slipping?

Have a Master Mechanic check the car.

 

Shot in the dark... is it possible your mode was changed from "normal" to "eco" and just aren't used to this mode?

 

Guys, those ECO and PWR switches do NOTHING except change the curve of the throttle pedal response.
Full pedal = Full power - no matter what you do with those silly switches.
Your right foot controls power and fuel economy. Nothing else does.

(This is just for the record,, again.) {one guy claims he looks down and press the PWR button when he wants a fast lane change,,, geez,,, That does absolutely nothing and is a distraction from driving.}

 

Do you notice if it happens when you hit a certain speed? I can feel when my ICE engages and when it shuts down. The feeling might feel like a slip to some. I was worried about the same thing until I noticed that I was feeling the ICE shut down at about 42 MPH.

 

What was done, as much detail as you have. Any fluids used?
Dealer or someone else? who?

Since Toyota regards this as a sealed for the life of the warranty part, it will be interesting to hear who decided that anything needed done.

 

There are many GenII owners who swear by changing the transmission fluid every 50k miles even though Toyota doesn't say that you need to. However, you do need to use the right fluid or you might as well leave it.

 

Its normal. This may be your first cvt transmission and they are a little different.
This one has a planetary gear set that a few of the gears and mg are spinning much faster than the engine rev's so it sounds like a slipping clutch of yore day's because the transmission is making spinning sounds much faster than engine rev's. Transmission speeds up faster than engine as it has a motor in it also. Simplified explanation but it's normal.

But, you'll only notice this if you really hammer it at the light. Please be aware that consistently driving the car like that is quite hard on the transmission as constant hard starts from stop tend to heat the transmission electric motor windings up quite fast. This is bad. This and driving hard on hills is the Prius Achilles heal. Anything that pulls instantaneous max load on the electric motor is not good. The weak link being the motor windings.

If you like to drive this way that's ok but your mileage will really suffer so plan on increasing the transmission fluid and Inverter coolant oci maintenance to reflect its super duty use.

 

Yep, I know this. The OPs description of what he was experiencing was a bit vague, thus "Shot in the dark..."

If you are used to driving in PWR mode where the car takes off at the slightest touch on the gas pedal and go down to ECO (not being used to it) the car could feel like it is performing sluggish given the same pressure on the accelerator. This works the opposite as well. I drive in ECO mode all the time so when I have a rental I have to adjust for a normal car's accelerator. Under those circumstances even a crappy 4 banger feels like I'm driving a sports car.

 

We have vague information and can't make a proper diagnosis. I suggest he visit a Mastermechanic who had the experience and training to diagnose the problem and recommend a solution.

I used one for my former car a BMW. The steering mechanism made noises intermittently. The dealer could no figure it out. I went back and they said we have Master Mechanic from Germany who is trained and certified and the top Master Mechanic who is the guy.

This short guy waked out with glasses, Blu eyes and a Italian name. Spoke broken English that sounded German. He asked me questions and drove the car. He said I know what it is. Covered under warranty