Toyota Prius: Problems & Solutions

linda1

Hi SteveDebi, Thanks for your reply. Yes,the engine cuts out when I stop and current mpg shows 0. When I drive the current mileage is whacko and varies greatly whether city traffic or open freeway. I've been checking while holding a constant speed and the mpg still jumps around. Linda1

little_pogi

There are a lot of variables the will affect the mpg indicator even though you are running at a constant speed. A slight uphill climb may bring your indicator to less than 30 mpg. The opposite (downhill coasting) will show a 99 mpg indication. Eratic headwinds will also make that indicator go wacky. Perhaps one of the sensors responsible for fuel calculations is bad.

 Just try the full tank computation. Fill your tank till the first click on the fuel nozzle. Zero out one of your odometer readings. Drive no less than 200 miles till your next fill up. Before you fill up again, note down that odometer reading. Devide that reading to the number of gallons you put in to fill up the Prius again. That should be a fairly accurate mpg consumption for your Prius. Also, try to fill-up at a temperature close to the original fill-up. Too much air temperature variance affect the bladder part of your fuel tank.

dudeshi

Hi,
I own a 2004 Priuis with 14k on it. I have never been able to get more than 48MPG on it. I guess we are all in the same boat.
I have one trouble though. When i press the power switch it doesnt turn green in the indicator on it. Is anyone haveing this problem?

stevedebi

"There are a lot of variables the will affect the mpg indicator even though you are running at a constant speed. A slight uphill climb may bring your indicator to less than 30 mpg. The opposite (downhill coasting) will show a 99 mpg indication. Eratic headwinds will also make that indicator go wacky. Perhaps one of the sensors responsible for fuel calculations is bad."

I don't own a Prius, so please bear with me. Are you saying the trip computer doesn't have an average MPG reading, which you reset when filling up?

linda1

Hi, re:my low mileage and extreme variable mpg. My ave. mpg has been in the low 30's for stop and go city driving (in 40's for open freeway driving) but the CURRENT mpg varies wildly during city driving even when I maintain a steady speed on a flat road. ie 28 - 12 - 99.9 (this must be a default setting because it comes up a lot). Anyway the current mpg's shown (w/o braking) seem just deviant. I haven't brought this to the attention of the dealer because truthfully I think it would be a waste of time.

linda1

Thanks for your reply, I will save this information but it sounds a little comlex. Linda1

little_pogi

re: dudeshi - "When I press the power switch, it dosen't turn green in the indicator on it." You must step on the brake to have the green indicator turned on and have that "ready" turned on on your shift display. The dashboard will all light up if your power it on without your foot on the brake. You just won't get that "ready" indicator display.

re: stevedebi - "Are you saying the trip computer dosen't have an average MPG reading.." The MPG information display shows you 3 readout on the same screen. One is the average reading that tells you your average MPG since the last time you reset it. The second is a current display which tell you the instantaneous MPG at that instant you are in now. This is what I was referring on my #56 posting. The third is a bar graphical display of you last 30 minutes MPG in 5 minutes increments.

to: Linda1. Keep us posted on you MPG when your odometer go past the 10,000 miles reading. It should be higher by then.

I had to do to the dealer yesterday to complain about the swede like covering on my armrest. It's starting to peel out from the front. They said they will replace it.

fred8

My 2004 Prius (19,000 miles) has always had a problem when the gas tank is filled. Whenever a sealed pump nozzle is used it continually shuts off after taking about 0.1 gallon or less, while the gar gauge then registers full! I've found that by getting a nozzle which doesn't have the rubber sealing flap I can position it so that air can flow out of the tank as I'm filling. However, it frequently then regurgitates gasoline when it seems to be getting full, but the level subsides if left for a minute or two, and more gas can be added. The local dealer said this was also a problem with some of the Toyota pickups, and that probably it would be fixed one day. In the meantime I'm smelling pretty much of gas and polluting the area around the car. I've also never been able to get more than 7 gallons into it, even though the gauge says empty. Does anyone else have this problem, or have any thoughts on it?

john1701a

There is a TSB for the early 2004 models, where they will replace the filler neck for this very problem.

You must explicitly request it from the dealer, since scope is limited to just certain conditions contributed by some gas station pumps and the some types of gas itself.

