2006 Toyota Prius Electrical System

I PURCHASED A NEW 12V BATTERY AT ABOUT 30K MILES. AT ABOUT 59K MILES THE 12V WAS DISCHARGING AT RANDOM TIMES. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS LEAVING LIGHTS ON, BUT IT BEGAN HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND LEARNED THAT WHEN THE KEY IS IN SMART MODE AND IT IS WITHIN 10 FEET OF THE CAR IT CAN DISCHARGE THE 12V. I TURNED OFF THE SMART KEY BUT THE 12V DISCHARGED AGAIN A FEW MORE TIMES UNTIL I COULD NO LONGER GET A CHARGE WHEN I JUMPED IT. I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO INSTALLED A NEW 12V AND 2 FUSES ($500!!), BUT THERE WERE 4 OR 5 WARNING LIGHTS THAT COULDN'T BE RESET SO I DROVE IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. FOR SOME REASON THE TOYOTA SERVICE REP ASKED IF I HAD ALL THE RECALLS SERVICED. I WAS TOLD I COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE IT NEEDED A NEW ELECTRONIC CONVERTER UNIT ($5800!!!) AND THERE WAS A REAL DANGER THE CAR WOULD DIE WHILE I WAS DRIVING. HOWEVER, THE MILEAGE IS ONLY 62000! I CALLED ANOTHER SHOP THAT IS HYBRID CERTIFIED AND THEIR EXPERT SAID HE SEES THE ECU GOING AT 100,000 BUT NOT AT LOW MILES. ALL HYBRID OWNERS ARE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL RISK OF NEEDING TO REPLACE THE HYBRID BATTERY TOWARD THE END OF THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, BUT THAT IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE MAJOR EXPENSE AND POTENTIAL DANGER OF THE ECU FAILING. WHY WAS I NOT TOLD ABOUT THIS? I WONDER WHY TOYOTA'S FIRST QUESTION WAS TO ASK IF I HAD ALL THE SERVICE RECALLS, IS THERE A RECALL COMING ON THE ECU? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AND REPLACED THE BATTERY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THIS IS MY 10TH HEADLAMP REPLACEMENT. THE DEALERS DID MOST OF THEM OVER THE TIME I HAVE OWNED THE CAR. I AM ALSO AN OWNER OF A 2011 TOYOTA PRIUS. NO PROBLEMS WITH THAT ONE. *TR

THE CENTER CONSOLE SIMPLY TURNED BLACK. I HAVE NO ACCESS TO ANY OF THE CONTROLS. THIS INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM HEATING AND COOLING, TO BACK UP CAMERA, TO GPS MAPPS, TO RADIO CHANNELL SELECTION. THE ENTIRE CENTER CONSOLE TOUCH SCREEN TURNED BLACK AND USELESS. I HAVE BEEN QUOTED $3,000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER 4 YEARS OF UN/DEREMPLOYMENT, I SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD SUCH A COSTLY FIX. *TR

CLIMATE CONTROL BUTTONS FAILURE WHEN STEERING WHEEL IS STRAIGHT; SPIRAL CABLE/ CLOCK SPRING FAILURE. *TR

THE ELECTRONIC DISPLAY INSIDE MY HUSBAND'S CAR HAS BLACKED OUT TWICE NOW. BOTH TIMES IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE FIRST TIME, THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM; THE SECOND TIME THEY WERE ABLE TO DISCOVER WHAT WAS WRONG, TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THAT MODEL CAR (APPROX. 2004-2010), THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR IT, AND IT WOULD COST $700 TO REPAIR. IF THIS IS HAPPENING TO OTHER OWNERS, WHY ISN'T THERE ARE RECALL? WHEN IT HAPPENS, THE SPEEDOMETER IS GONE. WARNING LIGHTS, FUEL GAUGE, BACK-UP CAMERA, ETC. ARE ALL OUT. THIS MAKES THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

COMBINATION METER OF 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. THANKFULLY, PRIUSCHAT MEMBERS HAVE POSTED SIMILAR ISSUES. MY MECHANIC REMOVED THE COMBINATION METER. I SENT BOARD TO COMPANY IN CA TO RE-DO THE SOLDERS AND UPDATE THE TRANSISTOR ON THE CHIP. *TR

I OWN A 2006 PRIUS WITH THE HIGH-INTENSITY-DISCHARGE (HID) LAMP OPTION AND HAVE MADE AN ONLINE REPORT TO YOU PREVIOUSLY WITH NO REPLY. WHEN I ASKED THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER THEY SAID THEY HAD NO RECALL OR SAFETY ISSUE BULLETINS REGARDING THE ISSUE. I HAD A FRIEND ASK ANOTHER FRIEND WHO IS A NORTHEAST TOYOTA DEALER IF HE HAD HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THE ISSUE. HE SENT TOYOTA DOCUMENT TITLED "2006 TO 2009 MODEL YEAR TOYOTA HID HEADLIGHT CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM." LAST WEEK TOYOTA SENT ME THE SAME DOCUMENT. THE DOCUMENT PLACES THE BLAME ON THE HID HEAD LAMPS, RECOMMENDS TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF DURING DAY TIME OPERATION, ETC. I AM HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS OF THEIR DOCUMENT AND BELIEVE THERE IS A MORE SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM INVOLVING THE HEAD LAMPS, ETC. ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS THE LIGHTING SYSTEM SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY (BOTH HEAD LAMPS MIND YOU- NOT ONE) IF THE CAR WAS SHUT-OFF AND AGAIN POWERED UP THE SYSTEM RESTARTED AND THE LIGHTS WOULD COME BACK ON. TOYOTA CLAIMS IT IS A LAMP ISSUE. I DON'T BELIEVE IT AND THINK THERE IS MORE SERIOUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. IT HAS HAPPENED TO BOTH MY WIFE AND I AND IN BOTH CASES WE WERE PLACED IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS ON THE ROAD. WHEN IT HAPPENED TO ME I HEARD A DISTINCT CLICK AND ALL THE LIGHTS WENT OUT. I HAPPENED TO BE ON THE INTERSTATE AND TOOK THE FIRST EXIT WHICH TO MY DISMAY WAS NOT LIT AND I WAS TOTALLY IN THE DARK. I HAD TO OPEN THE DOOR TO SEE THE WHITE LINE MARKING THE EDGE OF THE ROAD AND DRIVE OFF THE SHOULDER. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC TAKING THE SAME EXIT OR THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. A CAR DID TAKE THE SAME EXIT AT ABOUT 65 MPH MINUTES AFTER I GOT OFF THE SHOULDER. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE OUTCOME HAD I NOT BEEN ABLE TO QUICKLY FIND THE WHITE LINE MARKING THE SHOULDER. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE, AND TOYOTA CLAIMS IT IS HOW THE BULB ACT WHEN THEY ARE AT THE END OF THEIR LIFE. IF IT HAS JUST BEEN ONE OF THE LAMPS AND THE REST OF THE SYSTEM DIDN'T SHUT DOWN THEIR VERSION MIGHT BE BELIEVABLE *TW

2006 TOYOTA PRIUS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM*CW THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE TURNED ON HER VEHICLE ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ON THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD WERE OUT. NO DISPLAYS, NO NAVIGATION AND NO CAMERA. WHEN SHE ARRIVED HOME, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE TOYOTA HOTLINE AND WAS ADVISED THE ONLY WAY TO SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE, WAS TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. ABOUT AN HOUR LATER, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. THE NEXT DAY, THE CONSUMER TOOK IT THE DEALER WHERE THEY KEPT IT ALL DAY, BUT WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT SHE WAS FILLING THE GAS TANK MORE OFTEN THAN USUAL. SHE DISCOVERED THERE WAS ANOTHER ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION; THE BARS ON THE FUEL GAUGE WERE NOT MATCHING THE AMOUNT OF GAS THAT WAS BEING PUN INTO THE VEHICLE. *JB UPDATED 03/30/10.*JB

I DRIVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. ON NOVEMBER 13, 2009, FOR ABOUT 10 DAYS, THE DASHBOARD WOULD NOT LIGHT UP ON A COLD START IN THE MORNING. IT WOULD LIGHT UP AFTER I HIT A POTHOLE OR BUMP. THE PROBLEM INEXPLICABLY STOPPED. MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SAID THEY HAD RECEIVED NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS AND COULD NOT DIAGNOSE/FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE IT NO LONGER OCCURRED. *TR

TOYOTA PRIUS COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE CAUSING THE CAR TO LOSE THE STEERING, BRAKES ALL INSTRUMENT DISPLAYS INCLUDING NO HAZARD LIGHTS. DEAD STICK DRIVING. INCIDENT OCCURRED UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING ON CROWDED HIGHWAY 5 NORTH 1 HOUR FROM DOWNTOWN LA. I'M LUCKY TO LIVE THROUGH THIS. *TR

MY TOYOTA PRIUS 2006 ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. I CALLED SERVICE AND WAS TOLD TO DRIVE TO NEAREST DEALER. BUT ACCELERATION WAS SCARY OUT OF MY CONTROL OTHER THAN BY FIERCE BRAKING. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST I WAS GOING, BUT HAD TO PUT SOMETHING IN THE BOX SO I PUT 80MPH. I STOPPED AS SOON AS I COULD SAFELY AND WHERE I COULD GET SIGNAL TO CALL (BEING IN THE COUNTRY). AS SOON AS I STOPPED THE BRAKE PADS BURNT UP. I HAD TO TICK SOMETHING ON THE "COMPLAINT TYPE" BUT NONE OF THE CATEGORIES QUITE FIT. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS OCCURRED BECAUSE OF OEM BATTERY FAILURE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM.. IT WAS TIME FOR SERVICE BUT OTHERWISE HAD NO INDICATION THE BATTERY WAS LOW. I ACCEPTED THIS AND PAID THE $903.42 BILL FOR NEW BATTERY, BRAKES. THIS PROBABLY ALSO INCLUDED A REGULAR BASIC SERVICE AND OIL CHANGE. NOW I WONDER IF THIS IS A PART OF A LARGER PICTURE. AND WHAT INDICATION COULD THERE BE SO THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT THIS WAS ALL THAT HAPPENED AND THAT I WAS ON AN EMPTY COUNTRY ROAD AT THE TIME. THANKS FOR LISTENING. *TR

THE HID HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2006 PRIUS INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT. THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT ANY PATTERN. THE CAR CANBE SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY WITH THE LIGHTS ON AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE ONE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT COMPLETELY (BOTH LOW AND HIGH BEAMS) THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT TO COME BACK ON IS BY TURNING THE LIGHTS COMPLETELY OFF AND BACK ON. MOST RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING WITH LOW BEAMS ON, WHEN I TRIED TO TURN ON THE HIGH BEAMS ALL LIGHTS WENT OUT - VERY DANGEROUS. UPON RETURNING TO LOW BEAMS ONLY ONE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. TURNING THE LIGHTS COMPLETELY OFF AND BACK ON DID RESET THE LIGHTS TO WORK BUT NOT ENJOYABLE WHILE DRIVING! THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY PATTERN TO THESE EVENTS. THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS ON-LINE REPORTING SIMILAR ISSUES WITH PRIUS HID HEADLIGHTS. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING ON-AND-FF SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN JANUARY OF 2008. *TR

SEVERAL BATTERY CELLS MALFUNCTIONED IN THE BATTERY. BATTERY WAS UNDER WARRANTY, GOT A FREE NEW BATTERY. NOT SURE WHAT CAUSED THE BATTERY FAILURE. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. THE HEADLIGHTS GOES OUT ABOUT 2-3 TIMES A DAY. WHEN I NOTICE IT OUT, I HAVE TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON. THIS USUALLY LAST A FEW MORE HOURS. THIS REPAIR IS VERY COSTLY AND NOT COVERED BY THE DEALER. BUT, HEADLIGHTS ARE SAFETY ITEMS AND SHOULD BE COVERED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED ONE HEADLIGHT FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. ON SOME OCCASIONS, THE HEADLIGHTS REMAIN ILLUMINATED AND CLEARLY INDICATE THAT THE BULB HAS NOT BURNED OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY, WHICH CORRECTED THE FAILURE FOR TWO YEARS. CURRENTLY, THE ISSUE HAS RECURRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 61,000. UPDATED 5/7/09 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED WHENEVER THE HEADLIGHT FAILS, IT CAN BE RESTORED BY TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN. UPDATED 05/12/09.*JB

ON MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS, ONE HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT, BUT CYCLING THE POWER SWITCH WILL MAKE IT COME BACK ON. IT SEEMS TO OCCUR MORE AFTER THE CAR AND HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN USED, TURNED OFF FOR A SHORT WHILE, AND THEN USED AGAIN. SOMETIMES THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT FIVE TIMES IN ONE MINUTE, AT OTHER TIMES IT WILL STAY ON FOR HOURS WITH NO PROBLEM. OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT RANDOMLY AND SOMETIMES BOTH AT ONCE, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE NOT DONE ANY REPAIR TO DATE, AS TOYOTA SO FAR HAS NO DEFINITIVE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND DEALERS HAVE HAD PEOPLE PAYING $800 TO $1500 TO REPLACE A VARIETY OF PARTS, AND WITH SOME OWNERS REPORTING THAT THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AGAIN LATER AFTER A REPAIR. *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE HID HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING. THE LIGHT SIMPLY GOES OUT ON ITS OWN. TO GET IT TOO COME BACK ON, I HAVE TO COMPLETELY TURN OFF THE HEADLIGHTS & TURN THEM BACK ON. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT. I HAVE HAD THIS CAR ONLY 2 YEARS BUT, SINCE IT HAS 50,000 MILES ON IT, THE DEALER WILL NOT FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY. THEY WANT TO CHARGE $1300 FOR A NEW COMPUTER CIRCUIT BOARD, HEADLIGHT & HEADLIGHT HOUSING. ACCORDING TO OTHER PRIUS OWNERS ON THE DISCUSSION FORUM AT WWW.PRIUSCHAT.COM, THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 MODEL PRIUS. SO FAR, TOYOTA HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. AS THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO DEFECTIVE PARTS / MANUFACTURING, THEY SHOULD DO SO IMMEDIATELY. *TR

IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE DASHBOARD ON A BRIGHT DAY. CANNOT DETERMINE SPEED-- THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS- AFFECTS STOPPING DISTANCE AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY I LOST ALL POWER! I MANAGED TO TAKE THE NEAREST EXIT AT 20 MPH. PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. HOPE YOU GET THE SERIOUSNESS T S SITUATION. MY PASSENGER AND I COULD HAVE DIED.*AK BF STATE OF CAR BEFORE FAILURE 1> TANK FULL SHELL VPOWER ( PREVIOUS TANK 57.8 MPG CALCULATED COSTCO FUEL ) 2> MILEAGE 9982 ( JUST COMPLETED 10000 MILE SERVICE FROM CAPITOL TOYOTA CA ) 3> A/C ON WAS CHANGING SETTING ( MOVED FROM FRONT VENT TO FRONT AND BOTTOM VENT ) JUST BEFORE FAILURE HEARD A BEEP AND THEN NO POWER .TRIED FLOORING THE ACCELERATOR SAD.GIF 4> SPEED ~70MPH 5> BOTH POWER OUTLETS LOADED A> GARMIN MOBILE 10X CHARGER B> HTC 3125 PHONE CHARGER 6> PHONE CONECTED VIA BLUETOOTH NOTHING WAS DONE BY TOYOTA SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM HENCE THEY CAN NOT CHANGE OR FIX ANYTHING. HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=33881&ST=0

ALL TOYOTA PRIUS VEHICLES SINCE 2004-- CANNOT SEE THE DASH BOARD DURING ALL BRIGHT, SUNNY DAYS. CANNOT SEE SPEEDOMETER- DO NOT KNOW THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. VERY DANGEROUS !!!!!!! AT NIGHT, A WIDE GREEN SLASH APPEARS ON THE WINDSHIELD AT DRIVERS EYE LEVEL. IMPAIRS NIGHT VISION. AGAIN, DANGEROUS -IMPEDES RIVERS ABILITY TO SEE PROPERLY. *JB