES, MECHANICS SAY NOTHING IS WRONG WITH MY LIGHTING, BUT HERE I AM WITH THIS REOCCURRING ISSUE. I HAVE BEEN USING THE SAME KIND OF BULBS BECAUSE I CAN'T IMAGINE SPENDING MORE MONEY ON A BULB TO HAVE IT BLOW OUT IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS (XTRAVISION 9003 12.8V,55/60W HALOGEN). APPARENTLY MY REVERSE LIGHTS AREN'T WORKING EITHER, AND ONE OF MY LICENSE PLATES LIGHTS IS OUT (I THINK THE PLATE LIGHT IS PROBABLY NOT CONNECTED TO THE OTHER LIGHTS GOING OUT) ZI DO THINK THE REVERSE LIGHTS ARE A RELATED PROBLEM THOUGH. MY LIGHTS GO OUT BOTH IN MOTION AND STATIONARY (I COULDN'T TELL YOU IF IT HAPPENS ON TURNS OR NOT, BUT IT CAN HAPPEN ON HIGHWAYS), SOMETIMES I CAN GET THEM TO COME BACK ON BY GIVING A LITTLE SMACK, BUT USUALLY A FEW DAYS AFTER THAT THEY OFFICIALLY BURN OUT. I'VE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON PRIUS FORUMS AND APPARENTLY I AM NOT THE ONLY PRIUS OWNER EXPERIENCING THIS WITH THE SAME FREQUENCY, THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR THIS ISSUE, YET SO MANY OF US ARE EXPERIENCING THIS, WHICH IS QUITE DETRIMENTAL TO OURS AND OTHERS SAFETY. SOMETIMES I CAN'T TELL MY LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT TIL I GET PULLED OVER OR AM ABLE TO SEE MY HEADLIGHT REFLECTION ON ANOTHER VEHICLE, EVEN WORSE IS WHEN I'M WONDERING WHY I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING WHEN IT'S SO DARK OUT JUST TO FOUND OUT ONE OF MY HEADLIGHTS BLEW AGAIN. I STILL OWN THIS VEHICLE AND STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THIS IS A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11120407

Incident

May 26, 2017

Mileage

138,000 mi

CONTACTS STATED WATER PUMP AND ALTERNATOR STOPPED WORKING TWICE ON I'-5 TOWED TO TOYOTA TACOMA WHERE THEY FLUSHED FUEL BILLED $500 CAR BROKE DOWN ON WAY HOME TOWED BACK TO TOYOTA TOLD CHARGE WOULD BE 2500 TO FIX .. FLATBED DEDICATED CAR TO BRON'S AUTO HOSES AND COOLANT SYSTEM WAS MELTED PAYED $1500 TO REPLACE IN TIRE COOLANT SYSTEM AND STILL OWE 600 TO SYNCHRONY CAR CARE CARD NOW RETURNING HOME LAST WEEK TURNING AROUND TO BACK UP THERE WAS A LOUD CRUNCH STEERING BROKE STEERING WHEEL CRUNCHES WHEN TURNED WHEELS DO NOT TURN AT ALL MOVING DOWN THE ROAD CALLED TOYOTA THEY SAID THEY FIXED BOTH ON RECALL TO FIX IT MYSELF IT WASN'T THERE PROBLEM PARTS WORE OUT KICK ROCKS THE PARTS DIDN'T WEAR OUT THEY BROKE 5 MINUTES SOONER ID HAVE BEEN HEAD ON IN TRAFFIC ON HWY 405 INSTEAD OF BACKING UP ON THE CITY STREET. UNABLE TO STEER INTO OUR DRIVEWAY I'M ALREADY STUCK MAKING PAYMENTS ON COOLANT SYSTEM REPAIRS THAT WERE RECALL*DT *TP

NHTSA ID

11098144

Incident

May 9, 2018

Mileage

217,029 mi

CAR WAS IN MOTION, 55 MPH ON HIGHWAY GOING STRAIGHT, HAD BEEN DRIVING ONE HOUR. SMOKE STARTED FILLING THE REAR HATCHBACK AREA, COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CARGO-AREA FLOOR. PULLED OVER AND FLAMES CAME UP. DOUSED IT WITH WATER. UPON INSPECTION THE SKS SENSOR (REMOTE CONTROL DOOR LOCK SENSOR) HAD BURST INTO FLAMES, BURNING THE PLASTIC AND OTHER COMPONENTS AROUND IT.