That TSB covers erratic gauge behavior too. And computer component is involved in that case.

My 2004 Prius has a little over 20,000 miles on it. And my VIN is included in that TSB, but I certainly don't need it. Mine tank & gauge have always worked perfectly. Much of that is likely due to using only low-sulfur gas, which thankfully will be available in every station nationwide by the end of 2005. Sulfur is known to affect sensors, causing them to give false readings.

The number of that TSB is EL010-04.

JOHN

little_pogi

For those how dosen't know, TSB stands for Technical Service Bulletin. It is not a recall. Thanks John.

fred8

Thanks John, I'll trot off to Toyota next week and see what they can do about my filler neck. Where are you getting your low-sulfur gas? Here in LA, where I thought folks were pretty green-minded, I haven't seen any advertised. Fred.

robin1

My 2004 Prius (13,400 miles) has exhibited several bothersome troubles which both of my local dealerships cannot solve because the troubles cannot be replicated or the warning lights go off before I get to the dealership. First, sometimes cruise control does not function at all. Second,after taking off from a stop, the car continues to wind out as if accelerating. And last, the red exclamation point, engine, and csr (?) lights all came on when the gas gauge showed one bar left. This car is driving me crazy with all of its signals. But I do get 54 mpg tops in ideal conditions.

mfullmer

My suggestion: If at all possible when any of these things happen drive straight to the dealership, pull up but do not turn the car off and have them go for a drive with you. I know this may not always be possible/convenient but that is the best way I've found to make sure they see the problem. Now we just have to hope that these things happen when you are able to go by there.

davyk

I have a 2004 silver Prius (package 6) with 13,500 miles. For the first 10,000 miles I averaged between 47.5 and 52.1 miles per gallon. After I brought in the Prius to the dealer for the 10k check (oil change, brake check, tire rotation) I noticed that my MPG has dropped off significantly. For the last 3500 miles I now average between 43.5 and 47.1 miles/per gallon. I realize that this is still great compared to some out there that are also having problems.

I spoke to the dealer and he assured me that they didn't do anything with respect to the engine or timing. My driving habits have not changed, so I suspect something has happened.

Has anyone had this problem before and if you have, did you find a solution?

Thanks in advance.....Dave

rfruth

 Good thinking that something has happened, wonder if they adjusted the tire pressure ?

usbseawolf2000

Check engine air filter. It robs horsepower and fuel economy by not allowing enough air flow to the ICE. I know most Toyota maintainence said to change every 30k miles. If you drive in dusty road, maybe you should check how dirty the filter look like.

Dennis

little_pogi

Of the 3 things that you mentioned done on your Prius during the 10K service, oil change and tire rotation may have a direct effect on your mileage.

Oil change - Your engine may have to work harder on a dip stick that show a full indication rather than a 3/4 indication. Some people in this post recommend a 3/4 level for optimum mileage performance.
Tire rotation - If you look at the tire info sticker by the driver's side door, the front tires is 2 psi higher than that of the rear tires. If upon rotation, the service guy failed to readjust tire pressure, the front tire will be 2 psi less than the recommended tire pressure. This will create some sort of a drag and affect mileage.

Recheck these items yourself after the service and don't always assume the service guy did it right.

robin1

Re: previous post about warning lights. Thank you for that advice. I did that. I took my car to the dealership where I bought it (Merced Toyota CA), and the service clerk told me he couldn't help me because they were booked through the entire week with battery recalls on the 02 model. Can you fathom? He actually told me to take my car to a dealership one hour away. I said I was afraid I would damage my car and he said, "It'll probably be okay." When I called the other dealership, they were stunned. Apparently the car sometimes throws up the engine, warning, and VSC light if the gas tank is very low. I had one bar left on the tank gauge. It's okay now, but I am most disgusted with the run around I get at this one dealership. Even if the lights go off, can't they put the car on some kind of system to check it out?

eprupis

I can't comment on some of your problems but I can suggest a possible reason for losing cruise control. It happened to me twice. The first vtime, I turned off the engine and the problem disappeared on restart in "D". The second time, I checked everything and discovered that I had inadvertantly shifted into "B" where cruise control doesn't work. As soon as I went into "D", it came on. Eprupis.

mfullmer

I want to say "you have to be kidding" but I'm sure you are not. ANY service department that would not check out an "occuring" problem when there is a history of it being intermittent is just plain rude. I don't know if you did this or not or if it is the dealer where you bought the car or not but maybe it might work.

