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Prius TSB flash Gone Awry

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by nikkiusaf, Dec 6, 2005.

  1. nikkiusaf

    nikkiusaf New Member

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    I took my 2004 Prius in in response to the letter I got about the latest Prius recall for a tsb flash. I have a portable XM radio thing plugged in to the aux power outlet (but not hardwired).

    Apparently, doing a TSB while there is anything drawing power will "FRY THE ECU." This is what the lady at the service center told me, and she said it will take over a week to get a new ECU in. I realize there are several ECU's, I wonder which one got "fried"... Does this sound right to any of you? Or did they do something wrong elsewhere?

    The technician said he could not figure out how to shut off the XM unit, and he thought it was hardwired into the car, which it very obviously isn't due to all the wires going everywhere, so he apparently did no more than two seconds of investigating before going right on ahead with the TSB. And now my car is laid up for a week. I would have appreciated a warning such as "Please unplug anything that draws aux power before bringing in the car for the TSB," or a phone call, "How do you shut this XM radio off?"

    Anyway I wanted to let folks know that this happened; the TSB flash is no simple, harmless task, apparently.
     
    #1 nikkiusaf, Dec 6, 2005
  2. NuShrike

    NuShrike Active Member

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    It could have been fried because they used the wrong scantool software. It has happened before, and then it would their own fault, so no fair blaming you for it.
     
    #2 NuShrike, Dec 6, 2005
  3. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    There was also an issue on placing a charger on the Auxiliary battery on much earlier posts. Unplugging anything that would have a current draw would affect that.
     
    #3 hdrygas, Dec 6, 2005
  4. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I think the problem has a lot more to do with the likely problem that they didn't hook the 12v battery on the auxillary charger while doing the flash than any tiny drain the XM would put on. If the battery were on the charger having several items plugged in shouldn't have been a problem.
     
    #4 efusco, Dec 6, 2005
  5. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    When I had mine done last week, they were pretty adament about doing it "right" since they had heard that one false move could fry things.

    Too bad it's so sensitive - what ever happened to wrong buttons not causing any problems ;-)

    Alas mine made it unscathed. The tech said "Don't worry, it went fine." Honestly, I think they were were more worried about it than I was!
     
    #5 HTMLSpinnr, Dec 6, 2005
  6. nikkiusaf

    nikkiusaf New Member

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    So did they just drain the battery or did something actually get ruined? I just don't get how a battery thing could have roasted computer components....
     
    #6 nikkiusaf, Dec 7, 2005
  7. tomdeimos

    tomdeimos New Member

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    As I reported on another thread I had to take mine back again. They said my can vue prevented "sleep Mode" so they wouldn't attempt a code update till I got it disconnected.

    Then on my return with it out everything went smoothly.

    So they coudl be right about the xm especially if it ever sends messages on the IE bus.

    Maybe if enough people fry their computers toyota will release a full interface spec for the car and explain the messages, and what can make a device sleep, or when it needs to be disconnected if it can't!

    Then our can vue's could show everything!

    I think Toyota really thought everyone would be so afraid of the car we wouldn't add anything to it! They really must get over this if they want the hybrids to go mainstream! I never owned a car I didn't add something to! I'd be happy to have Toyota publish more and tell us all how to do it right.
     
    #7 tomdeimos, Dec 7, 2005
  8. keydiver

    keydiver New Member

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    Exactly! Don't let them make YOU feel guilty because YOU left the XM plugged in. Its VERY clear in their TSB instructions that a charger/auxiliary battery is to be paralleled across the 12 volt battery while they are doing the reflash. It is their incompetance that screwed up your ECU.
     
    #8 keydiver, Dec 7, 2005
  9. nikkiusaf

    nikkiusaf New Member

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    Well, I got another phone call from the dealer. They just now, 10 days later, realized they ruined not just one but three of the ECUs and I'll be in my heinous little loaner car for a long, long time.

    Now I am nervous that my car will never be the same, and that this is the beginning of a long list of problems that will never end. Cars are never the same after something like this happens. What are my rights if the car is really ruined? I know there's lemon laws, but what to do in the case of mechanic negligence isn't addressed.

    Has anyone had multiple ECUs replaced?
     
    #9 nikkiusaf, Dec 14, 2005
  10. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    That is very odd. I wouldn't worry about the car 'never being the same'...it's not like this'll affect anything other than the affected ECUs, but this is the first I've heard of them screwing up more than one ECU at a time....how in the world did they manage that!?
     
    #10 efusco, Dec 14, 2005
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Wow, and I thought I had it bad. They fried my ECU and I have to wait for 4 days (from Monday).

    I'm more worried about my HV battery.
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Dec 14, 2005
  12. nikkiusaf

    nikkiusaf New Member

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    I received another call: the computers are backordered until....

    FEBRUARY


    :angry:

    I hate my loaner car; the added gas cost is hurting my wallet big time, and all they will do is put me in a Corolla or Camry. It turns out that this dealer also sells VWs and BMWs and Scions...For all the inconvenience I was thinking i could ask them for a loaner Passat or something? No?

    Do I have any options at all or do I just have to shut up and take this stupidity????
     
    #12 nikkiusaf, Dec 21, 2005
  13. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    unfortunately there are still about 100 ECUs on backorder nationwide... there are others waiting just like you :( the problem is sheer lack of product. they barely have enough to keep production going and this was such an unexpected thing that it caused huge problems on toyota's end.

    i'm not defending the way this is organized, but sharing why it's taking so long. i'd be pissed off too if it was my car that was taken away from me.

    i'd ask for some kind of compensation for the extra gas money you're spending.
     
    #13 galaxee, Dec 21, 2005
  14. nikkiusaf

    nikkiusaf New Member

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    Yes, I went over to PriusOnline.com and under the Q and A section there's a big long thread about exactly what went wrong and why. It has to do with software versions; I guess they started out with a bum version of the tsb flash software which put around 1000 Prius out of commission? It stinks that I hadn't heard about this happening beforehand.

    I'm just upset with the way the loaner car office is treating this situation!
     
    #14 nikkiusaf, Dec 21, 2005
  15. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Not to be boastful, but I commented back in Oct. when this SSC was announced that I'd be waiting a few months specifically b/c of the spate of fried ECUs that occured with the previous firmware updated.

    I'm still waiting on this one and, knowing there's a wait until Feb. for replacement ECUs, will probably wait until Spring to have mine done...if I ever do get it done.
     
    #15 efusco, Dec 21, 2005
  16. nikkiusaf

    nikkiusaf New Member

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    Ha! That's what I did...waited. I got the recall in Oct, didn't really see anything on the boards about it, my car was fine the whole time, then finally went in on Dec 1. I guess this backordering and disaster is happening to a lot of us at the same time.
     
    #16 nikkiusaf, Dec 21, 2005
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