2013 Toyota Prius Electrical System

Check hybrid system. Stop the vehicle in a safe place. About 90,000 miles 2013 Prius bought brand new and regular all dealer maintenance completed. Lost power on the road and very slow pickup. Not drivable and very unsafe car. Thanks.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the hazard lights would activate inadvertently and were not able to be turned off as designed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000

I was loving my Prius until yesterday June 9, 2021 when I took it to Toyota of Riverhead, NY to have my Hazard lights checked because they would not shut off. I was told that the technician found ABS actuator shorting out causing the hazards to not go off. The replacement would be $2664. I had the fuse removed because it was causing my battery to die with the hazard lights being on. I was also advised by Tonianne Rempel (service advisor) that Toyota was familiar with this problem with 2013 Prius. I have a problem with Toyota knowing that there is a problem with the hazards for this is potentially dangerous for it makes your battery die and leaving the owner stranded. This should have been a recall. I had removed the fuse so now I have no hazards or directionals leaving me to use hand signals. Which is extremely dangerous for other drivers do not look for driver using hand signals. This embarrassing for Toyota drivers seeing that somebody driving a Toyota is using hand signals because the directionals don’t function. Toyota should have done a recall knowing that this hazardous situation exists. I am asking Toyota to pay for this repair. I do not have $2664 to repair this hazardous situation that should have been addressed by Toyota and leaving me in a very dangerous situation without hazards or directionals.

I KEEP GETTING A P0136 BANK 1 SENSOR 2 ERROR CODE. TOOK IT TO SEVERAL MECHANICS AND THEY SWITCHED THE 02 CENSOR (DOWNSTREAM). ALSO SHOWS THAT BANK 1 SENSOR 2 HAS 0% VOLTAGE. UNPLUGGED THE DOWNSTREAM 02 SENSOR AND GOT A READING BUT NO READING WHEN PLUGGED IN. CHECKED WIRING HARNESS TO ECM AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. BOTH MECHANICS HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE ISSUE IS WITH THE ECM. MY VEHICLE HAS ROUGHLY ABOUT 70K MILES ON IT. MY CAR WILL NOT PASS SMOG UNTIL THIS IS FIXED. MECHANIC IS RECOMMENDING REFLASHING ECM OR REPLACING IT. P0136 COMES UP AS PENDING AND WILL STAY PERMANENT ON THE SECOND DRIVE CYCLE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON.

AS A SAFETY PROFESSIONAL, I HAVE A SAFETY CONCERN ON THE INVERTER NOT OPERATING CORRECTLY AND PUTTING ME, MY FAMILY, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN HARMS WAY. I AM THEREFORE HOLDING NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AND TOYOTA CORPORATION RESPONSIBLE HERE ON FORWARD. I AM DRIVING MY VEHICLE IN CALIFORNIA BUSY FREEWAYS.

ON JAN 2, 2017, I ATTEMPTED TO START MY 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE VEHICLE DASH HAD THE FOLLOWING WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, CHECK HYBRID, ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WARNING, BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND THE MASTER WARNING LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE AND WOULD ONLY DEFAULT TO THE NEUTRAL POSITION. UPON OPENING THE HOOD OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT I NOTICED THE WIRING TO THE HYBRID INVERTER HAD BEEN EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED (CHEWED, GNAWED) TO THE EXTENT THAT THE PHYSICAL WIRES WERE TOUCHING EACH OTHER AND POSSIBLY SHORTING OR GROUNDING TO EACH OTHER. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO STEVENSON TOYOTA WEST LOCATED AT 780 INDIANA ST, LAKEWOOD, CO. ON JAN 3, 2017. ON JAN 4, 2017 I WAS CONTACTED BY SERVICE ADVISOR MIKE HASHMAN WHO TOLD ME THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY A RODENT(S) CHEWING ON THE WIRING. THE DAMAGE WAS AS FOLLOWS: HV INVERTOR WIRES (2) WERE DAMAGED, A/C COMPRESSOR HV WIRE WAS DAMAGED, INVERTOR COOLANT TANK WERE ALL REPLACED BECAUSE OR EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. ALONG WITH INVERTOR COOLANT AND LABOR THE TOTAL COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $1,279.63. WE HAVE A $1,000.00 DEDUCTIBLE POLICY SO OUR TOTAL COST WAS THE DEDUCTIBLE. I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN, SINCE APPROXIMATELY 2009 THROUGH 2016 AND POSSIBLY 2017, BEEN USING SOY BASED WIRING COVERING AND CABLE WRAP WHICH IS VERY ATTRACTIVE TO RODENTS. IN OUR CASE THE RODENT WOULD BE BROWN SQUIRRELS. I HAVE ALSO FOUND A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED ON JAN. 6, 2017, IN THE US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON, ALLEGING TOYOTA HAS KNOWN OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS REFUSED STEADFASTLY REFUSED TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. MY CONCERN IS HAD THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONICS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CONSEQUENCES COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL TO MYSELF, PASSENGERS AND OTHERS OCCUPYING VEHICLES NEXT TO OR NEAR ME BECAUSE OF THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKE ERRORS. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGES WAS 21,934.

