First 'trouble' at 10900 miles

Frank Hudon · 07-29-2004, 11:52 PM

Evan, you should realize that the DTC's are only stored for 40 start cycles. If your going to get them retrieved, do it before the 40 cycles.

Batavier · 07-30-2004, 07:44 AM

Sorry to hear about the trouble, Evan.

Is it similar to what people have been discussing in this topic: Prius Online Engine Trouble Chat??

**efusco** · 07-30-2004, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Batavier
Sorry to hear about the trouble, Evan.

Is it similar to what people have been discussing in this topic: Prius Online Engine Trouble Chat??

No, not really. The thing that's odd with mine is the exact sequence of events that produced it. FWIW, yesterday I tried to reproduce the problem. Coasting at low speed, floored the pedal.....zipped right up to speed without hesitation or warning lights.

Maybe I'll see if they can squeeze me in today.

jamarimutt · 07-30-2004, 12:14 PM

I wonder... is your enthusiasm for the Prius intact?

**efusco** · 07-30-2004, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jamarimutt
I wonder... is your enthusiasm for the Prius intact?

Quite! Why do you ask? One minor problem with the most complex car on the road and the car still operates normally after a "reboot". If that took the polish off people's enthusiasm the Model A would have been the end of the automotive industry.

I expect there will be issues that arise with this car. I anticipated that before getting the car. This is the first and it's essentially a non-issue in almost 11k miles of otherwise trouble free driving.

I've made an appt. for next week to have the DTC code pulled and see what's up (if it's still in there, I may be close to my 40 cycles by then!) If it needs fixed, I'll get it fixed.

DaveinOlyWA · 07-30-2004, 10:36 PM

well let me tell you about a former co-worker who bought a dodge minivan. this was a year or two after it had won several awards and was considered best in class, etc. etc.

after being stranded on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge twice when the van suddenly lost power, he petioned successfully to have the vehicle declared a lemon and was refunded his money...but that doesnt mean he broke even. besides missing several hours from work from the unexpected breakdowns, he had to make several inconveinent trips to the dealer for repairs that essentially didnt fix anything.

and it took 14 months for him to have his loan forgiven to free up his finances to be able to purchase a replacement vehicle.

needless to say, he has sworn off Dodge for life.

jamarimutt · 07-31-2004, 06:18 AM

Evan: I asked if your enthusiasm for the Prius is intact because my mine dwindled substantially after a series of unexplained red triangles a couple of months ago. I was scared of getting stranded far from a Toyota dealer, given that other mechanics don't have the slightest idea of how to fix this car. I was hoping for a trouble-free car, at least for the duration of the three-year warranty.

The red triangles are gone and my enthusiasm is back. Now, a total power loss at freeway speeds, like has been reported in this and other forums, could greatly reduce that enthusiasm again.

Batavier · 07-31-2004, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by efusco+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco)</div>

Quote:

<!--QuoteBegin-Batavier

Quote:

Sorry to hear about the trouble, Evan.

Is it similar to what people have been discussing in this topic: Prius Online Engine Trouble Chat??

No, not really. The thing that's odd with mine is the exact sequence of events that produced it. FWIW, yesterday I tried to reproduce the problem. Coasting at low speed, floored the pedal.....zipped right up to speed without hesitation or warning lights.

Maybe I'll see if they can squeeze me in today.[/b]

'k, just checking

And you're right in your other post, these kind of things can happen to a car like this, but it's not something to NOT buy the car for. I've had my share of trouble with my current ride (Peugeot 206), nothing serious, but all kinds of minor issues that needed to be fixed (door locking mechanism, engine shutting down right after you start it, blinker problems, that sort of thing). I still like the car a lot.

Wolfman · 07-31-2004, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DaveinOlyWA
well let me tell you about a former co-worker who bought a dodge minivan. this was a year or two after it had won several awards and was considered best in class, etc. etc.

after being stranded on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge twice when the van suddenly lost power, he petioned successfully to have the vehicle declared a lemon and was refunded his money...but that doesnt mean he broke even. besides missing several hours from work from the unexpected breakdowns, he had to make several inconveinent trips to the dealer for repairs that essentially didnt fix anything.

and it took 14 months for him to have his loan forgiven to free up his finances to be able to purchase a replacement vehicle.

needless to say, he has sworn off Dodge for life.

