I have three major problems with my 2008 prius. #1 the engine intermittently, will not turn off when parking the car. #2 the dash lights also intermittently will not come on, affecting my ability to see how fast I am going on the highway or streets, it also prevents me from seeing how much gas is left in the tank. #3 the outside air and air conditioner, also will not work, intermittently.
2008 Toyota Prius electrical complaints
Page 4 of 9: complaints 71 to 100 of 235, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Car runs but dashboard lights fail to illuminate when it is cold outside. This is a widespread problem with 2004-2009 2nd gen prius as evidenced by pervasive internet comments by owners experiencing this problem. The problem is toyota used an overly weak capacitor for a combination meter circuit so when it is cold insufficient electricity is available to illuminate critical-safety-related dashboard lights, including the speedometer. Toyota recognized the issue and issued a warranty extension for this exact problem but limited it to vehicles within 9 years of date of first use. The problem apparently tends to emerge only after 8 or 9 years so many vehicle owners discover the problem is not covered. Owners face the choice of a costly repair at their own expense or driving without a speedometer or backup camera or critical, safety-related warning lights. Toyota should be required to fix this hazardous condition for all vehicle that develop this problem, especially since it is due to a recognized, widespread deficiency in the car's electronic circuitry.
The electronic dashboard combination meter (speedometer, fuel gauge, and odometer) is defective and intermittently fails to turn on. The dashboard is blank. We have no ability to discern vehicle speed, fuel level, or number of miles driven. Typically, the display will not turn on when the ignition is started. After several miles of driving, the combination meter eventually turns on. The problem seems to have become worse now that the weather is cold, with the combination meter taking far longer to turn on -- after 10-12 miles of driving. Toyota has issued a tsb on the defect and has extended the warranty for this defective part, but our vehicle falls a few months outside the extended warranty period. Don wood toyota of athens, oh and toyota motor sales USA refuse to replace the defective part under warranty. A little internet research indicates that this is a common defect in certain model year prius.
The headlights go dim and /or shut off as I am driving. This problem usually starts with the right headlight shutting off and sometimes both will go dim or shut off completely. Both lights work initially on startup and shine bright at first but immediately dim to a lower level and then as I drive they will dim or the right light will turn off or sometimes both turn off all together. They will come back on if I turn off and back on the headlight switch.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. While stationary and driving various speeds, all of the instrument panel indicators failed to illuminate. South dade toyota in homestead, florida was made aware of the failure and stated that it was a factory defect. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Two problems 1. In cold or cooler weather, my dash does not display. After sometimes 1 hour, it will suddenly turn on. Also, when the dash does not display the car does not turn off, unless I hold the start button for a long time. Also the rear view camera does not work. Also my smart key does not start the car, unless inserted. 2. Sometimes my headlights and running lights do not work. It always happens in an alternating manner. If my front right head light is not working, then my rear left running light is not working or vice a versa. This problem also appears and goes away at random intervals. I have checked and there was a recall for the combination meter, but when I called toyota customer experience center, they told me that the recall expired. I was not informed of the recall and even when I searched on line, no recalls show up. What do I do? Can I still have toyota fix this problem? The lighting issue seems to be related to a faulty hid computer. Again, no recall shows up, can I get this fixed? I have been pulled over one time by police, and am afraid of driving at night because of this problem. This has been ongoing, intermittently, since last winter.
Toyota prius (2008) - fire after minor accident (battery fire) after a fairly standard rear end collision (25-30 MPH), my toyota prius caught fire and burst into flames. I was stopped at a red light on a city street in chicago, il when the accident occurred, my vehicle was not in motion. Within minutes of impact (to right rear of car), the responding police officer saw fire under the car (began in rear) and the fire dept was called. The fire travelled to the front of the car and the car has been deemed a total loss. The police and tow company believe this was caused by the prius battery and these cars are very unsafe to be on the road with this condition. There has been no related recall on this vehicle, but it's incredibly unsafe and I'm very happy I was not traveling with my children at time of accident. I appreciate you taking time to review this case and taking steps to ensure toyota addresses the issues with the prius vehicles. I've attached the police report and photos of the car fire (I also have video of the fire, but the file is too large to attach on this submission - available upon request). No major injuries - I experienced soreness / headaches from impact/whiplash and saw my doctor following accident (no major injury). Please review and let me know if I can provide anything else / answer any questions. Thank you in advance! [xxx] ('parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).')
