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Rat and wiring

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by mauiscott, Jul 7, 2024 at 3:49 PM.

  1. mauiscott

    mauiscott New Member

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    Location:
    Ha'iku, Hawai'i
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Our key fobs quit working over night in our 2015 Prius and we also found fresh rat poop inside the car that morning. I replaced fob batteries and checked the 12v battery but still does not work. We took it to the dealer who said the ECU was not detecting the presence of the key fob even though the fob was transmitting correctly (they tested that) and said we had to replace the ECU, at $3k.

    We had a rat get in the car about 5 years ago and it chewed up wires and it cost us $500 to repair and I think it more likely a rat chewed up the antenna wire going to the ECU with this problem we are having. So I am looking to find damaged wires but they are buried in the trim so unsure where to look.

    I suppose I could pay for access to a shop manual but thought I would check here first. I am not thrilled about pulling the car interior apart but I am also not thrilled about paying $3k for something that might not be the problem. The dealer insists that the first step is to replace the ECU. Sounds like a shot in the dark to me.
     
  2. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2021
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    Location:
    South Central PA, USA
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    III
    There are as many as a dozen different ECUs in your Prius. Which ECU does the dealer say needs replaced?
     
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Mar 30, 2008
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    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Couple dozen, in gen 3. I assume the dealer means one of the ones involved in the smart key system, but yeah, it would be good if they said something more specific.