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Prius Lifespan and warranty 86000 miles here

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by johnk1, Feb 7, 2006.

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  1. johnk1

    johnk1 New Member

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    My 2002 Prius only lasted 86,000 miles. At that point both the inverter and transmission died.
    In spite of having a warranty to 70,000 miles and having done all of the maintenance required the dealership is demanding $4930 to replace the transmission on the car.

    They will not cover any part of it even though the problem is said to be caused by a 'floating short' something an owner cannot control.

    If anybody has any contacts at Toyota please let me know.
    I am also open to any one to has any advise for legal action.

    The same car was in repairs for 51 days about 9 months into ownership due to the steering rack that was broken.

    I have had two other incidents where I have had to be towed to the dealership while driving but this fourth one is really difficult to stomach.

    The mechanice at the power toyota dealership indicatged sometimes the inverter and transmission will wear out this early even with maintenance.

    I used to love this car but the cost of ownership in my experience outweighs the love for the car these days.

    Although this might be an isolated issue please let this be a warning to Prius owners.
    Toyota does not have much loyalty to their customers in this case. I have owned four Toyota prior to this one. Unfortunately they do not take that into account.

    While I know 70,000 mile warranty and 86,000 mile (do the math) is their official notice. They certainly do not stand behind the car. In this case even though I must pay nearly 5 THOUSAND dollars to get it working again, there is no way to know what causes this 'floating short' and no way to know if this will happen again.

    Again if anybody knows somebody at Toyota other than their 800 number that cares please please let me know.
     
    #1 johnk1, Feb 7, 2006
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Interesting. There are plenty of cabs running around with at least 100,000kms on them and they're 04s and 05s!

    If I remember correctly, the inverter falls under the hybrid component which is 8 years/100,000 miles. If you're at 86,000 miles, you have another 14k to go. The transmission is under the powertrain so you're out of luck there but not the inverter.. something's fishy.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Feb 7, 2006
  3. McShemp

    McShemp New Member

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    So, are you saying that purchasing the 100,000 mile extended warranty would've saved you?
     
    #3 McShemp, Feb 7, 2006
  4. johnk1

    johnk1 New Member

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    Evidently if I had purchased the 100,000 mile warranty I would be covered. My original dealer did not even try to sell it at time of purchase. In retrospect I would have purchaed as much as I could knowing how many repairs have been needed. I wonder if this is typical of Prius or if I was the unlucky one with a lemon.

    Even though the floating short damaged the inverter which is covered, it will not cover the transmission even though it is a special hybrid transmission that according to my dealership cannot be repaired ever it must be replaced.

    The most substantial fear now is if I must invest another $5,000 to get the car moving again, how will I know the 'floating short' problem will not occur again at any point in the future? They have no answer for that other than to tell me I've gotten a great many of miles at 86,000 on the car. This is from the service manager herself.

    I would have to presume this is a design defect causing my transmission to short out, and I would have thought it is a hybrid part since its is not your typical Toyota transmission, either way I'm out the $5,000 plus expenses.
    It took Toyota since Thursday to end of day Tuesday to look into the possibility of coverering the defect. Only after Tuesday, given that my daily rent a car expenses are mounting I had to agree to get this car fixed.

    Knowing what I know now I would never buy a Toyota Prius again, given that Toyota has no loyalty to a customer that has financed four previous cars I regret
    ever believing in Toyota. Still I maintain that I am hopeful some kind person will look at my case and make an exception or give some advice of how to proceed after this.

    I find it hard to believe anybody would say a $5,000 non servicable transmission is acceptable in any circumstance.

    For those who cannot help just be educated in this case I will send anyone who asks specific details if they can benefit from them or if they know somebody at Toyota that is more compassionate than their company people on the 800 number.

    JK
     
    #4 johnk1, Feb 7, 2006
  5. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    well as the car is out of warranty I sure wouldn't pay 5 grand for a new drive unit. There are lots of Classics in auto wreckers and that is where I'd be looking. Tell your dealer that also and get a quote for installation. If they hassle you go to a tranny shop and find out how much to install it. It's not a lot more complicated than any other fwd car. There is a master disconnect on the HV side to cut power to the inverter and then disconnect the wiring into the drive unit and pull the unit out of the car.
     
    #5 Frank Hudon, Feb 7, 2006
  6. johnk1

    johnk1 New Member

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    #6 johnk1, Feb 7, 2006
  7. johnk1

    johnk1 New Member

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    Here is the thing on the $5,000.

    The dealer has had the car since Thursday when it was towed.
    They thought Toyota would pay for the part given that it was shorted by a grouding problem within the engine but they did not.

    They have gone so far so they say as to remove my old transmission and order another one. So I'm already into it a couple of thousand dollars before being told Toyota will not cover any part of the repair.
    So I had the option of saying to ahead and repair it and I'll have to figure how to get the money to pay it. So by the time they backed away from supporting the repair it was looking like they would cover it.
    At the 11th hour the Toyota corporation rep told my dealership they will not cover it, no explanation offered, upon phoning Toyota I was simply told the decision is made and that is the end of the issue they will not put me in touch with anybody to even explain the decision.

    That is why I am hoping somebody knows somebody or knows of a direct number to call or person to visit in person that could intervene.
     
