Grinding Noise from Dash

It's not so much that they are reluctant to swap it out as they don't want to take any action until they hear it for themselves. Also, I recall reading something here that the touchscreen could be replaced for around $200. Is it possible that only that has to be replaced? Or just the fan?

A thought: you mentioned how you'd be willing to make an inquiry of your service department. If that's not too much trouble, would it be possible for you to get me the name of someone in your service dept who's familiar with the problem whom I could refer them to, or to whom I might be able to speak myself? I get the feeling that this is going to drag on for days and days if I don't take preemptive action. And there's a chance someone in your service dept might know if it's possible to replace just the defective part and not the entire display. That might be a great motivator for my dealer.

 

Thanks very much for this information. I actually read it over the phone to my service dealer today. And good news, at least to some degree. They DID hear the noise for themselves, and unlike your experience they suspected the dash. They say they have disassembled it without disconnecting any electrical connections. Their plan is to wait for the sound again, then disconnect the screen assembly, and see if the sound stops.

 

First off, BlazingStar, I don't know what your real name is, but my heartfelt thanks go out to you for all your advice and help. My service rep called today to say that they confirmed the source of the noise was indeed a defective touch screen assembly. Just as in your case, when they disconnected the unit, the noise stopped. So they're going to replace it for free under my extended warranty, and also allow me to keep the loaner car until they repair it.
The rep seemed genuinely surprised that Toyota 'HQ' didn't give his dealership a hard time in reimbursing them for the replacement and loaner/rental car costs. Interestingly, when I asked why they didn't have access to any troubleshooting tools (database) on this, he stated that in all the years they've sold the Prius, this is the first time they've encountered this problem. I suspect, however, that the speed with which his HQ rep approved reimbursement for this suggests this that Toyota was well aware of this issue. But I'm certainly not complaining. And based on this and other service experiences, I can certainly recommend East Coast Toyota to anyone who might be looking to purchase a Toyota in northern Jersey.

Last, just wanted to say that it's the support of members like BlazingStar that illustrate just how powerful Web communities in general - and PriusChat in particular - can be.

Steve in Jersey

 

Quick anecdote: stopped by service shop today to take a few things out of my still-in-the-shop Prius, and spoke with
head service manager who thanked me for essentially diagnosing the problem for them. Told him not to thank me, rather thank a member of PriusChat. He remarked that it was interesting a chat forum had more helpful resources than their own Toyota troubleshooting database.'

 

Just wanted you to know that I picked up my Prius today. The cost of the repair - if this had not been under extended warranty - would have been slightly under $1500! The part was $1312, so in comparison the labor component was cheap. The service manager said they replaced 'the entire touch screen and computer assembly' (for those who might be interested, the part number was labelled as NPN/1-50257 on the invoice, and the description was 'Control'). The manager seemed particularly pleased that Toyota gave them no real flack in authorizing the replacement. Again makes me wonder if Toyota HQ was aware of this problem despite the fact - as the manager stated - that their troubleshooting guides had no information on this problem.

So while it was a relief to know I didn't have to pay for the repair, it was sobering to learn just how expensive it is to repair cars today with sophisticated computer-based components.