2007 died with no good explanation

Welcome to the board and sorry to hear of your problem. While this may not be your case, many new owners are still not used to starting the car the proper way (sequence) which leads to frustration. I have a friend who likes to drive my car, but starting it seems to confound this electrical engineer almost every time. This is the first car where both the car and I had to 'learn' each other's techniques, but now that I have owned my '04 since late '03 the kinks seem mostly ironed out and it is only happy motoring for me (us).

 

How much does your SKS "not work"? I'm assuming the Prius doesn't recognize the SKS when it's in your pocket, so you have to put it in the slot to start the car.

But do the lock/unlock buttons on the keyfob work when you're outside the car? If not, maybe the battery in your keyfob died.

It sure sounds like your local Toyota dealer is not too familiar with the car. Maybe Galaxee or someone else here with in-depth Prius technical knowledge can help further...

 

off-topic: lfruchtman, is your avatar a thermal scan, really? It does not quite look as I might have imagined.

on-topic: there are recurring technical discussions concerning the Prius not being protected in case of polarity reversals in jumping. At least, this is an area where the utmost caution must be used. I would tend to agree that your shop lacks a complete grasp of the situation. On the SKS matter, we'll wait until somebody with a 'modern' Prius posts a point of view. Mine is a bit older...

 

um, yeah. jumping a prius backward is baaaad. and can cause you to have to replace a bunch of fuses, as stated. you're lucky it was the fuses and not the dc-dc converter. and you're also lucky it was warranty-jobbed, because uh, that could be called your fault.

whether the sks computer was fried depends on where it is in the circuit in relation to the fuses that blew... and DH doesn't know offhand without a wiring diagram.

it does sound like they're not exactly experts over there. but they've got a tech assistance line for a reason- louis down at SET HQ is good with prius diagnosis. they should be talking to him about this. can't say much more about it without seeing it, ya know?

good luck.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lfruchtman @ Jun 18 2007, 09:28 AM) [snapback]463918[/snapback]</div>

How did the situation play out for you? I came out to find my '05 Prius dead last weak for no good reason. Broke out the manual and tried a jump to no avail. Had it towed to the dealer and they said it was reverse polarity jumped and the main fusible link, and the DC DC converter were fried. Cost about $5K, and would not be warranty covered. I'm abosultely sure I hooked up my cables right, having jumped a decent number of cars in my time. Only thing I can think of is donor vehicle driver crossed connections. I verbally confirmed red to positive with him, but did not visually check. Apparently, I'm not the first to have this happen. Don't know why Toyota doesn't have a very specific warning in the manual about the dangers of a reverse polarity jump, since the consequences are so much more serious than in a conventional jump situation. Can't help believe that would have triggerred me to anally check the polarity of the connections on both vehicles and avoided this costly scenario. Did you get away with just a fired fuse?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lfruchtman @ Jun 22 2007, 11:30 PM) [snapback]466730[/snapback]</div>

Where did you buy the car?

 

Over a year ago, we had to have the SKS ECU replaced. I never used the smart function for the 1st year or more, so I don't know how long ago the function died. The fobs would remotely lock the car, and inserted into the dash, they'd start the car, but NO smart function. IE 2 out of 3 functions worked. Anyway, the extended warranty picked up the bill for the new ECU. I think it would have cost us about $1,000 without a warranty, if I remember right.

 

Over a year ago, we had to have the SKS ECU replaced. I never used the smart function for the 1st year or more, so I don't know how long ago the function died. The fobs would remotely lock the car, and inserted into the dash, they'd start the car, but NO smart function. IE 2 out of 3 functions worked. Anyway, the extended warranty picked up the bill for the new ECU. I think it would have cost us over $1,000 without a warranty, if I remember right.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lfruchtman @ Jul 2 2007, 08:35 PM) [snapback]471922[/snapback]</div>

It has been a while....have you talked to the tech to figure out the problem???
D Rock

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lfruchtman @ Jul 8 2007, 11:52 AM) [snapback]475085[/snapback]</div>

Forget about lemon laws and reboots: the backwards jump screwed you. Expect to replace more computers and/or wiring harnesses.

In the original post you wrote "Couldn't have been the trunk or SKS because it stared when I drove to work with no issues". The car will start and run normally with the rear hatch open. I'll bet the rear hatch was ajar, and the hatch light ran down the battery while you were at work. Bummer.

After you get all this mess fixed, get in the habit of *always* locking the car. If it does anything other uttering one short beep then something has been left ON or open.

It would not cost a lot for Toyota to include reverse polarity protection to help prevent this mistake.

 

I would take it to the dealer where you bought it, tell them FLAT OUT you want the car fixed, and don't want them to call you until it is fixed one hundred percent, period.

Leave the car at the dealer. They should give you a loaner car.

If the car isn't returned FIXED to your satisfaction in 30 days or less, you should be able to get a full 100% refund for the purchase of the car.

This is how it works in Washington State under the Lemon Law statute. A friend of mine bought a new Chevy Blazer in 1998 and used this statute to his advantage, returned it for a full refund after the car sat at the dealer for more than 30 days unfixed, and went over to Toyota and bought a new 4Runner.