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Toyota Prius: Problems & Solutions
Talk about any Prius problems and share solutions here.
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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.
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
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
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
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!
Over the next few days I speak with several people, and when all is said and ( not much) done, I am told that the car was out of gas. I tell then there is no way the car could have been out of gas, please try to find the real problem ( it must be something to do with snow build-up underneath, melting /freezing) They insist all I needed was gas. I explain how and why this is not possible....I talk to alb. and nat'l toyota,...I fly up to denver to get the car...I demonstrate that the car had at least 5 gallons when it quit by filling it right there...I retrace my trip back south, filling up where I had filled up going north. Again, this shows I had at least 5 gallons when it quit...I wrote long detailed letters to denver, alb, and nat'l toyota asking for re-imbursement for my out of pocket costs( not even my meals or lost time)..no dice, even a nasty letter from the john elway toyota attorneys.
When the first recall came out, I took it in, figuring that this was related to my problem...the mechanic said that the ecu had already been re-programmed...now I have received another notice...
I am pissed..does anyone have an idea re what might have happened? who to talk to?
Thanks for your patience, stevem
...you still have to keep the battery fully charged, and heres where people make a huge mistake. They kill their batteries through overcharging by using a battery charger. No matter how small the battery charger, it can destroy the battery through overcharging. --Pat Goss, Motorweek
...for more helpful hints on battery care (including unhooking the battery) go to Goss' Garage. He's talking about vehicles like snowmobiles, boats, etc., that sit in storage for long periods of time (2-3 weeks does not qualify as a long storage time), but still it may be useful.
That's right.
My next car may well be a diesel, once we get decent fuel here in the USA.
That will be 2006.
By that time, hopefully you will have a much wider choice than the 4 unreliable VWs (Golf, JEtta, beetle and Passat) diesels offered here, and the amazing Mercedes 320 CDI (if you have the $50,000 they charge for it, and if you DO the many miles a year it takes to justify a Diesel).
TOyota and Honda for their EPA MPG claims, that are utterly unrealistic.
Instead of 60 and 68 mpg, owners routinely get at best 40 and 50.
the EPA test favors the Hybrids.
It is NOT a reallife measurement of your hybrid's mpg, but a lab test, whose numbers are arbitrarily adjusted, to add insult to injury.
It is high time that EPA adopts a thorough and accurate ROAD TEST to provide MPG numbers.
Maybe it can Copy EUROPEAN Regulations, that require FOUR Numbers
1. City Driving
2. COuntry Road driving (usually gets the best MOG by far, at a constant 90 kmph)
3. Highway driving at 120 kmph (75 or so miles), a far more realistic number than the EPA's cooked Highway mileage assuming 55 mph!
4. A COMBINED MPG based on the 3 above at different percentages, typical of average usage.
"the EPA test favors the Hybrids."
EPA numbers might be less accurate for hybrids since real world mpg number can vary by a large amount(33mpg-86mpg for Prius). Is the design of such technology to be blamed? I don't know about you but I would want a car that can dynamically adjust performance or fuel economy depending on my driving styles. In the future hybrid models, I want to see preset buttons to adjust performance/fuel economy so the car can transform with a touch of a button and it can be done on hybrids. Picking mpg numbers from two extreme ends to make your point is as valid as cherry picking.
EPA numbers are also less accurate for SUV and trucks. If you do the math, percentage or margin of error is in the same ball park for hybrids and big cars. Should SUV and Truck owners also sue the manufacturers?
I agree with you in EPA to come up with a more accurate test.
I can only speak for the 3 Chevy PU's and one Suburban I have owned. The mileage on the window sticker was right on. The U.S. government gave a lot of special treatment to Toyota on the Prius. Such as no roll-over testing. And it appears they allowed them to over state the mileage to get people to buy. That is what it looks like to me. In spite of the 86 mpg graph on the other thread. Laboratory gas mileage does not get it in the real world.
THere will be no Onwer, no matter if he or she drives it like there is an egg between hisor her foot and the pedal,
that will get a Cumulative, LIFETIME MPG of even the advertised 60 mpg, let alone 86 mpg.
Instantaneous MPG's are almost meaningless.
I can drive the car downhill and get 199 mpg. Who cares.
I have driven the Honda Insight with 5th gear at 35 mph on the highway, real slow, and saw a pitiful 66 mpg (vs the alleged 68 mpg doing 55 mph! of EPA),
AND the instuments showed that this was Draining the BAttery at the same time.
That is not 66 mpg, that is cheating.
1. How many miles you have driven it,
and
2. What is the Cumulative MPG you have achieved? Average, over the entire time you owned the car, or the entire lifetime of the car, if there were previous owners?
3. Do you have a manual transmission?
Thanks a lot in advance.
But for the record, I just passed 5K miles in my '04.
It's my everyday every-errand car, as well as every day commuting in Washington DC. I live downtown, and my mileage is probably 1/3 'city' and 2/3 'highway'.
My current lifetime MPG is 52.5, but my last 5 tanks have all been between 57 and 62 MPG.
