2010 Prius V w/ ATP - Gen 3 Radio Nav GPS Screen went Black - Inoperable - Defect - Please Help!

[FONT=&quot]I am completely devastated right now. I've contacted Toyota corporate about my issue but I'm not sure what they are going to do to help me. At first it sounded like they were going to take care of my issue 100% but it's been two weeks since this problem started and I am not very hopeful at all anymore. I feel like throwing up.

I purchased a 2010 Prius V w/ ATP package last year. I drive quite a bit for work and have LOVED my Prius. This was my first "fancy" car purchase so I went with all the bells and whistles. I went with Toyota because of the stellar reputation. I have raved about it to friends/family which have resulted in at least two purchases of the same vehicle. I have become the quintessential Prius "fanboy".

Lo and behold - at approximately 36.5K miles my radio/nav screen goes black and is completely inoperable. This happened once before about 10k miles ago but the screen came back on during the next start up - it was a hot day so I assumed it just a temporary glitch and forgot about it --- this current malfunction has not been a temporary glitch. At one point last week it looked like the screen flashed for a second upon start up but this resulted in nothing more than momentary trepidation and excitement before the screen went black and would not function.

At my last oil change (27k miles) I brought up the previous blackout and an intermittent "weird sound" issue that was coming from the unit. It was not making the sound at that time and after I tried to mimic it to the tech, he said the sound was actually coming from behind the radio unit - had something to do with coolant/water exchange and the hybrid battery system and was normal and nothing to worry about -- no explanation for the blackout. He did NOT note my service file regarding this concern.

So last week I bring it into the dealership with this current issue and at first they were all set to help me. I have taken my vehicle to this particular dealership for all service (oil changes, etc.) and they have been nothing but courteous and helpful every time. The people there were always awesome!

However --- it was a different story this time. After the rep I was speaking with realized I was about 900 miles out of warranty (at the time) the rep shut down and treated me like I was the enemy -- the service clipboard went away and she was completely rude. She said they would not have time for me that day, that it would take at least half the day for them to look at and "diagnose" my vehicle, and that I would be responsible for 100% the cost of the replacement part and installation - on top of the hourly rate for the diagnosis. She didn't even note my service file that I came in to report the problem and when I asked if I could make an appointment she flippantly just scribbled a date/time on scratch paper rather than noting it in the computer. First of all - I explained that I checked the fuses myself and the radio buttons light up/power on and you can hear the nav dvd spin on start up so I could not comprehend how a "diagnosis" of a faulty manufacturer part would take half the day for a tech to diagnosis. I felt like they viewed me as a sucker with a blank check.

But that is besides the point. She would not even price me out the cost of replacing the unit at that time! I went to another dealership and they looked at the vehicle, determined the radio was inoperable and provided me with a repair order invoice of ----- get this ------ approximately 2,700.00 dollars!!!!

A manufacturer part has a defect and becomes inoperable after less than two years of ordinary use and now I am being told that I am responsible for this astronomical and absurd cost to replace??? I looked into comparable aftermarket units (with more features) and the replacement cost is at least 60% less! But I want my Prius the way it came - I hate putting aftermarket parts in my vehicle because I feel they are inferior to the factory parts.

I cannot in any way afford this fix --- in fact, I'll probably be laid off next month (but that is besides the point too). I want my Prius the way it is supposed to be. I came to Toyota because I thought it was a reliable, dependable car company. And my Prius has been wonderful up to this point, it is in perfect condition and has been treated like my baby --- I have loved every minute up to this point. Now - even sitting in my car makes me feel sick. I drive upwards of 3-4k miles a month for work so needless to say, I have been going absolutely crazy without my radio or navigation, let alone the back up camera, parking assist, Bluetooth safety features and everything else the unit provides.

Now - I know that all hope is not lost because Toyota Corporate is looking into this issue for me - but it's been two weeks and I have barely received any contact or communication. I am not very hopeful at this point so I did looking around online, found your forum and thought I would share my story. I am completely devastated by this experience.

