T-SB-0172-09 Combination Meter - Intermittent Display

Thanks Patrick, I totally missed pEEf's post about the extended warranty, guess I never imagined a warranty could apply to an aged Prius. Has Toyota adopted the same high quality repair that pEEf offers? Anyway, better take advantage of this free replacement.

 

Yes, I'm getting a lot of requests every day about CM repairs. I now forward them the warranty information. So far I have not heard of Toyota refusing anyone's Prius for the CM coverage.

I'm now no longer performing individual CM repairs because of this. Also, FYI: I do NOT repair the MFD (center display).

 

Many thanks for starting this thread.
We have the same problem with our 2004 Prius...Our Toyota dealers don't know the problem and have said it can take them all day to figure out what the problem is....

pEEf, may I please ask you why you have edited a lot of your posts in this thread recently?
We really really really need some help with this.

So far our Prius has cost us heaps in getting things fixed on it..(Including having to get it towed with no manual brake disengagement mechanism due to a flat battery) .

We still have the HUD (Above the steering wheel), but the main Screen is dead, and have to rely on the buttons on the steering wheel for simple functions.

Our Toyota dealer (the one we bought it from) say they don't know what the problem is..Can somebody please help?

Many thanks
Our model is a 2004 Prius with 188,000 on the odo.

 

It's highly unlikely you have a HUD. I don't think any 04 Priuses ever had a HUD (which would project onto the windshield).

Are you saying the combination meter is working ok? It's the monochrome display w/speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge, etc. and pictured at Luscious Garage | Blog | LG TV - Prius Dead Dashboard. He used to provide repair service, but there's not really a good reason to now w/the Toyota warranty extension (see Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement | PriusChat).

I don't know why he removed many of his posts, but you can sometime go back in time via Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine. Example: T-SB-0172-09 Combination Meter - Intermittent Display | PriusChat Hate revisionist history or Hate dead links? Do your duty! Submit URLs to archive.org (Internet Way Back Machine)! | PriusChat.

However, if you touchscreen LCD is dead, that's referred to as the MFD. There is Prius MFD. If those are the symptoms you have, you might be able to get someone good w/soldering to fix it, instead of paying $500+ for a refurb.

Re: needing to get it towed, sounds like you don't know what you're doing. What "manual brake disengagement"? You do know that if the 12 volt goes dead, you can jump start it, right? The most critical thing is to NOT reverse the polarity. Doing so usually results in a 4-digit price tag to replace a blown inverter.

 

Gidday cwerdna.
Many thanks for your helpful reply.

You are correct, the CM is working okay, it is the MFD which is dead...Is it difficult to take out so I can check the soldering?...Also, If I can get it fixed, does it effect the CM in any way??..I.E;- Will I have to have the computer reprogrammed or anything like that?..(Sorry for the noobish questions, I know little to nothing about these cars...I drive a 2005 Toyota Hilux which is still going strong with 640,000 miles on the clock...The Prius is the Missus's car)

 

2007 prius 199,000 miles. CM just went out. does anyone have a updated TSB for this problem?

 

I'm posting to pEEF here instead of in a PM in case anyone else is in the same boat.

pEEF, I first experienced a temporary CM failure in December 2013 on my 2005 Prius. By the time I discovered the root cause of the problem and learned of the warranty enhancement program, 10 more days had passed. Toyota looked up the date of first use (I was not the original owner) and denied my request for warranty replacement because I was technically 5 weeks out of warranty. My appeals to corporate were firmly dead-ended.

It's stated above that you no longer perform these repairs because of the extended warranty program. Does that mean you no longer *offer* the repair service to those interested (like those not covered by the warranty)?

If the answer is no, my brother is a qualified electronics guru and may be able to step into this niche if you no longer have an interest in filling it. I've seen a number of other recent posts from people seeking a solution to this. If you do still offer this service, I'd love to be a customer. If you don't, would you consider sharing the details about the failure with a fellow qualified technician to take your place?

Thanks!

 

I need this fix also. I don't think I'm covered by warranty since my car was purchased in Feb 2004. Can anyone repair this module?

 

My warranty also expired by a few months. Anybody have a fix?

 

In Victoria BC, Canada the local dealer did one or two for me free of charge but I don't think any of my fellow taxi owners here have been successful in having them do this. And they've recently refused to do this on a warranty basis for me. So I've collected a few broken CM's and I'm looking for someone willing and capable to do the repair so that I'm ready for the next one. pEEf's repairs worked great for me in the past. I've got about 10 Gen II Priuses. I still buy them for taxi use, so this repair could be a good little business for someone for another 5+ years.

