2009 toyota prius. Consumer writes in regards to damaged inverter. *ld *js the consumer stated while driving the vehicle began to lose power and warning lights flashed on the dashboard.
2009 Toyota Prius electrical complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 60, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The multi-function display (mfd) stopped working around 200k. At first, the screen would not respond to touch, then it would freeze or appear fuzzy, then the display had static or would go on and off, now it is just black, with the rare incident (every couple of months, usually when it is cold outside) where the mfd displays a white screen or gray screen with lines through it. As many of the vehicles features (rear camera, A/C, radio, odometer, mileage, etc.) are controlled through the mfd, I have been unable to utilize these features. On other message boards (priuschat) this appears to be a rather common problem and should warrant some sort of corrective assistance from the manufacture.
Our prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. Happens while driving, while parked and I just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. When I hit on brake, the brake makes very annoying noise.
Our prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. Happens while driving, while parked and I just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. When I hit on brake, the brake booster makes very annoying noise.
Complete shutdown of prius automobile with no warning while in motion on a city street. Rolled to a stop in safe area. Nothing worked except emergency blinkers. No instrumentation or warning lights appeared. The car was locked in fwd park and could not be towed by flatbed tow truck as there is no override. Lift tow truck was used to get to dealer. Diagnosed as melted hybrid invertor pump. Dealer replaced pump and fuse for a $641.47 cost to me. If this had happened on a highway/freeway it would have been a disaster. The complete loss of power without warning at freeway speed could very easily ended up as a multiple car pile up. Just the thought of crossing multiple lanes in traffic with no power, just rolling, makes me think it's time to get rid of this car.
My headlights keep randomly turning off on their own while parked or driving, in the dark or the light. To troubleshoot I have replaced the headlights and tightened the wire connections, but the problem continues. Only turning the headlights off and back on seems to temporarily fix the problem...until the next time it turns itself off. I had a similar problem with my honda pilot 2005 a few years ago and there was a safety recall on the headlight wire harness kit that was corroded from humidity and overheating and failing. This has now happened dozens of time on my prius, mostly affecting the left headlight only, but a couple times on both headlights.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that a warning indicator flashed on the instrument panel regarding the brake system when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact also noticed smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact inspected the vehicle and found a leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to salinas toyota (700 auto center cir, salinas, ca 93907, (831) 444-0700) where it was diagnosed that there was an internal brake fluid leak; however, the vehicle was excluded from the manufacturer warranty campaign. The manufacturer indicated that the obt2 sensor did not show the specific diagnostic trouble code (dtc) to receive the brake actuator replacement covered by the campaign. The dealer and the manufacturer refused to honor the warranty campaign for dtc number: c1240. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. *tt consumer stated smoke started coming under the hood. Noticed fluid dripping from engine onto the exhaust pipe. Dealer determined it was not an oil leak but empty brake reservoir. Updated 11/27/18
2009 toyota prius driver side headlight keeps going out, it works when you turn on the vehicle, and then it goes out, I have changed the bulb, and also change the ballast, but no luck, I got the warning 3 days ago, and now if I get pulled over, I will get the ticket,
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. While driving approximately 60 MPH, all the warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred approximately three other times. The contact also stated that the brakes seized while driving through a parking lot. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact mentioned that there was a technical service bulletin (t-sb-0032-16) in reference to the ABS actuator, but the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and case number: 1806043060 was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 183,483.
Right headlight intermittently goes out. Sometimes turning headlights off and back on brings the headlight back on. The headlight usually does not turn on when the car is started up.
I was driving my 2009 toyota prius on a very cold day (roughly 10 to 20 degrees f). The red brake warning light was on, along with the ABS, vcs and yellow "!" lights. The brakes were extremely soft for about the first 5-10 minutes of operation. I would push the brake pedal as far as it would go (it would not go all the way to the floor) and the brakes would seems to be engaging at about 30%-50% of their normal stopping power. After the vehicle warmed up, the warning lights on the dash went away and the brakes began operating normally. The following week, my wife was driving the vehicle on another very cold day (again probably about 10 degrees). She stated that the above mentioned lights stayed on for her entire commute (less than 10 minutes) but that when she arrived to work, her brakes were not working. She described that she pressed the brake pedal as far as it would go, but the brakes did not seem to be fully engaging. She stated that she nearly hit a wall as she was pulling into the parking lot at her work. I have found similar issues listed on prius forums online. Perhaps it is a electrical or computer problem as opposed to a problem with the brakes. We have never had the problem when the temperature was above 25 degrees.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly exploded and burst into flames without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle was securely parked for six weeks while the contact was away. The police and fire departments were at the scene, but no reports were filed. There were no injuries. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
My headlight passenger side keeps going out after a few seconds of turning on. This keeps me from driving at night. My computer controls on my dash board that works the AC. And displays the information about the car does not work. My ABS break light will not go off. This has affected my breaking system on my car. All of these items I have mentioned all occurred while I was driving the car.
