Toyota Prius Software Problems

stevedebi · August 2005

"I wonder if you overfill the tank after the pump clicks it can compromise the bladder?"

Hmmm, good thought. Maybe that is what happened...

dmathews3 · August 2005

I doubt it. The only way you could cause a problem by over filling is if it was under pressues like a tire. Since once it is full the excess fuel runs out on the ground there should be no way of causing a problem except if the gas station owner makes you clean up the mess :P

midnightcowboy · August 2005

so messages have to do with Prius software problems ??

The software runs in one or more of the Prius computers and has nothing to do with the flexible( USA only) gas bladder.

Concerning the software problems, since they seem to be happening and are a reality, it would behoove Toyota to go back to the lab and run a complete QA agaisnt the Prius software simultaing all possible fault conditions. Then once and for all iss a software update that would fix the problem. If it turns out the problem is also associated with ROM or flash memory ,, then maybe a firmware upgrade would also be needed. Thne the new baseline software would be carried forward to all new Prius and retrofitted into all existing Prius.

Cheers,

MiidCow

Sylvia · August 2005

My sentiments as well. Posts NOT about the software problems specifically will be moved to the Toyota Prius Owners: Problems & Solutions discussion.

stevedebi · August 2005

I thought my post #368 illustrated that the bladder might be masking the software problems; hence it was a warrented "detour". However, back onto more direct stuff...

stevedebi · August 2005

"The software runs in one or more of the Prius computers and has nothing to do with the flexible( USA only) gas bladder.

Concerning the software problems, since they seem to be happening and are a reality, it would behoove Toyota to go back to the lab and run a complete QA agaisnt the Prius software simultaing all possible fault conditions."

You are correct that the fuel bladder has nothing to do with computer or software problems - but if it caused the Prius to shut down on the freeway, that behavior could be mistaken for a software problem. That's why the last 10 or so posts are there.

RE:QA. Not possible, too many variables. If it were that simple, Toyota would have done it already. Like any complex software program, most of the code has probably been "individually" tested, what is known as unit test, where the individual piece of software code is checked for all variables, plus out-of-bounds values. However, when one combines all of the individual software routines, the "system level" tests become too complex to check every possible outcome, even by using computer simulated inputs. Software houses run system level tests to check out the functionality, but these cannot be all-inclusive. This is the same reason that Microsoft has problems with it's software code.

The best that can be done is to attempt to test as much as practical, and then try and insert software code to "trap" any errors if they occur. These codes are the ones you see reported in these forums. However, if the software fails outside of a coded "exception" point, if the program is not set up to dump data (and I really wouldn't expect a production car to be set up for this), then the problem is - how to find out what really went wrong.

tomzpri · August 2005

Any update on the Prius stalling investigation from NHTSA? There was supposed to be some update in mid August I thought.

blane · August 2005

tomzpri,

Guaranteed, if there were any such update available, this forum would be abuzz with postings.

railroadjames · August 2005

Seems like the notorious computer problems are, at least fading at present. Don't get me wrong. Although I've never had nary a problem of any kind, I'm sure that there were a few problems but it would sure seem that somebody was out to fan the flames of an issue considerably more than it deserved.
I'd like to hear from any of those who "HAD" a problem with their Prius and know the outcome of that problematic issue. Do tell for all to share. Thank You.
Railroadjames

falconone · August 2005

Not to burst your bubble but I am sure it still is an issue. The journalists just want to cover other stupid crap (remember the runaway bride story in Georgia???). I won't even speculate as others do here. Give it a few more months and I am sure we'll know more.

echoch · August 2005

I've recently encountered some very strange behavior by the Multifunction display on my 2004 Prius with 17000 miles. Intermittently, becoming more constant, I've had the radio suddenly shut off. When I use the power button for the radio it turns right on again.

After this happened a few times, then the MFD started going a bit whacky. It didn't like Bluetooth phone calls and at one point stopped giving me sound back - although the person on the line said she heard me clearly. Then the information displays "stuck" and blanked out. At one point I got a message back from the MFD that "external system is not connected". The display froze another time showing 100 mpg across the 6 time slots. Although the display froze, the measurements continued. If I turned the car on and off again, the display might work, and if it did, it showed the current mileage for the car/tank and the correct MPG. Sometimes the nav system was working through the problems, and sometimes not. Throughout all, the car ran fine.

I've brought my Prius into the shop and they are looking at it and not sure what the problme is although the advisor said "I think there is a bulletin on this."

Does anyone recognize this behavior by the system? Might you know about the "service bulletin" that he referred to? Where might it be found?

