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DRCC Malfunction?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Thai, May 30, 2011.

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  1. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    #1 Thai, May 30, 2011
  2. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    Mine did that once before as well. I would reset a speed and it would start braking for no apparent reason. I shut it off for a while (maybe 15 minutes) and then tried it again (all while never shutting the car off or even slowing down) and it worked. It only did it that one time and when it did I couldn't come up with an answer as to why it did it as well.
     
    #2 Paradox, May 30, 2011
  3. indyV

    indyV Junior Member

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    I've never had that happen to me. Only thing I could think of is perhaps your radar is dirty. The radar sensor is behind the front emblem. Maybe cleaning the emblem might help.
    Did you try following other cars with the same symptom? Maybe the vehicle you were following played a role.
     
    #3 indyV, May 31, 2011
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  4. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    The radar area is OK. If it was dirty, then it would not have worked 5 min. later. Hmm, you know, now that i think about it, there was one other time that DRCC braked me for no reason. At that time, it only happened once...so, i chalked it up to it being a fluke. I was also following an 18-wheeler. This time, forgot to pay too much attention, but i think that i was following an 18-wheeler too.

    Since i drive to work on the highway, i encounter a lot of 18-wheelers...never had an issue except for the two instances. I wonder if these few 18-wheelers that activated my DRCC had something special in the back?? Like special reflectors, antennas, or something to cause DRCC to act crazy.
     
    #4 Thai, May 31, 2011
  5. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    There are a lot more vehicles out there using DRCC.
    Your problem may be cross talk from another emitter---not necessarily another DRCC, rather than passive interference (from the truck, or fog, or squished bugs, etc...)
     
    #5 ETC(SS), May 31, 2011
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  6. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    In both instances, DRCC did not slam on the brakes...no PCS activation. It was more of an annoyance. I guess that I cannot sleep while driving anymore! :(
     
    #6 Thai, May 31, 2011
  7. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    Could very be. I will take it in to Toyota next week and see what they say.
     
    #7 Thai, May 31, 2011
  8. phoenixgreg

    phoenixgreg Senior member

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    You should take your video in with you as proof of the malfunction.
     
    #8 phoenixgreg, May 31, 2011
  9. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    I plan to.
     
    #9 Thai, May 31, 2011
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Interesting. Yeah, esp. the beep and the inverting of the colours are typically signs that you're approaching a vehicle rapidly. Also, it's weird that it's doing 55mph with the DRCC set at 72mph. Hopefully it won't be a widespread occurrence.

    It clearly is detecting something large and metallic because it's "seeing" a car from time to time at the "SHORT" set distance. Have you checked under the hood to see if there's anything metallic caught behind the bumper near the emblem height? Maybe some shiny bug juice? lol
     
    #10 Tideland Prius, May 31, 2011
  11. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    Yeah, very weird. The thing is that i believe that DRCC would have braked me down to the minimum speed (29mph??) if i had let it. When i braked me down to 55 mph, i overrode it because it was a fairly busy Memorial Day highway.
     
    #11 Thai, Jun 1, 2011
  12. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    Mine has behaved very well but it did slow me down once when I was passing an 18 wheeler in the other lane with a very large flat sided aluminum trailer. I just used the throttle and went on by, now I wish I had slowed and tried it again to see if it would repeat.

    Could also have been interference as mentioned by ET.

    I'm anxious to find out what Toyota says about it, glad you have a video.
     
    #12 tumbleweed, Jun 1, 2011
  13. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    #13 Thai, Jun 1, 2011
  14. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    In the first video when it happened, a red car on your left passed by. Sounds like the radar path is misaligned to the left and a bright object (red against white) triggered it. Have your dealer check the radar alignment.
     
    #14 32kcolors, Jun 2, 2011
  15. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    #15 Thai, Jun 2, 2011
  16. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Defective parts usually fail within the first year and it does sound like your DRCC is defective. But it doesn't mean it's likely to happen again. More likely than not, either it fails early or it stays reliable for the life of the car.

    I just had my passenger side LED headlight assembly replaced under warranty for split seal (leading to water/condensation inside) for $800 a pop. Not even concerned about extended warranty.
     
    #16 32kcolors, Jun 2, 2011
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  17. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    I had exactly those thoughts before my 3 yr/36K warranty expired. After a few years cost of repair to the DRCC or PCS might well be more than the car is worth. Of course you could still drive the car but it would definitely have an adverse effect on resale value.

    I decided, for the first time in my life, to buy an extended warranty. I purchased the 5 yr/100K from Troy. Hope I don't need it.

    I did ask Troy it those systems were covered, he told me that everything covered by the original 3 yr/36K warranty was included.
     
    #17 tumbleweed, Jun 2, 2011
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  18. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    I have an appt with Toyota dealer next week. The problem i fear is that none of the service folks will know what i am talking about because DRCC/PCS is so rare among Toyota vehicles. Maybe they will send it over to Lexus to get it fixed! :D
     
    #18 Thai, Jun 2, 2011
  19. liskipper

    liskipper Member

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    Have you checked the inside of the front logo for dirt or an obstruction? I wonder if the radar is getting a spurious signal or reflection.
     
    #19 liskipper, Jun 2, 2011
  20. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    No, i have not. I will let Toyota dealer do that for me. I don't want to mess around under there...and give Toyota a reason to deny repairing it.
     
    #20 Thai, Jun 2, 2011
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