If you are able to run by the (a) Toyota dealer again while it is happening drive into the service area and if, after explaining why you would like them to, at the very least, get in the car and see/feel the problem while it is happening since it is intermittent, they refuse, demand to speak with the Service Manager. If the car really is undrivable, then it is a legitimate emergency. If it is fine to drive at least you would have them on record (make sure they write down what they see) stating that they saw/felt the problem. Then you can make an appointment to have it looked into.

Short of moving, is there any other Toyota place you can go to? These guys are awful.

rfruth

I agree if at all possible use a different dealer but if you must deal with these bums again park in the middle of the service drive blocking as much traffic as possible, who knows they might get to push it out of the way ... oh and get their name and let Toyota corporate know just how you feel.

davyk

Thanks a lot for your reply. I think I have picked up on another piece of my puzzle. In response to your comment, the oil level is currently Full (I will suggest not filling it up to full next time), and the tire pressures match what is on the driver side door.

I keep track of the actual miles per gallon versus what shows up on the display. Prior to my 10k checkup, the difference between the real and the displayed mileage ranged between .4 and 1.9 miles per gallon (in every case the actual mileage was less).

What I did not notice was that since the 10k checkup the difference between the real mileage and the displayed miles per gallon has significantly increased. I just filled up my tank this morning and the displayed MPG was 49.1 but the actual mileage was 42.6! Most of the other differences were in the 2.8 to 3.9 mpg difference.

I accept the fact that perhaps the prior time I filled up the tank it might not have been completely full. However the average difference between the real and estimated mpg has more than doubled since the 10k checkup.

I called the service department and they said they would be happy to check out the car. I have my Excel spreadsheet printed out so they can see how dramatically the MPG has dropped

If you have any suggestions as to what is going on, I would appreciate hearing any theories.

Thanks in advance.....Dave

bobbrown1

I find the front map lights to be too dim. Anyone know if the bulbs can safely be replaced with brighter ones?

irgrad2002

The following link shows similar results in the first 1-2 years of Prius ownership. That fuel efficiency drops from high 40s to low 40s.
http://avt.inel.gov/tpfart.html

It's making me think twice before I purchase a Prius. My main question is, will the Prius perform just as well as say a camry after 5-6 years and 100k miles?

Anyone out there have that many miles on their Prius?

Thanks

larsb

A lot of that is A/C usage. Notice on that chart where the summer months show large decreases? That's using the A/C in Arizona, and as a Phoenix resident I can tell you that has a HAMMERING effect on MPG.

Important NOTE: They are also most likely just driving these Priuses "like a regular car" i.e. NOT using Hybrid driving tricks like pulse driving, coasting, etc. ANY driver under ANY circumstances will have lower MPG if they don't drive "less wastefully." (is that a word?)

Over on greenhybrid.com, there are first generation Prius drivers with 45K and 55K on their cars who have averaged 45.2 and 46.0 MPG over the life of the car and have NOT seen "over time" decreases.

Each owner will get their own MPG based on how they drive, where they live, what kind of driving they do, etc etc ad infinitum. The credo "Your Mileage May Vary" is one of the truest statements around....

One government study will not be the last word on anything....:)

gagrice

I wonder if they changed tires around 10k miles. The early Prius were hell on tires. At least the OEM tires. If they went to a better wearing tire that would account for some of the loss in mileage.

bonster

I just purchased a 2005 Prius. My husband drove it for less than 200 miles in less than 24 hours after driving off the lot. After work the following day, he attempted to start the car, and got nothing. I also attempted to start the car with my fob; also nothing - dead, dead, dead. We had it towed to the nearest dealer, who has had our car for several days. Latest news is that four of eleven engine computers are not talking to a scanner - three associated with starting the engine and one associated with a fuel pump.

Could anyone tell me how much of this is BS and if these guys know what they're talking about? I see that this is not news to many of you. Thanks!

