Taking My '08 In For Water Pump & Steering Recall - Advice Sought

After they complete the work, open the hood and make sure you see good turbulence of the coolant in the HV inverter coolant reservoir. Some stealerships use hose clamps when replacing the HV water pump instead of draining the coolant and filling with new as they're supposed to do be doing. Some technicians forget to remove the hose clamps after installing the new pump.

 

Whan they do the steering, it WILL offset the steering wheel ! Make sure they make the wheel straight when they hand it to you. and

READ THE FOLLOWING ENTIRE THREAD, print the pdf file and bring it with you. It will save you grief. It sure did for me!!!

Information on Steering and Hybrid Coolant Pump Recalls C0T and C0U | PriusChat

 

Going in prepared is most of the battle!

 

Other than checking for the turbulence, make sure you see NO leaks anywhere AND check the fluid level in the inverter pump tank when the pump is OFF. The fluid should be at the FULL level. When the pump is running, the fluid level changes. The back of the tank shows fluid higher than the front. This is normal. Also, the fluid should be a bright pink color.

 

1) Some are reporting it is louder, other's say it is quieter. It seems that the one they put on ours is a little quieter. I can't hear it running in the cabin and can barely hear it under the hood.

2) I did not note any change in the feel or tightness nor any change in the steering. Fortunately for our case, they actually straightened the steering wheel as it was off about two or three degrees to the left. Now it is perfectly flat when driving on a level surface.

For the most part, few have had problems with the recall service. However that does not mean that what is done to your Prius will be or won't be perfect. Just follow up on the things that have been pointed out in this string and enjoy the good MPG.

Good luck to you Alan!

Ron

 

You've already said you will do a full check of the vehicle before leaving. I wish I had done that. It was 6pm and raining when I picked mine up. My car wasn't under cover. So I drove it to my office where there was covered parking. That was when I noticed that both drivers side wheel trim rings were missing. I immediately called to let them know and they said since it was late in the day they would have to call me back the next day. I got the callback today and they said there wasn't any reason for them to be removed so they don't know what to tell me.

So now I have to kick up a stink with the service manager on Monday to get them to make it right. I'll reserve judgment till it all gets worked out, but for now I would be weary of Toyota of Kirkland (WA).

 

Just had mine done yesterday. My new pump is quieter. I did see turbulence in the tank, although it was perhaps over full a bit. I always monitor the various temps to make sure they are normal. If anything they were a tad lower than usual.

As soon as I got in the car in knew the tires were lower pressure, so I filled them back up to 42 psi and was pleased to find that coasting seemed to be noticeably improved, supposedly as a result of the alignment. I think the Prius's rolling resistance is quite sensitive to that factor.

So I would say be prepared to be pleasantly surprised. I waited until now to make sure they had plenty of practice on the job. They did well and were very pleasant to deal with. (Maui Toyota).

Just for a bit of humor while I was waiting, I asked for the price on a replacement 12V battery. $350! I think that such a price will guarantee that there will be a good alternative somewhere else.

 

When I got mine seen too, it all looked good. No problems with the steering and good turbulence in the inverter reservoir. Probably two days later I get the email to rate my experience. I have nothing bad to say. A week later I am doing my normal two month 5000 mile oil change and notice a bolt at an odd angle. There are two bolts with integral rubber bumpers placed at opposite sides on top of the grill just inboard from the headlights. One of these, on the passenger side, was skewed and cross-threaded. I don't know why this bolt had to be removed. Didn't seem to be in an area that they needed to work in. It took me a couple of hours to chase out the threads and get the bolt back in there. I had previously thought, and said as much in this forum, that this was an honest and trustworthy dealership (Desert Toyota of Tucson). Not so much anymore. I will be extra attentive next time I have to visit there.

 

Hi nh70. The alignment of the steering wheel with the steering column has nothing at all to do with a wheel alignment. So another case of placebo effect?

 

Perhaps so... and I'll take a placebo effect any day over a nocebo effect. But they mentioned that they had to take the car to a different place to do the alignment, so I guess I assumed it was more than that. You are right though, in that I don't think they would have done anything additional.

OTOH, why did they lower the pressure in my tires? If they were just aligning the column, they would not have even looked. But if they were actually doing an alignment, then it would be the first step.

 

After doing a full check under the hood, I've found low coolant levels (under the low line) in both the ICE fluid reservoir and the inverter coolant tank. The paperwork indicates 1 gallon of SLLC2 was charged for each job (ICE water pump replacement and inverter water pump replacement, 2 gallons total) I'll be having a serious chat with the service manager on Monday about the quality of their service.

 

For Water Pump & Steering Recall - Advice Sought

My advice is: IF IT AIN'T BROKE,DON'T FIX IT!!!
I'm not going to bring my PRIUS in for this recall,my PRIUS is running just fine as is.

 

ski dive, It is your choice to ignore the recall if you so choose. To advise other's to do the same is unwise.

Toyota does NOT issue recalls unless it involves a "SAFETY" issue. Also the NHTSA is working with Toyota on this recall.

 

Well when I complained about a misaligned steering wheel (on my 2008) they did a FREE alignment when I took it back.

They probably don't know the tires are pointed straight unless they attach some type of alignment tool.

 

The HV inverter water pump may not be broken (yet) but it's pretty darn important to the transmission. You should reconsider your stance.