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Hybrid Vehicles Hybrid Vehicles - Archived Discussions Toyota Prius Software Problems 
752 messages, Last post on Sep 10, 2006 at 5:54 PM
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Replying to: stevedebi (Mar 31, 2005 2:04 pm) These parts can be replaced and the trouble is no longer an issue. With a software glitch that just gets reset you never know when it will come back to get you. I read in the Wall Street Journal yesterday that JD Powers rated Toyota below average on reliability. They were 28th out of 39 brands. What happened to them? Maybe too big too fast. |
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Replying to: stevedebi (Mar 31, 2005 2:04 pm) "Mechanical problems and failures are the result of material failures, which can happen. In general, it causes a single point failure." Really? Try telling that to the thousands of owners of Chrysler vehicles who had to be towed after transmission failures a few years ago, or the VW/Audi owners in the tens of thousands who experienced total vehicle failure because of ignition coil problems. Those cars were brand new. Those were DESIGN problems, not WEAR problems. The whole trend over the last 30 years has been to replace mechanical components with electronics because it is so much more reliable. The biggest increase in automotive reliability came when electronic fuel injection replaced carburetors. Remember them? Remember what happened when they got gummed up? "...Keep in mind that the Prius is subject to these failures plus additional potential software problems." The Prius probably has fewer mechanical components than any car on the road. Even the accelerator linkage is electronic. And the result is outstanding reliability. Check out Consumer Reports reliability ratings. Prius is at the very top. "The real problem is that Toyota may not be doing anything about the source of the problem - the code itself." You have made two assumptions there, without any evidence that either is true; 1. that there is a software problem 2. that if there is, Toyota is not doing anything to fix it. Regards, David (whose Prius never misses a beat)
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Replying to: gagrice (Mar 31, 2005 5:35 pm) "I read in the Wall Street Journal yesterday that JD Powers rated Toyota below average on reliability. They were 28th out of 39 brands." Must have been the National Inquirer. A search of the on-line Wall Street Journal found no such article. David |
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Replying to: sganarelle (Mar 31, 2005 7:50 pm) "I read in the Wall Street Journal yesterday that JD Powers rated Toyota below average on reliability. They were 28th out of 39 brands." I went to the J.D. Power website. The headline for the latest Dependability ranking by Manufacturer is as follows: J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Toyota Motor Sales Captures Top Corporate Ranking in Vehicle Dependability While Toyota and Honda Continue to Dominate, the Big Three Domestics Make Important Strides in Long-Term Quality Improvement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2004
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Replying to: sganarelle (Mar 30, 2005 8:40 pm) Only one vehicle ever quit on me. I was driving on the LA freeway in an Aivs rental car that just died with me in the left lane. I was able to coast to the shoulder and was less than 100 feet from an emergency phone. That car was an AMC Pacer with just 13 miles on it. Avis brought me a Chevy something or another and I have not had a problem since. I do maintain my vehicles, any little noise is researched and fixed. I also don't put a lot of miles on a vehicle. My 7 yr old Suburban just turned 49k miles. Our 1990 Lexus LS400 has 84k miles on it. Both look like the day they were purchased new. You are lucky that your Prius has operated flawlessly. Not all have had your good fortune. Oh, my two worst new vehicles a Honda & a Toyota. |
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Replying to: sganarelle (Mar 31, 2005 8:08 pm) I only know what I read in yesterdays WSJ. I should have kept it but gave it to the stewardess to dump. That was what caught my eye the rating of 28th out of 39 brands. I don't subscribe to the online WSJ, maybe someone that does can find it. |
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Replying to: sganarelle (Mar 31, 2005 8:08 pm) That was almost a year ago. Much has happened since then. I am talking yesterdays news. It really is not important, I take what JD Power and Consumer Report says with a grain of salt. It was the fact that so many on this forum live by those two sources that I repeated what I read. |
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Replying to: sganarelle (Mar 31, 2005 7:50 pm) As a matter of fact it was Customer Service Index study by JD Powers. Look it up Toyota is not the best automaker if you are experiencing a problem. In fact they are below all the big 3 brands. Here is the 2003 chart. I am sure the one in the WSJ was the 2004 that does not show any improvement in the way Toyota handles customer problems. Which is the reason for this thread, Poor customer service. http://www.jdpa.com/presspass/pr/images/2003058afull.gif
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Replying to: gagrice (Mar 31, 2005 8:57 pm) Let's stick to JD Powers. Go to http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/auto.jsp# (new vehicle advisor). Click: "Help me choose" Click: "Compact" (then Next) Click: "Mechanical Quality" and "Long Term Dependability" as being very important to you Click: "Update List" What do we see? Prius is number 1 Also please read: http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv2.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=575861 Can we now stop bashing the Prius? As far as quality is concerned it is a very good car. Also, let's go back to the topic of this thread "Toyota Prius Software Problems". |
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I do not agree with the "single point of failure" theory of mechanical problems. I have been in a critical situation twice in my life, both because a mechanical failure made the car die on the freeway. I almost died in the second incident. Furthermore, the "added complexity" argument is true, but the electrical motor can give you a backup in case of emergency. A few years ago 40 people burned to death in a tunnel in France. They couldn't get out, because their cars shut down because of oxygen starvation. A Prius could have gotten out in EV mode. Of course, these kind of situations do not happen very often, so I wouldn't buy a Prius for that. On the other hand, so far, software problems do not seem to happen that often either (see the reliability statistics), so they do not stop me from buying a Prius. |
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