Prius Generation III - Total Recall!

I guess I will be heading to the Stealership very soon.....

 

So what does the recall entail? ECU replacements or just software re-flash? Maybe while they are at it, they could make the CONS project a realistic average MPG!

 

See:

https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/cp/e0etofaq.pdf

My local dealership said to wait until I receive the letter in the mail in a week or two. Either they have too many inquiries on it or don't have the procedure for what to do yet.

 

My sister-in-law is visiting and borrowing my Prius. When I told her about the recall this morning she decided it would be better to leave it in my garage and ride with my wife in her Fit. Ok, I'm not worried about driving it.

 

STOP SALE - Safety Recall E0E - Remedy Available - Certain 2010 - 2014 MY Prius Vehicles - Software Update for Motor Generator ECU and Power Management ECU
This is an important Safety Recall. Please contact your authorized Toyota dealer and schedule an appointment to have this remedy performed as soon as possible.
What is the Condition? Inside the Hybrid Inverter Assembly is an Intelligent Power Module (IPM) which contains a control board equipped with transistors. Due to software programming in the involved vehicles, certain transistors in the IPM could become damaged when operating the vehicle under high-load driving conditions, such as accelerating during highway driving. If this occurs, various warning lamps on the instrument panel will illuminate. In most cases the vehicle will enter a fail-safe mode, resulting in reduced motive power in which the vehicle can still be driven for short distances. In limited instances, the motor/generator ECU could reset, causing the hybrid system to shut down, resulting in the vehicle stopping while being driven and increasing the risk of a crash.
For answers to frequently asked questions, please refer to the document below.FAQ E0E

Mine will be done tomorrow. Bayside Toyota

 

Tell her it's just a software update, like when you update your iPhone.

 

According to the techinfo link, the dealer will also inspect the electronics and replace them if damaged.

What is the software update? I hope is isn't a simple reduction of power in high load (heavy acceleration) situations.

 

Maybe it diverts more power to the ICE under full throttle or something like that.

 

I went to a toyota dealer to get this recall done and I ask them to so the ABS software update. Went in around 730am then they came back around 12pm to tell me something went wrong during the update and the car will not start. They said they will have to order the a part that went bad. They hook me up qwith a 2013 Prius for a week.

 

I got mine done yesterday at Camelback Toyota. There's no noticeable difference that I can tell so far. I can say they must have removed the lower glove box to gain access to the ECUs as it was jostled a bit. I'm not sure if they extract the ECUs to update them, or if the interface port is under there for flash updates...maybe the next time I clean the cabin filter, I'll take a closer look.
Anyway, kudos to my dealership as no letter from Toyota was necessary - you just schedule with them for the recall. They even washed and vacuumed the car afterwards.

 

It happened to me last night. Driving on highway, tried normal acceleration, no response while pedal went to floor, every light on my dashboard lit up, and display read "check hybrid system". My car rolled to a slow stop on the shoulder. Here's the kicker... While waiting for a tow, my battery completely died and I couldn't put the car in neutral. And no, I couldn't jump the auxiliary battery because the trunk was locked and I didn't have the wherewithal roadside to think to try the analog key in the driver's door. My car was towed to the dealer and I'm awaiting the prognosis. I'll update when I learn what happened and what needs to be repaired.


UPDATE... Toyota reports my inverter is completely dead. No word on how or why this happened.

 

For future reference, you can jumpstart the car under the hood.

 

Had mine done this morning. No paperwork needed, and it took about 40 mins.
No noticeable change in anything.

 

Thank you but I had tried that and it didn't work. I read that you need to jump the auxiliary battery to get the car in neutral. Turns out no jump would have worked anyway. My invertor was completely dead.

 

So is this really a problem? Should we head to the dealership? Mine just told me it will take 4-5 hours to do, probably a total BS and I rather avoid it if this is not a major situation. My 2010 only has 30,000 miles on it and I have never had any particular issues with it..

Toyota Recalls 700,000 2010-'14 Prius Hybrids in U.S. | Edmunds.com

 

Wow that sucks....
The analog key wouldn't have opened your trunk because the trunk release is electric. You actually have to fold down the rear seats, pull up and out the trunk mats (if you have them) and then there's a plastic cover by where the trunk latch mechanism would be, pop that open and trigger the manual hatch release. It will be good to have a friend to help you lift up the hatch. Then getting to the battery is the same as usual.

Hope that helps in the future. There are some youtube guides on how to do it too (when your 12v is so dead your doors won't operate).

 

I am going to get the update done tomorrow. Can someone tell me how do I verify this ?

If they are upgrading the software, can I check the version or build numbers before and after ?

 

There's no way for the consumer to verify the update via the car's display menus.
Maybe of you had the Toyota Techstream software and reader you could check before and after values?

 

I recently got the recall software update. My car didn't need a new controller. It probably depends upon how you drive your Prius, but there is definitely a difference to me.

First, know that I live 7700 feet above sea level and that electric motors are not affected by high elevation but gas engines are. In my case, gas engines lose about 23% of their output at 7700 feet above sea level. So the relative contribution of the electric motor in my Prius to the total horsepower and torque that I have available is much higher than for those who live at sea level. This recall (software update) definitely reduced the maximum output of the electic motor. Because it contributes more of my total power output (gas + electric), I notice it more.

What I noticed after the software update is that I don't have the really strong torque between 30mph and 50mph that I had before and that was due to the electic motor really kicking in when I pushed the pedal all the way down. I also have to say I'm not surprised when I read the purpose of the recall. What I'm missing is what I used to show people who thought that a Prius was a really slow car.

On the plus side, I think that EV mode kicks in a little sooner and perhaps a lasts a little longer when driving around town. For example, there are a couple of places in my small town when I can now drive at 35mph in EV mode. In the same places and before the software upgrade I could only get about 30mph in those places before the gas engine would start up. So while Toyota took away the absolute maximum electric motor output they seemed to have given just a little back for when the electric motor is not being pushed to the limit.

Also, let's say you're driving on a two-lane road at 50mph because you're behind a slow driver. The speed limit is 65mph and you're getting ready to pass. I would normally put my Prius in power mode and then pass. Now, the surge I used to get in power mode is not nearly as strong as before.

I'm a little peeved because my Prius is not the same Prius that I test drove in the dealer lot. It would have cost Toyota more, but they should have maintained the same level of performance by swapping in a controller board that could handle the power going to the motor before software update.

Remember to filter my comments based on where I live.

P.S. The software update took about 45 minutes. I then had the tech person change some settings, including changing the constant beeping when backing up to single beep when the car is put into reverse.