2005 Toyota Prius: sudden loss of power

Filed Aug 27, 2018 · Brakes · 132,000 miles · FL

The brake pressure decreased and brake suddenly lost power while coming to a stop. The vehicle stopped suddenly with a hard jerk and the ABS light and red brake warning light turned on afterwards.

Filed Dec 4, 2011 · Electrical, Engine · 100,500 miles · CA

We were driving on the highway at night and suddenly, without warning, the engine stalled completely, the car died, and all of the warning lights came on, including a red triangle, check engine, brake, and some others. The prius lost power and I had to turn on the hazard lights and coast to the shoulder. We called the aaa towing service and 911 (as the shoulder was very narrow and we could not get out of the car). The officer and the tow truck driver checked for all possible driver errors, including gas, but did not find anything out of the ordinary (the gas gauge showed 5/8 full). The car was towed to the toyota dealership in sunnyvale who are working to determine the cause. This was a very dangerous situation as we were driving on a highway, with a child in the car, at highway speeds at night and the car suddenly died. It has left us shaken and we will be contacting toyota to see if they have a fix for this.

Filed Jul 19, 2011 · Brakes · 74,215 miles · OK · crash

(1). I slammed on the brakes, but there was no power brakes. The 2005 prius slowed, but did not stop until it crashed into another vehicle. I was going approximately 35 MPH, and I traveled 3 car lengths before colliding with the other vehicle. (2). Loss of power assist had previously occurred while backing up, but this was the first failure going forward. (3). Total loss(totaled,, $7,000 damage). The 2005 prius is now at an automobile recycling yard. )4) I notified toyota. But I had to call them back several times, and after 15 days, someone finally answered, instead of me getting their voice mail. If the power brakes had failed at an intersection, it could have been a fatal crash.

Filed Jun 30, 2011 · Electrical, Fuel system · 111,860 miles · GA

Driving north on i75 at approximately 65 MPH. The gas gauge had 3 bars illuminated. The vsc warning light and the red triangle with the exclamation point came on. I lost the ability to accelerate and the car suddenly went dead. Luckily I was able to make to relative safety on the side to interstate. The car was towed to a dealer who said the car ran out gas! They also said that the "fuel register unit was operating as designed." how was that possible? The charge? Over $1200! According to toyota corporate and the dealership, repeated unsuccessful attempts to start the car will, by design, cause irreparable damage to the ecu code id box which can cost $1200 - $1800 to replace. This "design" is apparently in the name of anti-theft protection. (why not just immobilize the car instead of partial self-destruction?) even given the high extent and documented history of gas gauge display malfunctions and many other related electrical problems, toyota corporate would offer no financial assistance, no reimbursement of any portion of the repair. This is the second time the car has lost all power in the middle of heavy traffic. That time, 08/09/10, the water pump failed. Subsequent to that, I received a recall notice to replace the water pump.

Filed Sep 8, 2010 · Engine · 41,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact stated that the inverter cooling water pump failed. While driving 72 MPH with the vehicle speed control engaged, there were several warning lights illuminating causing the vehicle speed control to lose power. He drove onto the side of the road, turned the engine off and allowed the vehicle to cool down and it began to function normally. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive safely to his residence. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed the failure as the water pump which listed error code p0a93. The vehicle was not repaired since the parts were on back order until september 16, 2010. He then contacted the dealer and manufacturer who also informed him that the parts were on critical back order until september 16, 2010. The failure mileage was 41,000.

Filed Mar 3, 2010 · Electrical · 93,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The vehicle was parked all day until the driver pushed the power button and there was no power in the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealership for diagnostic and testing. It took the dealer two weeks to perform a diagnostic test on the vehicle. The technical support team had to replace the power e.c.u. The contact was concerned that the vehicle would continue to lose power. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000. The current mileage was approximately 98,000 miles.

Filed Feb 17, 2010 · Fuel system · 56,313 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact was driving approximately 65 to 70 MPH on normal road conditions when suddenly, there was a loss of engine power. The driver was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road with caution. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated that the fuel tank contained no fuel. The fuel gauge and indication sensors were reset. There was also a recommendation to to fill car with gas the gauge displayed three bars. One month later, the fuel gauge reading was inaccurate. The fuel level displayed three bars level and abruptly the gauge displayed "full". The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction at this time. The failure mileage was 56,313. Updated 3/30/2010 updated 06/04/10.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 5 miles · CO

My toyota prius 2005 has the same braking issue as described in the media today for the 2010 model. In addition, the skid control causes a sudden power loss during acceleration in similar situations to the problems described with braking failures in the 2010 model (potholes, even small bumps in the road, rapid acceleration around curves, in addition to when there is ice on the road) that reportedly has been fixed. Although the complete power loss lasts less than a second recovery of power is slow enough to have stranded me in front of oncoming traffic waiting for acceleration in a number situations where there was no risk associated with loss of traction. I contacted toyota several years ago and tried filed a complaint (I was really persistent), but they refused to recognize this as a design flaw saying only that the vehicle was functioning as designed. When I pointed out that the vehicle, as designed, was dangerous, they only reiterated that it was functioning properly and refused to take further action. It felt to me that they were concerned that admitting the problem could avalanche into a problem similar to what they have now. Please note that this is a recurring and persistent issue that has occurred numerous times since I have owned the car (four plus years).

Filed Jul 25, 2006 · Transmission · 11,000 miles · OR

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70 MPH the vehicle lost power. It was maneuvered off the road and was observed to be out of gear. The contact believes the park button was accidentally depressed causing the vehicle to go out of gear. The dealer has not been alerted. The consumer stated he belives the parking gear is too close to the dashboard. It only takes little pressure to push the park selector. Updated 08/08/06.

Filed Mar 4, 2006 · Engine, Transmission · 2,200 miles · CT

2005 toyota prius: in slippery conditions, when a front wheel slips, both wheels stop rotating and then the wheel that did not slip is given power. This takes about 1 second. During that time the motor has shut down, losing substantial forward momentum. If the second wheel slips,the process is repeated giving the original wheel power. The 1 second time interval occurs again and more forward momentum is lost. On a slippery hill, this basically stops the forward motion of the auto very quickly. If both wheels continue to slip,the auto just sits there , with the electric motor starting and stopping as the power is switched between front wheels. If there are cars behind yours, then backing up is impossible. If the wife and kids are in a bad neighbor hood and this happens,that could mean real trouble. The condition is totally unacceptable. All the prius' should be recalled and the traction control reprogrammed to allow reduced power to the slipping wheel, not zero power. This will tend to maintain forward momentum and keep the motor from shutting down. I spoke to the original dealer and they claimed no knowledge of the design flaw.

Filed Oct 16, 2005 · Engine · 4,400 miles · PA

Traveling on nj turnpike in heavy traffic when new 2005 prius lost power and would not respond to attempts at acceleration to keep up with traffic. Was able to move over 2 lanes of traffic and stop on side of highway. Turned off car and restarted after less than a minute. No further incidents since. Took car to toyota dealership. They could find no reason for the failure after monitoring the computer.

Filed Sep 9, 2005 · Acceleration, Electrical · 1,368 miles · CA

Dt: consumer was driving about 45 minutes / 65 MPH when vehicle lost power/stalled. All warning lights were on. Consumer was able to restart vehicle after it stalled by letting it sit for a while. Vehicle had a history of accelerating and stalling. *ak