AC issues on 2010 Prius four

At 85K my AC would not start. Technician found a message that the system responsible was not communicating with the AC. 500.00 later--a new and hard to get part--the message came back that the condenser was essentially dead. Is this a common problem among 2010 Prius? I'm about to replace the entire condenser and a few other parts. Total cost, about 2100.00 Seems uncharacteristic to me.

 

Hot air blowing. He went through it, took the system apart. Freon filled. Seemed unusual to me. compressor is just dead. He's a Toyota certified tech.

 

When I said condenser, I was wrong. My bad. This whole experience has been mildly disorienting. I take good care of the car and use the AC infrequently. Probably more in the winter to defrost. But, here I am, on the verge of replacing most of the unit.

As for the error code; tech couldn't get the AC to communicate with the system until he replace a part that wasn't responding. He thought that once that part was in, (an unusual replacement that had to be ordered) he'd be able to detect a simple problem and correct. But once the thing started to communicate he discovered the larger issue, which was a compressor that would power off moments after the AC was engaged.

I wish I was better at this, but I'm a writer and filmmaker.

 

update: so now the mechanic is saying he made a mistake. The compressor is ok. He believes that a switch in the dashboard went out because the compressor checked out. More to come.

Thanks so much for the advice above. As I reflect, I do use the AC in summer, but probably not as frequently as most because it doesn't get as steaming hot here, (Bend, Oregon) as it does in other places.

I will report out after the mechanic is through with the job. But turns out it won't be nearly as pricey as he originally thought. The new compressor went back.

And now the forum has sensitized me to other issues, like the EGR. As I get closer to 100K I'll pay attention to seeing that it is cleaned.

 

ok, he now says it's a control head inside the dash, and that when that went out it took out an amplifier that sends signals to the diagnostic tools he uses. He's Toyota certified and works on a fleet of Prius taxis up here in Bend. Problem he reported, was that he couldn't get anything but error messages from the air conditioner. Don't ask me to explain it any better; this is not my field of expertise. But when it's done, tomorrow, I'll get a better fix on the situation.

I'm in Santa Monica for about half the year, then the other half up in Bend, Oregon, a much easier place to live.

And thanks for all your attention and good feedback.

 

Yes, Chap, you got it.

ok, the AC is now working. The part that went bad, and I have it here, is the whole control panel with the plasma read out. It's called the "control head" and it cost 500.00 It's odd. The unit is quite large and operates all the functions of heating and cooling.
I've had a lot of cars and never seen this kind of thing go bad. The part itself is completely sealed and simply fits into the dashboard.

On some level this makes sense because when I pressed the small panel to turn the AC on, nothing happened. I could get air to blow, but nothing in the way of cool air. Apparently this unit talks to another unit that controls the AC, an amplifier Apparently this is an unusual breakdown because he's reported it to the company that makes the diagnostic tool he uses, so they can incorporate it into their software.

At the end of the day, a better outcome than replacing the compressor.

Thanks once again for the feedback. I'll be combing through the gen 3 forums to keep up my preventative maintenance.

And now that the train runs from USC to my apartment in Santa Monica I will take advantage of the hybrid repair guys at USC next time I have a problem and I'm in town. But honestly, life's better in Oregon.