Problems with 2011 Toyota Prius ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. the contact stated that the safety srs warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to glens falls toyota (169 broad st, glens falls, ny 12801, (518) 793-5611) where it was diagnosed that the spiral cable needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided case number: 1912090334. the failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

The check hybrid system just came on. we have owned the car for less than 1 year. although it was used, it has 116,000 miles on it. we do not know whether is a california vehicle. we believe it is a battery issue. this would mean that the battery would need to be replaced which would cost 2500 dollars. that is ridiculous to expect when we just bought it 1 year ago!

While driving at ca freeway speed (65mph) the car goes limp. the accelerator fails to work and even flooring the vehicle makes no difference. at this point the speed of the vehicle decreases and i have to immediately pull to the shoulder. the "check hybrid system" alert shows on the dash and also electric power steering and check engine light. this issue has been going on for the past year and i have taken it to several toyota dealerships with no resolve. i have spent a total of $4500 without toyota of vallejo or the now bankrupt toyota of fairfield solving the issue. this is a life threatening issue and happened several times with children in the vehicle. show in video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca5hjrsnfsg

We were on freeway when an odd smell was detected. there were several large trucks in the area and we passed off the smell to the trucks. a couple of miles later the passenger said, "the floor is on fire!" at this point, an abundance of smoke appeared above the dashboard on the passenger's side. we exited the freeway, found a fire extinguisher and were able to put out the fire. the local toyota dealer was informed but no action was taken. the insurance company has totaled the vehicle. we are awaiting the settlement check. we have no idea what started the fire. there were no indicators i.e. warning lights/buzzers, etc. prior to the fire. the area under the dashboard on the passenger's side is a charred mass. therein a large hole at the top of the dash near where the speaker for that side is housed. *bf*jb

Well i was driving and suddenly my car battery turned off and check hybrid system came on the dashboard it stopped so i parked it on side and unplug battery wires so it start working again the weird thing is that when i check to see any code but nothing came recently it was happening and one recall came for hybrid battery after that it was working fine but now this thing happened again and it was dangerous because i was in the middle of highway and car stopped.

The car starts as normal and drives normally but once you start to come to a stop the car shuts off and will only restart when you depress the gas pedal but shuts down again when you release the gas pedal, normal city streets and highway

A few months ago i had the required software update to adjust the safety feature in the hybrid system in case of a failure. while driving on a side street on 3/1/19 i pressed the gas after being stopped, the car jerked, and the check hybrid system light came on. this was on railroad tracks but the car did drive on the gas engine a short distance to make it over the railroad tracks. i had the car towed to a toyota dealer who stated the inverter was bad, but that toyota would replace it as they extended the warranty. this seems to be an issue that toyota is ignoring. i also own a 2014 toyota prius v which is also prone to this issue. toyota should address this issue beyond a mere software update.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. when the vehicle was started, all the warning indicators illuminated and the vehicle stalled. the contact stated that the vehicle exhibited the same symptoms as listed in nhtsa campaign number: 18v684000 (hybrid propulsion system). the vehicle was taken to kearny mesa toyota (4910 kearny mesa rd, san diego, ca, 858-413-9625) where it was diagnosed that the computers failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and provided case number: 1812113112. the failure mileage was 124,000.

As i was driving down the freeway my car filled with smoke and i realized my engine had caught fire, i was able to get out, the whole front of my car was engulfed in flames in no time

Driving vehicle down highway, tapped brakes but brakes did not work, all the lights on my dash lit up. i lost traction in brakes causing vehicle to lose control.

Tl* the contact owned a 2011 toyota prius. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle lost power without warning. as a result, the contact crashed into a tree and a cement barrier. the air bag failed to deploy. the vehicle was restarted and was able to be driven to the contact's residence. the contact sustained back, neck, and chest injuries that did not require medical attention. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was later deemed destroyed. the contact stated that the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 18v684000 (hybrid propulsion system). the manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. the approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

The traction control, abs light and warning light all came which i believe all to be a safety issue

After heavy rains, water gets into the spare tire storage well, causing a short in the tpms monitor for the spare tire. all tires have appropriate air pressure but the tell-tale shows until the spare tire storage area dries out - several days. this is a new phenomenon but there are no tears or dings in the gasket around the hatchback. not sure where the water gets in.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. while exiting highway traffic, the engine stalled and all the instrument panel lighting illuminated. the contact was able to coast the vehicle to a safe area. the vehicle was towed to hendrick toyota concord (7670 bruton smith boulevard, concord, north carolina 28026, 704-467-8287) where it was diagnosed that the computer inverter failed. the inverter was replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 93,500.

