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Thunderstorms+prius...help me

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by priusnve, Jul 13, 2008.

  1. kohnen

    kohnen Grumpy, Cranky Senior Member

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    Thems not out of gas codes! Two ECU stop codes, and a lost communication code.

    Keep us posted.

    (Out of gas - What a maroon!)
     
  2. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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  3. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    bear68's customer vehicle had no can communication- so if it was the same car, the dealer wouldn't have gotten ANY codes.
     
  4. Bear68

    Bear68 Member

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    Hello Priusnve, sorry to hear about your troubles... I am the tech working on an 08 Prius that did receive a direct lightning strike to the antenna. I plan to continue posting on the thread I started to give more info on the diagnosis and repair and share pics of the process. Hopefully the dealer you are working with will be ableto solve your concerns. My best advice is, as always, polite persistance. Be the squeaky wheel and keep asking for them to cover the entire repair under warranty. Don't be afraid to ask to speak with the Toyota district rep and ask his/her assistance. Toyota has been committed to Hybrid systems since they came out and will stand behind the product.

    Good Luck!
     
  5. icarus

    icarus Senior Member

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    In spite of any blather to the contrary, lightning can do great damage to electronics, even without a direct hit. The electro-magnetic pulse generated by lighting can cause all kinds of things to go haywire. Some of the factors that determine the extent of damage from emp is the distance from the strike, the power of the strike, the general conductivity of the ground between the strike and the object in question.

    In the solar power world, we know of panels that have been damaged, as well as controllers, inverters and even battery banks, all from emp.

    IMHO it is quite possible that the Prius could be seriously damaged by a near miss. In this case I wouldn't think the warrantee would cover it, but surely your homeowners or car insurance should!

    Icarus
     
  6. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    common, don't worry about these.

    those don't typically come up when you run out of gas. usually when you're out of gas you get the fuel run out code and associated engine failed to start.
     
  7. priusnve

    priusnve Junior Member

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    Just spoke with my claims adjuster and Toyota, and they have determined that it was a lightning strike. Toyota is going to replace an ECU and try to charge the battery, which is at critical levels and go from there. I'll keep everyone posted.
     
  8. priusnve

    priusnve Junior Member

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    My prius was very lucky! Toyota replaced the powertrain ecu and the car went back online. Eveything is working fine.
    Thanks to everyone for this comments and support. This is a great site.
     
  9. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    Congratulations, everything worked out as well as any of us could have wished.

    While I acknowledge your recognitions of PriusChat members/posters, there is
    also reason to recognize your patience, discretion, and fortitude in working things out.

    Well Done. And what a wonderful story you now have to tell your children and
    grandchildren.
     
  10. Freemusic

    Freemusic New Member

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    Is that all that they did? Replace the powertrain ECU?

    I know this thread is super old but can you give more info and details?