Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Prius ECM problems! Please advise!
Hello, below I will describe the situation I am in with my Prius and anyone who has advice and information, I welcome your replies!! First, I will just ask the main questions I have in case you don't want o read the whole story:
1) How often does the ECM give false error messages on Priuses?
2) Are the ECMs of Priuses known to go out after their warranty ends around 80,000 miles?
I am the 2nd owner of a 2002 Prius with 88,160 miles. The master warning light of the hybrid system came on the other day. The one with the exclamation mark and that the owner's manual says, "Take immediately to dealership!" I called the dealership and had the car towed in, as per instructions.
They are saying it is the ECM (engine control module) and that in addition to this they must replace the gas tank...they said it was a "no start" code. I asked my husband's father about this and he said the bulletin on this problem is as they are saying...they aren't trying to do unnecessary repairs.
The service shop said it would be $1800. I said, Yikes! I asked them to restart the computer, you know, clear it and see if the problem happened again. They started it three times and I have started it and driven it twice with no problems since.
Thing is, we also asked them if we could get the Toyota rep to comp the part since it is close to the warranty. They said they could do this, making the repairs cost $1100.
So, should we go ahead and get the service done since this may be the cheapest we will be able to get it, considering that there may actually be something wrong with the ECM, it just hasn't happened yet OR should we just wait and have to maybe pay more later, thinking that sometimes the ECM gives false warning messages.
I know that around 30,000 or so miles, the first owner had all the warning lights come on and they just reset the computer and nothing happened after that, but I am not sure of the details of that situation, if that even matters.
Please, any advice/expertise would help! I have no idea what to do!
Oh, and the mileage has been down from around 55 MPG city driving to 40 MPGs. But we have been using the AC and it has been 106 F everyday in Memphis TN lately, making, I thught, the gas burn off faster. However, it may be a problem with the ECM and fuel efficiency of the car...
1) How often does the ECM give false error messages on Priuses?
2) Are the ECMs of Priuses known to go out after their warranty ends around 80,000 miles?
I am the 2nd owner of a 2002 Prius with 88,160 miles. The master warning light of the hybrid system came on the other day. The one with the exclamation mark and that the owner's manual says, "Take immediately to dealership!" I called the dealership and had the car towed in, as per instructions.
They are saying it is the ECM (engine control module) and that in addition to this they must replace the gas tank...they said it was a "no start" code. I asked my husband's father about this and he said the bulletin on this problem is as they are saying...they aren't trying to do unnecessary repairs.
The service shop said it would be $1800. I said, Yikes! I asked them to restart the computer, you know, clear it and see if the problem happened again. They started it three times and I have started it and driven it twice with no problems since.
Thing is, we also asked them if we could get the Toyota rep to comp the part since it is close to the warranty. They said they could do this, making the repairs cost $1100.
So, should we go ahead and get the service done since this may be the cheapest we will be able to get it, considering that there may actually be something wrong with the ECM, it just hasn't happened yet OR should we just wait and have to maybe pay more later, thinking that sometimes the ECM gives false warning messages.
I know that around 30,000 or so miles, the first owner had all the warning lights come on and they just reset the computer and nothing happened after that, but I am not sure of the details of that situation, if that even matters.
Please, any advice/expertise would help! I have no idea what to do!
Oh, and the mileage has been down from around 55 MPG city driving to 40 MPGs. But we have been using the AC and it has been 106 F everyday in Memphis TN lately, making, I thught, the gas burn off faster. However, it may be a problem with the ECM and fuel efficiency of the car...
Tagged:
0
Comments
I am having the EXACT same issues and problems as you are. My car happens to be at around 96,000 miles, but as of about 10 days ago, it has been fine with just a "reset" as you said.
I am worried as well, but so far so good. I'd really like to avoid the expensive repair. Let me know if anything goes poorly with you, or if you hear anything new on this issue. I'm going to try to do more research on the internet too.
czarlos@yahoo.com
I'm buying Honda next time.
BTW, I bought the part at another Toyota dealership, installed it in 10 minutes, and will have that other dealership register the VIN. All at a cost $250 less than the original dealer where I bought the car. So be careful and shop around. Service shops have been known to jack the price up so that they can claim to adjust it down.
I've got a red triangle warning and yellow "light icon" on the display for my 11/04 Prius.
it has 115k miles. In the repair manual it's described as an automatic light sensor malfunction, but I don't have this option installed originally from Toyota.
All the lights operate normally.
Any suggestions before I take it to a dealer.
Thank you.