Since it's so young and the breakin tanks were lower (Lowest tank ever was 46 MPG), I have fairly high hopes for it in the long run. It's only getting better as it matures
Um, the EPA Combined rating for the Prius is 55 MPG. The 60 you quote is the 'City' Rating.
That makes sense, and it is quite good. That is th efigure that people should use for accurate MPG stats.
the fact that you live in a warm location, in the DC area, helps. Still, it is well below the 60 city and the 55 highway EPA estimates. If EPA was acurate, and given your mix, you should have 58.3 mpg.
maybe you would do better if TOypta offered a manual transmission, like Honda does (hence my freudian slip.. not dueto misinformation)
I have fairly high hopes for it in the long run. It's only getting better as it matures
That is true for all cars, both their performance and the MPG improves a little after a year or so. See Car and Driver long term tests.
The EPA City is 60, Highway is 51, Combined is 55. So by your math I should be getting 54. Since I've been exceeding that every tank for the last two months, shouldn't be a problem. As you say, it may be different in Winter, but, remember the EPA test are done in 'warm' conditions so thats the same for every car.
>maybe you would do better if TOypta offered a manual transmission, like Honda does (hence my freudian slip.. not dueto misinformation)
The Power Split Device (Prius doesn't really have a Transmission per-se) is the core of the whole HSD system. Given the way the Toyota system works, a Manual transmission really isn't possible, or desirable.
A manual allows the driver to get good mpg and have performance when necessary by downshifting.
I guess manu-matics that allow you to shift the auto manually can produce the same effect.
I'm due to my dentist at 2 pm for a tooth cleaning, but I'll be driving to the DC area myself on monday, part of a 4-day business tip on the East Coast.
My old Accord coupe 5-speed is rated 31 highway. but I routinely get 32-37 mpg.
Even if i am the only person in the car, it still beats all alternatives, even rail and discount airfares, by a mile if you drive. Plus you do not have to be packed like a sardine, as on planes, but relax comfortably, put it on cruise at 75 mph, and hear some good book on tape or music.
85.7 MPG is the average from driving 967 miles, obviously not instantaneous. The person who achieved it drove at suburban speed. This is not how most people drive but the result speaks for itself what the car is capable of achieving.
Dennis
If you have to downshift and wait for power delivery, is it still considered performance?
Why even have a transmission? Go back and ask yourself the question why a transmission was even invented? Wasn't it to overcome the engine's inability to delivery "suitable" power to the wheel in most driving situations? HSD powertrain in Prius can contiously vary power output in a great range that it does not need complex traditional multi-gear shift(disturb) transmission. The result with HSD is shiftless undisturbed power delivery to the wheel at all time.
I will not repeat the explanation again and again because some readers get annoyed. I am going to have to forward you to usbseawolf2000 "Honda Accord Hybrid vs. Toyota Camry Hybrid" Apr 17, 2004 6:08pm. It has a full explanation of the design difference between Honda IMA and Toyota HSD as well as transmission or the lack of it.
Dennis
In theory it is to correct the ability of the scanner to read error codes.
But, at least one person has reported that the Prius Tech told them that in fact, the car was also reporting false error codes to itself.
That person also had the car die with about a half tank of gas, then report to the scanner that it had run out of gas.
Thank You
So, turn it off already. It's just a light that comes on every oil change interval. It doesn't sense anything other than distance.
1) With the power on, switch to the odometer/trip-meter to display "ODO".
2) Power OFF (push the "Power" button).
3) Power ON, while holding the button for "ODO".
4) Wait for the reminder light to stop flashing, then release.
On the drive home from work tonight the engine shut down while I was accelerating onto the highway from an entry ramp. The master warning light and malfunction indicator lamp came on and the main battery started to drain as I reached 45 miles per hour.
I pulled to the side of the road, shut off the car then restarted it after several seconds. At this point the engine engaged and started recharging the battery, however, the warning lights remained on.
I drove the car home because by now the engine seemed to be operating properly, although the warning lights remained on.
Tomorrow I plan to take the car in for service but would appreciate any insight into what may have caused this problem.
Thanks
Rick A.
The problem does seem to occur more often during or after any rain (or a car wash too I would imagine).
I hope I'm asking these questions in the right place. I just thought Prius owners would have experience with these issues. Would like to get a more fuel efficient 4wd with ground clearance for snow, and the new Highlander has our hopes up. Just don't know if it can handle the conditions we drive in.
Thanks for any input.
Seems as if 2004 Prius..."on certain early production vehicles''...can trigger the Malfunction Indicator Light and cause a decrease in engine performance. This could happen nafter a carwash or rain.
I am getting ready to go in for 15,000 mile service and will have the seal replaced then. So far I have had no problems with my Prius which I would expect with a Toyota (having owned 3 Camrys). Quite different from American made vehicles which always seem to have some "bugs to be worked out".
Has anyone had this seal replaced? How long does it take?
"On certain early production 2004 Model Year Prius vehicles, rain or carwash water may seep into the engine compartment from the area at the top of the hood near the cowl. If this should occur, the watr may drip down onto engine components and cause a decrease in engine performance. This will trigger the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) to illuminate on the dash, and the engine ECM to store a trouble code and place the vehicle into a "limp-home" mode."
Thanking you in advance.
Stan