NEW!!! Service Bulletin for Engine Knocking at Startup T-SB 0012-10

Looking under the hood, the intake change looks straightforward. If it happens to me and the dealer gives me a song and dance, I'll fix the thing myself.

 

Not so mechanically inclined myself...otherwise I might be more game.

 

Don't ever buy a VW then.

 

Yup, the horror stories have been keeping me away. ;x

On second thought to the above, I shouldn't have to pay for Toyota's mistake with my time and money (to purchase the parts and the tools, though I have already paid in lost time and money with the endeavor to get the dealer to fix). It's the principle of the matter really.

 

OMG....Sounds like a DIESEL.....!
Just the 2010's affected?

 

Nope, it goes way up into the 2011's too. Mine was built in 10/11 and it's subject also.

 

Honestly, I have not read the whole thread.....
What appears to be the culprit here?
Will this problem affect every new Prius currently coming off the line?
I'm lil skeptical now.

 

VW dealers are just as bad, well, actually worse. Every time I walked into the dealer with a warranty problem I was treated like a criminal. I had to get VW in Germany involved to have a couple of things repaired under warranty.

 

I got mlne changed two weeks ago so far so good

 

Did the dealer see the engine knocking?

 

No and no check engine light but there was a pending code on the computer

 

Good to know. The parts for mine finally arrived. I drop off my Prius on Monday...should be ready by Tuesday.

 

Yup....I hear ya!....In my case, past experience with my "Toyota Service Dept." has taught me to run, not walk, as fast as I can away from them!.....Anyway, for me it was well worth the couple hundred $ and a couple hr's of my time :wof:.....

 

In the fall I got into my Prius after it had been sitting overnight and when I started it up it sounded like something was knocking in the engine compartment. Almost like something was flapping around. After about 5-10 seconds it went away. I thought I had a flat tire or something the way the car moved when I drove it forward and then it magically cleared up. Twice since then it's done this just on engine start where it makes this knocking sound on startup. Brought it into the dealership today for an oil change and mentioned this to them and they claimed they haven't heard of anything like this and that if it started happening more frequently to bring it back in so they can hear it after it sitting over night. It is so sporadic, sometimes I leave the car for days and it doesn't do this. For the folks who have seen this issue, does it sound like I've described?

 

I was driving to work this morning and got a bad knock in traffic when the ICE restarted. The ICE was already partially warmed up, maybe at 150 F. The outdoor temp was below freezing. I called the local dealer to have it looked at this week. I'll take in a copy of the TSB.

I've also experienced the rough start issue after running the ICE a short time the night before. I'm going to check the VIN/plant to see if it is before the production change on the TSB.

Checked the VIN. The last 7 digits are well below the ones listed on the TSB, so it should be covered. I hope they don't give me a hard time about getting the IM replaced.

 

The original intake manifold was smooth inside. When some moisture collects inside, it can get drawn into the cylinder(s) and cause knocking or misfire.

The new intake manifold has ridges inside which disrupt moisture from entering cylinders. I believe all of the 2012 Prius' have the new manifold and possibly the last of the 2011's were built with it.

 

It's too bad Toyota is leaving it up to the dealers' discretion whether it needs replacing, when a simple check of the VIN should tell them who needs the replacement part. You'd think they would want everyone to replace the faulty IM to prevent more costly warranty repairs caused by the engine knocking.

My local dealer has been getting good service reviews, so maybe they will be the exception and take my word for it. I'm also going to mention the loose coupling in the steering mechanism. That is also easy to reproduce.

 

Except nobody has ever reported damage from this issue, even after multiple incidents. If that were true, they'd be having a recall, not a TSB.

 

Called my dealer and the tech had to speak with service manager. They had no problem ordering the parts and scheduling the fix! I'm so glad this came out as I was super worried about the noise it was making. Being a fairly new car and all I was afraid I had a lemon.