NHTSA ID

11052777

Incident

Dec 5, 2017

Mileage

223,000 mi

DIGITAL DASH FAILS TO ILLUMINATE DEALER SAYS RECALL HAS EXPIRED A KNOWN PROBLEM BY TOYOTA.

NHTSA ID

11025257

Incident

Aug 14, 2017

MY 2004 PRIUS'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON RANDOMLY WND OFTEN AND I LOSE FULL POWER OF THE CAR. THE BATTERY IS FULLY CHARGED. THE CAR STOPPED 4 TIMES TODAY - LOST ALL POWER AND THE BRAKE WOULD NOT STOP THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11023778

Incident

Sep 16, 2017

Mileage

104,000 mi

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO THE COMBINED SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER DISPLAY. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INTERMITTENTLY FAILED THE DRIVER WAS UNAWARE OF THE SPEED AND GAS MILEAGE. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A FULL RECALL WITH NO TIME LIMIT. UPDATED 08/11/2017*JS

NHTSA ID

10958129

Incident

Oct 1, 2012

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH HID OPTION. ONE OR BOTH HID HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WHILE PARKED OR DRIVING. TURNING THE LIGHT CONTROL ON AND OFF WILL TEMPORARILY SOLVE THE ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS RANDOM IN NATURE. FOR INSTANCE, I NOTICED ONE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT THIS MORNING AND BEFORE I COULD TURN THE SWITCH TO RESET THE OTHER HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, LEAVING ME IN THE DARK ON THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE MAY BE PARK OR IN MOTION. THERE APPEARS TO BE NO DIRECT RELATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING ON RURAL ROADS WITH NO STREET LIGHTS. IT APPEARS TO ME TO BE A BALLAST ISSUE. THIS REPAIR REQUIRES WORKING WITH HIGH VOLTAGE COMPONENTS AND GOES BEYOND THE SCOPE OF A DIY PROJECT. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR ME, BUT ONLY RECENTLY HAVE BOTH HEADLIGHTS STARTED TO FAIL AT THE SAME TIME. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

11010172

Incident

Jul 24, 2017

Mileage

290,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COMBINATION METER FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND DASHBOARD LIGHTS TO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000. ...UPDATED 02/19/16 *BF

NHTSA ID

10822581

Incident

Aug 15, 2015

Mileage

170,000 mi

THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT . ALREADY REPLACED IT TWICE AND IT SEEMS THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH THE TOYOTA PRIUS. FUSE ALSO KEEPS BURNING. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AT NIGHT . DRIVING WITH ONE HEAD LIGHT IS BECOMING TO COMMON FOR THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE .

NHTSA ID

10780422

Incident

Sep 25, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED. THIS WAS A RECURRING FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,000.

NHTSA ID

10761515

Incident

Mar 15, 2015

Mileage

106,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT POWER OFF AFTER THE ON/OFF SWITCH WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MULTI FUNCTIONAL DISPLAY MULTI-METER AND THE POWER SWITCH WERE FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY NO LONGER APPLIED TO THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

NHTSA ID

10736067

Incident

May 9, 2015

Mileage

45,000 mi

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!

