Prius Lifespan and warranty 86000 miles here

So, are you saying that purchasing the 100,000 mile extended warranty would've saved you?

 

well as the car is out of warranty I sure wouldn't pay 5 grand for a new drive unit. There are lots of Classics in auto wreckers and that is where I'd be looking. Tell your dealer that also and get a quote for installation. If they hassle you go to a tranny shop and find out how much to install it. It's not a lot more complicated than any other fwd car. There is a master disconnect on the HV side to cut power to the inverter and then disconnect the wiring into the drive unit and pull the unit out of the car.

 

That sucks. I swore I would never buy another Toyota after a disasterous transmission failure at 40k miles back in '90 (still within time but 6k outside of mileage warranty). They would not budge, I went to arbitration and got squat. Legally I had no leg to stand on, but you would think a company like Toyota would stand behind their products a bit more. But then, I guess if they make one exception they have to make them all the time. Maybe try going to the local TV consumer reporter if you think your case is good - but w/ as many miles as you have - there may not be much of a case.

 

What went first I wonder -- the inverter or the PSD ? If the inverter failure was primary, I would not give up the fight so easily.

Regarding PSD repair -- how much is labor, and how much is the part ?

 

Ebay Motors Transmission for $861.99

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Transmissio...sspagenameZWD1V

 

I'm a bit confused. If the car is no longer under warranty (2002 model with 86k miles on it), why would you expect Toyota to pay for the repairs? Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but I get the impression that you expect more than has been promised, here...

 

Hi Brandon.

The inverter is certainly still under warranty. As for the PSD, Toyota does a lot of repairs on good faith, more so on a car without a track record bought by someone willing to trust Toyota that an $8K repair was not in the offing after 80K miles.

 

Yes, get the used one. Prii seem to be crashing out faster than the transmissions are going out; meaning, more are available at junk yards than are needed. This is only the second or third transmission we've heard about on this board; they have all been 03 or older.

Get the used one, for sure. Tell the dealer to send the other one back.

Nate

 

toyota has been rather lenient with prius owners and what's covered under an existing warranty, historically, but this car is clearly out of warranty.

make an exception for one, and next thing you know everyone is going to want a lifetime warranty for free or something.

it's unfortunate, but you can help yourself out and get a better deal with that used tranny.

 

Now I'm nervous after reading this. I just sold my Accord and am waiting for the Prius. I hope mine doesn't go out.

 

Are you buying a Gen1 Prius? I think the odds are good that the 2004-6 Prii will do better. The guts are completely different.

Of course, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the extended warranty as well.

 

Don't be. PSD failures are rare, very rare. Beyond rare. Consider that the PSD is a moving device but fully engaged all the time. Unlike a manual or automatic in which there are many more moving parts that are engaging and disengaging and sliding around and many more opportunities for failure. Automatic transmission shops exist becasue automatics fail quite frequently. Manual transmissions can also fail over time. I've seen it happen on a number of well driven vehicles.

There are lots of things that the OP hasn't included in this post which would help me ascertain the competency of the dealer service department they are dealing with. Since the PSD turns and nothing else, no sliding in and out, no clutch packs to wear, no hydraulic actuators or governors to wear, I think it would be in the best interest of the OP to get a detailed description of why the PSD is no longer functional.

This dealer is just crapshooting this car right now. Too many service departments do that. I do not believe they have done enough due dilligance to diagnose this car and I think another dealer opinion is necessary at this point.

 

I'm confused by the wording chosen to describe the problem. Apparently, there was a short in the inverter,blowing out the inverter. This should be covered by the hybrid system warrantee.

The second problem is a blown PSD. It is not known what the damage, or the cause of the damage is. If the failed inverter caused the PSd failure, then that, too, should be covered by the warrantee.

On the other hand, if the PSD failed at the same time but from a totally different cause, then it's out of warrantee.

Can you clarify what exactly is wrong with the PSD? The term "shorted PSD" is not clear. is it a MG inside the tranny? I'd really wonder about the inverter failure causing it, then.

 

I have to admit I'm a bit taken back after reading that. I don't have a Prius on order... I'm still researching. Wasn't his car under warranty during the time? Why didn't Toyota pay for it??? :angry:

I always hoped that my next new car wouldn't need an additional 7yr/100k warranty - which is why I looked towards the Toyota and Honda brands... guess I was wrong.

But this could be a reminder that hybrid technology is still very new. Not a good selling point in my book. <_<