Toyota Prius: Problems & Solutions - READ ONLY

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#1 of 711 Toyota Prius Owners: Problems & Solutions by KarenS HOST May 13, 2004 (5:03 am)
Talk about any Prius problems and share solutions here. Replies to this message: paulette1 (Nov 17, 2004 7:59 pm) rfruth (Nov 19, 2004 2:42 pm) gagrice (Nov 19, 2004 3:33 pm) pmichaels1 (Dec 24, 2004 10:06 am) 67stingray (Mar 30, 2005 3:18 pm) stevewa (Mar 30, 2005 6:20 pm) bernieinfresno (May 31, 2005 2:24 pm) stevedebi (May 31, 2005 2:29 pm) c2rosa (Jun 01, 2005 11:31 am) seroq (Jul 29, 2006 4:51 pm)
#2 of 711 2001 Prius problem by little_pogi May 15, 2004 (10:28 pm)
My sister's 01 Prius suddenly quit on her while she was driving on the freeway 2 weeks ago. The momentum made her safely glide to a stop on the side of the freeway. It just wouldn't move and had to be towed to a Toyota dealer. Two weeks later, the car was finally fixed. The bill showed that the Hybrid ECU, Inverter, and the Transaxle had to be replace for a total cost of over $15,000. The basic warranty had exprired but all of these components were covered under the hybrid warranty of 8 years or 96000 miles. The dealer also provided her with a free service car while the Prius was being repaired. Her out-of-pocket expenses, zero dollars. Replies to this message: vshames (Aug 01, 2005 9:02 am) toyotaken (Aug 01, 2005 10:09 am) gagrice (Aug 01, 2005 11:17 am) stevedebi (Aug 01, 2005 11:50 am) luckie (Oct 02, 2005 8:53 pm) and 3 more... elainechen (Nov 15, 2005 10:17 pm)
#3 of 711 $15,000....Whew! by badgerfan May 17, 2004 (10:56 am)
I can see in the future a lot of used Prius's (or is it Prii?) on the market with 95,999 miles on them or seven years and 50 weeks of age (whichever is less)! That is one whopper of a repair bill if you have to pay it yourself.
#4 of 711 In the Shop After Only 535 total miles by lscarroll May 23, 2004 (3:02 pm)
May 15, 2004, I purchased my new 2004 Prius -BC package (had no choice on option package, since this was the only Prius on the lot for sale). Enjoyed my car (loved the navigation system) for two days, when on the third day while driving, I received a "VSC" problem message. I immediately took it to the dealer where I bought it, and thats where it has been for almost 2 weeks. Today is May 23, and tomorrow they think they should have it back to me. The VSC problem message seems to have been only the tip of iceberg. Diagnostics unvealed 6 more issues. All this had lead the dealer replacing the trans-axle and inverter, both high dollar items. I was told the inverter was shorted, and the transaxle caused it... I hope this is just a fluke and replacing the transaxle/inverter will fix it.
