2001 Toyota Prius

TL*THE CONTACT OWNED A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS. THE "HYBRID" (EXCLAMATION MARK) WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IMMEDIATELY, THE ENGINE STALLED. THE WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE IDENTICAL FAILURES OCCURRED ON TWENTY SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE ENGINE STARTED AND RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000. THE CONTACT NO LONGER OWNED THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 4/5/10 *CN THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE SOLD THE VEHICLE. UPDATD 06/14/10.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 65-70 MPH, THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. ALL OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE ENGINE FAILED TO RESTART. WHILE THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS PLACED IN PARK, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY AND CRASHED INTO A GUARDRAIL. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A WHIPLASH AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED SEVERE DAMAGE AND WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR BODY STRUCTURE DAMAGES. THE TECHNICIAN PERFORMED DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS FOR IDENTICAL FAILURES, BUT THERE WERE NO RESOLUTIONS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

MY 2001 PRIUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN STALLING (AT LEAST 30 TIMES), USUALLY UPON STARTUP, (AND ESPECIALLY IN HOT WEATHER WHEN AC IS ON AT STARTUP) BUT ON 4 OCCASIONS, STALLS OCCURRED DURING CRITICAL DRIVING IN DANGEROUS AREAS RESULTING IN TOTAL POWER LOSS AND NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES. I INFORMED TOYOTA PRESIDENT WATANABE, AND THEY RECALLED FOR THE "CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR", TO FIX THE STALLING PROBLEM, BUT IT OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T FIX SITUATION BECAUSE CAR IS STILL STALLING. DEALER IS BEYOND IGNORANT AND CLUELESS AND NO LONGER WORTH TALKING TO, AS THEY ARE AS INFORMED AS A ROCK ON A CLIFF. I AM WONDERING IF DEALER EVEN PERFORMED THE RECALL FIX PROPERLY. WOULD LIKE A TRUSTWORTHY TOYOTA TECHNICIAN FROM JAPAN'S TMC (A JAPANESE PERSON) TO PERSONALLY INSPECT MY CAR.

SEVERAL TIMES WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED AND THE CAR SLOWED DOWN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE WILL DRIVE NORMALLY FOR AWHILE, BUT PROBLEM SEEMED TO OCCUR AT LEAST ONCE EVERY 1-2 YEARS. THE LAST TIME, I SPENT $900 TO REPLACE AN ACCELERATOR SENSOR. THIS TIME, THE DEALERSHIP STATED I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE ECM, AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FOR A TOTAL CHARGE OF $3500. THERE WERE NO GENERIC CATALYTIC CONVERTERS, THE ONE TO BE USED WAS $1700. ALSO, HAD BEEN SEVERAL INCIDENTS WHERE THERE HAD BEEN ISSUES FOLLOWING AN OIL CHANGE WHERE THE DEALER SAID THAT OIL WAS WHERE IT SHOULDN'T BE.*AK

2001 TOYOTA PRIUS SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THREE INCIDENTS LATE AUG 2006 FIRST WEEK OCT 2006 SECOND WEEK OCT 2006 IN ALL CASES VEHICLE WILL NOT START FOR 15 MINUTES BUT THEN RUNS NORMALLY. BROUGHT TO DEALER AFTER FIRST INCIDENT AND THEY COMPLETED A RECALL REPLACEMENT OF CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. BROUGHT TO DEALER AFTER THIRD INCIDENT THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSES PROBLEM OR REPRODUCE AFTER 90 MILES TEST DRIVING. CALL TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE REVEALED TOYOTA HAS NO CENTRAL POINT TO COLLECT VEHICLE SAFETY PROBLEMS WHEN SPECIFICALLY ASKED IF TOYOTA WAS INTERESTED IN DISCOVERING THE SAFETY PROBLEM IN MY VEHICLE, THE ANSWER WAS "NO" I HAVE BEEN REASSURED BY TOYOTA THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR REPLACEMENT WAS PERFORMED PROPERLY THERE IS NO SOFTWARE PROBLEM WITH 2001 PRIUS SIMILAR TO THE 2004 PRIUS PROBLEM WHICH RESULTED KIN SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND LEAD TO RECALL ACTION. THEY ARE UNAWARE OF ANY PROBLEM SIMILAR TO MINE WITH 2001 PRIUS. *JB

MY FRIEND WAS DRIVING MY 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS ON THE HIGHWAY, GOING 65 MPH. I WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. A WARNING SYMBOL WITH THE TRIANGLE/EXCLAMATION MARK APPEARED ON MY SCREEN. THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY DIED. WE TRIED TO GET OFF OF THE ROAD. MACK TRUCKS WERE SWERVING INTO THE EXIT LANES TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. <P> WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR ME, MY PASSENGERS AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE HIGHWAY. <P> YOUR AGENCY HAS INVESTIGATED THIS EXACT PROBLEM, WHICH LED TO A RECALL BY TOYOTA. TOYOTA BLAMED THE PROBLEM ON A "SOFTWARE GLITCH." THE PROBLEM IS GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN A ''SOFTWARE GLITCH'' -'' IT REMAINS UNRESOLVED. I HAD MY CAR SERVICED FOR THIS ''SOFTWARE GLITCH'' RECALL (ENGINE'S COMPUTER (ECM) REPLACED AND CIRCUIT OPEN RELAY CHECKED), BUT THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. THE ENGINE STILL CUTS OUT AT HIGH SPEEDS. MY CAR HAS HAD THIS EXACT PROBLEM BEFORE AND AFTER GETTING IT SERVICED BASED ON THE RECALL ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THIS LIFE AND DEATH DEFECT NEEDS A BETTER SOLUTION THAN SIMPLY ATTRIBUTING IT TO A "SOFTWARE GLITCH." *JB

ENGINE STALLING OCCURRING RANDOMLY WHILE CRUISING AT HIGHWAY SPEED BETWEEN APPROX. 54 TO 64 MPH CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN ON THE FREEWAY. THIS PROBLEM IS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS BECAUSE ENGINE STALLS AT FREEWAY SPEED WHICH COULD RESULT IN REAR END CRASH FROM ON-COMING VEHICLES TRAVELING BEHIND AT FREEWAY SPEEDS --- FURTHERMORE THE VEHICLE MUST BE STOPPED AT THE FREEWAY EDGE TO BE RESTARTED BEFORE PROBLEM IS CORRECTED. RESTARTING VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY CORRECTS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE MADE A MANDATORY RECALL ITEM. [PRIUS SCANNER SHOWS DTC CODE P1120 FOR ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY PROBLEM AND THERE IS A MANUFACTURER TSB CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM (TSB EG018-02)]. THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR REPLACED PURSUANT TO THE RECENT RECALL NOTICE AND THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR HAD BEEN LEAKING OIL PRIOR TO REPLACEMENT. ALSO DRIVERS REAR AXLE HUB BEARING FAILED PREMATURELY AND WAS RECENTLY REPLACED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED WHICH OCCURRED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. DURING THE INCIDENT, ALL DASH PANEL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE DID NOT STALL OUT COMPLETELY AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

MY 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS STALLED TWICE AT HIGH SPEEDS (~75 MPH) WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. IN BOTH INCIDENCES IT WAS ONLY DUE TO GOOD DRIVING AND TO LUCK THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF OR TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE CONTACTED MY DEALER AND IN BOTH CASES THEY LOOKED AT THE ENGINE AND CLAIMED THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEM THE PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLES. I WAS TO BRING THE CAR BACK IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN. *JB