2007 Toyota Prius electrical system problems

“Combination meter often does not turn on when turning the car on. This means you cannot see a speedometer, any warning lights, fuel tank levels, or mileage. Also the trunk gets locked and is unable to open. Sometimes the car will not turn off. This has been happening on and off for over a year but has gotten increasingly worse. There are no warning signs. This can happen any time you turn on the car but might not always happen. It can also prevent you from turning off the car. When searching online, it seems this is a common problem with high mileage Priuses between 2005-2009 and so Toyota extended a warranty on it but did not tell all of the owners, most likely to get out of a recall.”

“When the 12-volt battery in this car dies, there is NO warning light to indicate the battery is dead or is running low. The driver is given no warning or indication prior to the car being disabled. Once the battery dies, the vehicle immediately decelerates, there is no acceleration, the braking system becomes mostly disabled, and the power steering is not functional. The car becomes disabled, while being driven, without warning. When this event happens, there is a high pitched screaching alarm, and the majority of the dash lights turn on. None of which indicate there is an issue with the 12-volt battery. The large red triangle light with the exclamation mark comes on, as well the lights indicating that there is a problem with the brakes. Additional dash lights also turn on during this dangerous event. The rear view monitor screen states that there is an issue with the transmission. The reality that a minor 12- volt battery is responsible for disabling a vehicle is extremely dangerous, especially since it happens when the car is being driven. This is a serious issue. Toyota must include an indicator light that warns the driver the battery is low prior to the car…”

“The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while at a stop light, she attempted to drive however, the vehicle failed to exceed 25 MPH. The HC battery, ECU, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the vehicle displayed DTC code: P3190 (Engine Failure). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery was severely drained, and the mechanic retrieved DTC codes: P3000 and P0A80 for the hybrid battery pack. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic, who replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000. The contact stated the vehicle was actually overfilled with oil at the mechanic's shop that performed the oil change, so that is what caused the issues with my vehicle.”

“Instrument panel cluster failure. Panel goes black while driving and lose power. Vehicle won’t start or shut off. My vehicle was getting serviced at the dealership and they couldn’t start the vehicle. I was told the instrument panel cluster was the problem. I contacted Toyota Customer Service, and was told they were aware of the issue. They had issued an extended warranty and sent out a letter to all owners this warranty has expired in 2016. If you purchased your vehicle after 2016 you would not have received any notice regarding this. While driving you can’t see you speed, your gear selection, fuel level, lights and no warning lights. The warning is that your vehicle won’t start or shut off.”

“I was driving and all of my dashboard lights disappeared, I couldn't see anything. I was suddenly driving blind. I pulled over but the car would not turn off. I tried again and again, but it would just not turn off. I called Toyota corporate they asked how far I was to a Toyota dealer and told me to take it there immediately. They gave me a case number 220322000191. When I got to the dealer, they said I would have to pay $150 for a diagnosis. I left it there and am now reporting this. There should be a recall on these vehicles, this is extremely dangerous.”

“The Dash display (shows the speedometer, warning lights, etc) won't come on, and the rear back up camera doesn't either. They seem to both stop at the same time on start up. The car seems to run fine otherwise.”