Thanks,

Eric

:confuse:

molokai · August 2005

Definitely know the problem. Toyota got a bad batch of MFD displays. This also applies to all their other cars/trucks that use a display. The dealer has to change it out and all will be fine.

tomzpri · August 2005

thanks, I'll keep checking back.

fchef1 · August 2005

same thing just happened to our 2004 prius without nav radio shut down then display gave wacky info slow to change screens etc
anyone have any ideas dealer says everything is fine?

falconone · August 2005

Don't believe the dealer. There is a TSB regarding this. Toyota got a bad batch of displays (not only the Prius) and will replace yours. A nice new feature you'll get is the ability to toggle between the consumption/info screens with the button on the steering wheel.

rmosko · September 2005

Same thing happened to me - same symptoms - and the dealer ordered a new display unit.
Anyone know how many Priuses have had this problem?
Shouldn't they be recalling the cars with a display from this bad batch?

falconone · September 2005

They are not going to do a recall on this. The reason is that there was indeed a bad batch of displays. They will replace them free of charge.

explorerx4 · September 2005

it is probably does not warrant a recall. a recall is a safety issue.

xsnerg · September 2005

I also had a problem like that. I was checking over my shoulder to see if there were any cars in my blind spot when the 2nd car ahead of me stopped abruptly. The van ahead of me stopped abruptly, and when I hit the brakes -- I didn't stop. Car has been in the shop for 2 weeks (body and mechanical problems) and est. completion date is Oct. 7.

I didn't feel as if the brakes slowed me much. My son, who was in the car at the time, said he didn't feel the brakes at all.

I shared this experience with 2 people who have ordered Priuses - not to discourage them but to make them aware of their brakes' limitations - when one of the people came back and told me that certain Priuses have had problems with the brakes and the software needed reporogramming. I'm desperately looking for that information; if I can find it, the accident wouldn't be my 'fault' and my insurance rates wouldn't go up (plus, I wouldn't have to believe that I'm a lousy driver). ANYONE KNOW OF A SITE TO LOCATE INFORMATION ON DEFECTIVE/PROBLEMMATIC BRAKES IN THE PRIUS?

blane · September 2005

xsnerg,

There are no reported problems with brakes on recent Prius vehicles. You can check on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) website here:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/defectsearch.cfm

eprupis · September 2005

I have made sudden stops on my 2004 Prius on several occasions and the brakes worked perfectly. I suspect an individual problem with your car as no one has reported this problem before on the Prius chat site in the year and a half I have followed it.

drh3177 · September 2005

I have had problems with a failed navagation screen (replaced), gas guage recording incorrectly (learing to live with it) and engine stopping while driving (Toyota replaced the Hybrid ECU)
I am one of those who spoke with NHTSA regarding my stalling event. I wonder if anyone else has had the following experience (which has happened to me several times before the stalling event, and several times after.

I push the start button, and, instead of the car starting, it goes to what I call orange mode (orange because the L E D in the start button becomes orange....I think this is commonly called accessory mode). When I try to start the car by pressing the brake and hitting the start button again, the car just freezes in the "orange mode". Anywhere from 45 seconds to 5 minutes later, the car is willing to unfreeze and shut down. I then can start it normally.

The reason I am particularly interested in this phenomena is because when my car stopped while driving on March 13th. I could not get the car out of "orange mode" for somewhere between 5 to 10 minutes. When the shut down occurred, all of my warning lights were on. There have been no warning lights on when this has occurred at my attempted start-up of the automobile

stevedebi · September 2005

You don't indicate the year of your Prius, there were a couple of TSBs for the 2004 year. Have all TSBs been performed?

If you are having this "orange mode" problem now, take it to a dealer and make them fix it. It is indicative of some other problem that may bite you in the back sometime (or bite you lower down, if you know what I mean).

drh3177 · September 2005

To Stevedebi
thanks for your response. My Prius is a 2004 with the group 9 package..i.e. with all the bells and whistles that Toyota offers on ths vehicle. My car was ordered in October of 2003 and delivered in late February of 2004. I mention this because some of the Prius problems probably relate to particular serial numbers and their dates of manufacture.

Do you know the numbers of the TSB's for the 2004's which relate to the "shut-down while driving" issue. I fear that not knowing the TSB numbers, I am at the mercy of the dealer. I have an excellent dealer, but they can only be as good as their knowledge base. Consequently, I want to be as pro-active as I can so as to not find myself stopped in the middle of a busy interstate on a cold Sunday night. As you are no doubt aware all auto problems are pre-programmed to occur in bad weather and on Sundays or holidays.

stevedebi · September 2005

"Do you know the numbers of the TSB's for the 2004's which relate to the "shut-down while driving" issue. "

I'm sorry, I do not have a list. I believe there was one on the display face and the engine control unit (this is the one that was evidently causing the shutdowns at highway speed).

