Like many other folks dismissing the floor mats, you speak as if there can be one and only one problem. There is no reason why there cannot be multiple problems. As investigators try to figure out these problems, which ones are likely to be solved first? The ones that are repeats of common past problems on other makes and models: driver errors, floor mats, and sticking pedal mechanisms. It should be no surprise that any new problems unique to Toyota or to Prius take more data and more time to identify. I think some people are getting upset that Toyota didn't wait until all possible problems are identified, and roll out the entire recall and repair campaign as a single event. I don't agree.
Going on a trip to Florida this coming month and mentioned that same thing to a friend in an email... "Officer, the accelerator stuck and I couldn't slow it down!" He emailed back, that just in case, I should have a box of Dunkin Donuts aboard. Good advice. Toyota has not handled this little set of problems very well. I came on this site tonight to see if I could clarify whether or not my 05 Prius is being recalled. Our local news paper ran a long article about the sticking pedal problem and a list of 2010 cars that were on the recall list. No 2010 Prius on the list. But not one word about about any other year. What about the second gen Prius. Do we expect a recall because lose floormats get under the accelerator pedal making it stick? My floormats are firmly anchored to the hooks and I check them after cleaning and I even check the condition of the hooks as well. I have receive no mail or email from Toyota. Instead, I continue to soak in a lot of confusing information from all sorts of media. Somewhere along this process, Toyota dropped a ball. I still like my Prius. What ever the problem, the engineers at Toyota didn't design these pieces to be flawed or to fail. Morton Thiokol didn't want to kill astronauts. From what I've heard today, Toyota apparently found a fairly simple fix for the pedal mechanism problem. But I'm still not sure if the '05 Prius is being recalled for any reason. Not a good situation.
I just traded in my 02 for a 07 prius. The recall is for the cars built in North America. Prius are not built here. I think the media has gone way over board. Did you ever hear about Ford's cruise control that was recalled. It causes a fire under the hood. I know about this because I drive one at work. I think it is funny that the media is trying to make a foreign company look bad so that we buy US cars. Well if we could build a car that can perform like the Prius, I would have bought one. It is really funny that the Toyota's that are built here are the ones that are not built correctly. This recall make me a stronger supporter of Toyota. They are willing to stand by there product and correct the problem. I am looking forward to driving my 2007 prius for many years to come.
I've had over 20 new vehicle in my lifetime and so far the only ones that haven't had at least 1 recall are an '07 Honda CR-V, an '07 Scion xA, and our current '10 Prius. Even our '04 Explorer had a 2 or 3 recalls and they had been making those for 13 years and still didn't have them right. That POS cost me a bundle when I traded it in. Yes you need to be comfortable with whatever you buy. If you're going to scared to drive it I'd buy something else.
Agreed. And to just seal your point today Honda recalled 640,000 cars with (not verbatim so bear with me) possible leaky doors allowing water to get into electronics and starting fire. Sh*t happens. Thats why I have a job repairing electronics for a living.
Good Luck on your trip down! My wifes from Portland. Just so you know the cops are on a warpath with radar on 75 especially around the Tampa area if your coming this way. Alot of very bad tractor trailer speeeding wrecks lately. Install some fresh transaxle fluid some Mobil One 10-30 and don't run your tires to inflated and you'll be fine.
That's about what I paid in the Seattle area a few months ago before the recent price increase. I would think Toyota dealers would be willing to deal given that Priuses are just about the only car they can sell.
Go to www.aaa.com to get up to 3 price quotes. The V is being offered below invoice in my area. Prius floor mats are accessories & cost extra. They are carpeted mats that clip to the floor. They are a bit of a PITA to remove so I'll say they CAN'T jam the brake or gas pedals. The parts company that makes the "faulty pedal" says Toyota accounts for 3% of their sales. Do you believe the other 97% of their production is fault free? Who do you suspect buys the balance of their production. IMO the 2010 Prius is the 2nd best car in production. Do your research & buy whatever makes you happy.
Thanks for the tips, and yes TPA will be the first stop, my wife's from Tampa! I'll keep the speed at legal limits. Will also attempt stay away from the big rigs. They use to be the safe drivers on the highway, and now they are under such pressure to get to their destinations that they take crazy chances. Add to that, the overall erosion of common sense and courtesy behind the wheel. I try to keep my distance as well as I can.
They make the part to Toyota's spec, so if there is a fault in it it's Toyota's. Presumably the same applies to the rest of their production for other manufacturers.
Seconded. My 2009 Prius is my sixth car. Over my lifetime I've driven over 2 million miles. My wife and I constantly negotiate over who gets to drive it (and the other car is a Celica Convertible, and we're in sunny California) I have never been so happy with a car and this is my THIRD Toyota. My Aunt and her children are all Toyota drivers (some for over 30 years), and they all have moved en masse to the Prius. We have 4 of 'em in the family now. So, the upshot is this. Be comfortable with your purchase, but I cannot recommend the Prius more highly.
Well, if it's the floormats, I can handle that. If it's the gas pedal, I can handle that too. Just remember that, like a Mac or PC, if you need it to shut down just hold down the power button for 3-5 seconds and the motor will kill and you can coast to a stop.
Dealer wanted to do the recall to our 2007 Prius. Said they wanted to shorten the gas pedal by an inch or two. I said why?? You can clearly see there is no issue with the floor mat. Dealer said this wasn't a decision that Toyota made, but an independent panel of "experts." I said no thank you, and took the car home. :rockon:
