I was having the same problem. Research led me to believe it's the capacitor. My workaround had been to disconnect the 12V battery in trunk; then reconnect it. This works but began to be more of a nuisance. I decided to wire a light -switch (common AC light switch 120V/15A found cheaply in hardware stores) with a short length of wire (common lamp-wire 14-gauge). Wired between grounding screw and ground wire to battery. This method allows easy access to disconnect/reconnect battery (i.e. reset electrical system). Capacitors acts to reduce ripple effect on the voltage. The main problem seems to be as the original capacitor(s) degrade over time, they may no longer reliably reduce the initial ripple (upon startup) to allow the computer to fully initialize; hence the multifunction display isn't brought online. While the light-switch was a fairly easy, quick, and cheap workaround, it seems to also have resolved the issue! Perhaps the addition of the switch and wiring induces a small measure of capacitance? In any case, I haven't had that issue again in months, if it recurs I can reset via the switch. Note: I folded the excess metal of switch and used electrical tape wrapped around it to form protective 'wings' so switch doesn't accidentally get switched OFF. Works great!

Same bro. Watched so many. This the only one that worked for me

me too

I'm still dealing with this issue all these years later... but it doesn't happen as often since I've learned to gently close the door. Regular shutting the drivers door seems to trigger the screen to go out. Also, you might want to try keeping your 12v battery (the one behind the back passengers side wheel well) charged up every couple weeks. I noticed when I have that battery topped off, the screen doesn't go out as often.

@@MikeJackVideo Weird problem to have. I hope I don't have to ear the dash apart to eventually send mine off and have it repaired. I looked up another video on how to do that and it doesn't seem too hard really to take the dash apart. My 12V battery is still pretty new and it's good.

​@@MikeJackVideoHi Mike how many miles you have on the Prius now?

@@dougschmidt4137 somewhere over 205k!

Same shit happened to me. Bought a new battery for my 2008 Prius . And now the dashboard lights won turn on . I had to come here looking for a solution ..this is pathetic. Toyota should do some shit about this

I've found a local battery place that sometimes gets 12V Prius batteries in - they are reconditioned but the new one I bought at the Toyota dealership 4 years ago only lasted for 16 months or so - it cost $230. My local reconditioned battery place sold me the current one in my Prius for $30. Its been working just fine for nearly as long as the brand new Toyota battery did. Saved $200...... will never buy a new one again if possible. That reminds me, I need to go back over to the battery place and tell them to hold one when it gets in just as a backup.

Hi. I'm just curious what did they tell you causes the problem?

Its not a permanent fix but it will definitely keep ya drivin' for a while longer. I filmed this back in 2020 and am still having to do this trick now - a bit more often but still, its worth the hassle ;)

that definitely helps! Keeping the door slightly ajar seems to keep the circuit open and keeps the display from going out ;)

Thank you for letting me share my experience on your channel.

I've noticed that if I close the door gently and not completely push it shut, the dashlight connection will not be broken. If I close the door normally, or even shut it hard, the connection will break and the lights won't come on... then I have to go through this process again. My 2005 isn't worth but about $2500 these days so putting another $750 or $1000 into it just fix this quirk doesn't make much sense. Glad this helped ya!

When you lose dash lights and want to turn the car off, you have to press and hold the ON/OFF button for about 5 seconds. That will do the trick. Then try the process in the video. If you keep losing the screen, try closing the door when carefully - for some reason, normal to heavy door closures has something to do with the circuit getting cut which can keep the dash lights not coming on. I usually hold my door either getting in or getting out and making sure the door is closed carefully (softly) every time.

I also had a different technique that for some reason didn't work today. However this workaround did the job perfectly.

Good job How did you learn this? OMG

Same thing with me

I learned part of this from watching other videos and then other parts by my own experience. My Prius is still running but there's other issues now I'm not sure how to deal with. I love the Prius models though, just wish they weren't so expensive to fix!

I tried all different methods on here after I just replaced the 12v stater battery and they all didn't work, except for disconnecting the negative battery again, reconnect, back to normal....thanks @kd465

Awesome! Glad it helped. I'm gonna drive my 2005 into the ground ;)

I've watched the process but get lost. I'd hate to get part way through and a giant mess on my hands. The price I quoted was from the Prius experts in Sanford, North Carolina. Apparently, they are very well respected. I have watched videos of people replacing the combo meter on their own, looks like a 6 to 8 hour job. For me that would be 16 hours the way I over-think everything ;) hahaha Thanks for the input though, definitely great info for anyone living in the midwest or Texas regions!

@@MikeJackVideo If you use the video from Boulder Hybrids, you can't go wrong. It takes me about 45 minutes start to finish including fuel gauge recalibration. Texas Hybrid Batteries ships nationwide. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pshhbNNp37_JhJs.html

I'm glad it helped! I still use this trick quite a bit. Also, I've noticed if the process above doesn't work after a couple tries, opening the back hatch and trying it usually tricks the combo meter back to working again. This is the inconvenience of owning an older vehicle and having no payments... and I'm perfectly ok with that ;)

@@MikeJackVideo 😂😂yes I'm perfectly ok with that too. No bill😏😏. Thank you !

