Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving 70 mph, the brake pedal depressed on its own and the vehicle failed to accelerate. the brake hazard warning indicator illuminated several times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 52,800.

Yet another 2007 prius with the rear hatch door latch cover that has decomposed rendering the ability to open the door from the outside impossible. this is a defect that is widely documented on various websites. toyota should be held accountable and correct this defect at their cost. safety issues: inability to access equipment necessary to repair a tire failure, potential to be stranded on interstate highways, in remote areas etc. i am 69 years old, have had a hip replacement, a comminuted fracture of the patella on the same leg resulting in wire and screws holding the patella together. the other leg has sustained a traumatic injury that resulted in a rod from top to bottom of the tibia, and muscle, vascular, and skin grafts. crawling inside the vehicle to access the manual release is not the easy task it may have once been; inability to access first aid or other safey equipment in the event of an incident; inability of rescuers to access the cabin via the rear hatch in the event of an accident.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving unknown speeds, the instrument cluster went dark and failed without warning. the contact called a local dealer (toyota of redlands, 921 new york st, redlands, ca 92374) and was informed to schedule a service appointment. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer advised the contact that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and referred the manufacturer's legal department per the contact's request. the failure mileage was 191,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning, while driving approximately 60 to 70 mph, the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module and the electronic water pump failed. the dealer stated that the repair for nhtsa campaign number: 12v536000 (engine and engine cooling, hybrid propulsion system) was performed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 167,000.

Headlamps go out suddenly and back on if switched turned off then on. bulbs werereplaced as part of recall and it continues to happen. over $500 quote to replace bulbs but no guarantee it doesn't continue to happen.

the rear hatch release on my 2007 toyota prius has begun to deteriorate and turn into a rubbery and sticky black mess. this issue interferes with the use of the hatch as the rubber not only gets on your fingers but appears to be blocking the release mechanism. the deterioration started during the summer.. the issue has worsened and today i was unable to open the rear hatch whatsoever.

The back latch of my 2007 toyota prius has degraded ("melted" almost). it no longer functions properly, and i am unable to open the back hatch door easily. sometimes it requires considerable effort and perseverance to get it open. i am concerned that in the case of an emergency, i will not be able to get the door open. this is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel lights failed to remain illuminated. the contact stated that the failure recurred several times. the contact also stated that when the failure occurred it was impossible to shut the vehicle off without removing the negative battery terminal. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Multi functioning display failure: touch screen for climate controls failed to work. defrost became unusable (during rain/cold conditions), causing car to veer off road due to diminished road visibility. this screen sporadically ceases to be functional. *tr

My wifes 2007 prius headlights continue to flicker while driving at night. then one side or the other will go out. the headlights have been inspected by 2 certified mechanics neither can find any faults in the headlights or bulbs even applying contact grease to assure electrical continuity. attention nhtsa administrators ( this certainly could become a deadly problem.) we have had both lights go out simultaneously. the driver must immediately turn the light switch off then on to restore lighting. i hope they never fail to re-light!! of all the problems- attention surely must be given to these lights. almost a thousand complaints here..how many people keep taking this problem to the dealers, only to have it repeat itself? immediate action is required by the nhtsa.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving approximately 60 mph, the lighting on the instrument panel became dim without warning. the contact pulled over and powered the vehicle off and back on and the lighting returned to normal. the failure recurred on several occasions. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 93,000.

I started my car and as i was driving noticed no instrument lights on dash. i tried turning engine off (2 step procedure) and was unable to stop engine, unable to remove keys. i was stuck with a car that was running, an inability to lock the car because it did not recognize the commands. i tried calling the closest dealership and was passed from one person to another without answers as to what to do. i then called the dealership where i had purchased the car and they were able to tell me how to get the engine off - and they said there had been a recall on the instrument cluster. i had not been notified. i regularly have my car serviced at the dealership - as recently as 3 weeks ago. *js

My 2007 prius has the hid (high intensity) headlights. sometimes both headlights go out at the same time and sometimes just the passenger side headlight goes out. i originally thought that the problem was the bulbs so i replaced both bulbs just a few weeks ago with new bulbs, but the problem is still occurring. sometimes when i turn the light switch off and then on again the headlights come on again. it seems to be a random occurrence but it is happening more and more frequently. this is a very dangerous situation especially when driving at night. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that the instrument panel failed. the contact also stated that the ignition switch failed to release the key or turn it in order to shut off the vehicle. in addition, the passenger air bag warning light continuously illuminated. the failure occurred multiple times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 60,000. ma 07/30/15 updated 10/2/2017*cn

