Help! POA92/INF126

My friend JUST BOUGHT a 2008 Prius 163,000 miles. We have proof of PERFECT maintenance since original purchase. However, after a few weeks it went into limp home mode while driving about 45 mph. Zero signs of anything unusual beforehand. The dealership said they couldn't read the codes without replacing the 12v battery (really?). Codes downloaded by Toyota dealership are POA92/INF 126. I've read on this site that POA92 is either transmission/transaxle or inverter? They are saying it's a transmission issue and estimate $2500-$5000. Can anyone give any additional insight? The car purchase price is the same as the high estimate!!! When we start the car, there is now an obvious noise from the engine (or a fan?) where before it was completely silent when started - that doesn't seem like a transmission issue?

 

Sorry, the POA92 INF CODE was 261. Now it's also reporting code P3191, POAOF, P0102, P0113, P0351-354, P0102, B1400, B1421, C1259, C1310. The mechanic said he cleaned oil from intake manifold that he says damaged engine. He showed me compression numbers for cylinder; I can't remember exact numbers but they were lower but not terrible. They are recommending we replace both the engine and the transmission. It's hard to believe there could just be a catastrophic failure. Maintenance entire life of vehicle is exceptional and the car was not using oil, gas mileage was phenomenal, no indications of transmission issues before all this started. So, 2 questions: 1) Is it possible that I really need both an engine and a transmission (ref codes and details above) and 2) if car is in good shape otherwise, is it worth it to put $5500 into a 2008 Prius?

 

same car, escalating issues

 

Sorry! Here's full story, chronologically: Prius (2008) with perfect maintenance record and no hints of any issues went into limp mode at 45 mph, we drove it to nearby Toyota dealer about 5 miles away. Dealer said they couldn't read the codes because 12v battery was bad so they replaced it, charged up $450 for supposedly new battery plus unclear misc. We got scalped. Drove away and car went back into limp mode within a few miles. Returned and the Toyota dealer then reported we needed a new transmission for $5200. We asked for full report but they only gave us a summary with P0A92-261 codes. They didn't exactly build trust or confidence with us, so we had it towed to a certified Toyota mechanic in town. He said he got over 20 codes, oil was low, and he found oil in manifold but not enough to explain how low the dipstick indicator was; he also told us the compression was on low side on all 4 cylinders. He says both engine and transmission need to be replaced. With used parts and labor guaranteed for 3 years, he wants $5400. We paid $5000 to purchase the car just 1 month ago. The previous owner is a good friend, and I am 100% positive she maintained it to perfection - thus why we bought it. It broke down before we could even make the first payment on the loan. We're devastated and don't know whether to give up on it or fix it. My questions: 1) Does any of this sound plausible for a car is great shape - do Prius have catastrophic failures like this?! Most importantly 2) could driving it away from the dealer after the first mechanic looked at it have damaged the engine and thus could the dealership have caused these issues? 3) would you keep the car if it was repaired with parts guaranteed for either 1 year (cheapest options), or 3 years? Thanks for everyone's patience and thoughts!

 

Sorry, got the miles wrong the first time.