"Check hybrid system" error + cruise control problem in a brand new 2013 toyota prius three

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by John Rogers, Sep 5, 2013.

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  1. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    the dealership should really be sucking up to you and trying to make this situation more bearable. as for the prius, it is a complex system and ever now and then there are going to be flaws. hopefully they will get a regional rep in to track down the source of the problem.
     
    #21 spiderman, Sep 8, 2013
  2. John Rogers

    John Rogers Junior Member

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    What's a regional rep? How to get them involved? Just ask the dealership?
     
    #22 John Rogers, Sep 9, 2013
  3. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    I believe that is the terminology but it is a Toyota emp that is there when the dealer techs can't figure out what is going on to assist. This is second hand info, perhaps others know more about them.
    I believe it is up to the dealer to get them involved but an owner might help that along by call Toyota Care...
     
    #23 spiderman, Sep 9, 2013
  4. John Rogers

    John Rogers Junior Member

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    Some more info. I stopped by the dealership today and asked to speak to the tech. Instead, I was ushered into a supervisor's office. He seemed to know everything about my car's story already. He said the system is programmed such that whenever the yellow warning triangle comes on, the cruise control is automatically disabled.

    Does this sound right? Anyone else who's had this experience of cruise control getting disabled when the yellow triangle comes on? Given so many on this forum who complain of yellow triangle of death, I can't be the only one who's observed a disabled cruise control.

    He says the problem really is the failed A/C compressor, not the cruise control. When I told him the A/C was still working, he said its because its an electrical A/C compressor, not the one driven by engine...didn't make sense to me. If the compressor has failed, electrical or not, how can the A/C work? Anyway, he was pretty confident everything will be fine once they replace the A/C compressor.

    I asked him if this will affect the future performance of the car, since its a major surgery for a new car. He says its not a major surgery. Just a few nuts need to be removed and the new compressor plugged in.

    Anyway, the ETA for the backordered part is delayed to tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

    Thanks for the all the feedback so far. It helped me get a better handle on this. I'll definitely look into an extended warranty, given how complex this car is.

    Also, for those interested, I looked up the New York lemon law last night. Its here:

    Lemon Law | Eric T. Schneiderman

    Basically four repair attempts or 30 cumulative days out of service before 18,000 miles or two years....something like that, and with a big exception clause loophole which the manufacturer can drive a truck through. Hope I won't need it.
     
    #24 John Rogers, Sep 9, 2013
  5. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Well the check hybrid system error can be triggered by electrical problems/faults and, as the supervisor correctly stated, the air conditioning compressor is run off an electric motor, which has complicated control and feedback circuits (no doubt). So, if they tracked the error code back to the compressor, then it is plausible that that is the root cause of your problems.

    As for the check hybrid error overriding the cruise control? Again, that sounds like a logical safety design. A malfunction in the cruise control system could be a bad thing, so to shut it down when an error condition is present sounds prudent and desirable. My 2 cents.
     
    #25 xliderider, Sep 9, 2013
  6. jhinsc

    jhinsc Senior Member

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    I think from what you described, the dealer seems to be handling everything appropriately. I agree your saleperson can't do anything for you - they have absolutely no 'pull' with the service dept. Functionally, the service and sales department run pretty much independently of each other and associated expenses are allocated to each appropriately. After the sale is completed and all promises in writing have been fulfilled, your only recourse for any future problems is through the service department. It sucks something happened so early with your new Prius, but I don't believe it's part of a larger ongoing problem with Toyota.
     
    #26 jhinsc, Sep 9, 2013
  7. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    It's the dealer's dime, and that all sounds reasonable. The compressor is a fairly complex electronic unit with multiple speeds and feedback controls, so it's possible it can work some of the time and not others. It may have a circuit board that's responsible for more than just running the pump.
     
    #27 rdgrimes, Sep 9, 2013
  8. John Rogers

    John Rogers Junior Member

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    Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.

    I am wondering whether I am the only one on this board to observe this symptom. From what the supervisor said, the system is programmed to automatically disable the cruise control every time the yellow warning light comes on. Not just some time.

    I know all this is plausible (I am a computer scientist myself). So that's not my question. I don't even care if this is a larger ongoing problem with Toyota or not.

    What I am wondering is this: if what the supervisor said is indeed true, then there have to be more prius owners out there who are observing this symptom, i.e. cruise control being disabled automatically when the yellow light comes on. Because so many people on this board complain of the yellow warning sign.

    If other's also have this problem, what is their experience diagnosing and resolving it?

    No one who has replied has said so far: "hey I also observed this". Everyone is just saying, "Its plausible", which I don't doubt.
     
    #28 John Rogers, Sep 10, 2013
  9. John Rogers

    John Rogers Junior Member

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    Got my Prius back today. Drove around about 70 miles. Problem seems to be gone.

    Dealership owner promised to add a Prius to their rental fleet.

    I am still curious to hear if anyone else has faced this issue.
     
    #29 John Rogers, Sep 11, 2013
  10. bubbatech

    bubbatech Member

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    All of the ECU's in the car are interconnected and many of them share a common buss, so problems in one system can cause seemingly anomalous problems in others. I have seen AC problems, incidentally, cause the cruise control and traction control to fail on a Scion, which was ultimately a fault of the AC controller (called an AC amplifier for some reason). Let the technicians do their thing and the most likely outcome is that you will have a reliable working vehicle in the end. Mechanical and electrical failures are most common at the beginning and end of life of a machine, co it is normal. If it is going to fail, better now than after your warranty runs out.
     
    #30 bubbatech, Sep 11, 2013
  11. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    Well, there is a reason for it, these cars don't brake down that often.
    Why don't you disconnect a major part and see if that happens.
     
    #31 Former Member 68813, Sep 11, 2013
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