NHTSA Complaint #10660813 — 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS

ON START UP THE COMBINATION METER FAILED TO OPERATE. SINCE THE COMBINATION METER PRESENTS BULK OF THE CRITICAL VEHICLE INFORMATION IT PRESENT A HAZARD TO THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS A KNOWN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM AND WAS FIRST OBSERVED ON MY 2005 PRIUS APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS AGO, HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM CAN CLEAR ITSELF. WHEN IT FIRST OCCURRED I BROUGHT IT TO THE SUN TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT, 3001 U.S. 19 HOLIDAY, FL (727) 478-0070 FOR SERVICE. THE SERVICE PERSONAL NOTICED THE PROBLEM, RECYCLED THE POWER ON THE VEHICLE, THEN THE PROBLEM CLEARED ITSELF. THEY SAID AT THAT TIME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM UNLESS IT HARD FAILS. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE HAD IT INTERMITTENTLY FAIL AND CORRECT ITSELF. I DISCOVERED THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN DESIGN DEFECT AND THAT A WARRANTY EXTENSION HAD BEEN ISSUED BY TOYOTA MOTOR SALE, USA WHICH WOULD COVER REPAIR OF THE VEHICLE. I EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE AGAIN ON 11/18/2014. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE IT TO SUN TOYOTA. THEY EXAMINED THE PROBLEM, I POINTED OUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT THEY SAID THE VEHICLE WAS NOW OUTSIDE OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO CLEARWATER TOYOTA, 21799 US HIGHWAY 19 N, CLEARWATER, FL 33765 (727) 799-1234, AND THEY TOO SAID IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. AS A LAST RECOURSE I CALLED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER. THEY ASSIGNED A CASE TO ME BUT THEY TOO SAID THE PROBLEM IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR