TSB 0306-08 vs. TSB EG045-06 60K vs. 150K warranty?

My Prius abruptly stopped running on Monday (MIL light and several others), which was a very hot and steamy 95 degree day. I had it towed to the dealer, and the diagnosis codes exactly matched Toyota tech service bulletin TSB 0306-08, which appears to be a electrical problem (ground fault or similar) in the transaxle.

TSB 0306-08 was issued on Oct. 3, 2008 and updated on Apr. 22, 2010. It states that this problem is covered by the 60,000 mile/60 month powertrain warranty. Unfortunately, my car has about 68,000 miles on it. Since it is just outside of the warranty, the dealer offered to charge me only half of the full repair cost, but that's still about $2,200! Ouch!

Now, interestingly, TSB 0306-08 says it supersedes TSB EG045-06, which states that for cars bought and operated in CA and other CA emissions states, which includes the Northeast states (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, RI, VT), this problem is covered under a 150,000 mile/180 month warranty. That TSB was issued on July 7, 2006 and updated July 24, 2007. My car came from MA and is registered in CT, so the repair would be fully covered under these warranty terms.

I haven't talked to the dealer yet (will update after I do) but was wondering if anyone was aware of the CA emissions powertrain warranty--- and why the latest TSB does not mention it! Any tips??

Thanks!
Martin

 

Hi Patrick,

Thanks very much for that info! It's curious that PA is also included in the version you have. Is there any way you could upload a copy?

The earlier TSB (EG045-06) is available online at: ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/skyvisions/2008-05-31_080956_07_prius.pdf.

I don't know why only the CA Emissions Warranty would cover this problem up to 150K miles. Personally, I think everyone should get at least a 100K mile warranty on this. A transmission should never need replacement after only 68K miles.

Thanks,
Martin

 

Patrick, thanks again for uploading the original TSB 0306-08 bulletin. Very helpful.

Meanwhile, no new conclusions on what this repair will cost me. The service manager at the dealership said the 50% discount is what his Toyota service representative offered and that he can't do better than that, but he encouraged me to call the Toyota Customer Experience 800# and open up a case, which I did. I'm expecting a call back from them by end of day tomorrow.

 

The Toyota Customer Experience representative did not offer any help beyond the 50% discount from the standard repair price. He also did not offer any explanation as to why, after almost four years of covering this under the 150,000 mile California Emission Warranty (since July 2006), Toyota has abruptly, as of April 22, 2010, decided that this was only covered under the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. I am very interested in others' experiences with the warranty dispute resolution process. Has anyone used the "National Center for Dispute Settlement" (NCDS), or can you recommend a course of action?

The dealer hasn't finished the repair yet... Apparently this is the first time they are replacing a Prius transaxle. Since I then need to drive the car back home (500 miles from Pittsburgh, PA to Hartford, CT), I'm concerned that if something subsequently goes wrong, I may be stuck at a different dealer for repair. Will Toyota pick up the cost of that repair? I haven't raised that question with the dealer yet... will talk with them again tomorrow.

 

Hi all,

Well, sorry for the delay in follow-up. I'm uploading the latest TSB 0306-08 Rev 1 (dated 4-22-2010). I only have a paper copy, so I just scanned it to a PDF.

The repair itself seems to be good, and I appreciate the extra effort the mechanic put in to get the job done and done right. I've driven close to a thousand miles since with no problems.

Donee, the transmission fluid had never been replaced. The mechanic said it's not recommended, but then added he would probably do it at 100K miles.

I took some photos of the exterior of the transaxle which I'm sure won't provide any insight whatsoever but might be of interest to those curious. When I picked the car up Saturday morning the mechanic was busy with more cars and I needed to head toward home so regrettably we did not get a look inside the transaxle to see if there were any clues to what failed. (Earlier, the mechanic had remarked that he can't get an answer from Toyota on any details of what goes wrong inside. I'm sure he would be curious to investigate if he had the time.)

Patrick, the listed cost of the transaxle was $3,465.71; list cost for labor was $512.40. Coolant and automatic transmission fluid cost $67.02. Toyota gave a 50% "goodwill discount" on both before tax.

I've written Toyota to request that the entire repair be covered under the California Emissions Warranty, but haven't heard anything yet. I'd appreciate any suggestions for how best to pursue this claim.

 

I'm uploading some photos of the transaxle... exterior only, unfortunately, which gives no clue as to what's going on inside, but might be of interest to anyone who wants to see what the CVT looks like.

 

An update: after escalating this issue within the Toyota Customer Experience Center and many, many phone calls, Toyota finally agreed last September to fully reimburse me for the repair. They also stated that they would revise TSB 0306-08 to state that this problem WOULD be covered by the 150K/15 yr CA Emission Defect Warranty for CA and CA emissions standard states. In December I finally got the check from Toyota, but at the same time they told me that, sorry, they WOULD NOT revise the TSB.

So if any of you encounter this problem, make lots of noise about it. Be sure to register your complaint with the California Air Resource Board (CARB), the "In-Use Compliance Section", if your car is from a CA emissions standard state. They need to know how often this is occurring.