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. Upon attempting to shut off the vehicle, it failed to shut off. Additionally, the speedometer display failed to appear. The vehicle was taken to heritage toyota (1620 shelburne rd, south burlington, vt 05403) where it was diagnosed that the combination meter failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that they would not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
My display has gone black multiple times. Start the car and there is no display, no rear camera.... A major safety concern I have found out through the toyota forum. So I have to go to the back unplug something from my battery - or my wife or daughter. Not safe by any means!! No recall for this fmvss issue. Unacceptable.
I am writing to you about my 2008 toyota prius. ..the dashboard will go completely out while driving on the hwy when this happens you have no complete dashboard and the ignition will not operate. I have reached out to toyota and was told my 9 year warranty is out of date and this my problem. ..very unsafe component to have fail while driving.
The hid headlights go out while driving every couple of months and need to be replaced. This is a known issue to toyota who has made no attempt to fix it. Consumers are being told by dealers that they need a new hid computer at their expense ($1800). It is dangerous to be driving at night and have your headlights go out! The only "fix" besides spending a ton of money on the new computer is to replace the bulbs every 3 months, which is crazy.
The main display randomly goes out after starting the car. My prius was at 82,000 miles when the problem began. I contacted the dealer, central florida toyota, who informed me it's a bad euc module that controls the display for speed, fuel, what gear you are in and if your head lights are on. All of those items are extremely important when operating a vehicle and if not working could cause an accident. I contacted toyota corporate on the issue and was provided a case number. They informed me the 9 year out warranty had expired since my car left the lot in sep. 2007. Toyota corporate nor central florida toyota would offer any assistance on the part, labor or even proving a loaner car while service was preformed to correct the issue. I was informed from central florida toyota it could take up to 6 weeks for the part / labor to be completed. Please open an investigation of this part, as research has shown this to be a known bug with the system. Due to the tools this module controls (speed, gears, lights) this could cause a catastrophic accident. Please hold toyota accountable to keeping their customers safe. As a long time toyota owner, I am extremely disappointment in their handling of the situation. I will be happy to provide any information needed to help correct this issue for all prius owners that have or have had this issue with no assistance from toyota.
The main display/touch-screen in my toyota prius stopped working while it was parked and the engine was off. The device worked in the morning when, but it would not work that afternoon when I re-started my car. The device also stopped working at that same time. As a result, I am unable to: monitor the hybrid system; access the climate controls (there are some controls on the steering wheel, but, since I cannot see the effect, I am very reluctant to touch them fearing that I will lose what little A/C I have now); the back-up camera; the blue-tooth (for my hands-free cell phone); the navigation system; vehicle maintenance info; etc. I have driven my vehicle since, and now my vehicle flashes the symbol indicating the absence of my key-fob (even though I have it with me in my pocket) unless/until I push the key-fob into its slot in my prius. As a result, in addition to all of the other things I am no longer able to access, I am now very concerned that my prius is going to malfunction while I am driving down the road due to its failure now to recognize the presence of my key-fob. In researching this issue, it is apparent that many other prius owners (several year models) have had similar issues with this device. When I took my vehicle to toyota to have them repair/replace my device, the asst. Service manager informed me that toyota did not make the device, that they do not have any replacements, that the manufacturer also does not have any more replacements, and that my only hope was for them to disconnect/remove the device, send it off to a 3rd party to "hopefully repair" my device, and that this process will take up to 2 weeks (while I drive without it). It is inconceivable to me that toyota is unaware of this problem (since all of their supply and the manufacturer's supply of replacement units has been exhausted). Please help.
