2016 Prius four Coolant leak ruined engine

Thanks for the response.
We haven't heard any loud noises while it is stopping
we haven't noticed any difference in smoke

I did spoke to technician who did CEL scan. (Richardson, TX Toyota Dealer)
1. He has no explanation/convincing theory on disappearing/evaporating coolant, I could see level is dropping even after engine turned off (with coolant lid open- not sure if that is possible reason)
2. When I asked about coolant leak to Exhaust (as we don't see coolant on the floor at all). He said Exhaust pipe is not at all related to coolant system - which is big surprise to me. just looking at T-SB-0135-19 someone who doesn't know anything about cars can clearly tell they are connected.
3. He is saying coolant / something is leaking into engine.
4. He is also saying Engine Temperature is higher than what it is supposed to be (222 I guess- they did not put any of these things in service record except saying Engine is overheating). When I asked failed water pump might be cause of this overheat, his theory is it is failing even before sending signal to water pump.

Technician denying Exhaust pipe replace is anyway related to the current issue

I am not really sure his (Richardson, TX Technician) diagnosis is correct, main problem is they don't put the findings in the report they just explain verbally.

Toyota of USA said they will get report from both Richardson TX dealer and Irving , TX dealer in 2 days. As Service records really do not have any info.

I already open complaint with NHTSA as sudden stopping of Engine at 70 mph on highway is definitely safety issue (especially a car with 51K miles doing ).

If anyone has worked with attorneys dealing with Auto Manufacturers, please share the contact.
I will fight with all possible ways.
Just not for the money -
1. Inefficient dealership services
2. Improper training provided by manufacturer to their dealers
3. safety failure of the car.

My understanding is if there is no coolant, engine will just stop, and as soon as you fill it will start running.
I have faced this issue when I was using rental car (probably Ford Van).
Why the computer/chip did not stop the car before it ruined the Engine ?

 

What the h***? How come there's no temperature sensor to go off when the d*** engine overheats that's negligence

 

if it gets hot enough, you'll get a light

 

Yes there is a temperature warning light. In fact there are many warning lights. Most owners may see the low tire pressure at some point, but not the rest. The question is do we know what they mean and what to do? Usually the answer is no.



Deep in the manual

 

Yes! We changed a whole lot of front pipes at the dealer where i work. The telltales are white smoke coming from exhaust in low temperatures, sweet smell coming from exhaust, heater output is lower then usual, low coolant level. If you disconnect front pipe from the exhaust and coolant puddles from it, the exchanger is cracked and you need a front pipe. You could alst bypass it but i don't know if the ECU wont go crazy as there are like 4 or 5 coolant temperatures sensors on that car....

 

had the same problem with my 2016. the fing stupid little and i mean little red thermometer light is as far right as you can get on the dash right in front of the passenger!!! something important like that should come up like the coffee cup alarm when you haven't stopped for 4 hours or if you're driving on a twisty road and you're going over the center line multiple times. instead, it's that puny light where you cannot see it. took it to a shop and the mechanic said blown head gasket 5500.00 so off it went to the dealership where they said bad water pump because it over revved 3500.00. i said where did the water go for it to spin to fast then they found the exhaust leak now its 1400.00 i called toyota usa and explained that at 68k it was still under warranty because it is emission related and they finally charged me 400.00

 

Recently, my 2016 Prius wouldn’t get up to speed entering on the freeway. It stayed at 45 regardless of how much pressure was put on the pedal. On the way back home, the temperature light flashed once and then flashed again 10 seconds later. My husband researched it and probably found it in one of these forums that if it may be low coolant. Sure enough, the coolant was low. There were no indications of low coolant? We had no leaks in our driveway. The Prius never showed a temperature light until now. He couldn’t find the leak at all. He thinks it’s leaking into the system and burning off which is concerning. We are going to have a mechanic check it out. I don’t think the engine is ruined yet. Hopefully not.

Once the mechanic confirms the issue then I too will submit a complaint with NTHSA.

EDIT: I just filed a complaint anyways ahead of time.

Unfortunately I am at 157K miles and I bought the vehicle used from Toyota (because they supposedly did not have any Prius on the lot.)

 

Also wanted to mention, apparently it’s not the first recall by Toyota for coolant leaking into engine.

 

Coolant leaks into the exhaust through a heat exchanger and is burned off. Requires a hose bypass or a new catalytic converter if in a strict emissions state.

It it fixed quick and your engine will likely be ok. Don’t keep driving it.

If you just bought this take it back as they may have known it had the problem and were selling it because it’s just past the special 150,000 warranty.

 

Toyota denies there is anything like this. (my dealership in NC that is)