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Have you done this repair?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by priusowner2005, Dec 13, 2011.

  1. priusowner2005

    priusowner2005 New Member

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    Hello, I have a 2005 prius, A month ago I parked the car to do an errand, came out and got the following:
    "your car is abnormally parked. park your car on a flat surface and fully engage the parking brake."
    The car would not do anything at all.
    I had my vehicle towed to our dealership. I was told that the sensor on my shifter went bad, toyota had upgraded the part so I had to replace it with a new one and a new transmission computer. This was not an inexpensive repair.

    has anyone else had this done?
     
    #1 priusowner2005, Dec 13, 2011
  2. cnschult

    cnschult Active Member

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    not everything needs to be updated to the digital age, some things on a car should just be left mechanical, this is just yet another example of us becoming slaves to technology.

    a stupid sensor like this should tell you to get your car looked at as soon as possible, not make it totally inoperable, this is unacceptable, shame on Toyota on this one
     
    #2 cnschult, Dec 13, 2011
  3. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Sorry, you got screwed. That message is a hallmark of a failed 12V battery.
     
    #3 seilerts, Dec 13, 2011
  4. priusowner2005

    priusowner2005 New Member

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    I had my normal battery replaced this summer.

    I was shocked. My car completely shut down.
    The RELAY 59.05
    The ACTUATOR ASSY SHIF 465.23
    COMPUTER TRANSMISS 471.62
    PLUS LABOR..

    I feel if toyota upgraded a sensor making another piece of equipment inoperable I shouldnt have to pay for it. Why do that? I feel as if I got screwed , too. Also, agree leave well enough alone and do not upgrade something.

    My husband and I will be writing a letter.
     
    #4 priusowner2005, Dec 13, 2011
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    This is the first I've heard about a new transmission control ECU being required just because the shift actuator had failed.

    If you had consulted with us prior to authorizing the repair I would have suggested that you buy a used shift actuator part from a salvage yard, which likely would have cost you <$200. I've also posted on how to replace that part (since I did that on my 2004 a few years ago, using a new part.)

    Pls let us know the outcome of your contacting the Toyota Customer Experience Center.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Dec 13, 2011
  6. priusowner2005

    priusowner2005 New Member

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    That is what my husband wanted to do and was told that Toyota upgraded the part and a used one or from a salvage yard etc wouldn't work because of the upgrade. This just does not seem right.

    We let the car sit there for a month before it was repaired ..

    Will let yall know the outcome.
     
    #6 priusowner2005, Dec 13, 2011
  7. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Like they said, most likely a weak 12V battery. It's quire easy to drain a Prius battery no matter how new it is. It has been reported many times that dealer battery testers frequently report a bad Prius 12V battery as good, and then the dealer starts looking elsewhere for much more expensive incorrect causes.

    Whenever anything weird happens the first easy thing to check is the battery. You can do this yourself with no tools in five minutes and save a $95 dealer diagnostic charge:
    http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/73400-weird-stuff-happening-mpgs-dropping-test-battery.html
    If the 12V battery is indeed bad a dealer should charge no more than about US$200 to replace it.
     
    #7 richard schumacher, Dec 15, 2011
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