Faulty combination meter, which displays car speed, odometer, fuel level, and turning off the car. Toyota extended their warranty for 9 years but won't fix the known issue anytime past 9 years. Mine failed 9 years 2.5 months. Toyota customer service said that they have replaced a whooping 669,000 combination meters.
Pasdanger headlight goes on and off without cause and at will
The vehicle combination meter sporadically will not turn on which prevents the display of the speed of the car. During this condition, the fuel economy will not display, the car may not be powered off by normal procedure, and the fuel gauge, drive train mode indicator, and odometer are not visible. This has occurred for the past 2 years, primarily during cold weather, but also during warm weather, and I have a video recording of this problem while operating this specific vehicle dated february 20 2017. Toyota will not honor their own warranty extension described in their document pol12-05, related to tsb t-sb-0172-09, stating that the dealer must be able to reproduce the issue in order to cover the replacement. Toyota's document pol12-05 specifically states "this condition is primarily found in cold weather climate conditions. When the vehicle is brought to your dealership it may no longer be in a climate which allows duplication of the condition. If this occurs, please verify with the customer that the experienced condition is in accordance with this warranty extension and proceed with replacement of the combination meter." on 5/12/2017, andrea n. (would not provide last name) with toyota customer experience center, assigned me toyota case # 1705121649 and stated that "the dealer must reproduce the issue in order to cover replacement under warranty" despite the toyota letter explicitly allowing for warranty replacement when the condition cannot be reproduced by the dealer.
When vehicle is turned on, instrument cluster also known as the combination meter, fail to turn on. This issue is very concerning due to the overall computer controlled functions of this vehicle. The speedometer, trip meter, odometer and other functions are not functioning due to the failure of the combination meter. Functions that are considered safety items such as the power brakes, power steering, anti lock brake system, speedometer, lights, etc. There is an issued warranty covering the issue up to a certain amount of time however since it is not a wear and tear item it should be covered by the manufacturer regardless. After vehicle is eventually ignited, combination meter does not illuminate and when attempting to turn off the vehicle, it fails to do so which also includes not being able to remove the key. I was advised by a toyota mechanic to access the safety override by holding the power button however that procedure does not work all of the time. I am very concerned about this issue due to my safety and drivers around me and their safety and hopefully this issue can be avoided before a possible a catastrophic accident happens.
Smog check failed because of obd bulb check failure and obdii failure. Service fault codes are u0100 lost communication with ECM/PCM "a" and u0111 lost communication with battery energy control module "a." car only has 60,000 miles.
Dash lights showing speed, fuel level and odometer stop functioning intermittently. So far it happened once on start up after a cold night. Dash lights came back on later in the day. Vehicle was not driven, though everything else seemed to work ok.
Inverter water pump replaced at 75000 miles under recall and failure. Same pump failed again at 146600 miles. Replacement pump lasted less miles than original. Pump design or manufacture is not adequate for service. Diagnosis was pump seized during expressway driving (65 MPH). Did not cause an immediate stoppage but vsc warning caused reduced controllability.
More recently, I am concerned about safety and serviceability of my car - toyota prius second generation. The car was purchased in the u.s. And imported to russia, VIN [xxx]. The car check showed that there are some problems on these cars. I checked this on site toyota.com/recalls, and received the following information: 1. Safety recall c0t 2.safety recall c0u my prius has not completed campaign status of safety recall. Now my water pump is broken. I sent the request to the toyota us and russian distributor in september 2016 (I think it is enough) but they don't want to help me. One of my requests has been documented at your national hq under file #[xxx]. But now if I ask us distributor about request status they answer is like that: "[xxx], we sincerely apologize; once we can provide an answer to you will be contacted directly on the next steps to take. [xxx] toyota customer experience center" the russian distributor answered that my prius don't covered by safety recall program, and I need to fix my prius problem by myself. Can you help me with my problem? I don't know what can I do more to fix my problem? I want to send to you the necessary information: 1. Full name of the registered owner: [xxx] . 2. Registered owner's physical address in russia (no apo address): [xxx] 3. Registered owner's phone number in russia: [xxx] 4. Name and address of the toyota dealer where I would like the recall to be completed: "toyota center primorskiy" shkolnaya st. 96a, saint-petersburg, 197374, russia. Tel. +7 812 336-38-88 http://toyotacenter.ru/ 5. Verification of the registered owner's email address: [xxx] I hope to continue to remain a fan of the brand toyota. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Mfd multi function display screen doesn't respond to touch. Have to operate through steering wheel. So have to turn on A/C to run heater and can't control the flow of the air pressure. Looking on the internet, (prius chat) this has been a common problem with first and second generation cars. Dealer wants $5000 to repair. The car is only worth $5,500. It should be a recall item due to all the failures.