Vehicle does not properly start-up and ends up in a state where it cannot be turned off. i pushed the ignition button, which normally quickly turns green and normally the car would start. instead, the car goes into a state where the dashboard illuminates, an error icon is displayed, and the power cannot be turned off. i hold down the power button for over 5 minutes before the car finally turns off. during this time, the power button is amber, the dashboard does not show the car is in any gear, and the green light on the park button is on. the power button absolutely does not function, nor does the gear selector. my understanding is that holding down the power button for 5 seconds should absolutely turn it off, this is not the case. this has happened on three occasions in the past week. *tr

Headlight hid lights goes off without any reason. problem has been found in various vehicles as per the online forums. *tr

I was driving home last night and various warning lights came on. within a short time the vehicle lost all power (entered a failsafe mode) and the hybrid system shut down while i was driving. the result was a complete loss of power and the vehicle came to a stop in traffic. i was close to the curb and turned on my emergency flashers. called a tow truck and will take this to the dealer. i called toyota customer service to see if others had experienced anything similar and they had no access to any information about other customer's experiences. they did say that there are no active recalls for this make and model year. a recall for the 2010 - 2014 toyota prius was issued in february 2014 for what sounds like a similar problem. while this wasn't a life threatening issue for me last night, in a press release drivers who've experienced similar issues were warned to get out of their vehicles because they could be in danger from being rear ended. *tr

At approximately 65mph a red triangle warning light appeared on the dash panel accompanied by a yellow circle. the parking button was flashing and a pink cartoon car appeared on the display. the car was running fine so i continued till i reached my freeway exit. at the bottom of the exit i had to stop for a red light. the exit is dark and has a sharp curve. upon stopping the car the transmission locked and the engine shut down. i was unable to start the engine and the car could not be pushed out of the way due to the transmission lock. frantically i had to get a flashlight and wave off oncoming traffic. it was very dangerous. after a few minutes i retried the engine and it started allowing me to get off the ramp and get home. the warning lights stayed on. i took the car to the dealer the next day and after they tested everything they said that there was nothing wrong. next time i might not be so lucky. *tr

The back latch of my 2007 toyota prius has degraded ("melted" almost). it no longer functions properly, and i am unable to open the back hatch door easily. sometimes it requires considerable effort and perseverance to get it open. i am concerned that in the case of an emergency, i will not be able to get the door open. this is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard. *tr

2007 prius dashboard lights malfunction - completely dark. see nhtsa # 10544698 and many other complaints regarding dashboard lights/cluster going completely dark and engine will not shut off. this is an extremely serious safety issue and dealerships will not repair for free. the part needed is a combination meter/cluster that costs around $1000 to repair from the dealer. please everyone - push for national recall as this is an extremely dangerous safety issue. *tr

While driving on the highway, both headlights shut off. this caused a near accident with other motorists on the highway. by rapidly toggling the headlight switch on and off, the headlights turned back on. this has been a persistent issue even though i have had the bulbs replaced at a great expense. *tr

Rear hatch release latch has been getting stick to the touch and increasingly difficult to open. tried cleaning the latch and discovered that the rubber covering the latch seems to be melting. checked online and discovered that this seems to be a common problem and, if not corrected, will likely result in latch release switch failure. the location of the rubber latch release cover protects it from direct sunlight and there seems to be no reasonable explanation for the failure of this part other than a defect in manufacture. *tr

The combination meter display ( speedometer) will not illuminate. toyota knows of this issue. this is a safety issue as driver are unable to know the speed of their vehicle. toyota issue a extended warranty but in most cases refuses to replace the part as it is difficult to reproduce. *tr

The tail lights intermittently go out when driving at night, while the brake lights are fine. it is related to a problem with poor quality tail light sockets on this model and year. replacement bulbs do not address the problem. this seems to be a common problem, not unique to my vehicle only. *tr