Bonster

little_pogi

This is quite interesting. Can you be more specific on your problem. There are questions I have that I'd like to ask you.
1. Do you have the Smart Entry Function? Are able to open the doors to let you in? If you have one and are able to unlock the door, then someway the key fob is communicating with with car.
2. You mentioned about atempting to start the car with your fob. Do you mean inseting the key fob into the slot and pressing the start button? Did any of the indicator lights on the display panel lit up? If the power mode does not change to "ON", then there could be a number of suspected areas. It could be just a power wiring harness, a fuse, the power switch itself, or the Power Source Control ECU.

Answer these questions first before we could go further down thru the diagnostic process. The dealer's technicians telling you about 4 ECU not talking to the scanner may be somewhat extreme and exagerated. It they have no idea yet of what's going on, then maybe they may have it escalated to the district Toyota Prius service tech.

Kirstie_H

A reporter is wondering if anyone has had trouble getting parts for cars and trucks from the 1985-1997 model year. If you have a story to share, please send it to jfallon@edmunds.com by Friday, November 19, 2004.
Thanks!

motownusa

My father ordered an 05 Prius that should be arriving sometime in late February or early March? He is going overseas for six weeks at the end of March to visit relatives. In the meantime the Prius will be sitting in the garage and no one will be driving it. Is there any special precaution that needs to taken so that the car will start when he comes back?

keystone01

I have an 04 (Aug 04)and have never been able to put more than 7 gallons in the tank. Last tank with low fuel light flashing only took 5 gallons. Dealer told me to bring it in for three days to order and install parts. He then called me to say my car was built after the problem and has new parts so he would not do anything. He wants me to bring it back when the low fuel light is flashing so he can evaluate.

Can anyone help me solve this problem?

bjrich

you have become accustomed to your Pruis, and are indeed driving it as you did the old car...you have taken the edge off of the mileage way of driving.
So, do this; return to the way you drove it when you first got it...and . wash and wax it, and it will have less drag as the air passes over it...and air up the tires...I am very sure if you do these little things, your mileage will increase..
In the early 80's I bought a Nissan Maxima diesel wagon to get off the the poor mileage of my Ford Squire wagon..the Maxima gave me 33 miles per gallon but I was soon pushing it over 80 on the highwawy..the mieage dropped.
After every oil change, washing and checking the tires it incrseased the mileage back up dto the 33....
If you =___________make the effort to improve the mileage, I am sure it will increase

paulette1

My 2001 Prius wouldn't start, and the lack of any lights coming on indicated a dead starter battery. The Toyota dealer said not to try jumping it, but to have it towed in to them. I did so and now am told I need a new battery, to the tune of almost $300.00! This (plus the towing charge) is shocking. The car has 48,000 miles on it. Could someone tell me if this is likely - the requirement of a new battery at this point and the exorbitant price? This is the third time I've had to have a tow in the last 6 months. (The other things related to the still under warantee hybrid system, fortunately. But this is still a bit scary, as I get closer to the warantee being up.) Thanks!

rfruth

I would have thought people would be all over this, seen on The Car Connection, daily edition: Nov. 19, 2004 then scroll down - snip - Toyota will recall twelve vehicle lines and a total of 544,172 cars worldwide, according to a late report from Reuters. Among the vehicles included in the recall is the hybrid Prius. The vehicles have brake lights that could fail as a result of faulty switches. The vehicles affected by the recall include those manufactured from January 1999 to August of 2004.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?n=173&sid=173&a- - rticle=7756

gagrice

Welcome to the forum.
I would say 3 years and 48k miles is about the life of a standard OEM lead acid car battery. $300 seems like a very big ripoff. You can get the best car battery going for under $100 with a 6 year unlimited mileage warranty. Unless Toyota has put in some oddball battery I would go to Sears to have it replaced. I have not had a vehicle towed for over 15 years. I have only had Chevy Trucks which are very reliable. Three times in 6 months and I would be looking for the lemon law lawyer.

aropc

This question is regarding 2002 Prius, which has about 30000 miles. What happens is, when I drive the car on a slight uphill (which Corolla or Camry climbs easily at around 50 miles per hour), Prius makes noticeable noise and seems to struggle to climb..the speed limit in that segment of the road is 45 mph, and Prius seems to have great difficulty climbing at that speed. Does any one have similar experience? Is this a normal behavior, or should I take this to the dealer and try to get something fixed? Any insight would be very much appreciated.

rfruth

I don't have hybrid yet but would like to think alot of the troubleshooting is the same, can you tell if noise is related to engine speed (loose belt etc) or not (wheel bearing, tire related) ?

