This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the instrument panel indicators failed to illuminate. The contact mentioned that the instrument panel failed to display any warning indicators or the fuel amount. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the contact did not know what parts needed to be repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Our car was stationary all 3 times the instrument cluster went out, where we could not see what gear we were in, the speedometer, odometer or fuel gauge. One time, even though we pushed the power button, the car would not turn off. Toyota advised they issued a warranty enhancement, after a technical services bulletin was issued, but we did not receive the notice. We feel the NHTSA should have made them issue a recall as this is not safe. Toyota told us we are past the 9 year enhancement so they are refusing to pay for the repair. Although we have not experienced it, we were told others have been in a situation where the car conked out on the interstate when they were going 65 mph. We hope NHTSA will make Toyota issue a recall on this dangerous problem.
The headlights constantly go off by themselves sporadically. I never know when the issue occurs only if I see my headlights reflected in the car in front of me do I know whether one of the lights are out. Turning the lights off and clicking them back on temporarily resolves the problem, but it is a constant problem that is unsafe and scary at times because it causes extreme visibility issues. This has happened at any time, while I'm on the street, while I'm parked and on the highway.
The dashboard went black with no visibility to speed, fuel tank gauge, or other instruments in this panel. Also, car would not power off. The instrument panel went dark while I was driving on a city street. The engine power down problem occurred in my driveway upon my return from my city use.
Interior lights are extremely dim. Affecting tons of Prius owners. Shift knob was working and has not gone out as well. Too expensive to replace the light bulb in shifter knob. No solution for interior dimmed lighting that lots of people are complaining about. Dealer said they know of the issue and it exists in all 2007 Toyota Prius models.
- Redmond, WA, USA
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I was driving down the road at 65 mph when the electronic instrument panel went blank I could no longer tell how fast I was going, how much fuel I had left or if any of the warning lights ( low tire, low oil, running high temperature, etc. ) were on. The display originally went out in 2010 but the Toyota dealership told me how to correct it. It has happened 2 more times since then the latest being the third. This time it has rendered the car unsafe and undriveable. I found out searching the internet that Toyota has been aware of this problem since 2009. Siting T-sb-0172-09 combination meter intermittent display which affected Prius from 2004 to 2009, for 3 years 36000 miles. In 2012 they issued a warranty enhancement program for the same problem combination meter intermittent display and then became 9 years from date of first use or before September of 2013 with unlimited mileage. Since it was a warranty enhancement instead of a recall they did not send notices to everyone with Prius about this defect. Since notice was not supplied I was one of I am sure quite a few who fell through the cracks. I contacted Toyota about the situation and was informed that Toyota would do nothing to correct the problem.
In September 2014 I turned on the ignition and the dash did not come on. The car would drive but it did not indicate speed, gear selector etc. Upon parking the vehicle would not turn off. By moving forward and backward and trying to turn it off repeatedly it eventually turned off. This did not reoccur until the following year when the weather got wet in southern California. It would happen occasionally on cold damp mornings and then everything would be functional the next time I drove it. It started happening often and for multiple days in 2016. It became so difficult to turn the car off (and if the car does turn off there is little indication so I had a close call when I exited the vehicle and it began to roll away) that I went online to see if anyone else had had this problem. Apparently it is very common and Toyota is aware of the design flaw, so they will repair it under warranty for 9 years from the new vehicle purchase date. I called Toyota and they said that the car was 9 years and 4 months old and they would not cover it and it would be ~$1500 to fix. I explained that it had been going on for 2+ years and they said there was nothing they could do. I asked why they had not notified owners and they said that it was not a "recall" so they didn't have to. This is a safety issue and an acknowledged design flaw that poses a safety hazard to the public. When the Prius "combination meter" is not functioning the vehicle can not be turned off quickly and the vehicle may drive off if the the emergency brake is not strong enough to overcome the engine. Please compel Toyota to at least notify owners of vehicles affected by this design flaw. Even better, compel them to fix defective vehicles or issue a recall for all vehicles to head of this potential public safety threat.
MY DASHBOARD WENT DARKING INCLUDING THE SPEEDOMETER AND IT APPEARS TO ALSO DISABLE THE ODOMETER WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THIS HAPPENED AFTER STOPPING TO FILL UP FOR GAS. AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR THE DASHBOARD WILL NO LONGER LIGHT UP. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU CAN TEMPORALLY RESET THE FAULTY PART BY DISCONNECTING IT FROM THE BATTERY AND RECONNECTING IT. THIS ISSUE IS REGARDING A PROBLEM THAT IS KNOWN TO TOYOTA, THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THIS PART TO 9 YEARS/UNLIMITED MILES. MY PRIUS WAS EFFECTED AFTER 9 1/2 YEARS PUTTING ME PAST THE WARRANTY THEY EXTENDED. THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE "COMBINATION METER", IT APPEARS TO BE CAUSED BY A BAD SOLDER DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. RESEARCH SHOWS ME THIS EFFECTS 2004-2009 PRIUS MODELS AND IT LOOKS LIKE MOST PRIUS WILL RUN INTO THE ISSUE AT SOME POINT. I'M NOT SURE WHY THIS HASN'T BEEN A RECALL AS NO SPEEDOMETER IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY ISSUE, THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AND TOYOTA SEEMS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM WITH THEIR WARRANTY EXTENSION. I IMAGINE IT TOOK ME MORE THAN NINE YEARS AS WE ONLY HAVE 90,000 MILES AFTER NEARLY 10 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. A GOOGLE SEARCH ON TOYOTA PRIUS COMBINATION METER PROBLEM WILL BRING UP A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The rubber cover of the rear lift gate switch has deteriorated to the point where the switch won't work any more. I am unable to access the spare tire and other important things in the back of the car.
