Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement

Haven't thought of this part: Is it legal to drive from the passenger seat? I suppose there is not that much traffic in rural area.

 

I think only as an on duty mail carrier, though I've never checked. I know the postal rule says we have to drive to the 1st box from the office and from the last box to the office in the driver's side behind the wheel, using common sense as to changing over in a safe off the road place.

 

Something I learned today about our '09 Prius. It too is subject to the "Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement". The interesting part of all of this is the fact we never received a letter from Toyota. I learned about the car being subject to the campaign after calling Toyota corporate and asking about the warranty enhancement. They checked the VIN and confirmed with me over the phone that the car is subject to the warranty enhancement. They also said they could only send a sample letter and could not explain why I never received the original. So, if you have a 05 to a 09 Prius and you did not get a letter, you might want to give them a call.

Toyota Customer Experience 1-800-331-4331

 

Well I just called the number and confirmed that my 2009 Prius is covered also, even though I don't remember receiving a notice from Toyota last September as I was told over the phone. The person on the phone spoke in such a plain tone that it made me wonder if I was talking to a robot.

 

Have you noticed any of the symptoms described concerning the failing combo meters? I haven't, but I am concerned that it might fail after the campaign is over. I wonder if it did fail after September of this year would Toyota still cover it under the enhancement warranty as a matter of good faith.

 

Never drove from the passenger side as an "off duty" carrier. However, at my old office, there was no "safe place" on my route to pull over to switch from the driver's side to the passenger side at either the first or last box due to the fact that the boxes were along a highway. I always drove to and from the route on the passenger side with the postmaster's approval due to the safety issues. I'll never forget the time that I was driving with a shifter on the center console when my car was in for repairs! Boy, was that a pain (literally)!

 

The extended warranty for this covers the car until it's 9th anniversary of its initial service date, or September whichever is later. So if your car like mine is a 2009 model it's good until 2018-ish, wherever in there its 9th "birthday" is. For a lot of 2004 models September is do or die though.

 

That does make sense to me. I do remember the wording of the nine year thing and the fact that is says what ever is longer. Thank you for pointing that out.

 

No symptoms yet and crossing my fingers. As others pointed out we got total of 9 years so no worries yet.

 

My 2008 Prius has been at the dealer close to 5 weeks now, awaiting the fix. Fortunately, they gave me a loaner car...Had to renew the paperwork after a month, so decided to trade out the 2013 Prius V for a 2012 Rav4. Dealer doesn't think it will be more than another week or so, but admitted until the part actually arrives on the truck, they really have no way of knowing.

 

^^^
Your issue is a separate issue from the Gen 2 combination meter issues. The part's totally different. Who is your dealer? Find another one.

This site is not a "blog", BTW.

 

Welcome to the Prius Chat website!
Your car is a third gen. Prius so you have to re-post in the proper forum (Gen III Prius). The combination meter "extended warranty" applies to the second generation Prius model years 2004 - 2009. The models affected have an intermittent failure of the CM mostly during cold temperatures although it did happen during warmer weather with our 2005 Prius. Before this extended warranty was available for these model years, many owners in your situation and had to pay out of pocket for the repair IF the car was out of warranty. Your best bet is to call Toyota Corporate and inquire as to what should be done.

 

Thank you for the speedy response. I am delighted to have found the Prius Chat website. I'll follow your advice and move my inquiry to the proper (Gen III Prius) forum.

 

I finally got around to taking my 2008 into the dealership for the two recalls and the combination meter problem. First I called around to several local dealers to find one that would give me a Prius as a loaner. I had to call 5 before I found one and they fit me in immediately. We'll see how long it takes them to get the service done.

At least I'm driving a 2012 Prius now. It's my first time in a gen3 and I'm still getting use to it a bit.

 

Hopefully your repair will not take 7 weeks but on the other hand, if my loaner was a Prius and not a Corolla...

Just picked up an '08 Prius. What was your mileage when your CM failed? No failures on this "new" car yet.

 

So today they called and said the car was ready for pickup. Then they said they couldn't replicate the combination meter problem so they didn't do anything. They did complete the two recall items. I pointed out that the Toyota warranty extension specifically states it is not necessary to replicate the problem. She asked if I wanted them to replace the part even though they couldn't replicate the problem. I said "yes please". She agreed.

Later I got a call saying it would take 3 business days to get the part in so my car wouldn't be ready until next week. Fine by me. I'll happily keep driving the loaner 2012 Prius for as long as it takes. She did mention that they would need to transfer the odometer number to the new part, but she made it sound like they did that in house. I didn't press the issue. I figure how long it takes them to give me my car back will tell the tale.

Has anyone had their combination meter board replaced in this 3 business day time frame?

 

I specifically went to a different dealer because my local place only gives out Corollas. I guess if my biggest complaint is my free loaner Prius doesn't have an automatic dimming rear view mirror nor Dynamic Radar Cruise Control I'm doing pretty good.

My best guess is somewhere between 66k and 70k. It happened around 5 times during the winter months. The Pacific Northwest doesn't really get that cold so it didn't get triggered very often. It was always dark outside and in the high 20s to low 30s.

 

They also told me my ICE water pump was leaking (which I already knew and planned to do myself). Then they told me it would be covered by the extended warranty and would only cost me the $50 deductible. I didn't purchase any warranties when I bought the car used in 2010. I'm assuming the original owner must have purchased an extended warranty which is attached to the VIN.

I told them if the repair was only $50, then go ahead and do it. Hopefully that won't come back to bite me...

 

I haven't had the water pump issue but I hear that it is not uncommon for them to leak. I agree... for the $50 I'd get it done. My '08 is over the 60,000 mark so I am sure that it is only a matter of time and that problems with the CM will begin sooner rather than later. With the cold winters in the Adirondacks, it was standard for my '05 to have the CM out for days. Temps dip as low as -30 overnight. Oddly enough, the first time that the CM went out, temps were in the 70s and it was summer. No problems since the car was repaired. The only glitch here is that the new CMs are being programed with the mileage that was on the defective CM and not the 'actual' mileage which I documented. As a result, my '05 has approximately 1,500 miles MORE than is reflected on the odometer. My wait time was 7 weeks. Haven't heard of anyone getting it done in 3 days. So... enjoy your new Prius as you may be driving it for a while.

 

The dealership finished my car today. They say they did the work and I guess I have to take them at their word. They had the car for 10 calendar days and fixed the inverter pump (recall), the steering shaft (recall), the combination meter (warranty extension) and replaced the water pump ("extra care warranty", I paid $50).

Three things concern me. 1, it only took 10 days. 2, "removed and replaced speedo head unit". 3, the replacement part number they list doesn't match what is called out in T-SB-0172-09. It's close, but not exact.



What do you guys think? I guess as long as the problem goes away I'm happy.