Any out of the ordinary service needed, visual under the hood okay (no loose/cracked vacuum hoses or corroded cables) this a new problem or always been there, A/C or defrost etc needed to dup problem, any idiot lights on, code stored, noise coming from engine, CVT, front or back, fluid levels okay ?

tfiliberti

Just got notified via mail about this Navigation FREE update . There were reports of localized anomalies in the map details of this model year compared to 2003 models?? Anyway my vers now I checked is Ver 03.3 (hit the MAP DVD) button on menu screen. They say this FREE offer will run till Dec 31,2005. Oh shoot I thought it said 2004! lol I might as well wait then cause there may be another update available by Dec 2005. I think I will take it in in the Spring of 2005...It says it is a ONE TIME software update so might as well wait the year .

greenmoongirl

We have a 2001 Prius with almost 92,000 miles (we drive alot!). We have had 2 computers replaced ( under warranty) and in Sept. 04 we paid $600.00 to replace a faulty accelerator sensor. Just this past weekend we were on vacation and our engine light came on. A Toyota dealer in Chico,CA., said our catalytic converter was going out and it would cost $2,100.00 to replace. Although we love our car we are becoming very concerned about future, expensive repairs. Does anyone have any recommendations for us? Has anyone had any luck getting Toyota to pay for something that is out of warranty? Reportedly, the converter is covered for 8 years or 80,000 miles.

gagrice

Does anyone have any recommendations for us?

First welcome to the Forum..
For Toyota to claim AT-PZEV in CA, they have to warranty the emissions for 15 years or 150k miles. This is a good case to find out how well that law is enforced. Without the catalytic convertor there is no clean emissions. The car will not pass inspection. I would give the Toyota dealer a chance to fix the problem under warranty. If they refuse, go to CARB that set the standards. Toyota is using this car to get away with horrible pollution on their big dollar cars. They need to be held accountable. Hope to hear more on this case... Good Luck

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ccvl/2004sulevpzevlist.htm

gagrice

After doing additional reading. I do not think the 2001 had AT-PZEV rating. If it had only SULEV you are on your own after the Toyota Warranty. In other words you are screwed. This is what many of us have asked. What happens when all the high tech complex hybrid gear goes bad. We get a lot of hype how it will last forever. Sounds like you are the guinea pigs that Toyota is looking for. It is a shame that so many people that are trying to be good citizens are going to be taken advantage of by big corporate greed.

bjrich

Dear gagrice;
What dribble!
"many of us have been asking"
who are the many?
You better go buy a Ford, IMO.
or better yet, a Chrysler product.

gagrice

Dear gagrice;
What dribble!
"many of us have been asking"
who are the many?

Would you like me to name the posters that have questioned the reliability of the hybrids? I can research that for you. My reference is to this person that has already found that the hybrid is expensive to own after the warranty is gone. Do you you consider these charges fair on a 3 year old vehicle? A $600 sensor & $2100 catalytic convertor. I just replaced the catalytic convertor on our 1990 Mazda 626, along with the muffler and tail pipe, and the total was $154 with a lifetime warranty. We have spent less than $2100 on that Mazda over 15 years including brakes, batteries & tires. I'll tell you what I tell all the leading edge hybrid explorers "Good Luck" your going to need it.