I can understand your co workers feelings. First, he dealt with a domestic automaker. They don't care what the car does after they've seperated you from your money. It's the reason why they have to bribe people with these huge incentives, AND zero interes loans, despite the rise in the feds rates. They make junk, they sell junk, they know it, but are too arrogant to fix it. Personally, I had to look far and wide to get a full size truck that was both ultra basic, and was powered by an engine manufacturer known the world over for quality. I even had one stealership ask me if I was crazy for wanting a manual transmission - in a Chrysler product. I of course had to counter with why would I want to have a tranny in my vehicle that would gurantee that the truck spent more time in their shop, than on the road. :mrgreen:

Toyota has ALOT more riding on this design, as they fully intend to have it powering every vehicle in their model lineup, as well as sell the system to other automakers. They literally cannot afford the above attitude, as they are betting the farm on this technology.

DaveinOlyWA · 07-31-2004, 10:42 AM

i have to agree with Evan... events that dont result in problems are "non-events" in my book.

i think we have been spoiled by the "mushroom" mentality that came about by years of driving american cars. lets face it, there are several instances of flaky operation of your american car you simply dont remember because it didnt lead to any maintenance or downtime. it was just a quirk that went away as suddenly as it appeared. it remained in your thoughts just as long. so now comes the Prius and now we have an overload of info that many times we dont understand and that throws us in a panic.

now most if not all will dispute this fact. everyone has that perfect little car they owned years ago that NEVER gave them a problem. well, no... you are WRONG. the car never told you that there might be a problem. WHY?? well thats easy. the real story is your car didnt have the ability to tell you there was a problem. the Prius is designed to warn of every conceivable difficulty. even non issues. after all, its a computer on wheels.

so something happened like a back fire, didnt start right away like it normally did, or it missed a beat when driving down the road. well you never blamed your perfect car. after all ruining a perfect record is traumatic. so it was that gas station you always had concerns about anyway. or, it rained heavily the night before and you need to "dry" out the car a bit and it will be ok.

ever have your computer reboot from a power line dip that happened so fast you didnt even see the lights flicker?? so what happens?? either the system reboots or locks up.

now did you take the computer back since it was "broken?" or did you simply reboot it, bitch about the data you might have lost, then carried on for another several days, weeks or months with error free operation until the next power surge??

i think we need to realize that imformation creates as many problems as it solves. but would you rather go back to the "mushroom" life??

if so, then get a Ford. lets face it, in ANY OTHER CAR, the same incident would have hardly gained a mention. in Evan's case, since there was a momentary loss of power, that might have garnered some attention, but the fact that the problem doesnt seem reproducible tells me that in any other car, the incident would have already been long forgotten.

in the other cases when only the triangle showed up without any changes in the operation of the car tells me that nothing would have come of it in any other car since they simply dont have the sophisticated monitoring systems available.

i think the biggest reason for the "update" to the HV computer was that Toyota simply enabled system reboots that didnt require a technician. i can say that updates take months to write and frequently require a complete rewrite of the software.

what the update really was is probably a "workaround" if a bug is discovered in the software. most dont affect the overall operation of the hardware being controlled. so a fix that simply directs the software around the problem area is instituted. this is standard practice and can usually be done in a day or two.

now if anyone has some concrete info on what the updates did, then enlighten us. but it seems that no one has any specifics and i think that is the reason why. it didnt solve any problems, it simply made the reset easier and user friendly.

in my car i dont have enough mileage yet, but i baby sit a friends Prius and he is a travelling network techie dude and he has almost 17,000 miles at last memory and he hasnt had anything go wrong with his car (i think. i debate whether an issue as small as the ones described here would even be mentioned) he however isnt in town right now, but i intend to ask him.

now i realize that if it were MY Baby, there is no issue to small for concern... but at the same time, practicality will take over soon and my concerns diminished as the new miles of errorfree driving piles up and in Evan's case i think that is what has happened. as much as i would like to see the results of a diag. life comes first and priorities must be met daily and i am with Evan in putting this incident low on the list.

07-30-2004, 10:36 PM	#16
DaveinOlyWA Opps !! I Did it Again!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Puget Sound, WA Posts: 9,544 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 5	well let me tell you about a former co-worker who bought a dodge minivan. this was a year or two after it had won several awards and was considered best in class, etc. etc. after being stranded on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge twice when the van suddenly lost power, he petioned successfully to have the vehicle declared a lemon and was refunded his money...but that doesnt mean he broke even. besides missing several hours from work from the unexpected breakdowns, he had to make several inconveinent trips to the dealer for repairs that essentially didnt fix anything. and it took 14 months for him to have his loan forgiven to free up his finances to be able to purchase a replacement vehicle. needless to say, he has sworn off Dodge for life. __________________ My 2006: Last tank 463.1 miles @49.2 pump (49.4 computer) 4.22 cpm winter mpg 50.70 summer mpg 54.59 lifetime: 33,038.3 miles 52.79 mpg pump (54.04 mpg computer) 5.74 cpm My 2007 Zenn Driven 5849 miles, 2.00 cpm/ 105 mpg (at $2.05/gal), 4.04 miles/ Kwh Savings over my Prius $300.79 The Corolla...567.79 The REAL SAVINGS from not driving Corolla 657.39 +Prius= 958.18 (excludes maintenance costs...would be unfair to ICE vehicles) My Plate: DUALPWR (Dual Power)

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07-29-2004, 11:52 PM	#11
Frank Hudon Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 4,144 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Evan, you should realize that the DTC's are only stored for 40 start cycles. If your going to get them retrieved, do it before the 40 cycles.