Should Toyota not come through for me I will be swearing off the Toyota and Lexus brands forever and definitely be relaying this experience far and wide --- which is a shame because I really wanted to buy the GS hybrid for my next vehicle. But if they manufacturer vehicles to have absurdly high value electronic parts stop working at literally a couple hundred miles after the expiration of warranties (a friend joked that it was preprogrammed to fail unless the extended warranty was purchased) --- then I am suppose I just made a 30 thousand dollar mistake in purchasing this Toyota. What's ironic is that 500 miles could have been a daily commute for me ---- the thing could have stopped working at less than 36k miles and I might not have even realized it until afterward. Some days I just turn the unit off and focus on my drive because I have company, I have to dictate things into my recorder, etc.

Get this too --- the rude rep made a snide remark about it being my mistake for not purchasing the extended warranty. I didn't even know that option was available to me. But the dealership did happen to send me a friendly reminder about this option --- today, in the mail, two weeks after it's too late =(

Oh --- at the day I did realized the 2.7k dollar problem --- it was my birthday. Worst birthday present I ever received.

What do I do???? I know I should just remain calm and wait until Toyota Corporate makes a decision about whether they will cover me --- but I have been unable to sleep because of this issue the past two weeks, I feel sick, and I have no idea what I am going to do if Toyota does not come through for me.

Thoughts?[/FONT]

 

I would like to think Toyota is going to cover me here as well. My concern is that (1) they didn't get to see the until 37.1K miles due to me not being able to take it in until after the weekend and work on the following Monday, and (2) the service rep during the 27k oil change did not note my concern about issues with the unit (at least that's what I am now told).

What is unfortunate is that I just found out the 2.7K service order invoice cost is based on a REFURBISHED unit and for a new unit it would be about double the cost. So hopefully the junkyards won't base the cost of pulling the part on the quoted MSRP of the new unit - because then it wouldn't really make sense to do that because going with the dealer refurbished would be a wash.

Regardless, even half of the 2.7K is completely ridiculous and unconscionable for what this device actually does. You can buy a top of the line consumer supercomputer for that amount of money. And for this part to fail after less than 2 years, show signs of failure within the warranty period, and arguably and potentially completely fail within the period - I would pray Toyota does the right thing and covers me here. Obviously, if they don't cover me --- well, I don't think I will ever stop talking about the horrible experience with this product to anyone and everyone that will listen.

So --- fingers crossed, praying Toyota comes through. Never ever ever buying a Toyota/Lexus again for the rest of my life. That's a promise I made to myself after my high school Ford Escort debacle - and I am still bitter and upset about the issues with that damn Ford. But that's a story for a different forum.

 

I have never had great experiences with service writers across the board, that is until I bought my Prius and took it to my local dealership -- everyone there was always so friendly and helpful, which is why this latest run-in really shocked me.

I don't remember the person's name, and besides, I wouldn't want to get them in trouble. Maybe they were just having a bad day and I would hate to think my complaint caused them any job stability issues.

And I am not giving up on Toyota until a final decision is made. If they take care of me then they will receive my accolades. I just wish things would speed along a bit as this issue has caused me many hours of grief as is. But if they don't take care of this then I don't think I'll stop until no one I know ever buys a Toyota again. I believe this issue is arguably an in warranty issue, which is why I am shocked that there has been push back and delay.

Would another manufacturer cover a similar issue? I don't know. But if I get no assistance --- well, I'd rather try my luck anywhere else than stick with a vehicle manufacturer that has proved itself as making defective products and then not standing behind them. Again, I still have a small amount of hope that this will all get taken care of and all this stress is for naught. I just can't deal with the delay and the thought that I will be without all of the tech features that drew me to purchase the car in the first place. It will probably be months until I could think about making the purchase to replace this unit. Definitely devastated about this whole situation.

I will provide follow up ASAP and let you guys know what happens once I hear back from corporate.