What’s up Gang! I have a 2016 Prius Three with about 215k miles on it. Best car I’ve ever owned, love it. One morning around 5am, I’m leaving for work and start the Prius. As soon as the engine kicked on, it was the roughest I’ve ever felt. Car was shaking. I turned it off. Turned it back on and it started just fine, no problem. Figured it was just a one time thing. Around 2pm, leaving work and I start it and the same thing happened. Real rough start, I turn it off and back on, and it’s fine. Noticed white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Just for about 8-10seonds before the white smoke stops. Stopped driving it for a week, then decided to try and recreate the noise. Started fine, drove around town, hit a car wash, as I’m leaving the wash going about 10mph the engine kicks on and it starts to do the rough start again. Seems like I’ve narrowed it down to after the engine has been on and warmed up for a while, when it’s off or electric mode for a little, when the engine kicks on it’ll do the rough start again I have a video of the noise, but I have no clue how to upload it.
maybe the head gasket, how's the coolant level? early gen 4's had some exhaust coolant heat exchanger leak problems.
You know what, yeah. After the day it first happened the coolant was below the “Low” line. I brought it back to “Full”, then after the car wash trip, it dropped a little.