07-30-2004, 07:44 AM	#12
Batavier Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 431 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Sorry to hear about the trouble, Evan. Is it similar to what people have been discussing in this topic: Prius Online Engine Trouble Chat??

07-30-2004, 12:14 PM	#14
jamarimutt Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 972 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I wonder... is your enthusiasm for the Prius intact?

07-31-2004, 06:18 AM	#17
jamarimutt Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 972 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Evan: I asked if your enthusiasm for the Prius is intact because my mine dwindled substantially after a series of unexplained red triangles a couple of months ago. I was scared of getting stranded far from a Toyota dealer, given that other mechanics don't have the slightest idea of how to fix this car. I was hoping for a trouble-free car, at least for the duration of the three-year warranty. The red triangles are gone and my enthusiasm is back. Now, a total power loss at freeway speeds, like has been reported in this and other forums, could greatly reduce that enthusiasm again.

07-31-2004, 10:42 AM	#20
DaveinOlyWA Opps !! I Did it Again!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Puget Sound, WA Posts: 9,544 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 5	i have to agree with Evan... events that dont result in problems are "non-events" in my book. i think we have been spoiled by the "mushroom" mentality that came about by years of driving american cars. lets face it, there are several instances of flaky operation of your american car you simply dont remember because it didnt lead to any maintenance or downtime. it was just a quirk that went away as suddenly as it appeared. it remained in your thoughts just as long. so now comes the Prius and now we have an overload of info that many times we dont understand and that throws us in a panic. now most if not all will dispute this fact. everyone has that perfect little car they owned years ago that NEVER gave them a problem. well, no... you are WRONG. the car never told you that there might be a problem. WHY?? well thats easy. the real story is your car didnt have the ability to tell you there was a problem. the Prius is designed to warn of every conceivable difficulty. even non issues. after all, its a computer on wheels. so something happened like a back fire, didnt start right away like it normally did, or it missed a beat when driving down the road. well you never blamed your perfect car. after all ruining a perfect record is traumatic. so it was that gas station you always had concerns about anyway. or, it rained heavily the night before and you need to "dry" out the car a bit and it will be ok. ever have your computer reboot from a power line dip that happened so fast you didnt even see the lights flicker?? so what happens?? either the system reboots or locks up. now did you take the computer back since it was "broken?" or did you simply reboot it, bitch about the data you might have lost, then carried on for another several days, weeks or months with error free operation until the next power surge?? i think we need to realize that imformation creates as many problems as it solves. but would you rather go back to the "mushroom" life?? if so, then get a Ford. lets face it, in ANY OTHER CAR, the same incident would have hardly gained a mention. in Evan's case, since there was a momentary loss of power, that might have garnered some attention, but the fact that the problem doesnt seem reproducible tells me that in any other car, the incident would have already been long forgotten. in the other cases when only the triangle showed up without any changes in the operation of the car tells me that nothing would have come of it in any other car since they simply dont have the sophisticated monitoring systems available. i think the biggest reason for the "update" to the HV computer was that Toyota simply enabled system reboots that didnt require a technician. i can say that updates take months to write and frequently require a complete rewrite of the software. what the update really was is probably a "workaround" if a bug is discovered in the software. most dont affect the overall operation of the hardware being controlled. so a fix that simply directs the software around the problem area is instituted. this is standard practice and can usually be done in a day or two. now if anyone has some concrete info on what the updates did, then enlighten us. but it seems that no one has any specifics and i think that is the reason why. it didnt solve any problems, it simply made the reset easier and user friendly. in my car i dont have enough mileage yet, but i baby sit a friends Prius and he is a travelling network techie dude and he has almost 17,000 miles at last memory and he hasnt had anything go wrong with his car (i think. i debate whether an issue as small as the ones described here would even be mentioned) he however isnt in town right now, but i intend to ask him. now i realize that if it were MY Baby, there is no issue to small for concern... but at the same time, practicality will take over soon and my concerns diminished as the new miles of errorfree driving piles up and in Evan's case i think that is what has happened. as much as i would like to see the results of a diag. life comes first and priorities must be met daily and i am with Evan in putting this incident low on the list.