    #7 johnk1, Feb 7, 2006
  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    first of all, the inverter is under the hybrid warranty. That said, force that on them.

    As for the PSD, yeah you have to replace the whole thing at a time. Someone else here did I believe. $8k job so your $5k ain't bad. Take Frank's advice and look for a used one in good condition in the scrap yard. No point getting a new one.
     
    #8 Tideland Prius, Feb 8, 2006
  9. TimBikes

    TimBikes New Member

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    That sucks. I swore I would never buy another Toyota after a disasterous transmission failure at 40k miles back in '90 (still within time but 6k outside of mileage warranty). They would not budge, I went to arbitration and got squat. Legally I had no leg to stand on, but you would think a company like Toyota would stand behind their products a bit more. But then, I guess if they make one exception they have to make them all the time. Maybe try going to the local TV consumer reporter if you think your case is good - but w/ as many miles as you have - there may not be much of a case.
     
    #9 TimBikes, Feb 8, 2006
  10. EricGo

    EricGo New Member

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    What went first I wonder -- the inverter or the PSD ? If the inverter failure was primary, I would not give up the fight so easily.

    Regarding PSD repair -- how much is labor, and how much is the part ?
     
    #10 EricGo, Feb 8, 2006
  11. benighted

    benighted New Member

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    #11 benighted, Feb 8, 2006
  12. brandon

    brandon Member

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    I'm a bit confused. If the car is no longer under warranty (2002 model with 86k miles on it), why would you expect Toyota to pay for the repairs? Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but I get the impression that you expect more than has been promised, here...
     
    #12 brandon, Feb 8, 2006
  13. EricGo

    EricGo New Member

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    Hi Brandon.

    The inverter is certainly still under warranty. As for the PSD, Toyota does a lot of repairs on good faith, more so on a car without a track record bought by someone willing to trust Toyota that an $8K repair was not in the offing after 80K miles.
     
    #13 EricGo, Feb 8, 2006
  14. naterprius

    naterprius Senior Member

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    Yes, get the used one. Prii seem to be crashing out faster than the transmissions are going out; meaning, more are available at junk yards than are needed. This is only the second or third transmission we've heard about on this board; they have all been 03 or older.

    Get the used one, for sure. Tell the dealer to send the other one back.

    Nate
     
    #14 naterprius, Feb 8, 2006
  15. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    toyota has been rather lenient with prius owners and what's covered under an existing warranty, historically, but this car is clearly out of warranty.

    make an exception for one, and next thing you know everyone is going to want a lifetime warranty for free or something.

    it's unfortunate, but you can help yourself out and get a better deal with that used tranny.
     
    #15 galaxee, Feb 8, 2006
  16. cdavid

    cdavid Member

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    Now I'm nervous after reading this. I just sold my Accord and am waiting for the Prius. I hope mine doesn't go out.
     
    #16 cdavid, Feb 8, 2006
  17. HeyKB

    HeyKB Not so new member

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    Are you buying a Gen1 Prius? I think the odds are good that the 2004-6 Prii will do better. The guts are completely different.

    Of course, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the extended warranty as well. ;)
     
    #17 HeyKB, Feb 8, 2006
  18. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    Don't be. PSD failures are rare, very rare. Beyond rare. Consider that the PSD is a moving device but fully engaged all the time. Unlike a manual or automatic in which there are many more moving parts that are engaging and disengaging and sliding around and many more opportunities for failure. Automatic transmission shops exist becasue automatics fail quite frequently. Manual transmissions can also fail over time. I've seen it happen on a number of well driven vehicles.

    There are lots of things that the OP hasn't included in this post which would help me ascertain the competency of the dealer service department they are dealing with. Since the PSD turns and nothing else, no sliding in and out, no clutch packs to wear, no hydraulic actuators or governors to wear, I think it would be in the best interest of the OP to get a detailed description of why the PSD is no longer functional.

    This dealer is just crapshooting this car right now. Too many service departments do that. I do not believe they have done enough due dilligance to diagnose this car and I think another dealer opinion is necessary at this point.
     
    #18 jeromep, Feb 8, 2006
  19. KTPhil

    KTPhil Active Member

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    I'm confused by the wording chosen to describe the problem. Apparently, there was a short in the inverter,blowing out the inverter. This should be covered by the hybrid system warrantee.

    The second problem is a blown PSD. It is not known what the damage, or the cause of the damage is. If the failed inverter caused the PSd failure, then that, too, should be covered by the warrantee.

    On the other hand, if the PSD failed at the same time but from a totally different cause, then it's out of warrantee.

    Can you clarify what exactly is wrong with the PSD? The term "shorted PSD" is not clear. is it a MG inside the tranny? I'd really wonder about the inverter failure causing it, then.
     
    #19 KTPhil, Feb 8, 2006
  20. clintd555

    clintd555 New Member

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    I have to admit I'm a bit taken back after reading that. I don't have a Prius on order... I'm still researching. Wasn't his car under warranty during the time? Why didn't Toyota pay for it??? :angry:

    I always hoped that my next new car wouldn't need an additional 7yr/100k warranty - which is why I looked towards the Toyota and Honda brands... guess I was wrong. :(

    But this could be a reminder that hybrid technology is still very new. Not a good selling point in my book. <_<
     
    #20 clintd555, Feb 8, 2006
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