NHTSA ID

10733039

Incident

Jul 9, 2015

Mileage

200,600 mi

THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY FAILED TO LIGHT UP, BUT THE CAR TURNED ON. IT DID GO INTO DRIVE, SO I DROVE MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL, THEN STOPPED TO CALL COGGIN TOYOTA AT THE AVENUES TO REPORT THE PROBLEM, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THEY SAID IT WAS THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE PRIUS AND FOR WHICH THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN AND A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT, ALTHOUGH THAT "ENHANCEMENT" ENDED 9 YEARS AFTER THE VEHICLE WENT INTO SERVICE. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN RIGHT AWAY SINCE I COULDN'T TURN IT OFF. MY CAR IS 10 YEARS OLD. I CALLED TOYOTA TO COMPLAIN THAT I HAD NOT BEEN TOLD ABOUT THIS WHEN IT WAS STILL UNDER THE ENHANCED WARRANTY PERIOD (ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE RECORDS SAYING THEY MAILED SOMETHING) AND THAT IF I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS (AND APPARENTLY DOZENS OF OTHER PROBLEMS LOOMING OUT THERE FOR WHICH THERE ARE TSBS) ONE WEEK EARLIER WHEN I PAID OVER $3,000 TO HAVE THE HYBRID BATTERY ARRAY REPLACED, I MIGHT HAVE MADE A DIFFERENT CHOICE. MY BIGGEST COMPLAIN CENTERS ON BEING TOLD WHAT I BELIEVE WAS A LIE BY THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE REP --[XXX] -- WHEN I PRESSED FOR WHY, IF THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS THE PART HAS A HIGH FAILURE RATE THAT IT'S WILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR, DOES THAT ENHANCED WARRANTY PERIOD END? SHE TOLD ME THE GOVERNMENT OF CALIFORNIA AND OTHER STATES LIMITS THAT PERIOD TO 9 YEARS. SHE COULD NOT PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION OF THAT GOVERNMENT REGULATION, AND IT DOESN'T SOUND RIGHT THAT REGULATIONS IN CALIFORNIA (OR OTHER STATES) WOULD LIMIT THE TIME IT WOULD ALLOW A COMPANY TO OFFER REPAIRS TO ITS PRODUCT WITH AN ENHANCED WARRANTY. HAS THIS HAPPENED TO ANYONE ELSE AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10700735

Incident

Mar 13, 2015

Mileage

156,654 mi

I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH MY PRIUS COMBINATION DISPLAY (DIGITAL DISPLAY THAT SHOWS THE SPEED, MILEAGE, FUEL LEVEL, CURRENT GEAR SELECTION, ETC.). SOMETIMES WHEN I TURN ON MY CAR, THE COMBINATION DISPLAY IS BLANK AND WILL NOT TURN ON. THE REST OF THE CAR TURNS ON, BUT THAT DISPLAY REMAINS BLANK. I CAN DRIVE THE CAR, BUT I CAN'T SEE MY SPEED, MILEAGE, OR WHAT GEAR THE CAR IS IN. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE (BELOW 50 DEGREES OR SO). WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST CAME UP IN 2012, I WOULD TURN OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT BACK ON AND THE DISPLAY WOULD THEN WORK FINE. IT WAS VERY HARD TO REPEAT THE PROBLEM AND IT WAS QUITE INTERMITTENT. THIS WINTER (2014-2015) THE PROBLEM HAS COME BACK, BUT NOW THE DISPLAY WILL OFTEN NOT TURN BACK ON EVEN IF I POWER CYCLE THE CAR. THERE IS ANOTHER NEW RELATED PROBLEM. WHENEVER THE CAR SHOWS THIS DISPLAY PROBLEM, I THEN CANNOT TURN OFF THE CAR. I PRESS THE POWER BUTTON AND NOTHING HAPPENS. I EVEN TRIED TO HOLD IT DOWN FOR 3-10 SECONDS. THE CAR WILL NOT SHUT OFF. I HAVE TO USUALLY DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO GET IT TO POWER DOWN. THIS PROBLEM HAS ME CONCERNED. NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE MY SPEED IS MY BIGGEST CONCERN. ALSO SINCE THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER ALWAYS RETURNS TO A RESET SPOT (IT DOESN'T STAY IN THE GEAR POSITION AFTER YOU SELECT YOUR GEAR) IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE WHAT GEAR THE VEHICLE IS IN. ALSO VERY CONCERNING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM/DEFECT. IT APPEARS THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THE DISPLAY/CIRCUIT BOARD. TOYOTA DID INITIALLY OFFER TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT BY THE TIME I COULD ACTUALLY REPEAT THE PROBLEM TO SHOW TO THE DEALER, THE OFFER HAD EXPIRED FOR ME TO GET IT REPAIRED. IT'S A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT I WANTED TO REPORT TO THE NHTSA. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10679735

Incident

Jan 3, 2012

Mileage

105,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE AND THE GAUGES WERE DIFFICULT TO READ. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE KEY FAILED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO TURN OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMBINATION METER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 280,000.

NHTSA ID

10668948

Incident

Mar 3, 2014

Mileage

280,000 mi