Display for odometer, speedometer and gas gauge goes out intermittently.the 'combination meter' (a.k.a. 'instrument panel' or 'cluster', the thing you're looking at in front of you) is bad. There are several electrical components in the circuit board that control how it 'powers up', and they fail. Lacking the ability to power up, the display goes black. Joe myers quoted us $1156 for repair, and one week repair time. Service advisor said that repair part is fixed part so that problem will no longer occur. We must drive the vehicle till we replace it. No offer was made to provide a loaner car if 07 prius went into shop for replacement cluster. It is really unsafe to drive without knowing speed that car is traveling. And we would not know gas level. Who wants to run out of fuel? Very unsafe. Why isn't toyota owning up to this deficiency? Shouldn't it be a recall repair? We are the original owner and we have taken the vehicle into the dealership service shop for repairs since we purchased the vehicle.
If my car sits in the sun, on occasion the audio controls - am/fm, volume, power, track selector, etc. Fail to function (they are unresponsive). If the car is turned off, then back on, they work. This is not a safety concern, per se. My concern is not the audio portion not working, but the system design and quality of components. Were these same components used elsewhere in the car? I've only seen this happen when my car has become hot sitting (not running) due to the weather. Usually when I parked facing west and the sun has been hitting the front of the car all day and I leave from work. This hasn't happened in the past 2-3 years because I've kept my car out of the sun when parking. It occurred between 2012 an 2014. I do not have an exact date of when it occurred even though your form forces me to specify one.
Traveling 101 north toward ventura, on the top of the down hill grade just south of the camirillo springs exit. All lights on panel came on. Estimate 65 MPH, applied brake to slow with traffic flow. No brakes,no warning.semi tracker trailers also slowing. Took exit bottom of hill with flashes on, went thru stop sign as my speed at approx 45-48mph. Went thru second stop sign made sharp left pulled emergency brake on... This is a garage car serviced by dealer only, 3rd time for electrical problem! Never while driving.... This was near fatal! This was an electrical problem of the manufacture, never repaired correctly! Have 3 copies of repairs for the electrical starting 6 months after purchase car...help.
I have contacted toyota concerning the failure of a combination meter in my daughter's 2007 prius. This happened on startup. This item is related to the display screen. As mentioned in their warranty policy bulletin no: pol 12-05 dated 10/12/12 a failure can result in the screen going dark. If this happens in the night this can result in a serious safety issue both because of the unexpected and immediate distraction and the loss of critical visual information. Their warranty bulletin does not seem to address the seriousness of the matter. It is my opinion that this item should be an immediate recall. My 2009 prius is one of those mentioned in their bulletin. Though I have not experienced any failure, I became aware of this issue with the recent event that my daughter experienced. Neither I nor my daughter has received any notification from toyota. I am a fan of the prius as is my daughter, but this issue is too serious to simply ignore. It is my hope that this will be addressed with toyota.
Multifunction display functions intermittently. Originally, problem only appeared in conjunction with combination meter failure during cold weather starts. Combination meter has been replaced by toyota per their extended warranty but multifunction display problem persists. On cold starts in the morning the unit does not function. Later in the day, after sitting in the sun for a while, the unit will occasionally start to work but might go on/off and reset itself while driving. All navigation memory is still there, including AC settings but phone settings are wiped out. This multifunction display is the primary control for AC and heater, navigation system, telephone/bluetooth, audio, diagnostics/maintenance, etc. Toyota has informed me that the unit is defective and needs to be sent to the manufacturer (fujitsu) for repair. This appears to be a well documented problem with this unit on gen 2 priuses 2004-2009. There should be an extended warranty on this piece of equipment just like the extended warranty on the combination meter.
Headlights go off without warning, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes both. Inconsistent and notice only at night. Can't fix and can't find solution. Headlights don't need to be replaced - there is something wrong with car wiring or other. I've had this car since 2009 and only had problem last six months or so - probably starting 1/2016. Car has approx. 65k miles on it. Very unsafe - especially at night in city when I can't follow another car and I can't tell if my headlights are on or not!
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 toyota prius. While driving 30 MPH, the rear passenger side of the vehicle caught fire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the impound lot. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. When the ignition switch was turned to the on position, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic power steering ecu failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,331.
Steering in my 2009 prius completed failed and locked up. I literally was unable to steer my car. Luckily, I was on a neighborhoor street about to turn into my driveway and was not driving at high speeds or in a turn lane. I cannot believe that an electronic steering component like this can faili? How is this possible? I want to ensure that this doesn't happen to other prius drivers and ensure that this isn't a faulty part issue. It is a public safetly issue and that there needs to be some sort of back up steering mechisim to prevent this from happening in the event that there is a "short inside the power steering electronic control unit. I shutter to think what could of happened.
