2001 Toyota Prius

I OWN A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS I HAVE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER COMBINED WITH MY DASH WARNING LIGHTS. I HAD ONE SIMILAR INCIDENT LAST YEAR. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THEIR DIAGNOSTICS FIND NO PROBLEM (NO CODES = NO PROBLEM). THEREFORE NOTHING IS RESOLVED AND THE CAR REMAINS PRONE TO LOSS OF POWER, A DANGEROUS CONDITION WHEN TRAVELING ON ANY FREEWAY.

MY 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS HAS INTERMITTANTLY STALLED, FORCING ME TO PULL OVER, TURN OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTART. THIS APPEARS TO HAPPEN AT ANY SPEED, AND HAS HAPPENED 20-30 TIMES OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TWICE FOR THIS PROBLEM APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AGO. THEY DID A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAJOR SERVICING BUT THAT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR OVER THE WINTER BUT HAS SINCE RESURFACED WITH WARMER WEATHER. I BELIEVE THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT NHTSA JUST ANNOUNCED WAS BEING INVESTIGATED IN 2004,2005 PRIUS MODELS.

I OWN A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS. ON 05/12/05 I WAS DRIVING TO WORK. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH ON THE 405 FREEWAY. THE CAR SUDDENLY HESITATED, THEN LOST MOST OF ITS POWER AND THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. I RESTARTED IT. THE LIGHTS STAYED ON, BUT IT DROVE OK. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER. THEY RESET THE WARNING LIGHTS AND TOLD ME THE GAS PEDAL SENSOR WAS BAD. I DID NOT GET IT REPLACED. CAR HAS RUN OK SINCE THEN. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURENCE. IT ALSO HAPPENED ABOUT ONE AND A HALF YEARS AGO. SIMULAR SYMTOMS. TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THEY RESET THE WARNING SYSTEM. NO OTHER WORK WAS DONE OR PERFORMED. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. VERY HAZARDOUS. CAR JUST STUMBLES AND LOSES MOST OF ITS POWER. A SECOND MAJOR DEFECT WAS THE FRONT END, WHICH STARTED TO HAVE STEERING PROBLEMS TOYOTA REPLACED ENTIRE FRONT END UNDER WARRENTEE.

GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER, SLOWED DOWN TO A MAX. SPEED OF 37 MPH, RUNNING MOSTLY ON ELECTRICAL POWER. MASTER WARNING LIGHT (TRIANGLE WITH EXCALMATION POINT) LIT UP. GAS ENGINE WOULD PERIODICALLY START UP, BUT WAS NOT RESPONDING TO ACCELLERATOR PEDAL. AFTER PULLING OVER AND SHUTTING DOWN VEHICLE, I WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND CONTINUE NORMALLY.

PROBLEMS STARTED IN NOVEMBER 2003. HAD OIL CHANGED AND AN HOUR LATER ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON IN THE VEHICLE. IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT TOOK 2 WEEKS TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP (37,000 MILES). SINCE THEN THE CAR HAS BEEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AN ADDITIONAL 9 TIMES TO THE CURRENT DATE (MAY 2005) FOR SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS. THE COMPUTER HAS BEEN REPLACED TWO TIMES. THE ENGINE HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE INJECTORS CLEANED, THEN A FEW MONTHS LATER HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. THE THROTTLE BODY HAS BEEN REPLACED. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR WHEN IT WOULD NOT ACELERATE AND HAD TO PULL OVER IN TRAFFIC. THE FIRST TIME THE DEALERSHIP SAID THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS WHEN THE CAR GOT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THE CODES OR SITUATION SO THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING. THE SECOND TIME (APRIL 2005) ALL FOUR INJECTORS WERE REPLACED AS WELL AS THE MASS AIR FLOW SYSTEM. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT OUR TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR A TOTAL OF 17 TIMES SINCE THE CAR ARRIVED AT APPROXIMATELY 180 DAYS!!! 10 OF THOSE 17 TIMES HAS BEEN BECAUSE THE WARNING LIGHTS HAVE COME ON. HAVE ENTERED INTO ARBITRATION AND WE ARE AWAITING AN ANSWER ON THE DECISION.

I HAVE SERIOUS AND REPEATING PROBLEMS WITH SUSPENSION/ TIRES ON MY TOYOTA PRIUS 2001 CAR (MANUFACTURED 06/01). THREE TIMES THE FRONT TIRES WHERE ABNORMALLY AND SIGNIFICANTLY WORN (DURING APPROX 7,500 MILES) WITH, WITH SIDE AND TOP SCARS ETC. TOYOTA ALREADY CHANGED THE TIRES FOUR TIMES BUT THEY ARE UNABLE TO SOLVE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE SAME PROBLEM IS LIKELY REPEAT ITSELF AGAIN AND AGAIN, AND CHANGING THE TIRES IS NOT A SOLUTION. I DO NOT LIKE DRIVING ON SUCH DANGEROUSLY WORN TIRES; MOREOVER, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO DRIVE ON TIRES IN SUCH CONDITION). CAR WAS REGULARLY IN SCHEDULED TOYOTA SERVICE (INCLUDING TIRES ROTATION, PRESSURE CHECK ETC.).