2006 Toyota Prius Electrical System

Randomly the instrument panel (dashboard) does not turn on with the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to shut-off as needed with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on three separate occasions and the mechanic was able to either disconnect the battery or shut-off the vehicle as designed. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was out of warranty and that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact filed a case with the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. Consumer stated Toyota is refusing to responsibility even with extended warranty if problem occurred after 2012.

TOYOTA REFUSES TO REPLACE THE COMBINATION METER IN MY VEHICLE ALTHOUGH IT ONLY HAS 110K MILES ON IT. THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED MY VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED WITH THE BATCH OF MODELS THAT HAVE THIS KNOWN ISSUE UNDER 2004-2009 TOYOTA PRIUS COMBINATION METER WARRANTY EXTENSION ZTV, BUT WILL NOT COVER. THIS IS NOT RIGHT FOR A CONSUMER TO BE ON THE HOOK FOR TOYOTA'S QUALITY ISSUE. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE UNDER A FORMAL RECALL.

KNOWN PROBLEM WITH COMBINATION METER - FOUND IT SEARCHING ONLINE ONCE I REALIZED THIS WAS THE PROBLEM. I BOUGHT MY CAR USED AND SINCE IT IS NO LONGER COVERED BY TOYOTA, IT DIDN'T COME UP IN SEARCH. HAVING ISSUES WITH THERE BEING NO DISPLAY ON THE DASH AND VEHICLE NOT SHUTTING OFF FOR THE ENTIRE TIME I HAVE HAD THE CAR. IT ONLY HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR SURE! CAN'T SEE SPEED, GAS, GEARS...ANYTHING ABOUT CAR WHETHER CAR STATIONARY OR MOVING.

MY HV BATTERY HAS A PROBLEM. THE RED TRIANGLE SHOWED WHEN THE CAR MILLAGE WAS ONLY 118000M. I CHECKED WITH SERVCO AND REPLACED ONE CELL OF THE HV BATTERY. HOWEVER, THE RED TRIANGLE SHOWED AGAIN, AND CODE READER FOUND ANOTHER DAMAGED CELL. THAT WOULD BE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE WHOLE HV BATTERY WAS DAMAGED.

THE PROBLEM FIRST STARTED IN WINTER OF 2016, ONLY WHEN TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW 30 DEGREES. THE TRUNK HATCH RELEASE SWITCH WOULD NOT FULLY RELEASE, CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO WORK THE SWITCH SEVERAL TIMES AND PULL UP HARD ON THE HATCH IN ORDER TO OPEN IT. THE PROBLEM SLOWLY GOT WORSE AND WEATHER NO LONGER PLAYED A ROLE IN AFFECTING IT. IT STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY AND NO LONGER WOULD OPEN THE HATCH SO IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

COMBINATION METER IS GOING OUT ON THE CAR. THIS CONTROLS THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS, MEANING THAT I CANNOT SEE HOW FAST I AM GOING OR IF THERE ARE ANY GAUGES OR SENSORS LIT UP ALERTING ME TO A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS BUT IT HAS NOW EXPIRED AND THEY WANT $1000 TO FIX IT.

DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENT

CAR WAS BROUGHT TO TOYOTA OF HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA FOR A NEW BATTERY. WHEN IT WAS RETURNED NONE OF THE DASHBOARD WAS WORKING: NO SPEEDOMETER, NO GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR, NO FUEL GAUGE, NO ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS, NO BACKUP INDICATOR BEEPER. ADDITIONALLY IT TAKES MANY TRIES OVER MINUTES TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND IT LOCKS THE REAR HATCH WHICH CANNOT BE OPENED WITH THE INSIDE DOOR UNLOCK BUTTON. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A DANGEROUS AND HAZARDOUS SITUATION WHICH I EXPECTED THAT THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER, TOYOTA, WOULD TAKE CARE OF IMMEDIATELY. THEY CLAIM THAT THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WON'T FIX IT. IT SHOULD BE PART OF A VEHICLE SAFETY RECALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, ALL THE GAUGES, METERS, AND LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,000.

