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Gen I Transaxle Failure - Covered under warranty?

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by red8113, Aug 14, 2009.

  1. red8113

    red8113 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2009
    2
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    Location:
    Rhode Island
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hi - I'm new here and in a bit of a panic as to how/if to fix my 2002 Prius and would really love some info on the warranty if anyone has it. All the info I have is in my glove box - at the dealer's garage. Not much use to me now. Here's some brief background:

    I own a 2002 Prius with 80,000 miles. It's been working like a charm - and I have had zero complaints. Until...this past week the warning lights lit up (with no other symptoms that I could detect) and I called my local Toyota dealer - where I bought the vehicle used 2 years ago. They said, as long as it was running ok, it was ok to drive it <10 miles to get it to their shop. Which I did, without incident. They ran the diagnostics, found nothing wrong, turned off the warning lights, and sent me home. On the way home, the warning lights came on again. I tried to drive it back to the dealer, the car started revving and acting crazy so I pulled over and had the thing towed to the dealer. Now they tell me it's the transaxle that needs replacement for a cool $5k. Ouch!

    I don't understand how they could have missed a $5k problem the first time around. And - could the problem have gotten worse (and more expensive) between the time they shut off the warning lights and sent me home the first time and the time that the car started acting funky?

    I have read that the hybrid system is covered for 8 years/100,000 miles - does this repair qualify under the warranty? Is this warranty accurate? Wouldn't you know that I had bought a 2 year extended warranty when I bought the car used - and this warranty expired a month ago. The dealer doesn't seem to know what is covered under warranty and is currently "looking into it", and is obviously trying to sell me a new car in the meantime.

    Any info that I can arm myself with before I talk to him next would be great. I think it's ridiculous that such an expensive component would fail after only 80k miles. When I bought the car used it had only 43k miles and appeared in great shape and I've taken good care of it since I bought it with regular oil changes and maintenance checks, etc. Since I bought the car, I have driven 99% on the highway and get, on average, above 45mpg so it's been a sweet little car for me - until now....

    Help!
     
    #1 red8113, Aug 14, 2009
  2. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2004
    9,059
    3,529
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    Location:
    Kunming Yunnan China
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    You won't like it, but...

    Transaxle is under the 60 month/60,000 mile drivetrain warranty.

    Inverters, HV battery etc. are under the longer 'hybrid' warranty. Makes no sense from our side of the table, but there it is.

    So, first we need to be sure which part(s) at fault. Your story does not completely convince me that shop #1 can do that. Are there any convenient alternatives?

    Assuming you are on a post-warranty repair situation, you must call Toyota at 800-331-4331 and open a case file. Tell them all the details. Suggest you do not discuss your guess that shop #1 made it worse by missing the problem first time around.

    There will be more than one of these phone calls based on the strategy of polite persistence. It might help to mention that thousands of your friends follwing the situation at PriusChat hope (as you do) that Toyota will once again show its exemplary support for early prius buyers who believed in the product and voted with their dollars. Not every appeal to Toyota Customer Experience is successful, but it would certainly appear to be worth the effort.

    Failing that, you may consider purchasing the transaxle froma salvage vehicle dismantler. 2001-2003 are interchangeable, with a lower odometer being preferred. Were I buying, it would be contingent on testing the transaxle fluid and dropping the pan to confirm the absence of excess metal chips there. These could give you some confidence that the used assembly is free of mechanical damage, but there are other problems (eg, motor winding insulation failure) that one can really not guard against.

    R&R of the transaxle is not simple, but it should be within the skill of a competent car shop. My guess is that Toyota line shops won't install used parts.

    Once you know all the options and their costs, you will be in the position to decide and maybe we can help. Good luck.
     
    #2 tochatihu, Aug 15, 2009
  3. boughtalemon

    boughtalemon New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2009
    25
    3
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    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Model:
    I
    I had a very similar situation. A brand new transmission + labor will be about $5000. However, if you can either find a salvaged one on your own or have a hybrid speciality shop ( I recommend you look into that. Toyota tends to over price repairs). you might be able to find a deal. I was able to do my repairs for $2700 with a used transaxle from a hybrid specialist. So far so good.

    Good Luck!
     
    #3 boughtalemon, Sep 24, 2009
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