 

VicTaxi,

My brother wants to pick up where pEEf has stopped doing this. I've reached out to pEEf a couple of times thru various channels to see if he'd be willing to share any information about the repair, but he's been completely unresponsive. My brother is a qualified electronics guru who does component diagnosis and repair, and he also repairs and rebuilds cars and is a computer tech/network administrator. In short, this right up his alley. If pEEf could share what he's learned from experience, great. If not, my brother is prepared to re-do all the diagnostics and re-solve this problem that pEEF has solved. If anyone knows of a way to reach pEEf that he'll actually respond to, his assistance in this, however brief, would still be most helpful.

VicTaxi, if you'd be willing to ship a single unit to him for repair, he could take a stab at it. If he returns it to you and it works, you and quite a few others on these forums (including ME) would be happy to pay him to repair our meters. Mine just failed again today for half a day, and it drove me nuts.

Let me know your level of interest and I'll get him to create a PriusChat account so you can coordinate/correspond directly.

BJ

 

To clarify to pEEf why this is needed - the people now seeking this repair are generally NOT covered by the extended warranty. I myself missed the warranty enhancement cutoff by only 5 weeks, because the first occurrence of the problem on my '05 Prius hit me exactly 9 years and 3 weeks after the date of first use. That's when the CM problem first came to my awareness. Unfortunately, Toyota would not budge on the cutoff date.

 

I had this problem yesterday, and I *instantly* knew where to go - this forum

A quick search turned up the "combination meter intermittent display" issue.

My car wouldn't turn off, I called a local dealership. They suggested to press and hold the power button longer than usual. That worked like a charm ie it turned the car off. Since then it has been behaving normally.

 

I bought a used 2006 Prius that is ineligible for the Combination Meter warranty repair, because it was involved in a fender bender, and the insurance company wrote it off (oh the joys of owning a hybrid). Does anyone still repair these? If not, I am a network engineer, and more than capable of soldering SMT components, but I cannot find any details on the repair. I appreciate any help or guidance, tired of pulling that plug on the battery, to see how much gas is in the tank..

 

Is it possible for you, or someone to provide instructions on how to repair the module. It is a matter of replacing an electronic component? I've heard that replacing a transformer would fix the issue, as the design flaw apparently is related to insufficient power up voltage of the module.
A technician with HybridShop charges me almost 400, and my car is not under the extended warranty. Any helpguidance will be appreciated.

 

Anyone fixing these units ..Im out of time on the free fix..
pEEf ...is the problem a part that needs to be replaced or cold solder joints..bad caps?
I can redo some things myself if I know where too look..thanks

 

T-SB-0172-09 Combination Meter - Intermittent Display | PriusChat

(I'd also linked to an archived copy of the above page w/pEEf's analysis back in post 84 of this thread... I'm guessing he's no longer has interested in doing this (partly due to the warranty and maybe lack of time due to his other ventures and interests). He may have sold his Prius long ago just like he had his Leaf up for sale, as well, since he got a Model S...)

Side note: Figured I'd socialize Hate dead links? Do your duty! Submit URLs to archive.org (Internet Way Back Machine)! | PriusChat since the info at T-SB-0172-09 Combination Meter - Intermittent Display | PriusChat has been removed.

 

thanks, I have had my 05 for a year and yesterday was the first time I had an issue with the combo meter, I unplugged the white cable by the 12 volt battery to reset it and its working but I know it will fail again in the future..Ill start hunting salvage yards for one since he is no longer repairing them

 

There are a couple of places on eBay offering this repair -

04 05 06 07 08 09 Toyota Prius Combination Meter Instrument Cluster Repair Servi | eBay

Toyota Prius 04 05 06 07 08 09 Speedometer Instrument Cluster Display Repair Kit | eBay

There are positive feedbacks for both but it's the kind of thing where an eBay feedback may not reflect any actual evaluation period... I'd trust either one, though, as they both appear to be quite legitimate operations and you'd keep your actual mileage. If you are going to pull the circuit board at some point anyway, I'd say give it a close looking over with magnification. I seem to remember the issue being identified as a broken solder joint(s), although I'm not totally clear about it. If you're board savvy, it wouldn't be surprising if you could locate and repair yourself without drama. Also, Steve at Autobeyours may be willing to share tips on a DIY.

 

thanks for the links Ill save them