Has anyone here experienced a failing Prius eCVT/transaxle on Gen 3?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Tom Mayor, May 14, 2026 at 8:09 PM.

  1. Tom Mayor

    Tom Mayor Junior Member

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    My 2010, 193 500 Prius has developed a whirring / high-pitched drivetrain noise at certain speeds and under load.

    A mechanic confirmed the transaxle fluid was slightly low due to a small inner axle seal leak, and the fluid looked very dark. At this point, it’s looking more and more like internal transaxle wear/noise.
    The noise disappears immediately when I let off the gas or shift into Neutral while coasting.

    I’ve already ruled out:
    wheel bearings
    CV axles
    brake dust shield
    inverter-related noises

    The car still drives perfectly fine otherwise:
    no warning lights
    no vibration
    no drivability issues

    I’m mainly looking for people who have had similar Prius eCVT/transaxle noise symptoms and:
    how long you kept driving it

    whether the noise worsened slowly or quickly

    and if anyone successfully drove for years/thousand of miles with it noisy but without major issues .

    Thanks!
     
    #1 Tom Mayor, May 14, 2026 at 8:09 PM
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    It's certainly not a normal thing but you know every so many out of a 1000 could have an issue . Just using random numbers so. Junkyard transmissions will be plentiful for generation 3s as these cars failed early comparatively sonow at age . Even possibly cheap
     
    #2 Tombukt2, May 14, 2026 at 9:38 PM
  3. Tom Mayor

    Tom Mayor Junior Member

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    Right! I have never seen anyone talking about a bad transmission on a prius! I feel I am a poor victim haha.

    Transmission are cheap. Labor is half of the price I paid for the car!
     
    #3 Tom Mayor, May 15, 2026 at 5:57 PM
    bisco likes this.
  4. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    did you change the ATF or just topped it off? Have you ever changed it - seems to me 190K+ is more than a lifetime.o_O FWIW, dumping the fluid would give you a better idea of how bad it is by the amount of metal in it.
     
    #4 BiomedO1, May 16, 2026 at 8:08 AM
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