Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement - denied!

If you can't get Toyota to at least help you with the repair since you are obviously out of the "extension" time frame you really only have a couple of choices.

You could try several different things, however the best option in my opinion would be to contact Luscious Garage in California and see if they can fix your meter. If you choose that route, it will be up to you to get the meter out of the dash and ship it to them. At one time a Prius Chat member was repairing the meters, but I am not sure if he is still doing it. Last I heard he was helping Luscious on that aspect.

You could buy a used meter from a junk yard also or possibly Ebay. That would work, but the mileage would not be right. The only real problem with that is when you go to sell the car. Most states now have a odometer statement. The box would have to be checked stating that the odometer is not correct or something similar.

It is unfortunate that the time limit has expired. Toyota is doing all of us a favor with the extension and nine years in my opinion is very gracious on their part. And No I don't work for Toyota. Read the attached files for more info concerning the warranty enhancement on the "combination meter".

Best of luck to you. I am sure other's will chime in and possibly help you further.

 

Your premise is incorrect. The combination meter is not replaced unless the owner actually experienced a problem.

You might ask for financial help in getting the combination meter replaced. Toyota may say no.

 

dragonrand,

Toyota may agree to a "good will" repair, but I doubt they will. Your car is nine years old. Toyota had to draw a line somewhere and unfortunately you ended up just on the wrong side of it.

And that's the way the cookie crumbles.

 

Toyota advises against it.

I don't see why you couldn't as long as you had a GPS speedometer and were careful of knowing when you're in drive, reverse, or park. The power button should still function properly as well. You would also need to fill up more often to be sure that you wouldn't accidentally run out of gas.

Once, I accidentally turned off the dash lights when I turned my car off and the headlights off in the garage and went into the house. When I started the car and turned on the headlights at 5:30 AM the next morning I noticed that the dash lights were out (I was still half asleep when I started the car so I don't recall if the dash lights were on before turning the headlights on). I drove my car at low speed in my subdivision without dash lights until I discovered what I had done. I noticed the headlight symbol was still displayed even though the rest of the dash was dark. I was not aware that I could turn the dash lights off entirely with the dimmer control. Not a good design.

 

I can't remember for sure, but I think all my dash lights stopped working when my combination meter wouldn't work. That would likely cause it to fail your state's inspection (if you have one).

 

The original factory warranty was 3 years. Toyota found that these parts were not up to the quality they expected and were failing early. So they voluntarily extended the warranty on this part to 3X the original. I know it stinks that you aren't covered because you're outside that, but seriously, 9 year coverage is a long time. I think they took care of owners well here.

To give you an example of the kinds of things that people of another make are experiencing. I traded a 2010 Saturn Outlook SUV on my Prius. Over at the forums (I visited the GMC Acadia forum because it's mechanically identical and had a lot more traffic), people are experiencing these issues, many of them within the factory warranty, most well under 100K:

• Transmission wave plate failure
• Timing chain failure
• Major sunroof leaks
• Steering rack failures
• Multiple and various AC problems from bad lines to evaporator failures.

Any one of them is at least $500, most are well over $1000. A transmission failure is like $4000. These are the common problems. With 80K on mine when I sold it, I was just waiting for it to fail. Thankfully, I didn't have any except an early AC line failure that GM helped with a bit (only cost me about $200 instead of $600).

My point is, yes this stinks, but it's a very reliable (overall) 9 year old car. Other brands start having these problems at year 4 or 5.

 

Hello BJ, did you resolve your combination meter problem (presumably without Toyota help)? I now have this problem on an '04 which is unquestionably outside the warranty window. Prior to the warranty extension, it seems pEEf was rebuilding a lot of these. Since the warranty extension, pEEf appears to have stopped this service. Presumably, there was not enough business once the ZTV campaign was announced. However, there is a window of 04 and 05 models (like ours) with these problems that need to get them fixed without Toyota's assistance.

On ebay, I found a service similar to what I think pEEf was offering (and for a similar price):


I am planning to remove the combination meter and buy this rebuild. Before I do so, I thought I would check with you to see how you decided to resolve this. There is also someone selling used clusters on ebay but I think I prefer the rebuild service as they will presumably resolve/improve the core problem.

I am very curious as to the root cause of these failures. I am surprised no one has leaked which IC is failing or where the cold solder joints are. I found a 'teardown' analysis of the circuit at EE times but it did not address the failures: Inside the Toyota Prius: Part 2 - The dashboard display system | EE Times. If it was something as simple as a transistor, regulator or solder reflow, I would be tempted to fix it myself.

Thanks, Marc

 

Marc,
Have you resolved your issue? if yes, how? im facing a similar issue...

 

Combination meter ugh - fighting to get fixed

I bought my car used (only one other owner) in June. I live in a warm climate state. Last week when temperatures dipped I noticed while I was pulling out of my drive my dash lights were out. Checked the dimmer switch to make sure they were not all the way dimmed and nope. Car running fine, energy display fine just no green dash lights - even the air bag light was on just nothing green .While driving I am googling missing dash lights on 2007 prius. The articles that appeared had to due with the 12 volt battery. I drove to a gas station and tried to turn the car off to no avail. Work wasn't but two miles away, so I decided to drive on. While I was driving the lights magically appeared again. Once I got to work I was able to turn the car off and immediately made an appt with my dealership. After further investigation I came upon the extended Warranty info for the combination meter. I went to the dealership that day and they told me to return the following Monday so we could order the part. This morning (Tuesday) my service representative called me to let me know the service manager refused to replace the part because they could not recreate the problem. I told them according to the warranty extension program that it should be fixed upon customer request because the problem could not necessarily be recreated and they still refused. I asked for the corporate number to call and talk to them. Did that and they created a case and then sent me right back to the dealership and their in house case worker SMH which when she first called me agreed with the service manager and refusing to fix my car. So I again reaffirmed my assertions about the warranty and getting the problem fixed. Now I am stuck waiting for her to call me back. WTH - I thought if the part is under warranty they had to fix it. So what now if they refuse again? Is there anything else that can be done?

 

Try another dealer. I went in and explained the problem and the dealer brought up that it was a known issue and covered by the extended warranty (I knew the cause before going in). If that particular dealer doesn't want your business, so be it.

 

Thank you and it looks like that is what I will have to do. The dealership liaison called back to inform me since they cannot reproduce the problem they refuse to do anything. Called corporate again and they made a second case for me (the customer service rep suggested using another dealership also since dealerships are individually owned and they cannot force them to fix the problem) What are warranties good for in this case? Anyways I did lodge a formal complaint against Serra Toyota of Birmingham, AL for refusal to fix a warrantied problem. The second case number I was issued is going to be sent to the corporate arbitrator to see if anything they can do, but if not I did speak to the service department where the original owner did purchase the car and it sounds like they will help me with the combination meter. So right now we are to be continued.........

 

Would like to report today, the second dealership has ordered the new combination meter and will be here is 3-5 days. Wow, what a completely different service experience.

 

Good evening, could you tell us what year/model your prius is?I wonder because toyota canada told me there was no such recall for my 2006 prius.. Thanks!

 

Possibly worth a try, if you are handy;

06 07 08 09 Toyota Prius Speedometer Instrument Cluster Display Exchange | eBay

Looks like a pretty simple replacement and NOT that expensive.

 

Not a recall just an extended warranty. Mine is a 2007. On the warranty letter there are a list of vin numbers of vehicles affected by the combination meter.

 

New!
Toyota 06 09 Prius Control Module 8329147360 | eBay