June 29th 2018 was in the car wash going thorugh when the dash board panel said traction battery low put in park the battery indicator showed one bar light on but i couldnt put it in park for i was still going thorgh car wash when it was done washing put car in drive and it was very slow in driving it took it awhile to come back up in power july 6th took it to local dealer and i think they thought i was nuts they said they never heard of such of a thing happing like that. thought matbe it was the new battery they put in my car in march of 20018 so i want this on record that i had it checked even called and checked on line if there was a trecall only thing i found was a 2014 recall on my year but not my vion of the electrical system software. is it possable that is what happened to my car. hope you can give me a answer

I was getting on the interstate and all of a sudden i lost power and my dash lite up check hybrid system /abs/ breaks. i can not drive my car because it has no power please help thank you

Dim headlight problem while driving at night, unable to see road clearly with low beam headlights on at night, have to use high beam headlights to see road. this is a huge safety issue for me

I was driving along on the freeway trying to get home and suddenly my prius lost power. i was panicking, good thing i had my brothers with me or else i would have lost it. we didn't know what was going on! we managed to get off the freeway safely, but we were distressed.

Dash board keeps beeping, yet i have replaced the key battery 3 times and now dealer says key not detected, yet car runs so the key is detected but the beeping will not stop. took to dealer paid 89.99 for diagnostic per dealer. dealer now says the left harness needs replaced for $1802 plus tax. i feel manufacturer should allow consumers who bought there product be given information about history of faulty electrical wires even when it is not a safety hazard. just turn off the beeping noise if that is the only issue. mileage 58847...

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle's horn lost functionality. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

The headlights keep burning out, i have replaced the drivers side 3 times in 12 months and the passenger side twice. i only use sylvania brand, but have switched to different brightness to see if it has any impact, it has a slight impact but not much. the headlights are not on when not needed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. on several occasions, the contact had to add four quarts of oil within 10,000 miles of driving. on another occasion, the contact had to add three and a half quarts of oil. the contact stated that the oil pressure indicator failed to operate and warn him that the oil was low. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that they had not received many complaints and that the vehicle was out of warranty. the failure mileage was 98,000.

Driver side door lock failed and shortly thereafter the front passenger door lock also failed. we have owned a total of five prius vehicles since 2007 and have never experienced this problem before this dual failure. judging from the number of complaints on this site and info gathered during internet research it appears this is a widespread problem, most likely due to poor quality or defective door lock actuators. a google search (toyota prius "door lock" failure) resulted in a quarter million results.

The cd player burns the cd image label. when entering 4 cds into the changer the cd in the 4th position burns almost the entire image label. the other cds had the image paper burned on the outer 1/4 in of the label. i reported this to the toyota dealer on may 1, 2016. on may 16,2016 i dove from wilmington ohio to lorain ohio, 3 hours playing 4 cds continuously. this caused the heat in ghe cd player to increase and burn the cds. the cd player feels very hot to the touch after use.

Mice invaded my car. trapped 6. found nests in engine area, under trunk, inside hood felt in glove compartment in a water bottle. the smell does not leave after having car detailed and steam cleaned. toyota should take care of this. not the consumer problem. my car was driven every day and inside a garage.

The spiral cable is defective, horn stopped working two weeks ago, cruise control stopped working last week. there has been alot of complaints about this cable. toyota has had recalls for the tacoma and yaris that use the same part number. the air bag uses the same cable. this is a big safety issue. the cost to replace this cable is $890.00. someone needs to look into this issue. what is the criteria for a recall, someone dieing.

