2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Visibility Problems

2004 & 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REAR VIEW VISIBILITY AND BRAKING ISSUES IN BOTH VEHICLES. *SMD

THE MULTI FUNCTION DISPLAY REGISTERED THE ERROR CODE: CHECK CONNECTION OF AIR CONDITIONER. A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AT PAPPAS TOYOTA ON 12/2/11 SHOWED A DEFECTIVE MFD. A NEW REPLACEMENT WOULD COST $4300. A REFURBISHED ONE WAS TO BE LOCATED BUT A CALL WAS NOT RECEIVED AS TO THIS HAVING HAPPENED. TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AT LEAST BY 1/10/2005 WHEN A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED. SINCE THE DEFECT IN THE PART WAS KNOWN TO TOYOTA AND INVOLVES A SAFETY ISSUE A REQUEST FOR WARRANTY REPLACEMENT WAS MADE. THIS REQUEST WAS DENIED. ON 12/23/11, AFTER HAVING BEEN TOLD A WEEK WOULD BE NEEDED TO FIND THE PART, I E-MAILED PAPPAS AND ASKED THAT ONE BE LOCATED. I MADE AN APPT. AT THAT TIME TO HAVE IT INSTALLED ON 1/3/12. I HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION BY 1/2/12 SO I CALLED AGAIN AND LEARNED THE PART WAS TO BE ORDERED ON 1/2/12...

THE DRIVER'S SIDE HID HEADLIGHT, INTERMITTENTLY, UNPREDICTABLY AND INEXPLICABLY SHUTS OFF. IT WILL OCCASIONALLY RETURN TO SERVICE ON ITS OWN, BUT USUALLY REQUIRES A CYCLING OF THE LIGHT'S POWER SWITCH BEFORE FULL FUNCTION IS RESTORED. AFTER WHICH, THE LENGTH OF TIME BEFORE THE LIGHT SHUTS OFF AGAIN VARIES FROM A FEW SECONDS TO NOT AT ALL. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE, IT SEEMS TO BE A RATHER SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH THE 2004-2009 PRIUS. OBVIOUSLY, THE SITUATION THIS CONDITION CREATES IS UNSAFE AT BEST, CAN PLACE ME PERSONALLY IN AN UNEXPECTED ILLEGAL POSITION - AND (SHOULD BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT TOGETHER, AS SOME HAVE REPORTED) COULD QUITE POSSIBLY BE LIFE THREATENING. FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVING PUBLIC, I WOULD STRONGLY URGE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE. TOYOTA MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DESIGN FLAW, AND ENGINEER A RESOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. *TT

MULTIFUNCTION TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY (MFD) MALFUNCTION DISABLES THE WINDSHIELD DEFOGGER. ONE MUST WIPE THE WINDSHIELD BY HAND. IF THE WINDSHIELD FOGS WHILE DRIVING ON A NARROW AND WINDING ROAD OR BUSY HIGHWAY, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS ARE AT HIGH RISK. THERE IS A WEBSITE THAT SHOWS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND HOW TO FIX IT (HTTP://TECHNO-FANDOM.ORG/~HOBBIT/CARS/MFD/). A MULTI-PIN CONNECTOR HAS A FAULTY PIN. THE SOLDERING CRACKS OVER TIME RESULTING IN A LOOSE CONNECTION. TOYOTA DOES NOT PROVIDE AN AFFORDABLE SOLUTION. THEY OFFER TO REMOVE THE TWO COMPUTER UNITS FROM BEHIND THE MFD AND REPLACE THEM FOR APPROXIMATELY $3,000, RATHER THAN SIMPLY RE-SOLDERING THE CONNECTOR PIN. I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPAIR THIS, AND TOYOTA HAS NOT OFFERED ANY VIABLE SOLUTIONS. THIS AFFECTS ALL EARLY TYPE 2 PRIUSES. *TR

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS COST $449 (INCLUDES LABOR) TO REPLACE PASSENGER SIDE HEAD LIGHT. *TR

THE MULTI-FUNCTION DISPLAY (MFD) FAILED. (CROSS REFERENCE NHSTA COMPLAINT #10173892). THIS IS A KNOWN DESIGN DEFECT (CROSS REFERENCE ANALYSIS ON WEB: HTTP://TECHNO-FANDOM.ORG/~HOBBIT/CARS/MFD/COMPARE.HTML AND HTTP://TECHNO-FANDOM.ORG/~HOBBIT/CARS/MFD/). TOYOTA ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (EITHER EL-002-04 OR EL-002-05 - CONFLICTING INFO ON THIS) ON JAN 10, 2005. WHEN THE MFD FAILS, ONE CANNOT CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF AIRFLOW TO THE WINDSHIELD (DEFROSTER). THIS PRESENTED ME WITH VISIBILITY PROBLEMS DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE. AS SUCH, I CONSIDER IT A SAFETY ISSUE. TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS FOR 3 YEARS, GIVEN THE DATE OF THEIR TSB. THE ROOT CAUSE APPEARS TO BE AN UNDERSIZED SOLDER PAD ON ONE OF THE ELECTRONIC CARDS OF THE MFD. THIS RESULTS IN A CRACKING OF THE SOLDER JOINT. BECAUSE MY PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT, COMING AND GOING ON A FREQUENT BASIS, I PRESUME IT WAS A MICRO CRACK. THIS DOES NOT HELP WHEN THE WINDSHIELD IS FOGGING OVER. ALL OF...