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Transaxle Fail and Replace

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Asmodeus2112, Jul 21, 2010.

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  1. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    Hi ya'll. I'm here to vent, and hopefully someone has some relevant info.

    Our 2006 had the traction battery replaced at 36k. All the lights on the dash came on and it told us to drive directly to a service center.

    Now, with 40k, all the lights came on again and left my wife stranded at a parking lot because it would not allow itself to be put into D or R. Towed it to toyota dealership and they say the transaxle failed and needs to be replaced.

    We realy love the Prius, and I have owned alot of toyotas without any problems. So, I'm bummed, not sure if this car is going to be ok for the long haul, or if I can sell it without taking a huge hit... What would you do?:confused:
     
    #1 Asmodeus2112, Jul 21, 2010
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Well, both of these problems are covered under warranty, so you are not bearing any financial cost for these repairs.

    If you don't have confidence in the car, then sell it after the transaxle has been replaced. I don't know why you think you would take a "huge hit" vs. if you sold the car at this time without those repair jobs having been performed.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Jul 21, 2010
  3. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    carfax
     
    #3 Asmodeus2112, Jul 21, 2010
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I don't know - if I had the chance to buy a 4-year old Prius with a new traction battery and transaxle, I would think that was a better choice than a car where those parts had logged 40K miles of usage. But that's just me.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Jul 21, 2010
  5. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    The car is about to fall off waranty. Maybe I could buy an extended one.

    Perhaps someone else has had problems like this? How have their cars been afterwards? I know there's lot's of variables, but what else can one do to find some relevant information?
     
    #5 Asmodeus2112, Jul 21, 2010
  6. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    Wanna buy a beige 2006 with leather?
     
    #6 Asmodeus2112, Jul 21, 2010
  7. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    You're a believer though. Most are skeptics. But, when selling a car, it only takes one.
     
    #7 Asmodeus2112, Jul 21, 2010
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I already own three Toyota hybrids and need another like I "need an extra hole in my head."

    However, I am sure that if you are determined to sell or trade, you will be successful in getting a reasonable price if the car is in excellent cosmetic condition and does not have an accident history. (Keep in mind that 2G Prius market values have declined substantially due to the 2010 introduction and the general tarnishing of the Toyota brand with recent adverse publicity.)

    Or, you may decide that getting $9K worth of repairs at no charge isn't so bad after all and that the car will perform for you.

    In any event, good luck with your decision.
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, Jul 21, 2010
  9. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

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    does Carfax track repairs? Not to my knowledge.
     
    #9 xpcman, Jul 21, 2010
  10. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    You had 3 years/36000 miles to buy the extended warranty. The entire auto industry has tanked--including used cars. Now is not the time to sell but it is still a good time to buy.

    I had 2 warranty problems on my Gen2 & I was not amused. I also had only 2 warranty trips. Toyota is taking care of you so IMO, relax.
     
    #10 JimN, Jul 21, 2010
  11. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    Yes, it does. At least from larger service organizations. Obviously it would have no way to track home repairs, but warranty service at a dealership will show up. I usually sell my cars myself, and wouldn't lie to someone anyway. Maybe this time I'll bite the bullet and trade it in...
     
    #11 Asmodeus2112, Jul 21, 2010
  12. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    Well,Toyota is taking car of us,ok. But traction batteries at 36k? Transaxle at 40k? I'm having a hard time trusting this car now. Wondering if anyone else has had transaxles fail and replaced. Did that solve the issues and did they have any more issues?
     
    #12 Asmodeus2112, Jul 21, 2010
  13. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Hey, thats what warranties are for: to protect against you winning the "bad part lottery".

    Considering the average lifespan of both those are probably over 150k miles (not including crashed/damaged car)... that's just extra peace of mind right there. I mean... what are the chances of you winning the bad part lottery on the same parts twice?
     
    #13 Bob64, Jul 22, 2010
  14. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    It's not infected or cursed. You'll have a car in which the two most-expensive assemblies are brand new! Count your blessings.
     
    #14 richard schumacher, Jul 23, 2010
  15. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    Counting my blessings. :mad:

    Toyota dealership took over two weeks to do the repair, and as a bonus an extra two days getting the car back to us because they "Couldn’t get the computer started". Now the car is doing what it did prior to the failing the first time and needing new traction batteries. The batteries never reach full charge like they did, and when you park it with nearly full batteries they are nearly empty the next AM and the first 10 minutes of driving the car is using the motor to charge the batteries. Our gas mileage is starting to go down and it's annoyingly sluggish during that period.

    It's time to take it to another dealership. Anyone in Austin TX know of a dealership that actually has a "Prius Expert"?
     
    #15 Asmodeus2112, Aug 24, 2010
  16. kohnen

    kohnen Grumpy, Cranky Senior Member

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    Does Texas have a lemon-law? If so, I think it's time to investigate it.
     
    #16 kohnen, Aug 25, 2010
  17. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    Sure, it's a buyer's market and used car prices are down, but Toyota's values are down a lot, more than Honda's I've compared with. Toyota sure wasn't discounting Pri 2 years ago.

    The new Prius, recalls, economy have whacked Gen2 resale. Mine with 12,600 miles, trade-in would be $10,750 less than the sticker, or $13,500 less than I paid OTD. Better to keep and drive.

    Not being a hater, just saying the Prius appears a loss leader these days against ICE only similar cars. They have value, but have lost a lot.
     
    #17 cycledrum, Aug 27, 2010
  18. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Sounds like the traction batteries are starting to fail...

    perhaps a call to Toyota's Customer Experience Center can get toyota to help you out?
     
    #18 Bob64, Aug 29, 2010
  19. Asmodeus2112

    Asmodeus2112 Junior Member

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    Well, through the winter the car ran ok. Now that it's getting hot again the batteries are really losing it. Just like the first time the traction batteries failed, when we get in the car the next day after letting it sit in the garage overnight the batteries are at one or two bars. The drive up the street from our house is miserable because the engine if straining to pull the car up a slight grade and charge the batteries simultaneously.... I'm going to call Toyota Customer Service. Car has 47k. :(
     
    #19 Asmodeus2112, Jun 20, 2011
  20. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    How many bars did it show when you parked it the night before?

    I checked the weather forecast for Austin and it showed a high 100 F and 78 F for a low for today. If you're using the AC, the traction battery is going to be drained rapidly when in stop and go or just stopped. That's normal.
     
    #20 cwerdna, Jun 20, 2011
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