I was pulled over by the police, (while on a village street) because my headlight bulb was burned out. (again!) i have had 4 headlight bulbs replaced on the 2011 prius and it is only 4 years old! toyota has a technical service bulletin on the wiring harness, that shorts out the bulbs prematurely, but no recall. please recall the prius for the wiring harness, so i can stop getting pulled over by the police! 09\15 thank you! *tr

My wife was driving our 2011 prius during stop and go traffic. she said the car just took off on her on it's own she tried to brake but it wouldn't stop. it crashed into the motorhome that i was driving. the air bags never deployed. the car was totaled due to the extensive damage.

The honk / spiral cable is defective - only noticed it in 2015 (brought to the dealer) but never used the honk before that - could have been earlier... it only works when the steering wheel is completely turned to one side. since car has never been involved in accident , this is a manufacture defect and not wear and tear - toyota should cover it - i see they have on other models - i came close to 2 serious accidents when i was unable to warn distracted drivers - the cost is high and this is why i did not not get it fixed in 2015 when i first noticed it (the car was only 4 years old) -

Vin # [xxx] toyota prius 2011, driving on interstate 80 east, at 65 mph, smoke came out of the hood, headlight and wire smelled and burned, car was almost in fire. shut off car and headlight and smoke stop. both headlight are damage due to fire. kept both head light off, got home and did not use the car for a few months. car is still under warranty but dealer refuse to repair the problem, telling me i have use an aftermarket bulb. the bulb that cause the problem was the bulb that came with the car as new. i tried to tape up the burned wire to get the car safety home. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. while driving various speeds at night, the front driver side headlight became inoperable. on another occasion, the front passenger side headlight also failed without warning. the dealer recommended that both bulbs be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred two years later where both headlights failed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

As the navigation/gps system was being used on a long trip, the backlight suddenly burned out. upon touch, the screen was extremely hot. (it did not cool down until appx. 1 hour after the backlight had malfunctioned. with the backlight not working, it renders the entire navigation system, bluetooth, back-up camera, audio system/cd player useless and not useable.(entire screen is black.) although the vehicle is only 2 1/2 years old, it is no longer covered under the manufacturer's warranty. the part costs between $2400 and $4500 to replace. numerous complaints have been recorded on various complaint boards about the same issue on 2010 and 2011 prius cars by consumers. *tr

Owner of vehicle driving to work when they observed a red glow in front of them. the owner then observed smoke from the front. the owner pulled off roadway and more smoke developed. the vehicle then caught on fire. the fire consumed the passenger compartment. a fire scene examination was performed and the origin was determined to be in the passenger side dash area where circuit boards and wiring bundles were located. the fire resulted in a total loss of the vehicle. *tr

The instrument display is to dim to read in bright sunlight, especially when driving directly toward the afternoon sun on a clear day. my wife, who viewed the display as a front-seat passenger, agrees with me. to see how fast i was going, i had to take my eyes off the road and allow my eyes to adjust to the darkened display for several seconds. as a result, i was unable to maintain a steady speed on the hilly terrain. despite my best efforts, my speed varied erratically between 70 and 80, more or less, on an interstate with a speed limit was 75. despite my general misgivings about cruise control, i finally had to resort to it to steady my speed. the incident above was my worst experience, but viewing the display in bright sunlight has been an ongoing problem since the vehicle was new. moreover, this was also a problem with a 2005 prius which we previously owned. this is a genuine safety hazard! the two vehicles mentioned above, at least, and possibly other toyota vehicles, need to be retrofitted with a display that can be readily seen in bright sunlight, but which can be adequately dimmed for night driving. *js

Wednesday april 30 2014 i went to church, when i came out and got back in my car light was out. they were burning. *tr

Re: nhtsa 14v053000/hybrid propulsion system...i did not receive a recall notice in the mail. my daughter owns a new prius and she did not receive any notice either. my car engine did not shut off but my daughter's engine has shut off. you should ask toyota to show proof of its recall mailings. i'll bet the farm that they can't. *tr