DISPLAY DISAPPEARS. DISPLAY BLACK/DARK. DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS: ZERO. FROM DARK PARKING LOT INTO BRIGHT SUNSHINE. STARTED CAR WHICH WAS PARKED IN THE SHADED PARKING LOT OF MALL. DISPLAY OK/BRIGHT (AS SHOULD BE). DROVE TO EXIT OF PARKING LOT: DISPLAY IS FINE (AS SHOULD BE). DRIVE CAR FROM EXIT OF SHADED PARKING LOT INTO BRIGHT SUNLIGHT OUTSIDE. THE DISPLAY GOES DARK. I GOT WORRIED, AND DROVE IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT IN THE RESIDENTIAL AREA AROUND PARKING LOT FOR TWENTY MINUTES, CIRCLING THE AREA SLOWLY. AFTER DRIVING FOR TWENTY TWO MINUTES, THE DISPLAY WAS STILL DARK, BUT THE CAR WAS RUNNING FINE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER. DECIDED TO DRIVE TOWARDS MY HOME WITHOUT STOPPING THE CAR, AS I DID NOT WANT THE PRIUS TO STALL IN A PLACE FAR FROM HOME. ON THE FREEWAY, (STILL BRIGHT SUNLIGHT), I DECIDED TO TRY THE BRIGHTNESS CONTROL SWITCH. I BARELY TOUCHED THE BRIGHTNESS CONTROL SWITCH, AND THE DASHBOARD BRIGHTNESS CAME BACK. I HAD LOST THE DISPLAY TWICE PREVIOUSLY. , I HAD SWITCHED THE ENGINE OFF/ON WITH THE POWER BUTTON, TO RESTORE THE BRIGHTNESS. IF YOU HAVE SIMILAR DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS PROBLEM, THE EASY SOLUTION IS TO TOUCH THE BRIGHTNESS CONTROL SWITCH. *TR

DASHBOARD LIGHTS CONTINUALLY TO LOSE ITS DISPLAY LIGHTING. DASHBOARD GOES DARK AND CAN REMAIN THAT WAY FOR MANY MILES. DEALERSHIP SAYS DASHBOARD LIGHTS WORK AS DESIGNED. THIS WILL HAPPEN WITH HEADLIGHTS ON AND DURING THE DAY. DRIVING UNDER A SHADED AREA (SUCH AS UNDER AN OVER PASS OR A SIGN) THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WILL GO OUT COMPLETELY DARK AND SOMETIMES RETURN TO NORMAL AFTER RETURNING TO THE SUN LIGHT AREA. RECENTLY THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS DID NOT RETURN TO NORMAL AFTER GOING UNDER A SHADE SIGN (DURING THE DAY) AND I CONTINUED TO DRIVE FOR OVER 5 MILES. TURNING THE CAR OFF AND ON RETURNED THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS TO NORMAL OR ADJUSTING THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WITH THE SWITCH WHILE DRIVING. DEALERSHIP HAS LOOKED AT THIS ISSUE OVER 3 TIMES AND HAS INDICATED THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS WORK THE SAME AS OTHER 2013 PRIUS. I CAN PROVIDE A VIDEO SHOWING THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS GOING COMPLETE DARK. *TR

SMART KEY WAS IN CAR AND CAR LOCKED ANYWAY FROM DOOR ACTIVATION. CAR ISN'T SUPPOSED TO LOCK IF KEY IS IN CAR. I CALLED DEALERSHIP BUT THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. A SECOND KEY HAD TO BE BROUGHT FROM HOME AND USED TO GAIN ENTRY. FORTUNATELY, NO CHILD OR ANIMAL WAS IN CAR AS WEATHER WAS IN UPPER 70S SO EXCESSIVE HEAT COULD HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM. *TR

WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE A LOUD BEEPING IS HEARD INSIDE THE CABIN. WE AREN'T SURE OF ITS PURPOSE AS THE BEEPING CANNOT BE HEARD OUTSIDE OF THE CAR IF THE WINDOWS ARE UP OR IF THE WINDOWS ARE DOWN AND THE RADIO IS ON. THE BEEP CAN ONLY BE FAINTLY HEARD OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE IF THE WINDOWS ARE DOWN AND THERE IS NO OTHER NOISE. BECAUSE THE BEEPING IS SO LOUD IN THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER CANNOT HEAR SHOUTS, SCREAMS OR OTHER DISTRESS SIGNALS TO ALERT THEM OF A HAZARD WHEN BACKING UP. THE BEEPING IS LOUD AND CONSTANT AND IS NOT AFFECTED BY THE NEARNESS OF AN OBJECT, AS WITH OTHER VEHICLE BEEPING BACKUP SYSTEMS. THE LOUD BEEPING CREATES A HAZARD BY DISTRACTING THE DRIVER AND NOT ALERTING PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

TOYOTA PRIUS EMITS A LOUD AND DISTRACTING BEEPING TONE INSIDE THE CABIN WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE. THE TONE IS SO LOUD THAT A DRIVER MAY NOT HEAR SHOUTS, A HORN, OR OTHER EXTERIOR NOISE INDICATING A HAZARD WHILE REVERSING. TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS CHARGE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO TURN OFF THE INTERIOR BEEPING, DESPITE THE EVIDENT SAFETY HAZARD IS POSES. *TR