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2010 prius III, not Three, rattling noise

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by ATlam, May 13, 2016.

  1. ATlam

    ATlam Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2016
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    Location:
    San jose
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    once in awhile, as in maybe once a month or every few thousand miles, I hear a rattling noise in the rear below the car. It is very audible and everyone in the car notice it.

    This happen only when I have been in traffic for awhile during which:

    1) when battery is running really low from moving at low speed
    2) After which the engine is turned on to charge the battery
    3) moving low speed with the engine running.

    The vibrating noise increases as my speed increase, getting more audible and vibrating faster. After a certain point (maybe 30 mph) the noise stopped.

    This only happen once in awhile and ONLY during this circumstances when I'm stuck in traffic with low battery, low speed, and the engine is running. Anyone have any idea what could be causing this?
     
    #1 ATlam, May 13, 2016
  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2012
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    Location:
    Central MO
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    II
     
    #2 tankyuong, May 13, 2016
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
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    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Check the exhaust and it's hangers. Maybe give it a shake.
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, May 13, 2016
  4. ATlam

    ATlam Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2016
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    Location:
    San jose
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I'll do that, thanks.
     
    #4 ATlam, May 14, 2016
  5. Lemans_TS050

    Lemans_TS050 New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2016
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    Location:
    Georgia
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Three

    I have 2010 and experiencing bad rattle sounds like a diesel/knocking sound when battery is low and engine is charging at 15-20% throttle. Similar to you. Did you find solution?
     
    #5 Lemans_TS050, Jul 26, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2016
    Tanderson82 likes this.
  6. Tanderson82

    Tanderson82 New Member

    Joined:
    May 30, 2017
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    Location:
    Covington, LA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Did you ever find out what was causing this issue? My Prius is doing the exact same thing.
     
    #6 Tanderson82, May 30, 2017
  7. Inspector858

    Inspector858 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2019
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    Location:
    San Diego
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    TSB emissions warranty for EGR. Aka knocking when motor kick on. This is a design flaw and they should recall this which ultimately leads to head gasket failure. This is notorious fir these cars and some for the Lexus with same motor ct200h.
     
    #7 Inspector858, Oct 6, 2019
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