LETTER FROM SENATOR MURPHY ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT REGARDING HIS 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS WARRANTY COVERAGE (ATTN: KATIE AGATI). *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WORK NEEDS TO BE PERFORMED ON THE HYBRID BATTERY PACK. TOYOTA REFUSED TO COVER THE WORK UNDER WARRANTY, BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF THE COUNTRY.*JB

ON VERY COLD MORNINGS THE COMBINATION METER (SPEEDOMETER AND DASH LIGHTS) FAIL TO COME ON. THIS FIRST BEGAN IN DECEMBER 2014 SHORTLY AFTER HAVING THE ICE REPLACED AT THE DEALER, BUT IT HAS BEEN VERY INTERMITTENT. A FEW TRIES AND THE PROBLEM USUALLY CORRECTS ITSELF. IT IS RARELY VERY COLD HERE SO GETTING IT TO REPEAT THE PROBLEM IS DIFFICULT. TOYOTA ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE KNOWN DEFECT BUT IT EXPIRED 4 MONTHS AGO AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. TOYOTA IS AWARE THAT THERE IS A DEFECT. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CAR WILL DRIVE BUT THERE IS NO SPEEDOMETER OR FUEL GAUGE AND THE ODOMETER CEASES TO WORK. I DID NOT TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER LAST WINTER BECAUSE FOR ONE THING I COULDN'T MAKE IT REPEAT THE PROBLEM AND ALSO BECAUSE I SUFFERED A GRAND MAL SEIZURE AND WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR FOR A YEAR. NOW I CAN DRIVE AGAIN AND EVERYTHING HAS BEEN FINE UNTIL NOW THAT IT IS WINTER AGAIN. TOYOTA CLAIMS THEY NOTIFIED ME OF THIS WARRANTY EXTENSION BUT I NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THEM. I THINK IT IS A DANGEROUS AND KNOWN DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY TOYOTA. I DO NOT LIKE DRIVING WITHOUT INSTRUMENTS!

TOYOTA IS AWARE OF A WIDESPREAD ISSUE REGARDING THE ELECTRIC DASHBOARD GOING OUT. THEY HAVE REFUSED TO REPLACE MINE DUE TO IT BEING PAST THE "TIME WINDOW". THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. DRIVERS ARE UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE ANY WARNING LIGHTS, WHAT THE FUEL TANK READS, MILEAGE, OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION. THIS AFFECTS MORE THAN JUST THE 2006 MODEL, AS WELL.

WITHOUT WARNING THE DASHBOARD STOPPED WORKING. THE CAR WAS STOPPED AND POWER BUTTON WAS PUSHED AT THE TIME WHEN FACT OCCURRED IN A VERY ISOLATED PLACE WITH NO CELL PHONE SERVICE AN LITTLE CHANCE OF ANY OTHER CAR PASSING BY. THE CAR DOES NOT DISPLAY ANYMORE SPEED, MILEAGE, FUEL LEVEL AND GEARBOX POSITION, ALTHOUGH THE CAR WAS OTHERWISE DRIVEABLE. WARNING LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING ANYMORE ALSO. BACKUP CAMERA AND LIGHTS ALSO STOPPED WORKING. CAR ALSO DOES NOT TURN OFF MOST OF TIME (THE POWER BUTTON MIGHT WORK AT RANDOM WITH SOME INSISTENCE). ACCORDING TO INFORMATION GATHERED THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A FAULTY COMBINATION METER, WHICH TOYOTA WAS SERVICING FOR FREE FOR SOME TIME OWING TO A HIGH FAILURE RATE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMEN PANEL FAILED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO BE ABLE TO VIEW THE READING LEVELS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMBO METER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARRENTY REPAIR HAD EXPIRED AND THAT THE REPAIRS WOULD BE AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

HID LIGHTS FAIL WHILE DRIVING , AT NIGHT IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. WHERE DO I GO TO GET THEM REPAIRED / REPLACED WITHOUT PAYING FOR THE MANUFACTURES DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT ? I LIVE IN SAN JOSE, CA. 95111

DASH BOARD DISABLED .CAINT SEE TOTALLY BLACK.

THE CAR WAS AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT (NIGHTIME). WHEN I TRIED TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF, THE CAR WOULD NOT SHUT DOWN. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO TOYOTA ESPECIALLY ON HIGH MILEAGE VEHICLES. THE CAR HAS 217,000 MILES (ORIGINAL OWNER). TOYOTA ISSUED T-SB-0172-09 AS A "WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM" IN ORDER TO AVOID AN OFFICIAL RECALL OF THE PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY, I MISSED THE DEADLINE BY 3 MONTHS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COMBINATION METER FAILED AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BECAME INOPERABLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONCE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION THE NEXT MORNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 147,000.

