2012 III- Engine shake and rattle

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by edster, Jun 5, 2026 at 10:23 AM.

  1. edster

    edster Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2018
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    Location:
    Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Hello, My 2012 III has 230k, regularly maintained. At start, the engine rattles and shakes. This happened a few times since new, eventually smoothed out but didn’t last. Check engine lite on this time. Any clues? I don’t know if it can make it safely a quarter of a mile away to get it read from Autozone. Am afraid the engine may be conking out.
    Thanks for any input.
    Ed
     
    #1 edster, Jun 5, 2026 at 10:23 AM
    bisco likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    most likely a blown head gasket, very common on gen 3. you're okay to drive there, but make sure the coolant is full.
    if it clatters too much, shut down and try again
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 5, 2026 at 2:15 PM
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