2004 Toyota Prius Visibility Problems

2004 & 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REAR VIEW VISIBILITY AND BRAKING ISSUES IN BOTH VEHICLES. *SMD

NHTSA ID

10541671

Incident

Sep 2, 2013

MY 2004 PRIUS HAS A TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY THAT CONTROLS MANY FUNCTIONS INCLUDING CLIMATE CONTROLS. ON A RECENT MORNING I STARTED MY VEHICLE AND GOT AN ERROR MESSAGE SAYING "NO EXTERNAL CONNECTION TO AIR CONDITIONER" AT THE SAME TIME I COULD NOT ACCESS HEATER, DEFROST, NAVIGATION, HYBRID MONITOR OR HANDS FREE PHONE. FORTUNATELY, I HAD A RAG IN THE CAR AND COULD KEEP MY WINDOW CLEAN. AFTER 20 MINUTES OF DRIVING, THE RADIO CUT OUT AND THEN ALL CONTROLS CAME BACK. ANOTHER 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING AND THE CONTROLS CUT BACK OFF. THIS PROBLEM NOW OCCURS EACH TIME I DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WHEN I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET, I DISCOVERED THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THE DISPLAYS ON THE 04 AND 05 PRIUS. TOYOTA ISSUED (TSB) EL002-05 DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE BUT OFFERED NO RECALL. THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE CIRCUIT BOARDS THAT WERE SUPPLIED TO TOYOTA MOTORS. I LIVE IN MAINE AND NOT HAVING ACCESS TO MY WINDOW DEFROSTER IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. I HAVE TO KEEP A RAG IN THE CAR TO KEEP MY WINDOW CLEAN. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE REFUSES TO FIX THIS BECAUSE I AM BEYOND THE 3 YR / 36000 MILE WARRANTY. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT CAUSES LOSS OF VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING. ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE A RECALL CAMPAIGN FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED WITH THIS DEFECT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10505539

Incident

Mar 1, 2013

Mileage

118,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MULTI-DISPLAY MODULE FOR THE HEATER AND DEFROSTER UNITS FAILED, CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD DEFOGGER TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT THE MULTI-DISPLAY MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000. UPDATED 1/30/13 *CN THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A MODULE MALFUNCTION WHICH WAS AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT AND GAVE THE CONSUMER AN ESTIMATE OF $700 TO REPLACE THE MODULE WITH A RECONDITIONED ONE. UPDATED 01/31/13 UPDATED 2/13/13 *CN UPDATED 02/14/13

NHTSA ID

10492142

Incident

Jul 10, 2012

Mileage

28,000 mi

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. THE CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED. UPDATED IVOQ 03/09/12 *TR

NHTSA ID

10442546

Incident

Nov 24, 2011

Mileage

41,520 mi

THE DRIVER'S SIDE HID HEADLIGHT, INTERMITTENTLY, UNPREDICTABLY AND INEXPLICABLY SHUTS OFF. IT WILL OCCASIONALLY RETURN TO SERVICE ON ITS OWN, BUT USUALLY REQUIRES A CYCLING OF THE LIGHT'S POWER SWITCH BEFORE FULL FUNCTION IS RESTORED. AFTER WHICH, THE LENGTH OF TIME BEFORE THE LIGHT SHUTS OFF AGAIN VARIES FROM A FEW SECONDS TO NOT AT ALL. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE, IT SEEMS TO BE A RATHER SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH THE 2004-2009 PRIUS. OBVIOUSLY, THE SITUATION THIS CONDITION CREATES IS UNSAFE AT BEST, CAN PLACE ME PERSONALLY IN AN UNEXPECTED ILLEGAL POSITION - AND (SHOULD BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT TOGETHER, AS SOME HAVE REPORTED) COULD QUITE POSSIBLY BE LIFE THREATENING. FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVING PUBLIC, I WOULD STRONGLY URGE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE. TOYOTA MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DESIGN FLAW, AND ENGINEER A RESOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. *TT

