2006 Toyota Prius dashboard went out

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

My dashboard went off sometime ago. I took it to the dealer and they could not tell me the exact problem but said it will cost me $1800 to replace the computer on the dashboard.

I left and drove the car without gas gauge, speedometer and odometer. I used my phone GPS to guess my speed so I never got ticket for overspeeding. Then after six weeks it came back on by itself and everything works just fine.

I traveled to Florida from NJ for 3 days and upon returning, the dashboard went off again.

What is actually causing this problem and is it one of the many sicknesses of Toyota Prius or it is a hybrid car problem?

Thanks.

2

The dash is little more than a tv set. It is a collection of electronics and circuit boards that processes the info the car sends and displays it. The Prius has had a problem with these parts and had a 9 years extended warranty on them - but your car is now out of that period.

Toyota told you it is $1800 to replace it. Seems a bit high based on what I’ve seen on the Net but it IS New Jersey so your cost is higher.

Check out these guys. The dash is cheaper but the labor is still significant to swap it out. Maybe have it changed the next time you are in Florida - cheaper labor and taxes.