Car completely shut down with no power at stop light. Rear ended by another vehical traveling at apprx. 45 MPH. No prior warning of any battery issues or any other trouble lights. Injuries sustained. Car only had 75,000 miles on odometer and had been well maintained. Car was stopped at red light on craig rd. And durango in las vegas nevada when failure occured. Two female occupants both with minor injuries, one transported to hospital
Cluster went blank and vehicle would not power off, key fob stuck in ignition. Toyota service recommended replacing combo meter but I am one month out of warranty. I was driving tried to park but car would not turn off, but would come to a stop in the parking lot.
Driving at 35 miles per hour on a rural paved road both headlights failed simultaneously nearly causing myself and my son go off the road down an embankment while trying to get the lights to come back on at night. The hid headlights have been an issue in the past with a class action lawsuit being paid. I need to get this repaired and want toyota to cover the recall warranty work.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. While driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to increase in speed. All the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,500.
I have had my 2008 prius since it was new and I have taken meticulous care of the vehicle with documentation to prove it. The vehicle is burning oil to the extent that I have to put a quart of oil in every 700 miles. My local dealership confirmed it is an issue with the vehicle but toyota USA said they won't do anything about it because there "has not been enough complaints". However, the toyota prius chat website has numerous complaints about oil consumption. Toyota did an extended warranty for the corolla and camry but refuses to do anything for the prius. Numerous attempts have been made with toyota USA to correct this issue but they refuse to do so. They did say they corrected the issue in the newer models . . .but yet don't want to acknowledge that is it an issue! So, they corrected an issue that they currently don't acknowledge is an issue!! Second to this issue is that the back window can only be closed by the driver's window button and will not close for the person sitting at that window in the back.
Problems started in 2010 driver head light would go off, replaced the relay with no effect, just lived with it would turn the lights off and back on and would then work. Now at 72,500 miles both head lights and all running lights go out while driving! You can't see anything and other drivers can't see you! Very dangerous! Water pump went out should have been covered with a recall a year later but toyota would not reimburse the part.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that the instrument cluster failed to function and the warning indicators did not illuminate. The failure occurred randomly more than five times since the contact purchased the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure, inspected the vehicle, and was not able to replicate and diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was to check to determine if they could provide further testing to diagnose the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.
The rubber rear hatch door release button on my 2008 toyota prius started to degrade and become sticky in hot summer weather. I originally thought that the latch was sticky and greasy because dealership service people had opened the car with greasy hands, but then the latch button cover became stiff and difficult to press a few months later, when the weather turned cold. This became a real safety hazard when I loaded the car completely full of my belongings on a cold night to move cross-country the next morning, and the door latch was so stiff and brittle from the cold that it cracked and broke, but the hatch wouldn't open. My chains, spare tire, tools, jumper cables, etc. Were all stuffed back there, completely unreachable from the front because the car was full (one of the items was a bed frame, which probably could not be removed without opening the rear hatch). Needless to say, I didn't feel very comfortable starting a 2-day cross-country drive on winter roads the next morning, without access to my emergency equipment. Eventually, the latch button started working again, but it remains cracked, hard in the cold, and gooey in the summer. I am hoping to replace this part as soon as I am able to spend the $300'500 that the dealership charges for this repair. This latch button is clearly defective and was tested for neither cold ( 80f) weather.
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