#5 of 711 Dead auxilliary battery after 800 miles by maxvok Jun 02, 2004 (7:42 am)
Since getting my car 2 months ago, I have been driving mostly 20-40 miles stretches twice a week in daytime and once 200 miles on one day. Last Friday, after 3 days in my garage, I could not open the locked doors and to use the manual key. Indoor light was very dim and starting was impossible. Talking to my dealer's mechanic he could not explain the reason and suggested to call Toyota's emergency service in the Netherlands. Mechanic mentioned that while my car was 2 weeks in their showroom prior to delivery, they had connected the battery to a charger to avoid that it would be drained while being inspected by the many customers. Anyhow even if it had not been fully charged, I would expect it to be OK after 800 miles driving. He also said that the capacity of this battery was very limited (does anybody know how many kW, cannot find it in the specs) and that leaving the lights on for 10 minutes could cause it. But this did not apply to my case as I did not notice anything abnormal 3 days earlier driving without lights and power is completely shut off, including interior light, when I lock the doors. PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED BY DEALER WHO WILL REPLACE BATTERY UNDER WARRANTY - MOST LIKELY CAUSE: BATTERY WAS TOO DEEP DEPLETED IN SHOWROOM TO HAVE IT EFFECTIVELY RE CHARGED Replies to this message: gagrice (Jun 14, 2004 6:32 am) john1701a (Jun 14, 2004 9:09 am) shado4 (Jun 14, 2004 9:15 am) and 1 more... marcin1 (Mar 29, 2005 7:08 am) stevedebi (Mar 29, 2005 4:44 pm) and 1 more... quasar4 (Jun 15, 2004 11:03 pm)
#6 of 711 Re: Dead auxilliary battery after 800 miles [maxvok #5] by gagrice Jun 14, 2004 (6:32 am)
Replying to: maxvok (Jun 02, 2004 7:42 am) It does not sound like Toyota has addressed one of the original problems with the Prius. My understanding is you cannot go off and leave your car for two weeks and expect to jump in and take off. I have read complaints of owners where the dealer told them letting the batteries discharge just by non-use could void the warranty. This is unacceptable in my opinion. Most people take vacations and leave the car parked in the garage for a couple weeks or more. Replies to this message: john1701a (Jun 14, 2004 9:09 am) shado4 (Jun 14, 2004 9:15 am) gagrice (Jun 14, 2004 10:24 am) marcin1 (Mar 29, 2005 7:08 am) stevedebi (Mar 29, 2005 4:44 pm) stevewa (Mar 29, 2005 10:41 pm)
#7 of 711 Storing the Prius by eheading Jun 14, 2004 (8:51 am)
We have a 2003 Prius, that we leave in our garage for as much as 3-4 months without touching it. At the advice of our Toyota dealer, when we leave we disconnect the 12V battery in the trunk from the car wiring (I actually added a little knife switch to do this). Then I keep the 12V battery on a small trickle charger. I do nothing with the nickel-metal-hydride batteries. When I come back home, I reconnect the 12V battery and take the car out for about a 30-45 minute drive per the dealer instructions. I have never seen any effect of the storage however. The car starts right up after it's hibernation, and I see no effect on the fuel economy indicating that the batteries are depleted. It works just fine this way. Ed Headington
#8 of 711 Re: Dead auxilliary battery after 800 miles [gagrice #6] by john1701a Jun 14, 2004 (9:09 am)
Replying to: gagrice (Jun 14, 2004 6:32 am) It has been interesting watching this "Urban Myth" grow. There is no issue with the auxilliary battery. Non-use for several weeks isn't a problem, it won't void the warranty either. Like any car with a security system, there is a constant drain. But Prius now provides an off button, so pushing that before leaving for vacation prevents a drain. And the 2004 auxilliary battery is bigger, so you can go even longer than in the past anyway. JOHN Replies to this message: shado4 (Jun 14, 2004 9:15 am) gagrice (Jun 14, 2004 10:24 am)
#9 of 711 Re: Dead auxilliary battery after 800 miles [john1701a #8] by shado4 Jun 14, 2004 (9:15 am)
Replying to: john1701a (Jun 14, 2004 9:09 am) > Like any car with a security system, there is a constant drain. But Prius provides an off button, so pushing that before leaving for vacation prevents a drain. Huh? Sounds like if you press the off button, the security system will be disabled. Is this true? (If not, your statement is really vague!) I'm not sure I would like to leave a new Prius in an airport parking lot with a disabled security system! Replies to this message: gagrice (Jun 14, 2004 10:24 am)
#10 of 711 Re: Dead auxilliary battery after 800 miles [shado4 #9] by gagrice Jun 14, 2004 (10:24 am)
Replying to: shado4 (Jun 14, 2004 9:15 am) Sounds like they have addressed the problem. Actually the locked parking lot I leave my vehicle in requires you to disable the alarm system. So that would not be a problem for me.