06 Prius touch screen repair?

I hate being the bearer of bad news, BUT...

On our previous Prius (the blue '06) we had the exact same problem. I took it to both a computer shop (they work on a ton of touch screens) and Crown Toyota. Neither one could get it to a point where it could be recalibrated. They worked on it in the car and took it out, trying to "jolt" it into submission using external power supplies and diagnostic tools. No luck.

We settled on a refurbished replacement and saved a bunch compared to a new one. While they are available through Ebay for reasonable prices we opted for a refurb through the dealer. More expensive but came with a 12 month, unlimited mileage warranty.

 

I'm pretty sure there was a thread about someone replacing the touchscreen in their mfd. it wasn't an easy job, unless your used to repairing this kind of stuff.

 

As long as you are careful to buy the correct unit, it's apparently not difficult to replace it yourself. There are some good videos online of people replacing their own MFD units. They replace the entire unit, not just the screen.

 

Yeah the unit is very easy to replace yourself - just need a screwdriver set and a 10mm hex wrench head. I've taken mine out twice, as it has to be removed to put in a aftermarket CD player (I pulled it the second time to add high pass crossovers to my speakers). If you look on youtube there are videos for replacing it, or videos for installing an aftermarket CD player, and you would just need to watch to the part the screen gets taken off.

Easiest solution is to just buy a refurbished unit or one from a salvage car and replace yourself. I know they can be found on ebay for under $100 shipped, and I think you need to match Nav or not Nav with whatever your car has. Also I know the screen resolution was upgraded in perhaps on the 2007-2009 model? I believe they have the same connectors though, so you could score yourself a screen upgrade in the process if you wanted to. Double check this before you order.

 

I have no idea since we went ahead and replaced the entire unit.

I don't believe the computer shop dug into it deeply enough to make that determination either. If they had and it was the touchscreen they could have easily replaced it.

 

There is a discussion of re-calibrating the MFD in this thread. A video at post #4 might be helpful.
MFD Touch alignment calibration | PriusChat

 

the thread I read, the guy replaced just the screen in his mfd, because it was cheaper than replacing the whole mfd. but I suppose buying a used mfd from ebay does make more sense. that's probably what I will do if one of mine takes a dump.

 

Hi there. I know this thread is likely dead, but any tips on how to buy a good unit on eBay? What should I look out for? Thank you!

 

I would want the seller to guarantee it works, and I'd want to know it came out of a low mileage car.

 

I just finished putting in a new touchscreen on my 2006 Prius. I have experience with the repair of electronic equipment so I was willing to do this as a DIY project.

My touchscreen began to be unreliable until eventually it became unusable. I bought a new touchscreen from Ebay for less than $20. It was sold as a Touchscreen Glass Digitizer for a Lexus IS GS RX Toyota Prius MDF. The part number on unit they sent was HST-TPA7 3D.

The first step was to remove the MFD. This was easier than I thought it would be. There are only 2 screws and two bolts to undo in order to get the MFD detached although you also have to pop off multiple vents and panels and unplug multiple connectors. See the youtube video Prius MFD screen removal in 2 minutes for details. One caution, when pulling off vents and panels, try to pull straight up or straight towards you. I cracked one of my vents by pulling unevenly. After removing the first vent, take a minute to look at how it's held in place which can give you an idea of the best way to tug on the rest of them.

After removing many screws (See the video Touch Screen display MFD replacement FIX Toyota Prius DIY for details), you finally get to the screen. I used an exacto knife to cut through the adhesive holding the old digitizer to the unit. A single edged razor blade might have worked better as I cracked the old screen in a few places, but it was going to be thrown out anyway. Just watch for the broken glass if you crack it. Another caution is unplugging the old digitizer. Do not yank out the flex cable from the screen going to the MFD. You must unlatch the connector by gently sliding the plastic holding the cable towards you. I used a pick with a right angle bend to pull the plastic forward which releases the flex cable. Once the cable is released, then you can pull it out of the connector.

With the old digitizer unplugged and removed, clean up the old adhesive from the bezel on the MFD. Since the screen I purchased did not have any adhesive tape around the outer edges, I put some 3mm double sided tape around the bezel to hold the new screen in place (sold on Amazon or Ebay for smartphone LCD repair). The screen I purchased had protective plastic on both sides. Peel off the top layer on the double sided tape and the bottom layer of plastic on the digitizer before putting the new digitizer in place. Make sure you have the digitizer lined up correctly as you probably only have one shot at getting it right. Before sticking the new digitizer in place, make sure there aren't any foreign objects on the underside of the digitizer or on top of the MFD. I ended up with a stray tiny piece of paper entombed under the digitzer. With the screen in place you can plug the connecter into the MFD and then push the connector lock back in place. Peel the top protective plastic off the digitizer and reassemble the unit and reinstall it into the car.

One final note, when I first turned on the car I got a red triangle warning light, but after turning the car off and on, it went away. The new digitizer works perfectly and I did not need to recalibrate it.

 

Great description. I’d hesitate to change the screen but ease of access you described makes it more attractive to change the MFD with an eBay replacement.