New Prime Owners: (Things discovered/Likes/Dislikes)

Could it be referring to the notifications?

 

Thanks. Maybe different trims also have the yellow blinker down there. I'm positive it was a Prime. I was right behind it. Very nice looking car especially the new front end.

 

Sorry you said red, to the side of each red reflectors are clear lenses but those have the turn signal lights and below, the backup lights.

The front has the turn signals and accent lights ( only on Advanced) on the vertical lights. (Advanced also has the fog lights next to them).

 

What I discovered new on the Charge Management screen is the ability to remotely lock the charging handle. Maybe this is one of the things they are referring to?

 

Likes: Outstanding fuel economy
Dislikes: Front seats uncomfortable for longer drives, Entune, interior fit/finish (rattles and squeaks, wind noise)

 

Are a lot of people having issues with rattles and squeaks?? There is NOTHING more that I hate than that stuff. It drives me crazy when I drive. I got lucky with my current car, in that it had none. Was hoping that the Prime would follow that and be absent of annoying sounds.

 

no rattles or squeaks here

 

The brake noise which sounds like ticking is definitely the most annoying thing of this car so far.

Check out this thread.
Brake noise tick driving me crazy. Does your's do it? | PriusChat

The OP only shows the clip when the car is parked but not only do I have that, it also makes a similar noise that's even louder when the car is in stop and go traffic. I believe it only impacts some Primes and not all. Some days are more noticeable than others.

 

No rattles or squeaks here. And I hear everything! and they drive me insane (my 15yr old pickup has a creaky dash! UGH). And I've driven for hours at a stretch in my Prime Advanced. That seat is so much better than my previous Gen 3. The lumbar support really helps, as does the height adjustment.

 

I can't speak to how common these issues are, but I've got dash rattles in three different locations and there's a creak coming from the passenger's side A pillar when going over bumps. It's surprising to me in a Japan-built $35,000 car, particularly since the US-built 2005 Honda Accord I bought new 12 years ago had no rattles or squeaks in the 275,000 miles I owned it.

The front seats have inadequate lumbar support, at least for my spouse and I. The power lumbar support makes matters worse because it's in the wrong place (again, at least for us it is; it's positioned too high in the seat). I've never had back pain in the Hondas I've owned, but I'm pretty uncomfortable after an hour or so in the Prius. Fortunately, a $22 memory foam lumbar support I found on Amazon eliminates that issue. I am currently in search of a more permanent solution, such as a Rostra aftermarket lumbar support device.

Entune is functional but once again seems out of place in this $35,000, otherwise technologically advanced car. The push notifications related to charging are definitely a nice feature, as is the remote climate system activation, but the app and interface feel very clumsy and outdated. I'd much prefer Android Auto.

These are my only complaints, though. The main problem is that the Prius Prime is otherwise such a good car that the above problems really stand out.

 

I'd agree with this, the feeling of the seat is my main complaint so far. Part of it might be that it's quite roomy, whereas I'm pretty small. The back support doesn't feel quite right, the distance from the armrests - the door armrest, mainly - and the wheel aren't as comfortable as they were in my previous car. It's not major, and not something I've noticed until I've been in it for an hour or more, but it's there. Good to hear that a foam support deals with the seat back, at least, I'm going to look into that.

 

Sad to report I've been hearing a creak from the passenger side C pillar region whenever I go over a slight bump or dip in the road, or any change in incline like the curb part of a driveway. It's been going on reliably for a few weeks now and I got the car in January. I did notice the sound gets more frequent when I put the rear passenger side seatback down. I'll try taking the tonneau cover tension bar off in case it's coming from there. Any idea if investigating this kind of thing would be covered under warranty?

Also I've been getting a diagnostic trouble code whenever the ICE fires up (been driving more than usual on ICE the past few days). P5241, Powertrain,fuel and air metering, fault: 41. Wondering if this is just nonsense related to my SyncUP drive OBD reader/wifi hotspot, or if it's something real. Haven't noticed any change in the way the car drives and there's no CEL or other indication in the car of a problem. I mentioned it to the dealership at the 6 month service and they wanted to charge $140 for initial diagnostics.

 

$140? Aren't you covered for 2 years free?

 

I think that's maintenance only, and I'm guessing they won't file under warranty without an fault light of some kind.

The first thing is to unplug the OBD reader, and see if the issue goes away.

 

That's right, they said they would initially charge for the diagnostic work and file it under warranty only if an issue is found. Unplugging the OBD reader would definitely make it go away, since I wouldn't have noticed this without it. Got the code again just now when the ICE turned on to warm up in my driveway. I've tried researching the code but haven't found anything meaningful. Is it possible that it's a pseudo issue and that some codes can be safely ignored without any other indications of a problem?

 

Since the code only reports when the ICE comes on, could it be the oil getting up to pressure initially, or something really tame like that?

 

Or the OBD reader itself is causing the code.
Is the code even stored?

 

Some OBD readers use one of the inputs in such a way that it trigger a code. There are several data busses, and sometimes one is used in a way that Toyota did not intend. .The solution (other than using another reader) has been to physically remove that wire on the reader's connector. Sorry, I don't have details. This came up in the PiP subforum a couple of years ago.

 

I actually found that I was still having some back pain (albeit less) even with the lumbar support pillow. My main problem with the lumbar support of the Prius' seat was that it dug into the middle of my thoracic spine and caused me to hunch over. I decided to try sitting on the lumbar pillow I bought instead of using it for my back. It turns out that was the perfect solution; it raised me up in the seat enough for the lumbar support to be at my lumbar spine. So far, my back pain is gone. It's also nice to have some extra padding on the seat bottom.

So, for now, that problem seems to be solved. I've been doing a lot of reading on options regarding what can be done about the seat comfort, as I plan on having the seat modified. I really like the car otherwise so I think it's worth the investment. It appears that the seat frame itself is actually pretty flat and the shape of the seat from the user's perspective comes entirely from the foam padding. The factory foam is, I think, too soft. I'm going to call around to some upholstery shops in my area to see what the options are. Ideally, they would add padding to the seat bottom and add lumbar support to the lower part of the seat back, whether with denser foam, an inflatable air bladder, or both. I will post an update whenever I get around to doing this.

As far as the rattles and creaks, I'm planning to live with those for a while to see if any TSBs are published. Most of the rattles are coming from the top piece of the dash and the dashboard speaker grilles. If a TSB becomes available, I will probably try repairing it myself, as I think I'd probably take more care with the disassembly than a dealer technician would. I've already had to have the windshield replaced in the car due to a crack and the dealership technicians treated me to a greasy handprint on my headliner. I don't really want to think about them doing major disassembly to the dashboard.

 

My issue with the lumbar support in my Primr Advanced is that it's still too much when fully deflated. Even the slightest amount of lumbar support causes me substantial back pain. I don't understand how people can tolerate having something jabbed into their back. Fortunately, I've figured out how to sit in my Prime so the little bit of lumbar support that remains doesn't bother me.