The ballasts for the hid lights in the 2009 prius are famously unreliable. Mine demonstrated this last evening in a very unnerving way. The headlamps would simply turn off without warning, sometimes one, and many times, both, leaving me to the mercy of street lights! This is incredibly dangerous. I checked on it and found that this happens to hundreds of prius drivers. Isn't toyota concerned that its $1,200 charge for fixing its own defective equipment (for the ballasts are known for this) will lead to death of poor persons who cannot afford the fix? Shouldn't there be a general recall for such a consumer-safety issue? (sure, cycling the lights turns them back on, but when you are driving in the dark, it isn't easy to think well.)
When my 2009 toyota prius goes over 65 MPH the problem light flashes on the display and the the engine oil light illuminates as well.
This car has had 3 new batteries and it has just over 5,000 miles. Today aaa jumped the car and I drove for over an hour to charge up the battery, then I went grocery shopping, came out and the car wouldn't start. Called aaa they came out and started my car and came home. Got up to take it into the dealership and it won't start. The test he ran on the battery I was told the battery is ok, there is something wrong in the electrical system. The electrical monitor on the dashboard does not show me how many miles per hour I have been driving. The blue line go up making me think the battery is charged, but when I stop I cannot restart the car. I cannot afford to keep taking my car into toyota to get it fixed. The dealership is toyota temecula valley on ynez rd, also called toyota4u.com. Maybe it is the power button, not connecting to the electrical. Last time the service rep yelled at me that it was my fault for not take the car out every day and driving it on the freeway, and I was so embarrassed I said just put another battery in it. I have always had cadillac before this, but I felt toyota was a reliable car, and my neighbor like them.
Driving on a dark road I went from high beams to low and the entire lighting system went out. I was quick so cycled the headlight switch, everything came back on but the passenger headlight. Tried replacing the light bulb, it still wont work. I paid extra for these h I d headlights. Now I'm told 1000 dollars to fix them.
I had just purchased my 2009 toyota prius the evening of friday december 28th 2012 and had only driven that weekend. Then on the 31st I noticed when I was pulling into a gas station I had only one headlight working... Didn't think to much about it. Then when I was leaving noticed that both lights were on working. A few hours later I noticed a flicker like a light was going out. Noticed again passenger headlight was going out.. I had the car back at the shop over a battery issue on january 2nd as my battery had suddenly died. When I took it up to toyota I mentioned the headlight was told oh nothing they can see. Then months later it continued. Then again every now and then.. I would flip the lights on and off and sometimes it wouldn't do it again for months... Then in sept 2013 it started to do it on both sides. Again contacted toyota nothing. Then my teenager daughter had the car and called me hysterical saying no headlights were on. She had just gotten her license days prior. Her first outing without me. Then again battery issue went back to toyota was told not a clue. Now reading the info I've come across with 2001-2009 prius headlight issues I'm pissed that toyota is aware of this and lied and said theyhad not heard of such a thing. Now october 2014 I am no longer able to drive the car in the rain or at night. As I now have no headlights. I find this a major safety issue and considering how many people have stated this and the fact someone can be killed or injured seriously as one overlooks I think is a major serious issue and concern. I am not paying to have headlights replaced or electrical issues as this is something that needs to be recalled and fixed by toyota.
My 2009 prius has a non-navigation mulit-function display that controls everything from sound to temperature to hands free phone. Plus, it functions as the rearview camera display. In august of 2014 at about 80,000 miles the screen began to turn off spontaneously while driving (if it turned on at all.) I have read many reports of this happening to the 2009 models. I am concerned most about the rear view screen because this model of prius has large blindspots and I relied heavily on this screen.
The rubber cover to the outside truck latch has melted completely in hot florida weather and has become gooey to the point of dripping onto my license plate. The truck is very difficult to open and sometimes I am unable to lock or open the car because the trunk is not all the way closed. This is a safety issue because if I needed to get into the trunk to get a spare tire I may not be able to. Given many other reports of this issue dating back to 2007 models, toyota should stop using this type of component and should recall this item and fix it with a different material so this does not keep happening. I am also concerned the exposed latch will cause electrical damage to the trunk or lighting because of severe rain that often occurs in florida where this problem seems prevalent.
There has been no injuries or vehicle damage. I left off total repair cost because the repair shop has not finished solving the problem. In 2013 I started have having headlight problems and have it about three months since. I have replaced the headlight bulbs several times on both sides. One time the headlights would operate opposite( one side would be high beam only and the other would be low beam only and when switching the switch inside to high beam the headlights would switch as to what they did only. On wed 8/20/14 the low beam quit working. I earlier purchased a new plug and 2 new bulbs in case I had a problem. I took the car to an independent repair shop( my only toyota dealer in my town can not be trusted) where I live. He installed the new plug and we tried each of the two new bulbs and they exhibited the same problem - the low beam was just a spec of light; not enough for the low beam. He tested the voltage in the ground side of the plug and the fuse position in the fuse assembly and it lit up his voltage tester with a spec of light. He had no idea what system sent the voltage to the low beam side for the passenger side headlight. I am taking the car back on wed 8/27/14 to finish the job.
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