Also, if it keeps happening, try keeping the driver's door slightly open - just latched enough to lock it and keep that door ajar light on... that seems to keep me from having to do this all the time. For my car, its something about closing the door with normal force that somehow shuts the dash readout off. Going through these steps does bring them back but it is a bit aggravating if having to do it all the time.

@@MikeJackVideo Keeping the door open, or not fully closed, does keep the dashboard alive. The problem is that it will kill the battery within 36 hours or so. I keep a trickle charger on my battery when I'm parked in my driveway.... with the door half open. My dashboard is becoming more and more and more of a problem....doing what you did in the video doesn't work for my 2006... I have to disconnect the battery for an hour or more to let the defective capacitor discharge and then it seems to come back on. Big PITA!!! I may have to bite the bullet and get the updated board for $150 and spend $100 to have it installed.

@@Paulk9pg Absolutely agree! I don't know how long it takes to run the battery dead (12V battery that is), but its easy enough to jump charge the car once the 12V dies. Driving the car about 30 minutes after the jump has the battery back to normal. Every time I intend on parking for long periods, I make sure the door is closed completely for sure... its just when out running errands and so forth, I keep it 'half closed' to keep the dash lights on. Another issue I've run across with only closing the door half way is that the sensor doesn't recognize the key fob so I have to remember to walk around the rear of the vehicle and barely press on the hatch lever to unlock the vehicle. All these little work arounds! They're all just habit for me now. I'm just glad I don't have a car payment ;)

When I began having this issue, the car wouldn't shut off at times... I believe the first time this happened to me was back in 2019. My workaround back then was to hold the power button in for 5-10 seconds. The car may not completely shut-off though as it will probably be in auxiliary mode... if this is the case, another couple quick taps of the power button should shut the car down completely. Hope this works for ya!

@@MikeJackVideo Thanks a lot! I'll print this and keep it in the glove box for the next time it happens. Appreciate you getting back to me!

I have 2008 Prius. I have the same problem. One time. It didn’t turn off no matter what had tried until I put my physical key in the key slot. It helped. I don’t know how to explain and I no knowledge at all on automobiles.

If you hold the power button for 5-10 sec, the car may go into auxiliary mode. The trick that works on my 2008 Prius is to insert the key and take it off, that shuts off the auxiliary power too.

Same thing. If you want to fix it you have to replace something in the dashboard. I don't remember exactly what, but it's pricey

Yessir. I've noticed turning down the dash brightness making it seem like there are no dash lights - especially when the light switch is left on while driving in the daytime. I usually just turn the driving lights off immediately after using this workaround method to get the normal dash output in daylight. The way the Gen2 dash is designed, it makes the illumination a bit tough sometimes in the right light and, at night, the lights reflect off the windshield unfortunately... that's kind of aggravating.

Thank you!!!! I've tried like 4 different hacks that didn't work. Yours worked. Thank you so much!

I've never heard of that error... Doubt my method here will help at all. I wonder if disconnecting the 12V battery and then reconnecting would trick the car into recognizing the connection once again? Hard to say...

@@MikeJackVideo today every light imaginable came on and one headlight everytime I stop and go to my next destination the lights would be off and then on all day

@@grannyshark2023 Very strange... I'd look up a reputable Prius repair place if you've got one relatively close. The shop I'm going to use to fix my issue is over 100 miles away, which is why I've put off getting it fixed - replacing the combination meter takes nearly all day at any shop.

This problem supposedly can be fixed by replacing the combination meter. The fix takes hours and should probably be done by a certified Toyota mechanic or Prius expert. There are videos here on KZfaq that show how much work goes into replacing a combo meter. Its pretty intense. For me, I'm satisfied with using this simple work-around instead of spending the $750 - 1000 for the fix. That's North Carolina prices as of 2022. My friend had hers replaced for that much recently...

Luckily, I've found a quasi-workaround in not completely closing the door when out and about. I close it enough to lock the door but not enough (normal pushing it closed) to create the issue. Still, I use this workaround method a couple times a week. Curiously, I can shut the door as usual when returning home in the evening and leaving it overnight or several nights. When I get in the car first thing, I make sure I see the door light come on the dash before even hitting the start button. If that door ajar warning light doesn't light up on the left side of the dash, I'll immediately run through this process. Since filming this last year, I'm still able to use this workaround.... when I do decide to have it fixed, I'm going with the experts at Taylor Automotive in Sanford, NC which is a little more than 100 miles away from me... I think the cost for repair will be around $900 or so.

I've found that keeping the 12v battery charged to near 100% really prevents the dash lights from going out... also, avoid door slams, as that too tends to make the screen 'disappear' :)

A capacitor on the screens circuit board eventually fails. It looses capacity and gets too low, causing the electronics to be out of balance. Replacing that capacitor fixes this issue.