“Grille Shutter Inoperative, Please See Dealer”

I've seen it mentioned a time or two. Possibly it's just a rock or something that got kicked up by the vehicle in front of you and managed to get wedged in the grill, preventing them from closing. A loose connection is also possible.

 

Yeah wouldn't hurt to just have a look.

 

Betcha they find something else wrong with the car.....

 

All cars have something wrong with them if you look closely enough.

 

This is insane! It's as if you bought your car from a criminal organization! You took your car to a Dealer, a large company authorized by the manufacturer to have the right to sell, and service, their products - authorized to represent them to those interested in buying and operating their products. Yet this Dealer tried to steal from you, either intentionally or through ignorance. Any reasonable person would believe that the Dealer, the official authorized representative of the manufacturer, would know more about what is covered than any other person.

In a rational world no manufacturer would tolerate their ultimate customers being treated in this manner by their authorized representatives. No manufacturer makes a car so good that customers are willing to be stolen from by that manufacturer's representatives.

I would really like to hear from those who have had outstandingly good service/treatment from other car manufacturer's dealers. This will perhaps help to shine a light on Toyota and make them aware that competition still exists, and if your representatives steal or attempt to steal from customers it is going to reflect directly on Toyota and negatively influence anyone considering buying a Toyota.

 

See also the previous thread about this bulletin, which includes (at the end) a link to a copy.

 

The Toyota dealer two miles from my house is where I go on those rare occasions when I need a pro. They have occasionally offered a service I wasn't interested in but never ever tried to talk me into something once I declined. On the other hand, they have twice spent considerable unbilled time trying to save me money by chasing down a correct diagnosis rather than throwing my money into a guessing game of parts replacement. They gave me a better price on new tires than the discount stores.

 

Now this is a Toyota dealer which should be named an applauded. Perhaps by specifically identifying the good and the bad dealers, the demise of the bad dealers will be hastened. And the good dealers will prosper, as a direct result of their superior treatment of customers. Count yourself very fortunate that you have access to an honest dealer. Congratulations on the experiences you recounted.

 

The tone of the service department can change with the personnel: a nearby Honda dealership had ONE great service manager. I can recall a few times we were in with issues, that he came out to the waiting room, explained what the problem was, outlined the options, their pros-and-cons.

Sadly he wasn't there long. Last I heard he was teaching a mechanics course at a local trade college.

 

Thanks for that TSB, will have to store it in case my wife's 2017 Prius ever sees the issue.

As a DIYer who rarely uses the dealer, I worry about not being aware of any new TSB's on our Toyota's. I'm going to buy a short subscription to techinfo.toyota.com (TIS) occasionally and look up all of our Toyota's for info (recalls, TSB's, repair items I'm planning, etc.)

 

Is someone having the same problem in new model ?

 

I just had this happen to my 2018 Prius Prime. Fixed for $236 by ordering the OEM actuator. Installed easily by removing the front bumper cover and unplugging the malfunctioning actuator. The shutter subassembly was in good shape, just needed new actuator. 88940-47030 88940-47031 . You will need a 10mm socket and flat blade screwdriver to pop out the plastic fasteners. Once you are done you need to drive the car to initialize the new actuator.

 

Nicely done! But from that picture, it looks like it ought to cost about $10.

 

Ah, using the same eccentric cycloid arrangement they used in the park actuator. Should give them a fair bit of torque.

Any sign of what went wrong with the old one?

 

Suggested retail is $336 USD:


2020 Toyota Prius Prime Actuator assembly, swing grille. Air, guide, body - 8894047031 - Genuine Toyota Part

This is getting outa hand, lol.

 

One of a stealerships favorite scenarios. They say you're not covered, you pay for it, then submit it to the manufacturer anyway. No one's the wiser
chi ching
.

 

Unfortunately, no. I did have part of a squished beer can stuck in the shutter assembly. Clearing the debris didn’t clear the code, so I replaced the actuator because the shutters moved normally. The unit is sealed, so there’s no repairing it. There was a permanent magnet around the shaft and it was snapped in half.

 

Hi
Unfortunately, I have had the message on my dashboard for the past few months. Grille Shutter is Inoperative, Please See the Dealer.
I live in NEW JERSEY can Toyota help me with the recall?
If not how hard is it to remove the front bumper and replace the active Grill shutter?