Long-term reliability of electronics in Prius

There have been some electronics problems in earlier Prii:

1. MFD solder failures in early Gen2 Prii - repairable at low cost (not by dealer)
2. Combination meter failures in Gen2 Prii - Toyota covered it with a 10 year extended warranty
3. CD players in early Gen2 all failed - 3rd party stereo replacement solves the problem at reasonable cost
4. HID headlights in Gen2 - expensive and failure prone
5. Some problems in Gen3 inverter units (and in Highlanders) - Prii covered by Toyota in a recall
6. The odometer in 2004/2005 Prii stops at 299,999 miles (less than 30,000 mile left for me)

I had several of these problem in my 2004 Prius , but it has been a very low maintenance vehicle and I am planning on buying a Gen4 when it is available.

JeffD

 

The inverters have had problems, and were the subject of a recall (reprogramming to stop the system from causing damage). Very few failed. Those that have and will are covered by warranty. If you had to pay it would be expensive. I'd have to check to be sure, but much of the drive system is covered by a 7 ish year warranty in Canada.

I've never heard of a computer failure in a Prius. Good thing, we have at least 6, maybe 8.

In general, the electronics are the most reliable parts of most cars. Having said that, some owners have reported the CD units have failed them in some way. That's the audio system, and it can be replaced for less than $1000 for top quality stuff.

Some of the stuff that has been problematic such as the HID lights are not offered in Canada. In that case, I wouldn't class it as an electronic failure, it was the actual bulb that was failing, not the electronics.

 

I was going to ask what a CD was...then I remembered it was what banks used to offer when you wanted higher interest rates.


Seriously...I had an early Gen2 (pre-ordered) and the CD worked fine as less than a year ago when it was sold.

Mike

 

^^

I suggest instead, that when the money guy pops the question you say nothing and just stare the turkey down with a raised eyebrow until he surrenders with a "I didn't think so."

 

whenever they ask me about the extended warranty, i ask them if toyota's aren't the most reliable cars on the road, and give them the sage look. ^^^

 

Hi All you "old timers",

As a newbie who is on the brink of committing to a certified 2010 Prius III, and I know I asked this in my first question, I am still nervous about what might happen when the warranties expire. I really can only afford this on a 60 mos. loan, and extended warranty could be $18-$25/mo more. Trouble is, I've been driving Volvos and then a VW Jetta tdi for the last 15 years and realize it had cost me an average of $1500/yr in maintenance on those vehicles.

So, the question is, am I better off going with a Prius II and lose the fancy electronics (and pay $1K less), or do I buy the III with the back-up camera and great audio, which I love, and just stop worrying. You old timers seem to have experience in having not had many repair experiences. But, have you owned any of these Prii until they were ten years old?

Sorry for the redundancy, but I've been around long enough to have done all my own engine work since my first car in 1973, when you didn't need a computer to figure things out. Can't do my own work any more.

Thanks again for your advice.

 

The fancy electronics from a II to III is of no consequence reliability wise. None of the features that a III has over a II would leave you stranded. For example, the backup camera, navigation, and 3 door sks. If they all fail, you can still drive the car.

However, if all you can afford are the car payments for 60 months. Respectfully, I don't think you can afford the car. Yes, the Prius statistically is more reliable than most cars and will likely cost less to maintain and repair than your previous cars. While rare, Prius repairs tends to be on the expensive side. What will you do if you have an issue?

 

Absolutely right, thanks for your "respectful" question., This is precisely why I wanted to include an extended warranty in the purchase.
When I did the calculations on affordability, I found that, combining the savings on fuel costs over my previous cars (using epa.gov comparison of vehicles personalized for my driving and fuel costs), which totalled $1200/yr, and my average repair expenses which totalled average $1500/yr, I was pretty much up to the payments on a used prius. Also, I just can't square my life as an environmental activist and farmer (my other vehicle is a 21 yr old Dodge Ram 3/4 ton diesel pickup for heavy hauling), with driving anything less than the most environmentally friendly car I can afford.
And if I can't afford a repair, I can always ride my Honda Helix scooter in a pinch, or the truck in winter.