While I was driving, the car suddenly made a very loud sound, that did not go away. Along with that, the lights on the dash lit up, the brake light, the red hazard exclamation triangle light, the ABS and vsc light. It felt the brakes were not working and I would need to press it down hard for it to slow down. This has happened three times! and each time I took it in to Toyota, their diagnostic tests showed nothing. They think it could be the battery but they did not suggest changing it. The three episodes that happened, luckily no injuries or crashes. But it is very concerning as I feel this will happen again and they have not figured out what the problem is.
This 07 Toyota Prius dash instrument lights will go out whether stationary or in motion and or not come on at the start of the vehicle. The car can be driven but there is no way to reference the speed or vital functions of the vehicle when this occurs. Also the vehicle will not turn off when the power button is pushed when the dash is inoperative unless you hold the power button down for an extended amount of time. Toyota knows about this issue but the time limit on the unpublished extended warranty that I was told has expired. We bought this vehicle new in 07.this vehicle started doing this recently. This should have been a recall item on this vehicle due to the potential safety issue.
Dashboard display (including backup display) intermittently functions. This happens when stationary, in motion, on a city street or highway, turning, driving straight, or breaking. The following unsafe conditions resulted: No speedometer, no gas gauge, no tire pressure gauge, no odometer, no cruise control, no backup display, etc.
As I was coming back from livermore to san jose down the sunol grande last weekend, my dash lights suddenly went out meaning I had no speedometer or wait to tell how much gas I had and the ABS and stability control went out while going 65 miles an hour down a steep hill.luckily I was able to get home and don't ask me how I figured out to get the car to turn off. I called the one 800 Toyota number and it turns out there was a problem with something called the combo meter on these cars and it had an extended warranty for a total of nine years. My warranty expired they said April 2016. This seems like a serious safety issue that Toyota should cover if they are concerned about their customers safety.
Driving on a rainy day, ABS and vsc lights on dash came on. My car violently fishtailed almost 180 degrees, back and forth 6 times on a curve getting off a freeway (about 45 mph) nearly crashed. I proceeded very slowly to side street. Car shimmied to right making a left turn. Felt like I was driving on ice. Called a tow truck. Dealership found rodent damage to wires to wheel speed sensor. I discovered manufacturers using soy oil on wiring. $1300 repair.
Takata recall. My car won't shut off. They say the instrument panel cluster needs replaced. It has been on back order for 13 days so my car is useless. I can't drive it. I paid either 23,000 or 28,000 for it and have kept it maintained. The Toyota place says they have another lady that's been waiting 3 days less than mine. I called California Toyota. They can't tell me anything - but today told me it might be on back order. This is a safety issue. A car that won't shut off is a danger. It could kick into gear. It could damage the motor. A car that you can't tell how much gas is in it can be a problem as well. I can't drive it. The speedometer won't work. This is a problem with safety as if you can't tell what speed you are going you risk tickets. The Toyota place in birmingham has replaced 30 of these instrument clusters. If that is representative nationwide there is a big problem and these cars should be recalled. I only have 150,000 miles approx. On my car. The salesman told me it would last at least 300,000 miles. I had to replace the $4800 battery at 103000 miles. My other gripe is they didn't tell me until 13 days later it was "probably" on back order. I wouldn't have rented a car for 13 days had I known it was "probably" on back order.
The trunk opener switch on my 2007 Prius no longer works reliably because it is made of a defective rubber which has at this point melted into a goopy mess. This means that the opener switch can become stuck in the closed position, rendering it impossible to open the trunk until the release mechanism of the switch overcomes the tensile strength of the goop. As a cursory google search shows, this is a common problem which Toyota routinely refuses to repair. It is a potential safety issue because a pet or child could be difficult to retrieve from the trunk area if the trunk cannot be opened. An unexpected hazard such as a leaking propane tank or a battery fire in the trunk area could similarly be difficult to mitigate.
Combination meter failure while driving. Unable to view speedometer or dash lights. Car sometimes locks up, unable to view ABS signal because dashlights become inoperable. Unable to turn car off during dashboard/combination meter failure.
The electronic dash (heads up instrument display) on our 2007 Prius has intermittently failed to light over the last year. Yesterday, it failed and also wouldn't turn off. We always use the remote (keyless) ignition system. But, after the failures yesterday I put the electronic key fob into the hole in the dash thinking that might help. Instead, I couldn't remove it. I tried every combination of pressing buttons (the park and power buttons) and other controls, brakes pedal, shifter and it still wouldn't shut off or light up the display. After holding the power button in for an extended amount of time, it turned off and ejected the key fob. But then the car wouldn't light up the instrument display or start. This morning, again, it would not start. I was told by an experienced Prius mechanic (also an owner) that these were classic symptoms of a failing power amplifier for the display and that it was a "secret warranty, " a voluntary repair to avoid a government recall, but that Toyota would only do it for 10 years. The dealer refused to do it under warranty even though the symptoms began before the car was 10 years old. They told me the recall was only good for nine years. They want $765 for the repair. It strikes me that this is a safety failure and should be covered, period. With no indication of speed or other functions (ABS function, traction control, etc.), or to turn the vehicle off, it is unsafe to operate the vehicle. The various failures, including loss of cruise control while in motion, took place when the car was cold and when it was warmed up. At rest and in motion.
Bought 2007 Prius used and everything worked. Now the driver side headlight wont work after several new lightbulbs and a ballast have been changed. It has never been in an accident to my knowledge, I would like to know if Toyota will fix their problematic vehicle.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Inglewood, CA, USA