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multi-function display does not work

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Joelappollo, Dec 14, 2014.

  1. Joelappollo

    Joelappollo New Member

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    The center multi-function display has stopped working. I have read many articles that this problem is through out the prius line. Does anybody know of any recalls ? Cost to repair is over $2,000. at dealer.
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    No recall. Buy a used MFD on eBay.
     
  3. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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  4. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Yep.
    Buy it from Autobeyours via the link in the prvious post and install it yourself.
    My 18 year son just did in for his 2006.
    You can do it!

    Call if you need some encouragement.
     
  5. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    The touch screen on my 2006 lost track of where I was touching it. Turns out this is a well known problem in Lexus land, less so with Prius. The problem is the connection between the touch panel and the ribbon connector. I just used a Dremel burr tool to scratch the connection area down to metal, and painted the 4 connections with Circuit Writer.

    If the repair hadn't worked, the next option would have been New 2004 2009 Toyota Prius Navi 7" LCD Display with Touch Screen | eBay at $249.
     
  6. nitteo

    nitteo Junior Member

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    ROBH this is my problem, do you have any diy thread on this?
     
  7. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    The YouTube video at
    has a great description of the problem on a Lexus. At about 12:45 into the video there is an image of problem connection. The Lexus screen is very similar to the Prius, right down to the failure modes.

    There is another guide at How to Fix the Touchscreen in a Lexus IS350 - Snapguide .

    Just google "lexus touch screen problems" or "lexus touch screen repair" . Note that there are actually two units, the LCD screen and the digitizer panel on top of it. The problem is with the digitizer, which would be a $15 item if you could find it. I couldn't, so I tried the circuit writer (about $20 at Radio Shack) stuff and it worked. It may fail again, in which case I'll probably escalate to replacing the full LCD + digitizer.

    My guess is that the problem is caused by vibration and thermal cycling breaking the connection between the flex cable and digitizer. A used unit is likely to be near failure, so paying several hundred dollars for one seems like a bad deal.
     
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I actually think that the MFD failure rate from newer model 2G is not very high, so if you buy a used unit in reasonable cosmetic condition that would be a fair choice.
     
  9. D Grady

    D Grady Junior Member

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    The MFD on my 2007 Prius suddenly went dark. I pulled it out of the dash and disconnected and reconnected the cables a couple of times. It came back to life. It was apparently a loose connection. However, I tried to see if it would come back on before I snapped it back into place. I got a warning message that the car was on a dangerous slope and that I should return to level ground and firmly engage the parking brake. I reconnected everything and the car runs fine. But now I have the triangle with the exclamation point on my display console. Is there anyway to reset that? Or does it need to go to Toyota to get it turned off?
     
  10. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    Going through several power cycles may clear the error indication. If that doesn't work, someone is going to have to run Techstream to pull any codes and reset the exclamation point. Time to learn about Mini VCI.
     
  11. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Or you can try disconnecting the 12v battery for a moment. Then reconnecting it.
     
  12. D Grady

    D Grady Junior Member

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    Letting the car sit overnight took care of the problem. The next morning the red triangle with the exclamation point disappeared. I guess the computer decided the car was not falling off a cliff after all.

    But for those who have a MFD which suddenly goes black with no previous warning, I'd suggest checking the connection to the wiring harness before replacing it or sending it in to be repaired. There are excellent instructions on line on how to remove the unit from the dash. If you follow the instructions, it only take about few minutes.
     
  13. heero99

    heero99 Junior Member

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    NO LONGER TRUE ! You can now get these replaced at dealer up to 150.000 miles . Don't run even a mile over the 150k though!