You have an early unit, and it sounds like just about any 2004 TSBs would apply. But your dealer may have already put them in - I notice you had your screen display replaced.

Anybody else out there have the TSB numbers?

blane · September 2005

drh3177,

Try this link:

blane, "Toyota Prius Software Problems" #126, 18 May 2005 7:07 am

asevilla · October 2005

They will only replace them free of charge if you are still covered under the Toyota Comprehensive Warranty (36 months or 36,000 miles). I just brought ours in for this problem and since we are at 41,000 miles, we have to shell out the cash for the parts and labor. This is VERY frustrating since Toyota knew about the bad batch of displays (TSB was sent out on January 10, 2005) and did not inform consumers. I understand the reason not to have a recall, but if you know full well you have installed faulty equipment into your product, why are you requiring me to pay for it?

falconone · October 2005

You should take that up with the regional rep. Also call Toyota right away and file a complaint. No one should have to pay a dime for those. It is a known fact that there were a few bad displays out there. This is why I tell everyone to get the extended warranty on ANY vehicle you intend on keeping today. For $985 it is a bargain!!

gagrice · October 2005

Did the dealer indicate the price for parts and labor? Another Prius owner had hers go bad right after she bought it used with no warranty. I think they charged her $490 for the display. You might see if another dealer would replace it. It is a known defect on some units.

Kirstie_H · October 2005

A national paper would like to hear from consumers who have purchased a Toyota Prius and have had stalling problems. If you have a story to share, please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com with your daytime and cell contact info, city/state of residence, and the year of your Prius no later than Thursday, October, 13, 2005. The deadline for the story is today, so the reporter would be contacting you today as well.

falconone · October 2005

http://tinyurl.com/7occ7

stevedebi · October 2005

I apologize for the cross post, but I thought this should also be posted here, since it may impact the software problems.

" TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO) will recall 160,000 units of its hybrid Prius car worldwide due to possible problems with the engine, Kyodo News reported Friday.

These problems may cause the engine to stop while driving, and Toyota will repair all the cars recalled free of charge, Kyodo reported. "

http://tinyurl.com/bn6qs

gagrice · October 2005

I have to believe that the Edmund's forum played a big part in forcing Toyota to address this problem and correct it.

arkainzeye · October 2005

wonder if this might be the cause of some of those problems..

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/automotive/5097736/detail.html

falconone · October 2005

I seriously doubt that. If you were following the threads everyone here knew it was a software udate. The culmination of their investigation was something we all knew was the issue to begin with. Now only if DC can come up with a solution to those pesky overheating Liberty diesels :confuse: :confuse:

krzyss · October 2005

of version 2.0

http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/10/14/prius_recall.reut/index.html

Nobody makes perfect machines.

Krzys

rg9 · October 2005

Congratulations to the owners who withstood the onslaught of people defending Toyota. Its funny how some groups feel a need to protect a company whose products have defects. This recall proves the problem does exists and owners were not making things up. Toyota's denial of the problem seems very hollow.

Congratulations to NHTSA also for opening up the investigation and forcing Toyota to address the problem. Without their involvement this thing would have dragged out even longer than it already did.

rg9 · October 2005

Looks like the stalling problem was real after all.

larsb · October 2005

The stalling problem was never (by anyone with credibility anyway) rejected as "not happening."

What was in question was the severity of the problem. Some people thought it affected many many drivers and others defended Toyota and said it was a problem affecting only a small number of cars.

That part is still true - the stalling problem HAS only occurred to a small number of cars. Toyota is taking "proactive measure" of recalling to go ahead and get everybody updated to prevent future occurences of the problem.

falconone · October 2005

Toyota never tried to hide the fact that there was an issue. It came to light a few months back and now there is a software fix. That's a pretty fast response! Most owners who frequent the Prius forums have already had their software updated.

gagrice · October 2005

Most owners who frequent the Prius forums have already had their software updated.

How about the 95% that do not frequent any forums? Toyota had an obligation to inform ALL Prius owners when they found the problem, back in March 2005. Toyota kept it under wraps. Several people that reported the problem had been in for service after the fix was available and the dealer did not update the software. You had to specifically ask for it. If it was not for the NHTSA investigating, Toyota would not have done anything to inform all the Prius owners.

