2010 Prius TSB question and independent mechanics.

There are recalls that dealers get paid for but thats usually safety things like the floor mat or an air bag. These get fixed regardless if they are broken or not.

Then there are "customer support programs" when Toyota pays the dealer for fixing a design flaw problem. On some Prius years and miles, these may include brake boosters or inverters. Generally ten years from first use and only if broken.

Usually these repairs are dealer only, unless an authorized independent did the work prior to the customer support notice.

TSBs are simply Toyota bulletins that help shops fix things, often with better parts. Generally no free stuff here.

Sometimes normal Hybrid or Powertrain warranties may be in effect. Hybrid is usually 8 year 100k mile while Powertrain is 5 year 60k mile. California and a few other states get a longer hybrid battery warranty 10 years 150k miles.

Overall most problems on a 2010 Prius are on you. There are some independent hybrid shops that know how to use used or aftermarket parts to save a buck.

 

I may be wrong, but I was under the impression at least some of the Technical Service Bulletins do allow free repairs (Toyota compensates the dealership): it's not a general recall, but if an owner shows up with an issue covered in a TSB, then it's repaired, at no cost to them. It requires some diligence on the part of the dealership too, to check for TSB's.

 

If a tsb points to an in warranty or customer support program issue, yes. By themselves no as I understand it. For example this tsb identified gen3 excessive oil consumption but the repair had to be under warranty.

 

A TSB by itself is just a technical service bulletin; it publishes details about some issue and what can be done to resolve it. Pretty much anything that starts to be noticed as a common issue with a car will be reflected first in a TSB, and for most things that's also as far as it goes.

If something is deemed to be a safety hazard that requires a recall, then there will be a recall published. This might happen later than when the first TSB was published about it. Any recall will be done at no charge, and nothing has to fail first; you just bring the car in, and if the recall hasn't been done, they do it. The published recall document might still refer to the original TSB for the description of how to do the repair.

If the issue isn't recall material but is something Toyota decides is common enough that it is giving lots of their customers sour experiences, they might instead publish a service campaign that is short of a recall, like a warranty extension. Again, this might be announced long after an issue was first referenced in a TSB, perhaps years after. The terms of this kind of extension campaign will usually be that the repair will be no charge if your car suffers a failure for the exact reason the bulletin was about, and it happens within a certain range of years and miles. Once again, the warranty campaign might refer to the original TSB for the repair instruction details.

For most random issues that happen to get identified over the life of a model, there will be a TSB published and nothing more; the TSB just says "if thing x happens, fix y is a way to fix it", and it costs what it costs.

When you are signed into Toyota TIS (more info), you can find all TSBs pertaining to your car under the TT/SB (technical tips and service bulletins) tab, and you find service campaigns and recalls under the SC tab.

 

By the way, be sure to register your vin and contact info online with Toyota. Then the recalls and customer support program updates will be mailed to you by Toyota.

 

That’s all true. I’d also point out that Toyota’s general practice—unlike some other automakers—seems to be to issue a TSB (or a Tech Tip, a temporary document with a faster publishing cycle) only when the troubleshooting and repair information in the Repair Manual series (more info) is somehow inadequate, not just because a problem is occurring frequently.

For example, a service bulletin might be issued to announce a software update, to describe a more efficient troubleshooting or repair method, or to explain that a particular condition is normal. If there’s no new information, and dealers are able to find and repair the problem using the procedures they already have, then it’s unlikely that Toyota would issue a bulletin.

One exception: at least in the U.S., service bulletins are published every year to remind dealers about pre-delivery service procedures, battery maintenance, drivers’ floor mats, and a few other general topics.

TIS is the best source for up-to-date information, but many of these documents are also available at no charge on NHTSA’s website. Search there for the model and year, and then scroll down and click “Recalls” or “Manufacturer Communications.” It often takes a few months for documents to be added, however, and then not always under the correct models. For example, at this writing, NHTSA has the 20TA10 recall for 2013–2015 Prius and 2014–2017 Prius v models listed for model year 2016 Prius cars, to which it doesn’t apply at all.