Toyota Announces Voluntary Special Service

Can you elaborate on your brake problem? I've noticed a noise when I brake. Sounds like a bottle or can rolling around in the trunk. And yes I'm sure its not an empty....

 

have you checked the luggage compartment thing? sometimes little things left in there will roll around when stopping. and have you checked to make sure your back seats are latched upright?

 

I just checked my vehicle VIN to see if I was included in the recall -- fully expecting to see it listed because I had the exact problem occur, I filed a report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin and was contacted by Toyota to discuss the problem! However, to my surprise, my Prius is not included! I don't know how to explain this one!

 

I expect the big recall is to get the gov't and media off their back, and has nothing to do with most of the engine failures.

There are lots of things that can cause an engine failure not just 3 things. And like Hobbit has said, it is pretty suspicious that one connector needs grease and the rest that are equally exposed don't.

Till the repair shops are all expert enough to just go and fix a problem instead of randomly replacing things till it works, (Often the only way to fix new things, not a criticism.) I don't see how Toyota could have a clue which problem needs fixing. This recall seems to be for a miniscule number of failed cars. If there was a specific error code for the trouble, it would probably have been fixed long ago.

I assume as they prove other causes there will be more fixes. Here there's just one or two possible ones getting fixed. It isn't even clear if the code change relates to the connector or is a different issue.

 

Well, reading the PDF, I found that the HV ECU, ECM are updated, as well as M5 getting dialectric grease on the INSIDE of the transaxle. There is a TSB where the HV misreports a problem with the MGs or the inverter. The original solution was to replace the inverter. Then it was replaced with a solution to replace the HV ECU. Now it seems the HV programming needs an update, as well as dialectric grease to prevent garbled readings. I would think though that ATF would be a good insulator and corrosion inhibitor.
The LSC allows for the ECM to be reprogrammed to latest code, even if you don't really need it, since the car is already in for service. Unless of course you already have the latest from a TSB related problem.

 

What problem was that? What codes did the dealer come up with (you DID take it to the dealer, didn't you)?
The latest ECM update came out sometime in February 2005, so cars produced after that should have the latest code. Not sure though if some HV ECU issues were fixed with new code by that date.

 

Maybe he had a problem with the improperly sealed connector? Somehow, I don't think a new glob of dielectric grease is going to be a permanent cure for this.

 

Anyone know if you can work out the date of manufacture from the VIN ?

 

you can find the month of production inside the driver's door...

 

Thanks galaxee - thing is.... I have the VIN, but not the car - 2 weeks to go .....they say ....
Cheers
Pinball

 

ahh, so you're still waiting then, eh pinball?

well, i think it's safe to assume it's a recent manufacture

hope it comes soon!

 

Ok, I had my 'voluntary recall' reporgramming and greasing done, and I'd like to post a report. My mileage is much closer to original than before and the engine is now shutting off more, like it did before.

With the first reprogram, last year, due to the 'check hybrid' light stuff, I found that it didn't stop the engine as often and I lost 2-4mpg.

They did the two reprogrammings this time, took 2 hours to do it all, and the car is much closer to the original. It seems they optimized the algorithm this time, and didn't just do a quick fix for the bad readings of before.

I am finding I can travel much farther on 'electric' only before it decides it needs the gas, and I can accelerate more before it decides it needs it too. And thus my mileage is back to within 1 mpg of the original before the first reprogram, which is close enough to be considered driver variance.

And the change was immediate, ie I felt it driving away.

However, my 'replacement' of the DVD got me 4.2, which at least in my area, looks just like my older 3.x version, I haven't noticed things different. (I haven't yet driven in an area of recent road construction changes) (the old one didn't have the 2003-4 re-alignment of US 202 and I-76 interchanges.

I too was hoping for 5.1, but I held out as long as I was willing before ordering it (I ordered it in November).

 

You're lucky. I got 4.2 as well, but now, a whole CHUNK of an area out here is completely blank. When I had 3.x, the Nav DVD had about 80% of Madison, AL mapped with streets and all. Just noticed tonight that with my 4.2, all of Madison is 'gone'. There's only 1 road that shows up. I zoomed in all the way, to no avail. In fact, a couple of other 'small' roads that start in Huntsville and go through Madison mysteriously 'dissapear' when it hits the border of Madison City.

I'm considering going soon to the dealer and asking to either give back my 3.x, or to give me 5.1. I got 4.2 via the Toyota DVD Navigation Campaign.