bjrich

please accept my apology for my dribble reply....it was out of line.....My 90 Mazda also had the converter go bad at 148,000 miles and Mazda replaced it at no charge...I would expect no less from Toyota. have a much more optimistic outlook on cars... usually on the Nissan, Toyota, Mazda and Honda etc., and much less on the American names as a result of many many years of experience with all of them and many many cars..I have also learned the importance of how I deal with the individual dealers as being a most important item in how problems were handled..I suspect that the dealer who told the owner with the bad converter that it would cost him $2100.... was being very prompt in jumping on a fast buck...and that the real replacement cost from a proper dealer would be much less if handled correctly. In speaking with management at a dealership, I was told that the Prius has had the lowest cost warranty repairs of all their cars....I suspect that the car's converter didn't just "go out" all of a sudden....As I said, I am optimistic on how this car will be treated by the Toyota Co. and each dealer.The rise of Toyota, Honda, Nissan etc is not just an accident, no more than the fall of GM, Ford or Chrysler is just and accident..If it is the big greed of the big company's it's the latter that have allowed it. Toyota, Honda etc have done a whale of a job in product and service. The Toyota Prius has been beautifully conceived and very well marketed.

gagrice

Apology accepted. I know you are excited about the Prius as I was 4 years ago. One of the things that would have clinched the deal in 2000 was the bumper to bumper 8 year 100k mile warranty. As I said before my now ex-wife hated the looks and that ended it. Now on the realistic side. It would be difficult to get anyone except a Toyota dealer to work on the Prius. I am reading where dealers are charging $300 for a new 12 volt battery for the Prius. I don't know but that sounds steep to me. $600 for a sensor that I assume was essential for the car to run. $2100 for a catalytic convertor. This may be a case of greed at the dealer level. Hopefully it is an isolated case. We have not seen too many Prius with close to 100k miles. I don't expect, as some do, that we will have lots of expense just because the car passes that milestone. Especially in 3 years.

PS
I never even thought of asking Mazda to replace our convertor. We only have 84k miles on our 1990. It has been very reliable. We use it to run errands and as a loaner to friends and relatives that come to town.

tarlos25

My wife and I also live in the Sierras. Specifically in the foothills, around 5000 ft., but anyway. We recently purchased a 2005 Prius, and the only problem noticed is that the tires have bad traction when wet. Easy enough to fix. The car itself has performed quite well. There's enough power to handle the climbs, and we haven't had any problems starting it in the cold, going down to single digit (still positive) temperatures. Haven't had anything lower yet, so no experience there. The gas mileage (expectedly) drops when going over piles of snow, or going up an icy hill, but even with that, we've still averaged ~45 mpg for almost 1000 miles. When watching the energy monitor, I haven't seen the battery drop much below half charge at any time.

I hope this helps, if you need any more info, just ask.

gumbeegreen

Our 2005 Prius is in the shop for the 2nd time. After having the entire computer replaced, we noticed that the horn would honk intermittently by itself. There seems to be no particular pattern to this honking. It occurs when turning, on the straightaway, going over bumps, or on smooth pavement. It involves single or multiple beeps, long or short. Service has not heard the honking after nearly a week, but they aren't driving it. Anybody know what's causing this - a short or computer programming?

pmichaels1

I had the same issue with my 2001 Prius. I know I left my interior lights on before it happened. It's something I do somewhat frequently. My neighbors usually tell me when this occurs.

 

The cost to fix it was about the same as yours. My dealer is only 2 blocks away, and it was only afterwards that i realized I could have rolled it into the dealership myself, given that the car is so light.

pmichaels1

I purchased a 2004 Prius in July of this year after having owned a 2001 Prius for almost 4 years. Compared to the old one, I have had numerous quality problems with the 2004. A list of issues include:

 

- Replacement of navigation system

- Work on dashboard to stop noises coming from center speaker

- Additional noises coming from dashboard that dealer cannot find or fix

- Vibrations coming from hatchback that makes car sound like an old pickup truck going over bumps

- Check engine light coming on for no reason

- Left rear seat having to be locked in place every once in a while to keep noises from occurring

- Outside thermometer has a wide margin of error

- I think the driver side mirror warped the first time I took it to a car wash

 

Nothing major unfortunately. I'm hoping for the transmission to fall out so I can press a "lemon law" case.

 

Has anyone else had these problems? I bought Option Package #9 which is $26K MSRP. I find the fit and finish of this car at that price to be terrible. I never had those issues with my old Prius. Would love to hear others' experience.

carln3

How about tis: Rav 4 catalytic converter $1000

Volvo ABS sensor $650

1990 Cutlas cierra A/C compressor $900

1990 Cutlass cierra alternator $450

 

Prius parts are all made and imported from Japan..

Good luck to all of us...