Getting the waterpump and steering column recall work done. Should I get anything else done?

Sky.dive. Everyone that drives any vehicle on the road has a responsibility to other road users and there own passengers to insure the vehicle they are driving is as safe as it can be. Not having the coolant pump replaced does not guarantee that the car will not stop in the middle of the freeway nor does having the steering shaft checked guarantee against steering failure, but it does help to eliminate those possibilities. If your tyres are worn do you use the same criteria, they have not blown out yet so they must be alright.

John (Britprius).

 

Toyota does not place recalls on their vehicles unless they consider it to be a safety issue. To ignore the recall because you think it is "not broke" risks not only your life and those who might ride along with you, but those other's around you on the highway.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the Prius and putting lots of miles on it. However if you are going to do that while risking the safety of you, your passengers, and those around you then there is something wrong.

Ron

 

You'd be incorrect on the bolded part. See Recalls Documents | Safercar.gov | NHTSA that I posted at Toyota Recalls Certain 2004-2009 Prius models for Steering, Pump Defects | Page 3 | PriusChat.

Regarding the inverter pump, see Recalls Documents | Safercar.gov | NHTSA.

 

There have been 9 reported failures in Europe but no accidents. I presume the failures happened at low speed probably on full lock when the steering is under full load, but shows the importance of getting it checked out.

 

I just had my inverter pump replaced as part of the recall. In the process of doing so, they noticed that the drive belt had cracks and suggested that it be replaced. Is the drive belt the same as the serpentine belt? When they replaced both the drive belt and the inverter pump, I was charged labor of $119 to replace the belt. Should I dispute this charge?

Also, I thought all of the inverter coolant would be replaced as part of the recall, but they said they would only top it off after installing the new pump. Are they obligated by the recall to replace all of the coolant?

 

You can try disputing it, and, maybe, just maybe, they might concede something. But, I doubt it.

In my experience, they will charge you for the complete job, even though they did not have to do a complete job ( -- ie -- the belt was already off because you were changing XXXX).

My father has ranted about this many times. There are a few shops, in a few instances that will not charge you, but, again, in my experience, it's not typical.

 

I guess they can only say "no" if I ask. However, I just wanted to verify before I do that this belt would be removed and replaced anyway as part of the replacement of the inverter pump. I probably won't get anywhere with them, but who knows?!

 

Go for it. They can only say no... seems to be my husband's philopsophy with me.

 

The drive belt is the same as the serpentine belt. Regardless of its name, it spins the engine coolant pump.

The inverter pump is powered by electricity and has no relation to the serpentine belt. Hence it was appropriate to be assessed a labor charge.

Toyota allows its dealers to charge Toyota for SLLC when performing the inverter coolant pump recall. It seems unethical to be reimbursed for that expense while not actually replacing the coolant.

 

Thanks for clearing that up for me, Patrick! I wasn't going to say anything to the dealer until I knew for sure what I was talking about, and now it makes sense. I don't think I'll get anywhere regarding the coolant replacement issue with them, though, so I guess I'll save my breath on that one.

Chuck

 

You could call Toyota and let them known what they did.

 

Pat Wong & fintonissimo,

If you look at the info in the attachment in dorunron's post #12, this is only Toyota's Q&A on the subject of the Hybrid Electric Water Pump recall [C0U & (C1U)]. It does not contain the text of the actual procedures & parts needed (we need to see that), however in the Limited Service Campaign (LSC) A0N (in effect through November 30, 2013) that is mentioned in Q&A #8 & #8a, up to one gallon of coolant was replaced for free. Why would a gallon of coolant be paid for in that campaign but not in this recall? By the way, does anybody know the coolant capacity of the inverter cooling system loop ONLY? (NOT the engine cooling loop).

Also, I'm not quite so sure about Toyota's response in answer 8a. It seems some of the Prius owners who had LSC A0N done early in the campaign have already had their new pumps fail prematurely, so maybe those early replacements DID have the scratched motor windings.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

Around 3 US quarts.

Yes, I've had three inverter coolant pumps in my 2004. The first pump was replaced as a preventive measure, the second pump failed (I previously posted about that) and now the car has the third pump. It is unclear to me how much better the new pump will be...