I have a 2010 Hybrid Prius. On two separate occasions, I have gotten into my car only to find first one map light cover, and then the second just broken and lying on the seat. My car is under warranty and they are fixing without any problem, but has this happened to anyone else? I am feeling a little weird about it. Thanks for the help in advance.
Wow! that is weird. I'll take a wild guess. Maybe they had a bad batch of plastic and they were already cracked in a way it didn't show, when the temperature changed in the parked car they cracked clear through and fell out. Either that or you have been sleep walking and went out and broke them with a hammer. Glad they are fixing them and didn't try to blame you for it anyway.
Wow that is strange, the only thing I can see breaking on them are the tabs when trying to remove them to replace the bulbs inside with something like LED bulbs. Glad they are replacing them for free seeing as how each one can cost somewhere near $18-$20.
Never heard of that happening (sure there isn't mice or other rodents that got in? They can climb through the vents if they're small enough). There are 4 clips IIRC and you need a flatblade screwdriver to take them out.
Speaking of mice, we have been having this unplesant smell in the car recently so looking around inside I found mouse droppings! Took everything apart, discovering droppings and urine in the lower glove compartment. Even found a nest of chewed up insulation in the lower engine compartment. Set a mouse trap and caught a nice fat one! Now the question is how to get that smell out of the car? Living in rural NE Oregon comes w/ pack rats, etc. so may resort to leaving the hood open to lessen cozy dark places to hide/nest. By the way, how would a mouse get up to the map lights?
For the smell... "Click & Clack" recommend an open bag of ground coffee. Could help absorb the smell.
Obviously I've cleaned up any messes found but there may be hidden mouse stuff on or around engine. Can one steam clean the 2010 Prius engine? Will give the coffee idea a go as we head off on a 3,000 + vacation. Thanks!
There were a lot of posts regarding mouse problems when the GII came out. The problem becomes severe when they start eating wiring harness for nesting materials. One of the posts showed a method for mouse proofing a Prius. A search on mouse or mice will show 3 pages of threads on the subject including how to get rid of the smell. PriusChat Forums - Search Results
Just wanted to let you know that in the year and a half that I have had my 2010 Prius, the map light covers have broken twice--first the left one and now the right one. The first time, like you, I opened the door to find the cover lying on the floor. Today the right one broke when I pressed it to turn it on. If you look at the cover, you can see it is held on by two very small plastic hinges, really just flimsy extensions of the cover. You were lucky that your dealership replaced them for free. Mine not only charged me, they made me make two 15-mile trips--once to order and once to pick up. I have a feeling this will be an ongoing problem. Toyota does not sell the covers online. Does anyone know who does?
:welcome: Greetings to both you and the OP. Sorry 'bout the map light covers! I haven't heard of this being a common problem----and I haven't detected it in my '10. If your car is still under warranty, and they charged you for the repair, then I'd send Toyotya some 'nasty-grams' about it. Toyota Customer Service (1-800-331-4331) If your car is not under warranty---I'd call them anyway and tell them that a $25-30K car should not have self-ejecting map light covers. It couldn't hurt!
I agree that they probably should have been repaired under warranty, but you should be able to get them from parts.com. I don't have much experience with them... I've placed two orders with them recently, but the parts are still being shipped to me. I've seen good reviews online, though. It's much easier to order from them if you have the toyota part number as I've found searching on keyword to be pretty much useless. If you can't find the part number then your best bet is to manually go through the parts catalog, but it can be difficult to figure out what catagory the parts would be in.
Yes, it happened to me too, both map light covers fell down while pushing them on. I am calling dealer today and we'll see what they say. I think the tabs holding them on are too weak to withstand normal use. In fact, I really haven't used them that much. My Prius is 15 months old...
My right map light cover broke from the impact of chunks of snow falling on the roof. One side of the molded C clip broke. It seems to be a fairly week design. Anyone have the part number? EDIT: parts.com has them as 8126547060 then select right or left for about $6.
Mine broke when I was replacing with LEDs. Thanks for the part number gearguy! I wonder if one can fix the broken c tab?
When the mice find they can get their Java fix without leaving your Prius, you may never get them out.
Actually had no smell at all. The car had ~7k miles on it and was garage kept. I found it when I was at a Rallycross event and was looking in my engine bay with a flashlight.