On two separate occasions in december of 2013, with two different drivers, the brakes on our 2011 model year prius (purchased new in february 2012), failed to engage. the first time occurred when i was driving (with one of my teenagers in the car with me), and the second time occurred when my wife was driving the car alone. in both instance we pressed the brake pedal, but the brakes failed to respond at all. although it is winter, the roads were clear, and the car did not slow down at all when the brakes were pressed / applied. interestingly, after 30 - 60 seconds, the brake function restored itself. since december the car has been at the shop at the toyota dealership where we purchased the car. the shop has been unable to identify the source of the problem. additionally, the shop indicated they contacted toyota mechanics and service support staff to help identify and fix the problem, but toyota claimed they never heard of such a problem or anything like it. moreover, toyota refuses to make any repairs or change any parts (even though the car is still under warranty). yet, this past wednesday (february 12, 2014), toyota announced a recall on rav4's and other models for a software problem that causes the anti-brakes to intermittently turn off. this is particularly troubling, given toyota's claim that they never heard of anything like this and did not know what to fix. further, toyota announced a recall on the prius itself, for a software problem that might cause the car to turn off completely while driving. clearly, toyota has a problem with its software in a number of vehicles. at this point, all i have received is corporate double talk, and i urge the nhtsa to pursue this matter as vigorously as possible. *tr

Security and safety threat in 2011 toyota prius due to power locks failing. actuator in the automatic door locks is defective and fails very early in the auto's life. front passenger door lock failed sept 2013. front driver door lock failed feb 2014. rear driver side door lock failed sept 2014. toyota charges $500 per door to fix, despite the fact that this security and safety risk is obviously caused by the use of cheap, defective parts used to manufacture the 2011 prius. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle lost power. the vehicle was able to be restarted. the failure recurred twice. the dealer updated the software. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer a second time where the technician stated that they dif not have the correct code for the software. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

The door locks on a good portion of toyota prius fail leaving the both the car and it's occupants unprotected. it is mostly the front door locks. toyota refuses to check into the problem. they want over $400 per door lock to fix it. i feel that it is both an inconvenience and a safety hazard since they will not open with the remote or the metal key. the only way to unlock is to enter through the back seat of the car and reach forward to the front door. *tr

I was a front passenger in a 2011 toyota prius. we just got in the car. my friend turned it on. i lowered my window and placed my arm in an upright position just over the windows lower molding. my friend went to raise my window because he wanted the a/c on. he used his auto up feature from the drivers side. before i could remove my arm, the window was already moving up. it started to squeeze my arm in the vertical position. i had my thumb inside the vehicle and my four fingers out side the window from the top. i could not release my hand from either direction. meanwhile there was a tremendous amount of pressure from the bottom. so bad, i started to yell at my friend to lower the window. he said it wouldn't go down. i started to panic because the pain was very bad. i was about to punch the window but quickly reached across my body using my left hand. i used my passenger side window control and was able to lower the window. this so-called auto-down pinch protection does not activate right away. i firmly believe it activates only past a certain point. according to toyota's website, this feature should apply to all positions but in fact does not. the back of my arm was sore for days and did bruise. we tested my friends car again another day and discovered the exact same thing had happened again. this time we only used our hands to apply pressure at the very bottom instead of only at the top or in the middle. this is a huge concern. toyota was emailed but i haven't heard back from a representative. in my opinion, i should have received an email back or a phone call at the least. it saddens me because i too am the owner of two toyotas. where is the priority now? *kb

Vehicle loses braking function while traveling over potholes, recessed manhole covers, and all other types of rough road surfaces. braking function is delayed and does not return to previous power/braking strength after traversing the obstacle; this results in the need to depress the brake pedal further to re-engage enough braking function to stop the vehicle safely. serious concern is that if the vehicle is under hard braking at the time of the event will there be enough travel left in the brake pedal to reengage the brakes enough to stop. i have experienced this regularly, one or more times per month, since i purchased the car. up until now most occurrences have been just a minor annoyance. i researched the phenomenon on the web and many just write it off as a nuisance / minor quirk of the vehicle so i accepted that opinion and continued on enjoying the car. that is until may 21, 2013 when under hard braking (30-35mph driving speed then heavy braking to 0mph) the vehicle traveled over a recessed manhole cover and it felt like it fully lost all of its braking power and nearly sent me into the back of the vehicle stopping hard ahead of me. i had to floor the brakes before i felt any braking power return after the bump. this issue will lead to an accident if it has not already. please keep an eye on it. *tr