2003 Transaxle problem at only 75,000 miles?

[clutch09]

i own a 2003 prius and went in to a dealership to get my check engine light checked out... it was my catalytic converter that needed to be replaced and since my car had less than 80,000 miles on it, the dealer was required by federal law to replace it.
8 days later.....
i was driving down the road when my check engine light, master alarm, and brake light all came on at one time... lit up my dashboard like a christmas tree.... so i was only a few miles from the previouslly mentioned dealership and took my car back there.... they checked it out and said that i needed a new transaxle assembly, rack and pinion, and wheels realligned or something... estimate was $8600!!!
have any of you heard anything about the transmission (or transaxle) going out on a 2003 prius with only 75,000 mile on it?

[Patrick Wong]

I hope your catalytic converter was replaced under the federal emissions warranty.

Regarding the transaxle failure, many Classic owners have reported this, unfortunately. This is one reason why there's so much interest in used transaxle fluid testing and periodically draining/replacing the fluid.

Can you provide the DTC that were logged by your vehicle?

Assuming that your transaxle did fail, one possible option is to find an independent shop in your area which is willing to install a salvage transaxle. However you bear the risk in the event that the salvage part does not work or the diagnosis is incorrect.

If you don't have an independent shop available, then it might be better to scrap the car than to spend $9K on repairs, considering the market value of the car.

Good luck.

[clutch09]

yeah... they replaced the cat for free...

i don't know what the DTC was on my car...

thanks for the input on the salvaged tranny....

it's just frustrating because i was at the same dealership 8 days prior and they said that my car was running fine.... and it only had 75000 miles on it

[kocho]

Originally Posted by clutch09

yeah... they replaced the cat for free...

i don't know what the DTC was on my car...

thanks for the input on the salvaged tranny....

it's just frustrating because i was at the same dealership 8 days prior and they said that my car was running fine.... and it only had 75000 miles on it

I may be wrong, but if a transaction really fails, then the car would not move. From your post it sounds you drove to the dealer... The transmission is actually a rather simple mechanical device, which if it fails, you will be sure to notice On the other hand, there are related electrical components and the electric motors that are attached to the tranny that are much more likely to have failed. They are not "the tranny" but usually get replaced with it as a unit. Perhaps this is what the dealer had found out may have failed.

I'd get a second opinion. May be a coincidence, but failures after a seemingly unrelated failure are very high on my list of suspect work by the mechanic.

Get the DTC codes. The dealer should be able to give them to you or you can get many of them read for free at AutoZone (ask to lend you a scanner for free - they do this in our area (MD/VA). With this "free" scanner you can also clear your engine lights after you read the codes to see if they reappear again later.

I too had to replace the cat converter on my '02 at 120k miles. I used a junk-yard source and the cost for me was about $450 for the part and shipping. But I had clear indication that my cat converter had indeed failed (repeated DTC P0420 but good O2 sensor readings).

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by clutch09

...

i don't know what the DTC was on my car...

thanks for the input on the salvaged tranny....

it's just frustrating because i was at the same dealership 8 days prior and they said that my car was running fine.... and it only had 75000 miles on it

The car is still at the dealers? Can you get a print out with the error codes and list them here? The reason we ask is sometimes the error codes have a list of repair actions that may include more repairs than is necessary. Think of the error codes as giving a list of possible failed parts and to be inclusive, the list may include extra parts that may not be involved.

Any change in the driving when the error codes were signaled? You drove to the dealers even after the error codes showed up? If so, about how far? There are several types of transmission failures and other symptoms are very helpful in confirming the diagnosis. So far, there have often been other failure symptoms associated with transmission failures and it would be useful to know if the car was still drivable but had some of these other symptoms.

If you decide to replace the transmission, I would be very interested in about a cup of the fluid from the failed transmission for oil testing. You may need to provide the dealer with a clean, dry, one cup plastic water bottle and ask them to fill it with the bad transmission fluid.

Have you had the car since it was new or was this bought used? What sort of mileage had you been getting? Mostly highway driving long distances or pretty much around town?

