2001 Toyota Prius

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN VEHICLE. TOOK TO DEALER FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THE POWER STEERING RACK HAD A MALFUNCTION AND NEEDED REPLACED. THEY REPLACED THE RACK AND ELECTRIC LINK ASSEMBLY AND DID A FRONT END ALIGNMENT AT A COST TO ME OF $1500 DOLLARS. THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD US THAT THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME THIS YEAR THAT HE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM . AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM FURTHER, I FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR A FAULTY PART? *NM

I OWN A 2001 PRIUS PURCHASED JULY OF 2001 MY WIFE AND I HAVE HAD A NEAR STALL SO MANY TIMES WE HAVE LOST COUNT. THE FIRST TIME WAS IN THE FIRST WEEK OF PURCHASE 2001 AND WE HAVE HAD THE CAR CHECKED AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM SINCE THEY CAN NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM. I GUESS WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY OUR PRIUS DOES NOT STALL COMPLETELY JUST SLOWS TO 15-37 MILES PER THEN WE HAVE TO STOP AND WAIT FOR THE LIGHTS TO CLEAR. IT HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE THIS IS HAPPENING ALMOST DAILY. THE LAST TIME WE TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND HAD THEM CHECK TO FIND THE PROBLEM THEY DID NOT INFORM US THAT THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM ALL ALONG. WE LOVE THE CAR AS FAR AS MILEAGE AND ENJOY DRIVING THE PRIUS. WE HAVE ALWAYS SPOKEN HIGHLY OF THE TOYOTA CORPORATION BUT WE ARE GETTING RATHER ANNOYED THEY CANNOT FIX OUR PROBLEM OR THE PROBLEMS OF OTHER PRUIS OWNERS. WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF TOYOTA HAS SENT OUT A WARNING TO ALL OWNERS. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED OF ANY PROBLEMS AND WE HAVE OWNED THIS CAR FOR FIVE YEARS. WE HAD ONE RECALL THE BATTERIES WERE REDONE, BUT NO STALL WARNINGS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME PETER KALOUS. *NM

MY STEERING WHEEL AND COLUMN OF MY 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS INTERMITTENTLY SHAKES VERY VIOLENTLY! I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER BUT THEY SAY THAT THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. WHEN I COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA USA HEADQUARTERS IN TORRANCE, CA, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM IF THE DEALER COULD NOT REPRODUCE IT. I TOLD THEM THAT MY WIFE IS SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE OF THE VIOLENT SHAKING AND THAT I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY COULD BE SO CAVALIER AND NEGLIGENT ABOUT A SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE CAR'S STEERING SYSTEM. ON TOP OF THIS, I HAVE COME TO FIND OUT THAT TOYOTA HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN TO ITS DEALERS ABOUT DEFECTS AND FAILURES IN THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM OF THE 2001 PRIUS! IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY HAD TO COMPLETELY REDESIGN THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM FOR THEIR HYBRID VEHICLES AND THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH STEERING SYSTEMS OF THE EARLY PRIUS MODELS. THEY ARE JUST BEING TOO CHEAP TO FIX THE PROBLEM THEY CREATED. I THINK THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED SO THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN BE FIXED FOR ALL OF THE OWNERS TO AVOID ACCIDENTS, INJURIES AND DEATH. ON BEHALF OF MY FAMILY AND ON BEHALF OF THEIR SAFETY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND HELP IN THIS MATTER! SINCERELY, JOSEPH KREBS AUSTIN, TX. *NM

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.

DT*: THE CONSUMER STATED THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION PE05029 CONCERNING THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. THE VEHICLE DISPLAYED THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE INVESTIGATION, BUT WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN DUE TO THE VIN. THE VEHICLE STALLED AT HIGHWAY SPEED, OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED, AND ULTIMATELY STALLED OUT. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, VARIOUS WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE DID NOT RESTART AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. *JB

(1) NORMAL DRIVING, NO ABNORMALITIES WHATSOEVER (2) AT FREEWAY SPEED, IN BUSY TRAFFIC, WITHOUT WARNING: THE CAR LOST ALL MOTIVE POWER (NEITHER GAS NOR ELECTRIC WORKING); THE HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING ICON DISPLAYED ON THE MULTI-FUNCTION DISPLAY. LUCKILY, IN BOTH INSTANCES, WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER WHILE DECELERATING. AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, WE REFERRED TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL WHICH SUGGESTED TURNING THE IGNITION KEY COMPLETELY OFF AND THEN ATTEMPTING A RESTART. IN BOTH CASES THE CAR STARTED UP AGAIN AND WAS DRIVABLE (ALTHOUGH IN THE FIRST CASE THE WARNING ICON REMAINED DISPLAYED FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES). (3) TOOK CAR TO TOYOTA DEALER WHO VERIFIED FAILURE CODE(S) STORED IN ONBOARD MEMORY; DEALER REPLACED ACCELERATOR PEDAL/POSITION SENSOR ASSEMBLY. *JB

THE FOLLOWING HAS HAPPENED ON 4 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, 3 TIMES I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES FROM HOME AT SPEEDS OF 65 TO 70 MILES PER HOUR. ON THESE OCCASIONS THE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS HAVE COME ON AND THE GASOLINE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN. THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRIC MOTOR WILL CONTINUE OPERATING IN A LIMITED CAPACITY, SO I CAN STEER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE WILL START WORKING AGAIN WHEN I TRY TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT NOT FOR A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, THIS HAS BEEN VERY FRIGHTENING, AS I AM USUALLY ALONE IN THE CAR. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED I HAD TO WAIT APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AT DUSK BEFORE THE CAR STARTED AGAIN. I HAD CALLED SEVERAL TOW TRUCKS, BUT THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT COME FOR ANOTHER 45 MINUTES TO 2 HOURS AS THEY WERE THAT BUSY. I HAVE HAD MY CAR INTO THE TOYOTA SHOP EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENED AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME NOTHING IS WRONG. WELL, SOMETHING IS WRONG...I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM THE ONLY PERSON HAVING THIS TROUBLE. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO MAKE THEM FIX THIS PROBLEM. I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED AND IN GOOD FAITH, OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF GAS PRICES. BUT NOW I GUESS I KNOW WHY IT WAS TRADED IN AFTER ONLY 2 YEARS. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS OCTOBER 10TH, 2005. *JB

2001 TOYOTA PRIUS: ACCELERATOR SENSOR FAILURE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE, THERE WAS A SLIGHT (BUT DEFINITE) SENSATION OF DECELERATION WHEN TRYING TO MAINTAIN STEADY SPEED. AT THE TIME OF FAILURE, THE VEHICLE HESITATED/STALLED AND THE "MASTER WARNING LIGHT" CAME ON. LOCAL DEALER (355 TOYOTA, ROCKVILLE, MD) REPLACED THE PART AT A COST OF $700.00. SHOULD A PART THIS EXPENSIVE (AND SO CRITICAL TO VEHICLE FUNCTION) BE FAILING AT 4 YEARS? *NM