The hid headlights on my 2007 toyota prius appear to be defective. when i turn the lights on initially, they both illuminate, but the lights dim progressively, and after several minutes the lights are essentially dark. this occurs in both headlights and started only this month. this is a significant safety issue, as it is very dangerous to drive without working headlights (particularly when one assumes that the headlights are working since they turned on initially). it is my understanding that the issue is beyond replacing the hid headlight bulbs; according to the repair shop i visited, there may be a defect with the hid electronic control units (ecus). i understand as well that this is a defect that has occurred in numerous toyota prius vehicles and that toyota in 2011 agreed to a settlement of a class action lawsuit that provided some repair coverage for certain owners. *tr

Trunk opening switch has worked intermittently due to deterioration of rubber covering. problem leaves gooey residue on hands and clothes. unable to access safety items in trunk when lock fails to work

I have seen the recent recall related to many makes and models of toyota's for the clock-springs or spiral cables in the steering wheel. this is a very important part of the car which provides the electrical connection for many components such as the steering wheel controls, horn, and air bags. i have heard of others with the same issues in their generation ii prius (2004-2009). my spiral cable has recently stopped working as well and seeing as this is a safety issue i believe toyota should be responsible for correcting it. *tr

The buttons on the steering wheel began to stop working. one by one, each began to fail. i wasn't too worried since they're simply the climate and stereo controls, however, as i began researching all signs pointed to this being the "clock spring" assembly. this also controls the airbag and is a huge safety issue. i went to the dealer who confirmed and said this would cost $500 to repair. when i asked about the airbag they said they do not recommend that i drive the car because the airbag "might not work" anymore. after seeing a sufficient amount of posts here, i wanted to also add my feedback as it appears this is far more widespread than just an isolated incident. i have drive 4 other (non-toyota) vehicles for well above 200,000 miles and never had this issue. my father (automotive mechanic for another car brand) said he's never had anyone come in with this issue before. considering that toyta prides themselves as having safe vehicles, i would hope that they consider a recall on this life-threatening part failure. *tr

The rear door latch cover material has deteriorated and the latch is no longer operating as expected. the rubber material is a soft gummy consistency and the latch mechanism to the hatchback fails to release allowing access to the rear storage area. this area contains the spare tire. *tr

Without warning, after stopping and turning off the engine, my prius engine wouldn't start and all of the warning lights went on when i tried to turn the engine over.. thankfully, i was not in an intersection or on a road when this occurred. the toyota dealer i had the car towed to, told me i had a poaa6 code and need to replace a transaxle assembly. (repair costs are over $4000.00) after a little bit of research, it appears that a lot of 2007 prius owners are experiencing the same product failure. i just found out that toyota has a service bulletin about the problem but does not cover the failure after 60,000 miles, except in a few states, such as california, which made toyota extend warranty to 150,000 miles. . no toyota mechanic ever advised me about this problem. had i known it's potential, i would have purchased an extended warranty. tsb number: sb-0306-08 rev 2nhtsa number: 10037588tsb date: march 23, 2011date added to file: may 26, 2011 failing component: electrical system:battery summary: toyota: malfunction light is on with two internal trouble codes. it is a problem with the transaxle assembly. 2004-2008 prius. *js

The back door latch of my 2007 toyota prius has degraded ("melted" almost). it no longer functions properly, and i am unable to open the back hatch door. sometimes it required considerable effort and perseverance to get it open. i cannot open it anymore as the latch broke. i am concerned that in the case of an emergency, i will not be able to get the door open. this is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard. blue 2007 prius in cupertino, ca. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. while driving at approximately 50 mph, the instrument panel, the headlights, and the tail lights failed to illuminate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the headlights were replaced but the failure persisted. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. the failure mileage was 75,642.

