Weird grinding noise when braking

The inverter coolant pump was the one making all the noise they had to replace twice I think. That was what the recall was for that caused all this heartache.

 

So...any relation you think? Also, should I take it back in there? The code it threw after the service was this P0A47A set.

 

I picked it up from the dealer with all those issues, I said it was making weird noises and idling roughly...they had a master tech check it out and stated all was well when they washed off the coolant and said I was good to go. I drove it home and the light came on and then went away oddly. Then the next morning I had it towed back in when it broke down a few blocks from my house as they told me to drive back in for them to take a look at it.

 

I would say ballpark 15 miles, but the hazard lights just flashed and went away after powering off the Prius and turning it back on. I called them in the morning and they just told me to bring it back in, which I attempted but didn't work out well.

 

I am unsure how long they drove it with the first failed replacement though.

 

I was pretty stressed out but remember having a hard time to even make it go a few miles per hour.

 

Trying to pull over after all the warning lights that is. Not like I was trying to limp to the dealership on the other side of town.

 

Toyota Corporate states they are going to have a supervisor call me back based on this new information, so my fingers are crossed.

 

So here is my drafted letter to Toyota, I hope they actually read it.


On the week of August 27th, I decided to get the recalls done that were necessary for my 2007 Toyota Prius. The previous week before this I paid for a multi-point inspection to be done by another Toyota dealership, at which point all was cleared with the vehicle and I was notified of the recalls I needed to have done. I dropped the vehicle off at Champion Toyota the following week, after making my appointment and was told it would take one day to perform the recalls and was advised that I was due for an oil change, transaxle service, throttle body cleaning, air flow-meter cleaning, tune up, cabin filter and air filter. When I dropped it off, I also stated I needed a new headliner clip as one of mine was missing. The one-day service turned in to 3 days, as apparently there was “a failure of the inverter water-pump replacement” which was the recall needing to be done. The service notes state there was a “noise under hood after water pump replacement.” So they went ahead and replaced it again and picked it up on August 30th, 2012. Upon arriving and paying for my services, I noticed the car was running extremely roughly and loudly. When I started walking around the vehicle, I noticed many other issues. There was coolant coming out the front of the vehicle, the headliner clip that I was charged for replacing was never installed, in fact it wasn’t even in stock there, and the car was now idling very roughly, shaking myself as I sat in the vehicle. I brought these to the service people’s attention and they decided to take it in to the back for a “master technician” to take a look at it. The master technician stated the vehicle was perfectly fine after a matter of about 5 minutes, and my car was hosed off from all the coolant leaking on the front. I stated it was still idling roughly, and I was told “All vehicles run roughly after a tune-up, it will go away.” I have never heard of this, but I took them at their word. As I returned home from the dealership, the vehicle hazard signs went off and was making an odd grinding noise. It went away and decided I would take it back to the dealership in the morning. I called the dealership promptly that morning, but my service advisor Chris was not in. I was advised to take the car back in and they would take a look at things by another advisor. I did not make it to Champion Toyota that day with the Prius. The car broke down about a half mile from my house on the way there and I was forced to wait for a tow truck for hours. Once the vehicle made it to dealer, they stated they were receiving random error codes and were unsure of what was happening. Obviously, the vehicle was damaged in the process of service. As I was concerned by taking my vehicle to Champion Toyota, I had the grinding noise checked out by Charles Maund Toyota here in Austin. They stated it was likely the brake pads and rotors making the sound. I went ahead and had the service done there, but this unfortunately did not resolve the noise. They kept the vehicle another day, and the issue was eventually pinpointed to the transaxle and would cost over $3500 to fix, as it needed to be replaced. I contacted Champion Toyota customer service manager Kimberly, and I was finally able to get the codes my car threw when it broke down. The Prius had error code P0A7A on 8/31/2012 after being towed back to the dealership. I was never informed about this and it means there was an issue with the transaxle at this time. If the inverter coolant pump failed and was run while it failed (“Noise coming from under hood” was what the dealership put in the notes after installing a faulty inverter coolant pump) can cause the transaxle/inverter to overheat causing extensive damage to the transaxle. Keep in mind, a grinding noise coming from a vehicle that was previously running perfectly fine, checked out by a Toyota Dealership and was billed in perfect health, and my service at Champion Toyota causing all these issues, having my car break down on the side of the road after being told all was well by a “master technician” when I knew it was not running properly, and costing a great deal of my time and money. I would like to get this issue resolved and would not ask unless I felt this was caused by negligence.

 

So, just got off the phone with a Toyota customer service rep that called me back, they said they would like a chance for the dealership that caused this to resolve it. So I am stuck taking it back to Champion Toyota tomorrow, but if they fix the issue I would be relieved and promptly getting an inspection at another dealer afterwards.


I will let you know what happens and thanks again for all the help, it's been invaluable!

 

So...Champion Toyota says it is the brake actuator. They attempted to bleed the system and it failed completely. Does that sound right? Anyway, they said they would be replacing that and that it cost $2400. Should be ready next Tuesday.

 

They said they would be covering this thankfully! They even offered me a rental if I wanted, but I declined since it's only until Tuesday or Wednesday. I will let you know how it goes!