2012 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon.........) Oil Consumption Issues

Hey All, I'd be interested to know if anyone else has experienced the same issues I did with a 2012 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...). I purchased the car new in 2012. I had the oil changed mostly at 10,000 miles but on a few occasions switched the oil out at 5,000 mile intervals, most all the work done at Toyota Dealership. Around 65,000 miles I noticed the car was consuming oil. At 70,000 miles I decided to change the oil to spec myself with Toyota factory oil and filter to make certain it was done correctly. Over the next 9,000 miles the car continued to consume oil at an alarming rate. I contacted Toyota Corporate regarding the issue. They had me go to the dealership to conduct an oil consumption test. The car failed the test, burned 1 1/8 quart in 1200 miles. I reported the findings to Toyota Corp and provided them with all my service records. Toyota Corp talked to the dealership. Over the course of one month and multiple conversations it appeared Toyota Corp going assist me in fixing the issue, but then they did an abrupt about face, offered no assistance stating I had not owned enough Toyota vehicles to merit assistance. I did not feel right selling the car without disclosing the issue. The Dealership of which I purchased the auto gave me fair market trade in, but this was not the experience I was hoping to have with the car, our plan was to drive it up to 200,000 miles maybe longer (as we have with all our Honda's). Financially we took a bath on this car. I asked the service manager at the dealership if I made any mistakes in servicing the vehicle, he said no, you basically got screwed.

Off the record Toyota mechanics have offered up varied possible theories. Carbon will build up around the low resistance piston rings rendering them ineffective. They see this from time to time. Some question if the size and weight of the Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...is too taxing for the engine, The v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) uses the same motor used in the standard Prius. Some say they are seeing consumption problems with v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...)s around the 100k mark.

Be advised if you are running synthetic oil you will not see smoke coming out of the tailpipe, zero 20 weight does not produce blue smoke. One telltale sign is wet oil residue at the end of the trail pipe. If you read the forums there's endless debate on whether to change the oil at 5k or 10k intervals. I noticed the service guide on the Gen 4 Prius states multiple situations in which you should change the oil at 5k instead of 10k which leads me to wonder if I should not have drank the kool-aid on the whole 10k interval between oil changes.

Toyota has had problems with oil consumption issues on other lines of vehicles that resulted in class action lawsuits. None so far with Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...)'s. Just curious if any of you have had the same issue with your v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) or stand Prius as did we.

 

I don't necessarily understand rdgrimes statement about losing the right to bring this up if the car was sold but he did remind me of another point worth noting that could save others some time if you run into the same issues...gauging the cost of repair. If you experience the same issues at a minimum the cost of replacing the rings and pistons is over $3,000. If the car needs a new short block the cost is over $6000. I was told by the service department there is no way to diagnose the issue without pulling the motor and tearing it apart which would be a couple grand. In addition given the amount of wet oil you can wipe with your finger at the end of the tailpipe it's possible the catalytic converters lifespan could also be compromised from the oil deposited. The cost of that repair is estimated at $1,500 to $2,000. In addition if I paid to fix the car no one could tell me why this was not going to happen all over again in another 60,000 miles. There are no new modified parts to fix pistons, rings or valve seats.

Also to clarify, I hope our situation is a one off occurrence and that no one else experiences this issue with their Prius V. For what it's worth I loved that car and three of my closer friends bought a v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) based on my praises. We like the Prius brand, my wife drives gen 4 Prius and we are hoping not to have the same issues with her car. However if the situation I experienced with the v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) is a systemic issue car companies usually don't address these types of issues unless others come forward to report them. And if you conduct some searches you will find oil consumption is a recurring problem with some makes of Toyota, 2007-2011 standard Camry & Camry Hybrids, 2009 Corolla and some Scion makes.

 

Hi RJ, Yes, probably half the miles on the v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) were freeway miles. Speeds around 70 miles per hour.

 

Just to clarify, the factory Priusv (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) factory warranty is 6 years/60,000 miles. My v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) starting having the consumption issues at 65,000 miles. therefore my car was no longer under factory warranty. Since the car had so few miles coupled with the fact I had exceeded the factory maintenance requirements I contacted Toyota Corporate asking for help. I conducted the tests they requested, provided them with all the service receipts and over the course of 6 weeks, complied will all the next steps they wanted me to take in order for them to provide after warranty assistance. In the end they elected not to provide any help fixing the car. During the process I consulted with service departments at two dealerships. After adding up all the potential repair costs it seemed to be too much of a financial gamble to fix the car. And yes much to your apparent disgust I do not have the tools or the knowledge to pull the motor, diagnose and fix the problem on a hybrid engine in my garage.

I agree with you many makes of cars have issues. Some random, others poor engineering. It was explained to me the potential common thread between the various Toyota motors with oil consumption issues are faulty low resistance piston rings caused by built up carbon the rings and pistons. Oil is getting past the rings and causing carbon build up. This comes from a service manager with 25 years experience that has witnessed many Toyota motor tear downs over the years. Much to your earlier post I was told some of the issues they are experiencing with the v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...)'s consuming oil earlier than expected are coming from Taxi Drivers. However the more common occurrence is after 100,000 miles not at 65,000 like me. Others mechanics question if the engines would be less likely to have issues if they were using higher viscosity oil from the beginning. All said no one has a definitive answer as to why my motor failed, but the cost of the diagnosis is close to the cost of fixing the engine. I felt as though this information was worth passing along "in case" others experienced like issues. If you consider my account of a well serviced Toyota engine failing at 65,000 miles to be defined as whining so be it, but with all due respect given your irreverent and disrespectful responses you seem to be more emotional about the situation than I am. Peace be with you.

 

Hi Bisco, According to the Toyota consumption test I conducted if the motor burns a quart of oil with-in a span of 1,000 to 1,300 miles it fails the test. Hope this helps.