 

We probably have more computing power in your smart phone than they had possible for the early space missions, so I wouldn't worry too much about that dramatic sounding comparison. It's more a testament to what they were able to accomplish with the relatively primitive tools at their disposal during the Apollo Space Program years than an indictment of Prius electronics.

Sure as a Hybrid, The Prius driving experience is highly computer controlled. The Prius has plenty of electronics making it work.

But really? All modern cars have quite a bit of electronic and computer interfaced systems. Throttle controls, fuel injection systems. All sophisticated entertainment systems. All modern cars are pretty complicated now.

So really? Although I concede that The Prius is no basic "Model T". I wouldn't NOT purchase one based on the amount of electronics the vehicle employs. I think the major systems have been pretty well vetted over the years, and with few exceptions the feedback is that they are pretty reliable at least in concert with the average lifespan of the entire vehicle.

That being said, I kind of miss my old 1992 Nissan Pick-Up....which was very close to being a "Model-T"...by todays standards it was a very unsafe vehicle. No airbags, bench seats. But as far as operation goes, it was basically motor, transmission, suspension and go.

But those days are gone. Nothing mainstream commercially sold is built that basically anymore.

 

Yeah, I miss my "83 Nissan pickup too. And it got 30mpg throughout the 10 years I owned it.

 

I was young, and the Nissan Pick Up was the first "New" vehicle I could afford. So I remember it fondly. Bought it new for less than $7000.

And while really being pretty unsafe by todays standard. (horrible crash test, and no airbags). They were extremely reliable, because they were very simple machines. The fuel injection on mine was the most complicated aspect of the whole machine. Nothing else much added. So you basically either had no problem...or a pretty serious problem.

I wish they still made a cheap, basic, stripped down small pick-up today.

 

The electronics are lot more reliable than the old mechanical systems.

I recall replacing and resetting ignition "points" on my 1969 Ford every 2k-3k miles and, with leaded gas, spark plugs had to be cleaned or replaced every 1,500 miles.

The HEI electronic ignition on my 1977 Chevy lasted 10 years, when I had to replace the module at 225k miles. That was the only electronic component that I had to replace in 12 years.

My 1987 Mitsubishi with an electronic ignition needed no electronic component replacement in 8 years and 220k miles. The mechanical sender unit did fail at 170k, though.

I just replaced the distributor on my 1998 Mazda last year. The ignition "module" is built in.

On the whole, mechanical parts fail generally long before electronic parts do. Usually, it's due to long term heat degradation.

 

Hey, maybe we should take a ride down to Mexico to find one!

 

True.
There is a sweet spot.
My 1992 Nissan had electronic fuel injection. And probably a few other "electronic" things going on I didn't even know about. I think it had some type of power assisted steering.

In any case, the pendulum is not going to swing backwards.

The days of replacing and resetting ignition points are gone. Replaced by young kids "lowering" their vehicles just inches from the pavement. If you can't mess with the engine? Then you can tweak the suspension.

Maybe we should go back to letting the owner have more input as to what they can do with their engine?

 

Definitely yes.
My first car was a new Toyota Corolla in '73. I did all the tuneups, points, plugs, condenser, the whole ten years I had it. And didn't do it more than every 10,000 mi. Loved the rack and pinion steering. Only left Toyota when a dealer didn't tell me about the recall on the broken air tubes through the manifold and tried to charge me over $500 to fix it back in the '70s. That was a lot then, I only paid $1900. for it new in Hollywood, CA. That's when Toyota lost me as a lifetime customer.
As for reliability...
I have an International Tractor from the early '50s. Everything is mechanical and electrical. I can rip apart the carburetor, take anything off the engine and clean and replace it, and I can count on it to start and to work, year round. Only just replaced the points and condenser after 30 years. I wouldn't trade it for a new one anyhow!

 

I d to rebuild a few Honda Civic carburetors the early 1980's in California. There were literally "miles" of electromechanical sensors, wires and tubing under the hood.

Get one thing wrong, leaking, disconnected or incorrectly adjusted and you're literally screwed.

 

Our first Civic had manual choke, at least you had some control. Our next was an Accord, carbureted with "automatic" choke. I was driving daily, would start up in the morning, make it out of our neighbourhood to a particular traffic light, come to a stop, and the automatic choke would come off the last step, and stall the car, with remarkable regularity.