I was returning home from a trip with a friend and driving on major freeway late at night, very dark with little visibility in a rural, unlit area. .all lights in vehicle shut down while driving 70-75 mph. we could not see anything even the road, was like driving blind and very frightening trying to navigate the prius off the road safely without getting hit by other vehicles. once i stopped the vehicle off the side of the road in the far left lane we turned the vehicle off, but left the hazard lights on and let the vehicle sit for a few minutes. we started again, lights came on, and i drove the vehicle another 100 miles without any incident until we entered the city. i had a similar problem driving the 12 remaining miles home, but the front yellow lights worked and i had the hazard and brake lights working. the city lights improved visibility. i took the vehicle in and the only problem they could find was with one of the headlights. i was told i needed to replace both. i can't emphasize how dangerous and frightening this experience was for my friend and i, still unsure how we avoided a tragedy. i would like the nhtsa to investigate and make a recommendation to have some type of warning in the vehicle. *tr

Brake (red color) warning lights appear while driving at 55 mph; yellow color indicator on abs, vsc. once these warning lights appear, i somehow lose 25-50% of my braking power. not sure what is wrong despite getting brand new wheels, replaced all-new rotors, brake pads, oil and filter change. this is the 5th time it has happened in the last few weeks. toyota should be held liable and to replace the full cost of any necessary fixes to the hydraulic brakes or run a diagnostic of the entire vehicle's electrical or brakes system or anything that leads to the dashboard warning lights at 100%. this will be a serious issue because it can lead to serious accidents if owners of this vehicle experience the same issues. *tr

Hybrid battery failed. the battery is hyped as lasting the lifetime of your car. 7 years and 131k is not a lifetime in my opinion. if i lived or bought my car in ca, it would be covered under warranty. because i live in alabama, it is not. warranty should be standardized. *tr

For the second time in a year, the electronic display panel on my 2007 toyota prius has gone completely dark i.e, inoperative when i started the vehicle. this panel displays the vehicle speed, gas gauge and various status & warning lights. the car still is able to be driven even though the display panel does not work, which is a hazard. the first time it happened i had the toyota dealership's service dept. look at the car and they could not reproduce the problem. this time i noticed that the interior door light was lit. however no door was open. while the vehicle was powered, i open and closed every door including the rear hatch. the door light remained lit. i then hit the power button to power the car off and then back on. the interior door light went out and the display panel came on, resolving the issue. i've tried to replicate the problem by opening a door and powering up the car without success. there has to be another factor involved that causes the display to fail to operate. *tr

The display screen in the center of the dash in completely black. it won't turn on. *tr

The bulbs turn off intermittently for no reason. i already replaced the bulbs but the problem did not go away. this is very unsafe. i made my research and there are many complaints of this kind of problem with the 2007 prius. toyota should recall and fix this problem. this is very unsafe. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the contact heard a high pitch screeching sound as all the warning lights illuminated. the contact lost control of the brakes and the engine was shut off. the vehicle still had no brakes. the failure later recurred and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer stated that there was an error in the mother board that they repaired. however, the failure recurred. the contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer where the dealer then stated that the actuator would need replacing. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacture was contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 160,000. updated 3/12/14*cn

I too am a victim of the melting rear hatch cover. the rubber cover to the external trunk latch has deteriorated to the point where it is either gooey to the touch in warm weather or frozen solid to the point where it is immovable in colder temperatures. this is a safety hazard since i am unable to access the spare tire. the rubber appears to be blocking the release mechanism. the deterioration started during the summer of 2013. this issue has worsened and beginning december 29, i have been unable to open the rear hatch. it is clearly a manufacturer defect and is the responsibility of toyota to replace this handle at no expense to the consumer. however, they are not willing to do so. *tr

I have a 2007 toyota prius and the rubber has "melted" off if the latch and has made it nearly impossible to gain access to the rear compartment of my vehicle. it began with numerous black and sticky fingers then progressed to chunks of gooey of what i think was plastic coming off into my hands and has ended up being an almost impossible task to gain access via the back end of my car. from a very quick search of the internet, this appears to be a wide spread problem and everyone is getting the same answer i am getting from toyota....pay up!! this has to be a mfg defect. i live in north texas so yes, it does get hot here but melt the plastic off your car hot, i think not! please help us! *tr

The hatch handle made of rubber is deteriorating and now moisture gets in the switch and when it gets below freezing you can open the hatch. this rubber piece should not be coming apart like this . many complaints have surfaced concerning this issue. if you needed to change a tire you could not get the hatch open to get the tire or emergency equipment. *tr

