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anyone with rear shock problems on 2016 ?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by xpcman, Aug 10, 2016.

  1. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

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    My wife drove her new (2000 miles) Prius 4 home (300 miles) with a rattle from the left rear. Dealers were totally unresponsive - either put me on voice mail or said I had to wait a week for an appointment. The third dealer I called said I could bring it in and they might take a look at it. Five days later I have a new shock and a bill for the rental car. Not what I expected from Toyota!

    I noted that one other person on Priuschat had a problem with a loose rear shock. Any others?
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i wouldn't pay the bill. was this the dealer where you bought the car?
     
  3. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

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    No the selling dealer was 30 miles away. My two calls to that service department were both sent to voice mail. Got a return call 3 hours later and by that time I had taken it to the only dealer who would see me the same day. That dealer probably ripped-off Toyota by replacing a shock that might have been OK. I was told it was not a safety issue so they would not cover the last two days of the rental.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sounds odd, i would report it to toyota.
     
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  5. Anastaceyrose

    Anastaceyrose Member

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    The loose rear shock was mine, actually it was a loose nut on the rear passenger shock. I thought it might have been due to my dirt/gravel driveway with terrible potholes.
     
  6. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    A failed shock is a safety issue. Ask the dealer if he would put an inspection sticker on a car with bad shocks? I'll bet his answer is no. If he says yes; report him to the state motor vehicles department. The issue should have been corrected under warranty and shouldn't have more than a day to fix.

    I'd also let Toyota know what happened.
     
  7. rcsting

    rcsting Toyota Fanatic

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    My right rear shock has also developed a rattle. I'm assuming it's a warranty issue so I'll contact my local dealer.
     
  8. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    I wouldn't have paid a dime, not with only 2,000 miles on the car. Sounds like there are some real shady dealers out there, there's absolutely no way that wasn't a warranty item.
     
  9. rcsting

    rcsting Toyota Fanatic

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    Mine was repaired under warranty. The right rear shock was very loose at the top so the Toyota tech checked the left rear and it was also loose. The rear shock shaft nuts were loose which was the cause of the noise. Everything is now tight and back to a quiet car. 7K miles on it when the noise started.
     
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  10. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    Hmm, hopefully not a common problem. I haven't heard a peep from my car, some interior rattles but nothing in my book to complain about. Since the car is very quiet any add noises should be fairly easy to pick up... So I'll keep my ears open.
     
  11. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    I agree with DonDNH, your story just doesn't add up. I don't like how you were treated. Its a new car for crying out loud!! Where you purchased your car from should be the place to take your car. Then, they should have at least arranged for a loaner car. The only out of pocket expense you should have had was gas for the rental car. For myself, I went over board with warranty coverage on my car. And if they don't deliver on what my warranty says is covered, I will not be happy. A bad shock is a safety issue and they should address this immediately. If you have documentation of all of this, I would take it to Toyota Corporate.
     
  12. rcsting

    rcsting Toyota Fanatic

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    This is my third Prius and first issue that I've had with any of them. I agree that hopefully it doesn't become a common problem.
     
  13. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    I had a 2013 Prius C, had to have much of the top of the engine replaced due to a coolant leak. Then I traded that in for a Dodge Challenger last July and the transmission blew up the day I bought it, ended up driving around a smelly loaner for two weeks... Things happen it is how the dealer handles the problem. The Toyota dealer seems to handle problems better than the Dodge dealer, at least for me anyway. I live in a rural area and the nearest Toyota dealer is close to 100 miles, the local Dodge dealer was right in town. I thought buying local was a good idea and turns out it isn't, worst experience with a car since the first car I had died on the side of the road over a decade ago.
     
  14. jasmine1979

    jasmine1979 New Member

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    We have already had both struts replaced before we hit 23000 miles.. It was covered under factory warranty for us.
     
  15. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    Both my front shocks make lots of noise, nothing from the rear, but, the point is, the oem struts are inferior.
     
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  16. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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  17. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Personally, if I have a problem with my Prius, I am not going to drive 150 miles to the selling dealer when there is a Toyota dealer within 20 miles. I drove to save $2000 but service is another matter.
     
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  18. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Toyota build quality sure does seem to have gotten worse, and the quality of materials and parts has been going downhill for awhile now... I think it started around 2009.
     
  19. krousdb

    krousdb NX-74205

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    I have had my Two Eco since January 2016. Just recently, as I turned 20k miles, I started noticing this problem. Passenger side rear shock rattling. Nothing looks loose on the shock and nothing rattling inside as far as I can tell. If anyone has more info on what is causing the problem and what the fix is, I would really like to know. Eventually I will take it to the dealer but I would like to know more about the problem before doing so. Right now it is just an annoyance at low speeds. At higher speeds it isn't an issue.
     
  20. liquidtenmillion

    liquidtenmillion Active Member

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    It is likely the upper bolt on the shock being loose, this is a known semi-common problem on early manufactured 2016s. There is a TSB released for it, be firm with the dealer that he look up and perform the TSB, it will be covered under warranty, be firm if they try to charge you for it.
     
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