1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

2015 Prius C 75k miles with bad ecm?

Discussion in 'Prius c Technical Discussion' started by DTurner, Jun 26, 2024 at 10:04 PM.

  1. DTurner

    DTurner Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    5
    2
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    I
    That's what the dealer says.
    First they said it was the throttle body which they replaced for $950. That solved "some codes."
    Now they say it is the ecm which they want to replace for $1100 plus labor.
    When asked what codes it was currently exhibiting they said "the guy went through and "pin tested" everything."
    Does that seem reasonable?
    Is this standard Toyota "reliability?"
     
    #1 DTurner, Jun 26, 2024 at 10:04 PM
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,131
    6,679
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    No and heck no.
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jun 27, 2024 at 3:53 PM
  3. DTurner

    DTurner Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    5
    2
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Didn't sound reasonable to me either.
    It's my daughter's car currently at Lithia Toyota of Springfield. Not really sure what can be done about it at this point except to pay whatever is demanded and curse the gods for the bad luck? Or maybe avoid Toyotas.
     
    #3 DTurner, Jun 27, 2024 at 8:04 PM
  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,131
    6,679
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Oddly enough I drove past that dealership yesterday. I travel for a living and happen to be in Springfield for work.

    I wish I knew of another resource to which I could refer you/her for a second opinion. That's what I'd be seeking were I in your/her shoes.

    It's definitely got my alarm bells ringing because the failure rate on ECMs is comically low. To see one go bad in what is (statistically) the second most reliable car model on American roads really makes me think they missed something big in the diagnostic steps.
     
    #4 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jun 28, 2024 at 12:59 AM
  5. DTurner

    DTurner Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    5
    2
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Yes, I read that the failure rate on both throttle bodies and ecms was low.
    Troubling aspect is that we do not know if replacing the ECM will fix it.
    If it doesn't the tally would be up to ~$2500 in repairs for a car that still doesn't work, assuming the ECM is under the dash and that's another $500 in labor, although I really don't know where the ECM is on that car or if there is more than one.
     
    #5 DTurner, Jun 28, 2024 at 6:12 AM
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,754
    15,402
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    When you ask a question as basic as "what codes?" and they dodge and answer about who "pin tested everything", that cries out for you to take your business somewhere else.
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Jun 28, 2024 at 10:52 AM
  7. DTurner

    DTurner Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    5
    2
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    I
    I agree but it was first at an independent mechanic who said "HV issue, we can do nothing; take it to the Toyota dealer." At which point it landed at the nearest of two.
    Now, for it to be elsewhere requires a tow.
    The gamble is whether the codes did not identify the issue and there was "pin testing" that needed to be done and this is in fact some rare and strange issue of multiple electrical system failure that has actually been identified and can be fixed with both a throttle body and ECM replacement or it's a robbery scheme on a 75k Prius C destined for the scrap yard.
    If the former then towing it to some other operation will not help, if the latter, it would, but how to know?
     
    #7 DTurner, Jun 28, 2024 at 11:49 PM
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,754
    15,402
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    You've laid out a two-way choice between "the dealer tech is applying wizard-level diagnostic skills light years beyond the repair manual's troubleshooting steps based on the trouble codes" or "the dealer is out to rob me".

    Hanlon's_razor suggests a third possibility that fits in between those two: not all dealer techs are robbers, but they're also not all diagnostic wizards.

    So how do you decide which of the three it likely is? Well, it starts with what they say when you ask a basic question like "what were the codes?". A wizard likely has something of more substance to say than just ducking the question and saying "we pin tested everything."
     
    #8 ChapmanF, Jun 29, 2024 at 1:58 PM
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)