I WAS DRIVING MY HUSBAND TO WORK WHEN I NOTICED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS COMPLETELY DARK. TRIED TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN WITH NO EFFECT -- PANEL WAS STILL DARK. IT'S PARTICULARLY WORRISOME THAT I HAD NO SPEEDOMETER TO TELL HOW FAST I WAS GOING, NOR WOULD ANY OF THE OTHER INDICATOR LIGHTS COME ON. WHEN I TRIED TO TURN THE CAR OFF A SECOND TIME, IT WOULDN'T POWER DOWN, AND I COULDN'T EXTRACT THE KEY. I COULDN'T EVEN LOCK THE CAR SO I COULD LEAVE IT THERE TO SEEK AID. IN DOING RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN FAULT WITH THE COMBINATION METER AND TOYOTA KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM AND ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION. HOWEVER, THEIR WARRANTY ONLY COVERED CARS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM WHEN THE LETTER WENT OUT AND DURING A SPECIFIED DATE RANGE, IRREGARDLESS OF MILEAGE. THEY WOULD NOT HAVE REPLACED THE PART DURING THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BECAUSE I HAD NOT YET EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM, AND NOW THEY REFUSE TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART BECAUSE MY EXPERIENCE HAPPENED 4 MONTHS AFTER THEIR ARBITRARY CUT-OFF DATE. A FAULTY PART IS A FAULTY PART AND SHOULD BE REPLACED WHEN THEY KNOW IT'S A PROBLEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE A TIME LIMIT. THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE DRIVING, HOW MUCH GAS YOU HAVE, ETC. AND YOU CAN'T SHUT IT DOWN OR LOCK IT EITHER....UPDATED 08/25/15 *BF UPDATED 12/3/2015 *JS

MY HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OFF WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE TO TURN THEM OFF THEN ON AGAIN TO GET THEM TO WORK. SOMETIMES ONE, SOMETIMES BOTH, NOT ALWAYS AT THE SAME MOMENT. YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS! NHTSA: I AM GOING TO HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE IF I AM INJURED!! ISSUE A RECALL NOW!! NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE09019

THE INSTURMENT CLUSTER ( SPEEDOMETER, BACKUP CAMERA, ETC) FAILED ONE NIGHT. A SYSTEM RESET RESTORED THINGS THE NEXT DAY, BUT NOW IT HAS STARTED TO FAIL ROUTINELY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE Y INCAPACITATING THE SPEEDOMETER AND THE BACKUP COMERA. TOYOTA STATES THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ONCE AND WILL NOT FIX IT, EVEN THOUGH THIS CAR HAS NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE BEFORE. THE CAR HAS 60,000 MILES. THE CAR ALSO FAILS TO TURN OFF LEAVING A MAJOR POTENTIAL FOR AN UNAVOIDABLE ACCIDENT.

THE COMBO METER ON MY CAR WENT DARK THIS MORNING. I CALLED TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT MY WARRANTY EXPIRED 2 MONTHS AGO. THIS IS NOT SAFE BECAUSE THERE IS NO INDICATION ON WHAT THE VEHICLE IS DOING. ALSO THIS FEATURE CAUSES THE CAR TO NOT SHUT OFF.

WHILE DRIVING, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL COMBINATION METER THAT DISPLAYS THE VEHICLE SPEED AND OTHER INFORMATION WENT BLANK. AFTER PULLING OVER CAR, I TRIED TO TURN IT OFF USING THE POWER BUTTON BUT IT WOULD NOT TURN OFF. AFTER A FEW TRIES, I HELD DOWN POWER BUTTON FOR 5 SECONDS AND IT FINALLY DID GO TO ACCESSORY MODE, BUT DID NOT TURN OFF ALTOGETHER. IT TOOK SEVERAL PRESSES OF THE BUTTON TO FINALLY GET THE CAR TO SHUT OFF. I TALKED TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER WHO TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND TOYOTA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THE COMBINATION METER TO 9 YEARS (T-SB-0172-09). UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS 4 MONTHS PAST THE 9 YEAR MARK, SO IT WOULD COST ME $1500 TO REPLACE THE PART. I HAVE SINCE TALKED TO TWO OTHER PEOPLE I KNOW WHO HAVE THE SAME MODEL PRIUS AND THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE IN THE PAST YEAR, ONE OF WHICH WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AS HE HAD THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE 9 YEAR MARK. THE OTHER WAS IN THE SAME SITUATION AS ME AS IT HAPPENED AFTER THE 9 YEAR MARK. AN ONLINE SEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS IS BECOMING A VERY COMMON ISSUE AND HAPPENING TO MANY JUST AFTER THE 9 YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRES, RESULTING IN A LOT OF UPSET OWNERS. I DID CHECK MY FILES AND SEE THAT A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT NOTICE WAS SENT TO ME A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THAT STATES THAT THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED BY A LIMITED NUMBER OF OWNERS AND THAT IF IT DOES HAS HAPPENED TO MY CAR, I DID NOT NEED TO TAKE ACTION AT THIS TIME. IN HINDSIGHT, I SHOULD NOT HAVE FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS AND INSTEAD TOOK MY CAR IN AND INSISTED ON A WARRANTY REPAIR. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE HANDLED AS A RECALL RATHER THAN WITH A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT WITH A LIMITED WARRANTY PERIOD. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 34000 MILES ON IT.