Many Prius owners that came to the forum looking for answers, were run off by rude comments, by those that think that the Toyota Prius is the answer to all our problems.

falconone · October 2005

There were many people, including my sister and other people I communicate with that received post cards telling them about the updates. If you think for a moment that Toyota will try to brush this under the rug, you are sorely mistaken. They have a lot riding on this car as it is a stepping stone to the hybridization of their other vehicles. Perhaps your cynicism should be directed at GM. They constantly have to be prodded into making good on their cars/trucks. Same for Ford. Funny how their bonds are similar to their products now... JUNK STATUS.

larsb · October 2005

By your standard, Gary, are car makers obligated to send a letter to owners for every little blip and minor problem that occurs to an INCREDIBLY SMALL NUMBER of owners of any particular car?

My HCH has the ignition slot behind the steering wheel, and it makes it hard to see, and the plastic around the key hole is all scratched up. Should Honda have let me know?

Sometimes my AutoStop does not engage when I think it should. Should Honda have let me know?

My fuel consumption display is usually off by about 1 MPG from my manual calculations. Should Honda have let me know?

My gas tank is rated at 13.2 but owners have put in as much as 15.2. Should Honda have let me know?

Toyota has not kept anything "under wraps." They were doing what is known as an INVESTIGATION to see what the cause of the problem was. Does every car company need to send a letter to say, "hey, a few owners have had a problem, so we are investigating it." ??? No, of course not, that would be silly.

gagrice · October 2005

If you think for a moment that Toyota will try to brush this under the rug, you are sorely mistaken.

The evidence is there and very clear. Some will refuse to see it. Maybe your sister has a good Toyota dealer. That would be a big plus for her. Exposing the shortcomings of other automakers in no way excuses Toyota from covering up this issue. It was a lot more serious than a window that will not work properly. Toyota and the Prius owners are very fortunate that the software problem did not cause a serious accident.

falconone · October 2005

At least Toyota has a fix for the software issue. As our cars become more complex, issues relating to computers and such will be much more prevalent. I myself find it appaling that DC has not recalled the Liberty diesel. They still won't admit there is a problem. THAT to me shows that they don't care about the customer. In the scheme of things, the Prius will prove to have extremely high reliability. Just wait and see.

rsharp · October 2005

DC also has a growing problem with the quality plagued Pacifica (or as some owners now call it Pacificrap). The PACs are stalling at highway speeds and there is no computer registration of any problem when the dealers look at it. So the owners are simply sent on their way while the dealers and DC says we cannot find any problem.

At least Toyota was coming up with a fix!

midnightcowboy · October 2005

Larsb said: "The stalling problem was never (by anyone with credibility anyway) rejected as "not happening."

Actually is was denied, by one of the staunch defenders of the Prius movement. Just to refresh your memory look at messages #119, #201, #207, #210

YMMV,

MidCow

falconone · October 2005

Actually...those are the updates that are being addressed IN PUBLIC. I personally, never doubted people that have written about their experiences regarding the stalling.

falconone · October 2005

I wasn't aware of the Pacifica problem. It's funny how people who have no interest at in hybrids, participate to propogate falsehoods. I wonder why?

larsb · October 2005

Post #119 - no denial here:

"There were actually only 11 reports. (Some people posted their complaint twice.) And many of them were likely caused by not having SSC-40A (Electronic-Control-Unit reprogramming) and LSC-40E (Engine Compartment Seal) done for their Prius. They are required updates to prevent this type of problem.
JOHN"

Post #201 - no denial here either:

"Why be concerned? You are more likely to be in an accident caused by someone else than for this to happen. Just stay alert. This is still rare and just sounds like the updates weren't applied to all the cars that needed them. I have driven 95,000 miles with my two Prius. No engine trouble whatsoever. None of my Prius owning friends have ever had any either. The real problem is the lack of detail in these reports, causing people to speculate & worry. If they would report what the month/year their car was built (found on the driver's door-jam) and which updates they've had done (documented using stickers placed inside the hood or door-jam by the mechanic), they'd we'd have something actually helpful to work with.
JOHN"

Post #207 - no denial here:

"Also note that the TSB doesn't only apply to Prius, though you'd never know it based on the way info is sometimes posted. Highlander & Land Cruiser are also listed, since they use the identical hardware.
JOHN"

Post # 210 - no denial here:

"Ask your dealer and/or call Toyota directly to find out if updates are needed. What else is there outside of normal care for a vehicle? And all the routine stuff is already documented and available online from several sources.
JOHN"

I don't see any denial there. Just questioning the severity of the problem and noting the small number of occurrences does not equal denial that a problem exists.

Toyota Prius Software Problems

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles