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Poll: Are any of these really problems?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by ggood, Oct 1, 2009.

?
  1. Red arrow in energy monitor hard to see in daylight

    41 vote(s)
    25.5%
  2. Car computer overestimates MPG

    81 vote(s)
    50.3%
  3. Air Conditioning display is cloudy/blurry

    36 vote(s)
    22.4%
  4. Delay in answering calls with Nav and Bluetooth

    28 vote(s)
    17.4%
  5. Satellite radio signal is weak

    31 vote(s)
    19.3%
  6. Satellite radio display is truncated to 16 characters

    38 vote(s)
    23.6%
  7. Ghost image on speed display

    16 vote(s)
    9.9%
  8. Slip indicator comes on when at a full stop

    15 vote(s)
    9.3%
  9. Can't hear nav voice over stereo

    10 vote(s)
    6.2%
  10. Phone numbers disappear from contact list

    15 vote(s)
    9.3%
  11. Apparent screen burn-in

    24 vote(s)
    14.9%
  12. Navigation DVD not detected at car boot up

    16 vote(s)
    9.9%
  13. Cargo net panel separation

    44 vote(s)
    27.3%
  14. Auto-dimming mirror sensor wrongly positioned

    30 vote(s)
    18.6%
  15. Brakes grabbing in reverse

    48 vote(s)
    29.8%
  16. Momentary loss of braking power when navigating over a bumpy surface of pot hole

    56 vote(s)
    34.8%
  17. Cruise Control requires too much brake pressure to cancel

    39 vote(s)
    24.2%
  18. None of the above are considered problems

    8 vote(s)
    5.0%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    There's a sticky thread listing various minor complaints various people have raised about the 2010 Prius here:

    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...roblems-reported-prius-2010-a.html#post931062

    Given the lack of standards for what gets included in that thread, I'm wondering how many people think each of the above poll items constitutes a real problem that should be fixed or redesigned by Toyota. To keep the sticky problems thread clean, I thought I'd create a poll. It's my first time doing a poll, so let's hope I did it right!
     
  2. San_Carlos_Jeff

    San_Carlos_Jeff Active Member

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    If you can add a "none of the above" choice that's what I'd pick.
     
  3. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    Good point, but too late unless a moderator wants to fix it. I can't edit it once it's been created. Of course, Toyota has already admitted the cargo net issue is a problem. I almost left that one off the list.
     
  4. San_Carlos_Jeff

    San_Carlos_Jeff Active Member

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    I'm sure a few, or more, of these are actual problems. I don't have the satellite radio and have never used the cargo net so there are some that I'm just not aware of.

    Good poll, it will be interesting to see the results.
     
  5. garygid

    garygid Senior Member - Blizzard Pearl

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    Many of them can be fixed with just firmware changes, and a what-should-be-easy field upgrade.
    All of those should be "de-bugged".
     
  6. eddiehaskell

    eddiehaskell Member

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    I haven't really noticed any of these problems (knock on wood). Granted, I don't have nav or use sat radio so that knocks out several. The only one I might like to see fixed is the MPG calculations. This doesn't interfere with the cars functionality, but it would be nice to get something within 1-2% of the actual value.
     
  7. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    I have 5 of the listed problems plus several interior rattles to go with them. Not very good quality control, the rattles remind of a Detroit product, or my '98 Honda Accord. :D Still love the car though.

    Question, for those who say they don't have any of the problems, are you saying you honestly don't have them or that you aren't bothered by them or perhaps haven't looked for them? I would be interested to know, for example, if there are cars that really display the correct fuel mileage instead of the 3% to 5% error.
     
  8. eddiehaskell

    eddiehaskell Member

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    For me, I don't really read all the "problem" threads and then go try to find that problem in my car. I basically get in the car and drive to where I need to go. So far, I haven't found anything that makes me say "wow, there's a problem." Maybe I'm just not picky enough or maybe my car just doesn't have most of those problems...do not know.
     
  9. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    Just in case it wasn't obvious, color me a skeptic! :D

    Most of these are real, but so minor as not to matter (cargo net; over-estimating mpgs).

    The only one that really matters is the braking in reverse problem, which I haven't experienced and somewhat suspect is operator error (as in trying to start up and go too quickly). However, I'll give people the benefit of the doubt.

    Some are simply not real problems, like losing braking when going over bumps. As explained in the threads, the ABS is working as designed. I don't understand why people expect anything different. Another is the slip indicator. I've personally made it come on and seen other people do the same thing, when they mistakenly push the brake to the floor and invoke the hill assist.

    My only real annoyance is the bluetooth answer delay in the Nav. If that's the worst thing I can think of to complain about, I'm going to be a very happy camper with this car.
     
  10. radiocycle

    radiocycle Active Member

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    Interesting poll ggood, thanks! Will be cool to see how it levels out after some more folks have had a chance to vote!
     
  11. zonie911

    zonie911 Member

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    I agree with Jeff, "none of the above" would be my choice, also,
    meaning that I haven't found any of these to be "real" problems for me, anyway.
    :pray2:
     
  12. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

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    I've selected:

    - Car computer overestimates MPG. This is more for the reputation of the product than anything else.

    - Slip indicator comes on at full stop. This is a bad feature, not a bug, it's doing what is documented, but not being understood. A new idiot light should be used for Hill Start Assist because clearly users don't understand what a steady slip indicator light means.

    - Screen burn-in. Pixels on a VFD shouldn't fade after only a few months.

    - Brakes grabbing in reverse. The brakes grab in both directions in my experience - Toyota needs to find a brake material that works well when the brakes are cold as well as when the get hotter. Creep needs to be toned down when you're on the brakes - the motor produces a lot more torque than a conventional transmission would. The problem is significantly less serious in neutral.

    - Momentary loss of braking power when navigating over a bumpy surface of pot hole. Better feedback needed that ABS has kicked in, potentially be less sensitive to slips.

    I didn't select 'Cruise Control requires too much brake pressure to cancel' - that's an adjustment issue, the brake light switch isn't coming on early enough, which will be an issue on the individual car that has the problem. I'd also remark that the brake-cancel is an emergency feature and you should expect to be braking hard for it to kick in. If you want to cancel CC in normal circumstances, you pull the stalk in the appropriate direction.
     
  13. chrisj428

    chrisj428 Active Member

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    Agreed.

    Out of the list, I picked three concerns which I deemed to head the list. However, none of these are really "problems". None of these have left anyone stranded or without a vehicle. They are nuisances, to be sure, and should be remedied. However, they are just that -- nuisances.
     
  14. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    I got some feedback that maybe only actual owners of the 2010 Prius should answer this poll, on the theory it would make it more useful and actionable for Toyota (yes, they are watching!). After thinking about it some more, I prefer not to do that, even though I can see where an only owners poll might be more to the point, since those are the folks that are actually living with these "problems". My original intent was to see how many people thought these even qualified as problems, rather than take a reliability survey.

    This poll is obviously not going to produce a very scientific sample in any case, and it has no way of asking additional questions, like have you experienced this problem and how would you rate this problem on a scale of 1 to 10.

    People should still feel free to post comments in this thread, regardless.

    If any gen 2 owners think a similar poll is needed for gen 2 cars, feel free to post one in the gen II forum.
     
  15. Blind Guy

    Blind Guy New Member

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    "...I'm wondering how many people think each of the above poll items constitutes a real problem that should be fixed or redesigned by Toyota..."

    Interesting to note how many have misinterpreted your question, you ask, "how many people THINK each of the above Pole items constitutes a real problem that should be fixed or redesigned", it DOES NOT ask, Do you HAVE any of these problems?, Do any of these problems BOTHER you? or Are these poorly enginneered items in your opinion?, but rather, do you "THINK" these items should be FIXED or REDESIGNED?

    This is asking, despite your lack of inclination as to their worth or usefullness, their design and engineering effectiveness or contribution to the value of YOUR car, do you THINK (as a feature, function or addition to your vehicle) should any of these items be FIXED or REDESIGNED???

    David (aka Blind Guy)
     
    1 person likes this.
  16. jrflip

    jrflip New Member

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    none of the above
     
  17. ttait

    ttait Active Member

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    I also would vote 'None of the Above' because none of them are problems for ME.
     
  18. eglmainz

    eglmainz New Member

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    Thank you for creating this poll. If nothing else, it may help quantify the number of people affected by these issues, assuming that folks only answer if it's an issue on their car. You seem to have searched a lot of threads to discern what people are complaining about.

    Some of the 'issues' that you mentioned have already been confirmed as a driver issue, while others may just be under-reported issues with may continue to be reported at a higher rate.

    For me, I selected the issues that I believe to e real issues, such as the cargo net separation, whether or not it affected me. Based on the facts, it would seem that this problem would occur if I installed one, so I would say that it requires a fix from Toyota.

    Some of the other issues, may simply be a glitch with a specific car, or related piece of hardware (such as Nav DVD not being recognized), where not all folks with NAV may have this, but could be something that affects 5% of cars with NAV (as opposed to the cargo net issue, which presumably would affect all users due to a potential design flaw).
     
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  19. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    Yeah, I was really just trying to see if anyone agreed with me that a lot of the things listed in the sticky thread aren't real problems. Seems like if 1 person complains, it gets added regardless of whether it is substantiated, extremely minor, or how every other car in the universe works.

    Boy, I really blew it by not including none of the above and all of the above. :D Let this be a lesson to anyone else who constructs a poll.
     
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  20. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    FYI, I really just did a compilation based on the current status of this sticky thread (which does provide links to threads discussing all of the polled issues):

    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...roblems-reported-prius-2010-a.html#post931062

    I've now changed my OP back to being a free for all, because I don't think there's any chance of this poll being an accurate barometer of the number of people experiencing the various problems, though I'm sure that influences the voting.