Possible Combination Meter

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Echo Powers, Mar 6, 2025.

Tags:
  1. Echo Powers

    Echo Powers New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2025
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hey y'all, I am located in North Florida. I bought my first 2008 Toyota Prius a little over a year ago and this is my first experience with a Hybrid... I live down a dirt road so I do not know if that plays a role with the issue I am having... Shortly after getting the vehicle I started having the issue where the dash lights will randomly stop working, sometimes they will not work for a few days and then just start working again, other times they stop working and then I turn the car off and back on and it works fine. The car will then go a few weeks + and be normal before it starts being temperamental again. Once I was driving down the interstate and it randomly turned off, threw the red danger triangle. I managed to get off the interstate and safely parked before it started working normal again, my other half did the battery restart but regardless it startled me as I had my 6 year old with me. It hasn't done that since though, thankfully. I haven't noticed any patterns to the outside temp., condition of my roads or anything like that, that would cause it. Also, the hatch will no longer open at all...again, it had been temperamental before and I had to open it from the inside but then it randomly started working again. I haven't tried opening it from the inside anymore but the hatch won't open from the outside. When the dash light issue is occurring its a hit or miss if the car will turn off without inserting the key fob. I have tried and been successful overall with the video of using the lights/brakes/locking& unlocking the doors but that's hit or miss. I was reading the forum previously to posting and already got pricing through texashybridbatterys but I was wanting to verify with y'all that it is more than likely that. I called a hybrid mechanic in my area and outside of cutting me off anytime I tried to talk he was insistent that it likely was a wire in the steering column and wanted to make sure I didn't have the dimmer switch all the way down. (enter annoyed female here). I am not super educated in the mechanic world but I'm not a dummy either. I like the DIY methods to save money but after reading some of the stuff on this forum about soldering and it looked like the entire dash has to be torn apart, I'm thinking it would be best to hire someone to do this. If you have any ideas on what could be causing this issue, I am all ears. I like to start ruling out the small stuff (fuses and corrosion before blowing money on the big money things). I've put 48,323 Miles on this car in a little over a year (if that matters) it is currently sitting at 186,403 Miles.

    Thank you in advance for any and all assistance and advice
     
    #1 Echo Powers, Mar 6, 2025
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    11,550
    2,026
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Taking the dash apart isn't a huge problem some plastic spluges Philips screwdriver things like that it goes pretty smoothly You can see some videos on YouTube It really isn't that bad once you do it once you can do this in 45 minutes get the dash out and have it on the bench taking the old display piece out and putting the new one in completely done in 2 hours working relatively slowly and easily. The trunk can be tricky when you feel the trunk is the rubber piece that goes over the button you're supposed to be pushing nice and intact or is it all chewed up and you're pushing on a little square piece of plastic that button can become not happy it's just old you can buy the button with the rubber cover over it and everything relatively cheap from lots of places online take it off of a used Prius at LKQ lots of options there that should restore your clicker in the trunk and you do realize it's very finicky You've got to hold that button up whilst lifting the trunk smartly up so you need to keep all the tree crap and dirt and nonsense out of that well in between the gasket and the car body that the struts lay in You don't want that full of dirt and nastiness You want to make sure if you're in a winter state that you every so often coat the rear seal for the hatch with some silicone rubber grease just on the contact area it keeps it from sticking so when you push the button you don't snatch the whole rear plastic garnish off the car trying to pick up the hatch You can also add two screws to the garnish by drilling them on the inside edges of the plate light if you look under there you'll see you can drill two 3/32 or whatever it is holes with a drill and then put two screws I use black ones that go right through the plastic and right through the sheet metal and add extra holding power to that garnish right around the handle area so when you're pushing the button and you're pulling up you don't see that flex anymore and that garnish anyway that should solve that.
     
    #2 Tombukt2, Mar 6, 2025
  3. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    8,108
    4,122
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    All your symptoms, including the rear hatch working only intermittently (it won't work at all while the dash is dark), point to a failed combination meter (CM). The CM is the board inside the dash that shows you the gear selection, speed, and some warning lights.

    You or a friend or knowledgable helper could repair this yourself by reading this thread: Combination Meter Repair - DIY. Read the first 2 pages, then skip to about page 15 and selectively read the useful posts thereon. A list of parts is on page 20 about halfway down (post #398).

    If you don't think you can do that but can get the board out, you can send yours to Matt @ Texas Hybrid Batteries. You have another option where you order a fixed board then he will program with your current mileage and then send your failed board to Matt for a $75 core refund.

    Most DIYers only replace the 16 V 110 µF capacitor with a 16 V 220 µF capacitor with great success. Matt will replace that one and two others plus the power regulator chip. These all may not be necessary for DIY, as a paid service it is done to allow for the lifetime guarantee that comes with each repaired board.

    A Toyota dealer will fix this problem by replacing the CM with a new one from the factory, will charge you $900 to $1,000, and keep your car for three weeks (or more) to do this job.
     
    #3 dolj, Mar 6, 2025
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2025
  4. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2020
    3,921
    1,887
    0
    Location:
    NJ-USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    As mentioned (and per your own research), most of your concerns are likely the result of a bad CM capacitor in the dash - speedometer assembly.

    However, having the red warning light come on and the car stall or shut off is something else. You might need a capable scantool to check all systems for trouble codes. (disconnecting the 12V battery will clear any present codes).

    Here's a thread that reviews several scantool apps and devices for smartphone. The summary is post 37 (the Autel AP200 is a good choice for "basic" diagnostics).
    https://priuschat.com/index.php?posts/3246758

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #4 mr_guy_mann, Mar 7, 2025
    Echo Powers likes this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)