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2006 Toyota Prius with 136k miles RTD Wiring Harness Corrosion

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jamesdanielharkness, Jun 2, 2018.

  1. jamesdanielharkness

    jamesdanielharkness Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2015
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    Location:
    Fredericksburg, VA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Our 2006 Prius died in traffic with RTD and became totally disabled. Towed it to Sheehy Toyota in Fredericksburg, VA. Asked them to diagnose problem. Got a call next day saying they can't figure out the problem, and they needed more time, and more money to find the issue. Hybrid battery pack tested good. They said when pressing the horn, it would not stop blowing, and they had to remove the fuse. Also, pressing the horn would change error indications for hybrid system. They later called saying there was corrosion in the wiring harness, and it needed to be replaced for $5100. We traded in the car for new Toyota Corolla. While I like the Prius, I'm very discouraged. I had this 2006 and a 2010 Prius. My 2010 had the inverter fail, and it took over a month to get a part from Japan.

    Jim
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
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    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    The dealership did its job, scared you out of your old car and got you into a new one.

    But that's how they get you, with $500+ diagnostic fees and $5100 quotes. Can't escape the trap
     
    edthefox5 likes this.
  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
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    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Classic.

    Why did you not get another opinion? Did they physically show you the damage? How much did they give you for trade in.....never mind that hide all that in the paperwork and you never really know. You were better off selling the dead car on Craigslist for $1500.

    Probably had wire damage from mice chewing on the wires. Lots of posts about that here they really like the taste of the wiring. Does the car live outside and do you see signs of mice/rat activity in your area?
     
  4. jamesdanielharkness

    jamesdanielharkness Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2015
    11
    1
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    Location:
    Fredericksburg, VA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I got $2000 on trade in, and they waived the $500 or so in money spent on diagnostics. I bought the Prius new in 2006, and sold it to my daughter 5 years later. It was her primary source of transportation. It spent 7 years in VA, and 5 years in Savannah, GA. I'm wondering if the humid climates shortened the life of the harness. The car has been outside its whole life. While I would have loved to save it, I would have had to pay the dealer $500, get it towed somewhere else with no clear idea what it was going to take to get it going. Kelly Blue Book on it was really low. I just felt it was time to move on. I don't like my daughters braking down on the side of the road. Both my 2006 and 2010 have stranded them, sometimes far from home. I've seen people get 300k miles on these, but I have not had that luck

    Jim
     
    SFO likes this.
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Not many posts of harness's corroding lots of posts about mice damage. So you never even saw the wire damage or what circuit it was on or located?
     
  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
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    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    .
     
    #6 edthefox5, Jun 2, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2018