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2007 Electronics Module Production Problems?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by lwirbel, Dec 1, 2006.

  1. lwirbel

    lwirbel New Member

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    I ordered a 2007 Prius that was shipped with a bad controller for hybrid/gas interface electronics, and when they shipped a replacement controller from Kansas City, that one turned out to be bad too! Anyone hear similar stories of production problems in the electronics for 2007 models?

    Loring
    Colorado Springs
     
    #1 lwirbel, Dec 1, 2006
  2. keydiver

    keydiver New Member

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    Hmmmm. I don't know why the ECU would be any different than the 2006 unit. Perhaps its a defective diagnosis by the dealer? <_<
     
    #2 keydiver, Dec 1, 2006
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Would be extraordinarily unlikely. I would question the diagnosis.
     
    #3 efusco, Dec 1, 2006
  4. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    how'd they know the module was bad? what did the car do?
     
    #4 galaxee, Dec 1, 2006
  5. mikep01

    mikep01 New Member

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    this hapens all the time. the part that come on the car are also shiped about the same time. if ther is a bad batch that made it on the cars, the supply of parts for repairs comes from the same, ther for you have bad stock. it hapens to all maufactures. ths is why there are tsb and recall. so the manufacture can get the parts return them to the company taht built them so the loss is minimal. remember most electronics are built by the lowest bidder.
     
    #5 mikep01, Dec 1, 2006
  6. lwirbel

    lwirbel New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mikep01 @ Dec 1 2006, 09:28 PM) [snapback]356561[/snapback]</div>
    Mike, I have a feeling this is exactly what happened. I never actually took ownership of the car, because dealer's scanner showed faulty hybrid, and when they got a replacement from Kansas City inventory, they checked on both their own scanner and Liberty Toyota, and that module was faulty too. Toyota corporate then had several in Kansas City scanned, and there were several bad modules. So there is now a backlog of replacement modules. Like you said, sometimes there are just bad lots, and I bet this was outsourced to an electronics manufacturer somewhere down the line who did less than stellar job. So I end up with no Prius for a while - not a happy customer.
     
    #6 lwirbel, Dec 2, 2006
  7. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Loring @ Dec 1 2006, 10:09 PM) [snapback]356589[/snapback]</div>
    ALL auto manufacturers depend on suppliers for a lot of components and DO NOT make everything themselves. http://recenter.tamu.edu/TGrande/vol10-4/1635.html mentions "Toyota currently depends on about 450 "tier one" suppliers, both foreign and domestic, to feed its four North American assembly plants." I don't know the #s for their Japanese plants.

    I've been to Tokyo Motor Show twice and lot of suppliers/parts manufacturers were there making things from shift knobs to interior pieces to HVAC systems to fuel injectors to transmissions and so on. Toyota gets lot of stuff from Denso. Nissan seems to get a lot from Calsonic Kansei (http://www.calsonic.com/). The radio shown on Calsonic's home page is from an Altima. The radiator assembly in my Z is definitely made by Calsonic. Aisin supplies stuff to a lot of companies including Toyota. http://www.aisin.com/product/index.html has a list and http://www.aisin.com/profile/customer/index.html lists their major customers. I remember seeing Aisin display lots of transmissions cut open. It was quite fascinating.

    When I visited a Nissan plant in Oppama, Japan, there were actually Calsonic workers INSIDE the plant assembling entire dashboard assemblies. When completed, they'd get put onto this automated robot and move ~10 feet over to the line for installation. The workers all wore different colored hats and I think there were different colors for Nissan employees, temporaries and vendors.
     
    #7 cwerdna, Dec 2, 2006
  8. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Loring @ Dec 1 2006, 10:09 PM) [snapback]356589[/snapback]</div>
    The good thing is that they caught it, and will make sure that you get a good car. Waiting is no fun. Good luck on a short wait. And when it finally does come, you'll have a great car.
     
    #8 daniel, Dec 2, 2006
  9. lwirbel

    lwirbel New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Dec 2 2006, 09:41 PM) [snapback]356856[/snapback]</div>
    Well, that's what all happy Prius owners tell me, and the fact that the dealership gave me a 2007 Camry loaner for free for the period the car is in limbo, and the Camry had 38 miles on it when I drove it off, made me slightly happier.
     
    #9 lwirbel, Dec 3, 2006
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