The rubber latch that provides access to the trunk area of my 2007 toyota prius has essentially melted. when i touch it my hand comes away with a black gooey substance. in the summertime this is more of an annoyance than anything (i have to carry around wet-wipes, and i often put groceries etc. in the passenger cabin just to avoid accessing the trunk), but in the winter it can be quite dangerous, as the melted latch freezes, making it impossible to open the hatchback. this means that i cannot access my tools, spare tire, snow equipment, or anything else back there. the degradation of the handle latch actually began some time ago (it probably began after i had owned the car for about 4 years) but it has gotten worse over time so i finally decided to try to get it fixed. my toyota dealer wanted to charge me over $300 to replace the part. this struck me as absolutely outrageous given that it appears to be a design defect that creates a serious safety hazard. *tr

The rubber covering the external hatch latch at the rear of my 2007 prius has degraded to the extent that the latch no longer functions properly. this is a design flaw for the 2007 prius and very dangerous as it will not allow access into the trunk area in case of emergency. because of the melted/degraded rubber my wife can no longer get into the trunk and i can only get into the trunk at random intervals with severe pressure placed on the rubber/switch area. it could be impossible for me to reach the spare in an emergency. it could also damage the electrical system with the pressure needed to make it work. this is clearly a toyota design and materials problem and should be fixed by toyota before someone gets hurt. *tr

While driving vehicle at night, noticed that passenger side head lamp turned off. vehicle was stopped on the curb and tried to turn the headlight switch on off again, but could not turn on one head light. i was afraid to drive the vehicle with one lamp, since local township police can give me a violation ticket. the high beam works but not the low beam. toyota needs to fix this issue via product recall. *tr

I have a 2007 touring prius with hid headlamps and 1 of the headlamp assembly started leaking water and toyota of kingsport, tn. replaced it on oct. 28th 2013 and charged me $342.30 after discount. now the new headlight and the other one is going off while driving and this happened on may 29th 2014. there is no way a headlight should fail in 6 or 7 months. thank you for listening to my complaint, as i can't afford to keep replacing these very expensive headlamps. i went online and it seems i'm not the only one with this problem and can you get toyota to do something about this? i would appreciate any help you can give us prius owners with the hid headlamp system. *tr

After the car has been parked for awhile, the dashboard was completely black. the car powered on, but there was no speedometer, no fuel display, and no odometer. the car will drive and gas engine and hybrid system works as usual, but there are no power steering, the turn signals do not work, and the wiper does not work. after driving for 5 to 15 minutes, the dash would light up and car drives like normal again and the problems mentioned go away. based on internet research, this seems to a common problem. there are almost identical complaints on this site including nhtsa id number 10544698. significant safety concerns exist due to the temporary lost of power steering, no turn signals, and no wiper during a rain. *tr

When the car was turned on in the morning after sitting overnight, the dashboard was completely black. the car powered on, but there was no speedometer, no fuel display, no odometer, and no back-up camera when put into reverse. when i got to my destination, approximately 15 minutes drive time, i was unable to power off the car after repeated attempts. the car finally powered down after i held the power button for several seconds. when the car was turned back on after about 11 hours, the dashboard was working again, also powering down worked as normal. *tr

The right headlight had to be replaced. it would turn off and if i turned the lever on and off while i was driving it would come on for a while. on a dark night it was dangerous. i replaced the right headlight and it cost a total of $229.55 which i thought was outrageous. now the driver's side headlight has gone out too. i might have to drive it only in daylight unless i can find a cheaper way to replace the headlight. i was stopped by the police for the first headlight out, but given a warning. i bought the car to save money but headlight replacement costs are way too much in my estimation. *tr

I was driving on a dark country road when both headlights went out. i turned the headlight control off and then on and then the lights came on again. the car has a long history of the passenger side headlight going out intermittently. when it was just one light intermittently going out, i had reported this to the dealer and later to an independent mechanic. i was told that they didn't find a problem. after this most recent experience with both lights going out at the same time, my mechanic again said that it was not happening when he test drove the car. i asked him to keep it longer for more testing since i was afraid now to drive the car at night. he kept it longer and did experience the driver side headlight going out. he recommended replacing both bulbs for a total price of $548. i called the toyota dealer to ask what they could do for me. since the car is past 50,000 miles they said they would have to charge $475 to change both headlights. i researched online and discovered that this is a very common problem in the prius. in my opinion it is a serious safety issue and not a normal part maintenance issue.