NHTSA ID

10433094

Incident

Jan 20, 2011

MULTIFUNCTION TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY (MFD) MALFUNCTION DISABLES THE WINDSHIELD DEFOGGER. ONE MUST WIPE THE WINDSHIELD BY HAND. IF THE WINDSHIELD FOGS WHILE DRIVING ON A NARROW AND WINDING ROAD OR BUSY HIGHWAY, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS ARE AT HIGH RISK. THERE IS A WEBSITE THAT SHOWS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND HOW TO FIX IT (HTTP://TECHNO-FANDOM.ORG/~HOBBIT/CARS/MFD/). A MULTI-PIN CONNECTOR HAS A FAULTY PIN. THE SOLDERING CRACKS OVER TIME RESULTING IN A LOOSE CONNECTION. TOYOTA DOES NOT PROVIDE AN AFFORDABLE SOLUTION. THEY OFFER TO REMOVE THE TWO COMPUTER UNITS FROM BEHIND THE MFD AND REPLACE THEM FOR APPROXIMATELY $3,000, RATHER THAN SIMPLY RE-SOLDERING THE CONNECTOR PIN. I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPAIR THIS, AND TOYOTA HAS NOT OFFERED ANY VIABLE SOLUTIONS. THIS AFFECTS ALL EARLY TYPE 2 PRIUSES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10316825

Incident

Jan 15, 2008

Mileage

90,000 mi

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS COST $449 (INCLUDES LABOR) TO REPLACE PASSENGER SIDE HEAD LIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10306795

Incident

Feb 5, 2010

Mileage

71,132 mi

ABOUT 40% OF THE TIME, MY TOYOTA PRIUS DOESN'T WANT TO STOP OR SLOW DOWN WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. UNDER THESE CONDITIONS, I HAVE TO APPLY THE BRAKES HARD AND THEN THE CAR WILL SLOW DOWN. IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR WANTS TO "RUN AWAY" WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. IT EXHIBITS THIS BEHAVIOR IN MANY CIRCUMSTANCES: STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT, SLOWING DOWN ON AN EXPRESSWAY, OR SLOWING DOWN ON A CITY STREET. *TR UPDATED 11/23/09 *BF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE PASSENGER FRONT WINDOW SWITCH WASN'T OPENING OR CLOSING THE WINDOW UNLESS THE MASTER SWITCH WAS USED. THE THROTTLE BODY HAD TO BE CLEANED. THE FAN BELT AND BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 11/24/09 UPDATED 01/06/10 *BF UPDATED 01/07/10.*JB

NHTSA ID

10292409

Incident

Nov 1, 2009

Mileage

68,000 mi

THE MULTI-FUNCTION DISPLAY (MFD) FAILED. (CROSS REFERENCE NHSTA COMPLAINT #10173892). THIS IS A KNOWN DESIGN DEFECT (CROSS REFERENCE ANALYSIS ON WEB: HTTP://TECHNO-FANDOM.ORG/~HOBBIT/CARS/MFD/COMPARE.HTML AND HTTP://TECHNO-FANDOM.ORG/~HOBBIT/CARS/MFD/). TOYOTA ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (EITHER EL-002-04 OR EL-002-05 - CONFLICTING INFO ON THIS) ON JAN 10, 2005. WHEN THE MFD FAILS, ONE CANNOT CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF AIRFLOW TO THE WINDSHIELD (DEFROSTER). THIS PRESENTED ME WITH VISIBILITY PROBLEMS DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE. AS SUCH, I CONSIDER IT A SAFETY ISSUE. TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS FOR 3 YEARS, GIVEN THE DATE OF THEIR TSB. THE ROOT CAUSE APPEARS TO BE AN UNDERSIZED SOLDER PAD ON ONE OF THE ELECTRONIC CARDS OF THE MFD. THIS RESULTS IN A CRACKING OF THE SOLDER JOINT. BECAUSE MY PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT, COMING AND GOING ON A FREQUENT BASIS, I PRESUME IT WAS A MICRO CRACK. THIS DOES NOT HELP WHEN THE WINDSHIELD IS FOGGING OVER. ALL OF THE VARIOUS ERROR MESSAGES THAT WERE DISPLAYED ON THE MFD WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE REFERENCED WEB URL'S. THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE RELEASE F OF THE ELECTRONIC CARD ASSEMBLY AND WAS CORRECTED WITH RELEASE G. THERE ARE PICTORIAL COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE TWO RELEASES ON ONE OF THE WEB URL'S. GIVEN THAT THIS HAS AN IMPACT ON VISIBILITY DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, I AM SHOCKED THAT TOYOTA CHOSE TO SIT ON THIS PROBLEM. THE SUPPLIER OF THIS PART TO TOYOTA IS FUJITSU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10215934

Incident

Dec 30, 2007

WITH 34,000 MILES ON MY 2004 PRIUS, THE GLASS HAS DEVELOPED SEVERE PITTING, NOT ONLY ON THE WINDSHIELD, BUT ON THEIR SIDE WINDOWS AS WELL. WHEN THE SUN HITS THE WINDSHIELD VISIBILITY IS GREATLY REDUCED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10209911

Incident

Nov 18, 2007