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

What is (was) this diamond shaped access panel for?

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by chromebison, May 9, 2022.

  1. chromebison

    chromebison New Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2022
    2
    1
    0
    Location:
    Tennessee
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    XLE
    Hello folks. First-time poster. Hoping someone can shed some light on what these diamond-shaped covers are to the left and right of the front grill. I am now missing both and am not sure if I lost them in a car wash or they were stolen, or what was behind them was stolen. Photo is attached. From a 2021 Prius Prime XLE.

    Thanks for any help,

    cb
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 chromebison, May 9, 2022
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,829
    16,065
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Those are the mounting points for the tow hooks. The tow hooks are in a bag (typically) located in the trunk. Mine came in a triangle shaped vinyl bag which included a tire iron and they were in the underfloor bin, closest to the rear bumper, in the trunk.

    All you did was just lose the covers. There's nothing hidden back there.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, May 9, 2022
    Marine Ray and chromebison like this.
  3. chromebison

    chromebison New Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2022
    2
    1
    0
    Location:
    Tennessee
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    XLE
    Thanks much!
     
    #3 chromebison, May 9, 2022
    Tideland Prius likes this.
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,662
    38,207
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    4th gen covers seem to have weak locking tabs, come off easy. New ones will likely need painting? Put a blob of some sort of sealant on the tabs to secure better.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, May 10, 2022
    jerrymildred likes this.
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,829
    16,065
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Ohh? Ours is still present on the Gen 4 (and Prime... before I traded it in).
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, May 14, 2022
    jerrymildred and Mendel Leisk like this.
  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,491
    14,100
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Maybe true for some. Mine are still in place after 5+ years and almost 65k miles. Still, a dab of weak adhesive wouldn't be a bad idea.
     
    #6 jerrymildred, Jun 11, 2022
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  7. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2004
    1,509
    493
    0
    Location:
    NY
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    Limited
    I tested my tow hooks just because. They were brutally hard to turn so I greased them and store them in a plastic bag in the back. Put the jack handle through the eye to turn them.
     
    #7 kenmce, Jun 26, 2022
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)