Buying a 2012 Prius V5

Not recommended...... EGR, Head Gasket, Oil Consumption, doesn't get as good mpg and prius. Traction battery failure.

 

at 75k, a good egr circuit cleaning and keep an eye on the oil level should be good

 

The OP has New York listed as their location. I believe that is a CARB state. 10 year 100k traction battery warranty. And at 73k, that is 18 months to 2 years from now. And if they get someone to look at the EGR, the HG should easily survive for quite awhile. The V only gets slightly worse economy owning to the different drive ratio of MG2. 44mpg is still very respectable though.


I bought my Prius with an engine noise, suspecting that I’d have to replace the engine. 93 days later that suspicion came to fruition. Two weeks from today, I will have had mine two years. Other then the engine, thermostat, and five oil changes, it has needed nothing, and is returning 45 to 50 mpg driven with a heavy right foot. It costs me around 6.5 cents per mile to operate. My previous car was nearly 21 cents per mile. Even with spending $1600 to put it back on the road, it has given me $1500 cash back, that I have used to buy adult toys.


So to the OP, if this is the car you want, go for it. You likely have 75k to 100k miles before the major issues pop up.

 

Just be aware they improved front crash protection in the 2015 Prius v.

 

How many years do you want to keep it?
How many miles will you be putting on it?
Why do you want a hybrid?
Also why is someone selling a 2012 with 73,000 miles....?
Do you really want to install a used engine?
Inverter Will Go Out.... warranty but a hassle especially if your on a trip
Water Pump Will Go Out....warranty but a hassle especially if your on a trip
Brake Pump and Master Cylinder Will Go Out
Traction Battery Will Fail.......
Oil Burner?
Head gasket.....?
Research this very close and of course it matters what your are going to pay for the vehicle.
I have a 2013 v with plenty of miles and I know what can happen.
Just my $.02 worth......

 

I suppose it could be considered to be a problem that we usually own at least one vehicle that isn't driven enough for known problems to arise while the covering warranty is still in effect.

Our 2012 Prius v Five is at only 44,xxx miles and showing no signs of oil consumption. Its engine oil and filter have been changed every 5,000 miles and the oil on the dipstick looked fresh as new when I checked it today. Our vehicles normally go to younger relatives or friends when we are done with them but we're reluctant to do that with this Prius due to potential future problems.

I may price what it would cost to have the pistons and rings replaced with the revised ones under the expired TSB if a relative really wants this car. Based on the parts list and the number of hours specified, I'm guessing the cost would be between $2,500 and $3.000.

 

It's the same powertrain as a standard Prius with the exception of the slightly higher final gear ratio in the V. I wouldn't be concerned about parts availability.
As to potential problem areas listed in other posts, the V is no more or less prone to those problems than any other Prius.

 

I think you meant that the 2012-2014 Prius v is no more or less prone to those problems than Prius sedans that were assembled before redesigned piston rings were implemented at the factory or ones that did not have T-SB-0169-16 performed.

Our 2012 Prius v did not have T-SB-0169-16 performed under which the pistons and rings would have been replaced. If the TSB had been performed, it would be more desirable as a used car. Knowing what I know now about the potential problem, I could see why someone wouldn't want to buy it even if it currently does not have an oil consumption problem.

The situation seems similar to how it would be if our 2012 Prius v has been in a significant crash and repaired. It's value and desirability is diminished by not having the TSB performed.

This is our 2nd rodeo for a problem like this on a Toyota. In the previous case, the problem didn't arise until the car was out of warranty due to how little my wife drives. A TSB had been issued for the problem but we had to fix it at our own expense. I appealed to Toyota customer service in that case since the car wasn't that far out of warranty but got nowhere.

 

Good point. My statement applies to any Gen-3 (2010 - 2015) Prius -- hatchback or V (wagon).

I agree having the ring/piston TSB done on a Gen-3 would make it more desirable on the used market. But not having it done, doesn't mean the engine will eventually develop an oil consumption problem. Many have hundreds of thousands of miles with no oil consumption.

My 2013 V has been a severe oil burner since I bought it at 93K miles (currently at 168K with no change in consumption rate). But there are many -- in fact most -- Gen-3 Prii that do not consume oil at all.

 

A few thoughts:

1. I doubt the average buyer has any clue about piston/rings revisions. If and when you're trading in or selling, do you think anyone is going to be asking what piston/rings are in there?
2. The new pistons/rings are supposedly to reduce oil consumption, but how effective are they? Just for the sake of argument: if you replaced the pistons/rings with the old-style parts, you would also see a dramatic oil consumption reduction.
3. Perhaps protracted running with clogged EGR (and consequential elevated combustion chamber temps) is equally responsible for oil consumption.

 

Be that as it may, we wouldn't want our 2012 Prius v to go to a family member or friend with an outstanding TSB like this. We often "live" with our vehicles long after we part with them, e.g. a nephew recently sold or junked the Camry he got from us after driving it 8 years / 100,000+ miles. The Toyota dealership where we bought the Prius v keeps bugging us to buy it so that might be a practical way to dispose it ... or maybe the Carmax across the street from the Toyota dealership.

I'm fine with selling this Prius v to a commercial business - with or without disclosing the outstanding TSB. They know what they are doing. I would not feel comfortable selling it to a private party without disclosing a TSB like this - that's just the way I do business. And I always provide all maintenance receipts to buyers including those for collision repairs.

My wife would be fine with driving this Prius v for the rest of her driving life - she really likes it and doesn't drive much ... about 4,000 miles last year. I'm the one pressuring her to get a vehicle with more safety features since she takes distracted driving to a whole new level! We'll probably figure out what to do with it after we get its replacement. She wanted the upcoming RAV4 Prime - its 40 mile EV range would cover 99% of her driving. I'm trying to get her to consider the Tesla Model Y but she needs a test drive. A Model Y is supposed to be available at the local Tesla store "soon" for people to test drive.

 

You've got a bad case of cargo cult, lol.

 

How many miles are on your V? Does it consume oil?

EDIT: Never mind. I see: 44K and no oil consumption.

When you decide you're going to sell it, send me a PM. I may be interested in a fly and drive.

 

I'm not saying they are bad cars. Just don't recommend if you think your going to buy a used one and drive it like a 2000 Camry... without $$$$ problems.
The repairs are hard and expensive.... and gas is pretty low cost now. So you save $5000 in gas then have a $5000 dollar repair..
After you have a major failure like inverter, battery, brakes and your stranded a long way from home your confidence in the vehicle goes down because you realize just how screwed you are. I was in Iowa when the dreaded inverter went out. Toyota had my car nine days.
And not everybody that has a problem comes to this website.... many go to the dealership and have no clue about Prius Chat.