2004 Toyota Prius Electrical System Problems
- 149
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 149 stored complaint records:
- 4 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
What owners report
- 12v/24v/48v Battery · 2 records
- Instrument Cluster/Panel · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 58 |
| 30–60k mi | 19 |
| 100–150k mi | 19 |
| 150–400k mi | 17 |
| 60–100k mi | 10 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System
Combination meter is black 90% of the time. Restarting engine or disconnecting battery only works on occasion. Have safety concerns.
ODI 11289673
Electrical System · Fuel/Propulsion System · Vehicle Speed Control
I am the owner of a 2004 prius. After buying my car used 2 years ago i noticed that once in awhile the display, including fuel consumption, speedometer, odometer, and more, would not light up and that the car would not turn off easily several times i have been in situations where i have little gas an am unable to see my gas gauge or know how fat iam going on the highway. I understand that this was once covered by…
ODI 11202903
Electrical System
Takata recall vehicle needs to have brake actuator. Bg brake fluid service.
ODI 11182905
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control
(combination meter problem) while driving at night on the freeway the entire instrument panel (dash board) started blinking on and off. For our safety, we decided to slow down and exit the freeway and stop in a safe area. We turned the ignition off, then started the car, with nothing appearing on the instrument panel beside the check engine light. We lost the speedometer, all gauges and all the electrical and…
ODI 11193001
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
My car head lights are turning off, at first it was one not turning on and then it was the other one, now they take turns. It is a safety issue which almost had make me crash more than 2 times. To the point that i am unable to use the car during the night. This happens if the car is parked or running.
ODI 11132191
Electrical System
Car was in motion, 55 mph on highway going straight, had been driving one hour. Smoke started filling the rear hatchback area, coming from the driver's side of the cargo-area floor. Pulled over and flames came up. Doused it with water. Upon inspection the sks sensor (remote control door lock sensor) had burst into flames, burning the plastic and other components around it.
Fire reported
ODI 11052777
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Fuel/Propulsion System
My 2004 prius's check engine light turns on randomly wnd often and i lose full power of the car. The battery is fully charged. The car stopped 4 times today - lost all power and the brake would not stop the car.
ODI 11023778
Electrical System
Digital dash fails to illuminate dealer says recall has expired a known problem by toyota.
ODI 11025257
Electrical System
2004 toyota prius with hid option. One or both hid headlights go out while parked or driving. Turning the light control on and off will temporarily solve the issue. The issue is random in nature. For instance, i noticed one headlight went out this morning and before i could turn the switch to reset the other headlight went out, leaving me in the dark on the road. The vehicle may be park or in motion. There appears…
ODI 11010172
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
3 days after buying my 04 prius both of my low beams and one of my high beams went out. A few months after replacing them my driver side low beam went out, the high beam was fine. 2-3 months after re replacing the driver's side low beam the passenger side low beam went out. I have had to replace my headlights about 5 times each (10 times total driver+passenger side) i had my ground wires checked, i constantly check…
ODI 11120407
Electrical System
The front right side headlight keeps going out . Already replaced it twice and it seems this is very common with the toyota prius. Fuse also keeps burning. This is a very dangerous situation at night . Driving with one head light is becoming to common for this type of vehicle .
ODI 10780422
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. The contact stated that the combination meter failed, which caused the instrument panel and dashboard lights to not illuminate when the vehicle was started. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. ...updated 02/19/16…
ODI 10822581
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Vehicle Speed Control
Speedometer & other control information display went blank. Pulled over to side of road but unable to turn off engine. Contacted toyota & was told problem is known & warranty extend to 9 years & unlimited miles. However, my vehicle is older than nine years, so i must pay estimate $1400 to fix & car will be unavailable for estimate 2 weeks. The vehicle is unsafe to drive, prior to this known problem occurring car was…
ODI 10733039
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. When the vehicle was started, the instrument panel would not illuminate. The failure recurred on several occasions. On several occasions, the vehicle would not power off after the on/off switch was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed that the multi functional display multi-meter and the power switch were faulty and needed to be replaced. The…
ODI 10736067
Electrical System · Service Brakes
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota pruis. The contact stated that the brake warning light on the instrument panel intermittently illuminated. This was a recurring failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician was unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
ODI 10761515
Electrical System
The dashboard display failed to light up, but the car turned on. It did go into drive, so i drove my daughter to school, then stopped to call coggin toyota at the avenues to report the problem, but the car would not turn off. They said it was the instrument cluster, a known problem with the prius and for which there was a technical service bulletin and a warranty enhancement, although that "enhancement" ended 9…
ODI 10700735
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota prius. After starting the vehicle, the instrument panel failed to illuminate and the gauges were difficult to read. The failure occurred intermittently. The contact mentioned that when the failure occurred, the key failed to be removed from the ignition and the vehicle failed to turn off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the combination meter needed…
ODI 10668948
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Passenger headlamp goes out while car is being driven. Driver side headlamp remains on (illuminated). Turning headlamp switch off and on causes passenger and driver side headlamp to illuminate. On re-illumination, passenger side headlamp sometimes appears normal and at other times appears to be dimmer, more yellowish. Dealer quoted replacement hid bulb and labor to replace will cost $225.00 total. *tr
ODI 10554026
Electrical System
Odometer stops working at 299,999 miles. Toyota says there is no fix. *tr
ODI 10549020
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Same intermittent headlight problem posted here hundreds of times. Why is toyota only fixing 2006+ model years? The same problem plagues all model years. *tr
ODI 10548336
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
My 2004 toyota prius's hid lights are going off intermittently and coming back on when i turned them off and back on again. The driver's side is going off again and will come back on again when i turn it off and then back on. Also, my headlight leveling system warning light is coming on. When i drive on the highway light goes off, i feel very unsafe. I have to turn them off and back on in seconds to avoid a possible…
ODI 10537812
Electrical System · Visibility/Wiper
My 2004 prius has a touch screen display that controls many functions including climate controls. On a recent morning i started my vehicle and got an error message saying "no external connection to air conditioner" at the same time i could not access heater, defrost, navigation, hybrid monitor or hands free phone. Fortunately, i had a rag in the car and could keep my window clean. After 20 minutes of driving, the…
ODI 10505539
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Both headlamps go off and on sporadically, as follows: approximately thirty (30) days after buying this used car, the left hid headlamp appeared burnt out. Both left and right headlamps were replaced on or about january 8, 2013, as recommended for this type of light. On installation, either light would flash on but then go out again, but turning the headlamp switch off then on agan seemed to rectify the problem.…
ODI 10526399
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
I purchased this vehicle in december 2012. Ever since i have had this prius, i have had issues with the front drivers side headlight turning off randomly. Whenever i turn the car on, both headlights are always on, but while driving, the drivers side headlight turns off. I took it to carfix in garner, nc and they thought that it could be the headlight, so they recommended changing it. I ended up having it changed by…
ODI 10583665
Electrical System · Structure
Water intrusion caused corrosion of the main engine wiring harness which caused a fault in the auxiliary 12v battery and has made the vehicle undriveable. Toyota cannot determine the source or cause of the water intrusion even though i have brought in the vehicle for routine maintenance since i purchased it and i have complained about a problem which is related to the auxiliary 12v battery several times in the past.…
ODI 10482546