Thanks,
Bob Wilson

[clutch09]

Originally Posted by kocho

I may be wrong, but if a transaction really fails, then the car would not move. From your post it sounds you drove to the dealer... The transmission is actually a rather simple mechanical device, which if it fails, you will be sure to notice On the other hand, there are related electrical components and the electric motors that are attached to the tranny that are much more likely to have failed. They are not "the tranny" but usually get replaced with it as a unit. Perhaps this is what the dealer had found out may have failed.

I'd get a second opinion. May be a coincidence, but failures after a seemingly unrelated failure are very high on my list of suspect work by the mechanic.

Get the DTC codes. The dealer should be able to give them to you or you can get many of them read for free at AutoZone (ask to lend you a scanner for free - they do this in our area (MD/VA). With this "free" scanner you can also clear your engine lights after you read the codes to see if they reappear again later.

I too had to replace the cat converter on my '02 at 120k miles. I used a junk-yard source and the cost for me was about $450 for the part and shipping. But I had clear indication that my cat converter had indeed failed (repeated DTC P0420 but good O2 sensor readings).

yeah... i was driving down a residential neighborhood when my master alarm, check engine, and brake lights all came on at once.... i pulled over, turned off the engine, waited a few seconds, then turned the engine back on.... all the alarms were still on.... i drove it straight to the dealer which was about 5-6 miles away.... my car was slow to go at first... but i was able to get it up to 65 MPH...

2nd opinon would be nice, but don't know if i want to drive my car someplace else...

if i can get the codes, i'll post them...

[clutch09]

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

The car is still at the dealers? Can you get a print out with the error codes and list them here? The reason we ask is sometimes the error codes have a list of repair actions that may include more repairs than is necessary. Think of the error codes as giving a list of possible failed parts and to be inclusive, the list may include extra parts that may not be involved.

Any change in the driving when the error codes were signaled? You drove to the dealers even after the error codes showed up? If so, about how far? There are several types of transmission failures and other symptoms are very helpful in confirming the diagnosis. So far, there have often been other failure symptoms associated with transmission failures and it would be useful to know if the car was still drivable but had some of these other symptoms.

If you decide to replace the transmission, I would be very interested in about a cup of the fluid from the failed transmission for oil testing. You may need to provide the dealer with a clean, dry, one cup plastic water bottle and ask them to fill it with the bad transmission fluid.

Have you had the car since it was new or was this bought used? What sort of mileage had you been getting? Mostly highway driving long distances or pretty much around town?

Thanks,
Bob Wilson

yeah... my car is still there... i'm still trying to work something out with them... since we bought the car used from a third party and didn't get it certified by toyota or have the car serviced at a toyota, all that toyota customer sevice would offer in the form of good will was $1500 towards the purchase of a new car or i pay the $8600 and they reimburse back $1500... seems very inadequate to me... i've contacted the BBB to see if i could get an arbitrators assistance with my problem...

i bought the car used.... it was a mixture of driving around town and long distances.... i drove out of town about once or twice a month for the weekend, but nothing more than 450 miles round trip....

if i get the error codes, i'll get them to you... and if i can get a sample, i'll try to get it to you as well...

[kocho]

I've been thinking about your cat converter replacement under warranty. Did the dealer give you the codes then? I'd be very interested to see them. Should be on your invoice - can you share them with us? I have a hypothesis that the first repair may have been unnecessary and that your first problem might be related to your current situation and the cat converter replacement may not have been [all] the car needed at the time.

I'm beginning to think they are trying to pull one on you with this $8,600 estimate, using the fact (or fiction) of the previous repair and hoping you'd buy a new car from them...

Things do happen but twice in a row at the same dealership on a relatively not too old car - makes me wonder...

If this was my car I would get it out of there and get the codes and ask the forum for advice. The car should be drivable if you were able to drive it there for 6 miles and to 65mph. I would not pay a dime before getting a reasonable assurance they know what they are doing and why.

I've had all the lights come on my '02 only once before. Then I did not have a scanner and knew very little about the hybrid system. But the lights did go out on their own after a few restarts I recall and have not seen them again in nearly 8K miles. I was the reason for these lights to show though - I tried to work the shift lever while stopping/starting the engine or something like that, forgot what exactly, and the car did not like that...