I am now just over 40000 miles and have recently noticed the shutdown / idle shuddering has gotten much worse - to the point that I am worried that damage could occur. About two weeks ago my wife was driving my prius and she called me and said that it was idling too low and was shaking really bad. I told her that it sometimes does that when the engine turns off and forgot about it. This morning I started my prius and had to run back inside to get my phone and as i passed the front of the car I could hear the engine shake violently for a few seconds (maybe 3 to 5 seconds) and then went to normal idle as the engine continued to warm up. When I came back out the engine was off and I revved it in park to see if it would do it again but it did not. I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced this or if maybe someone has an explanation for it. I have about 9000 miles on the oil (Mobil 1 extended life synthetic) and am getting it changed tomorrow (with the same). The air filter also has never been changed and it will be changed tomorrow as well (please no flames, I know this is a little late but the car is so care free that I overlooked it). I have had the car since December of 2003 so I know how it runs normally and this shaking definitely was not normal. Thanks in advance!
No problem, Kevin, this perky Prius likes to shake her butt a little before getting on with the job. After awhile you would miss it if it quits. An Empress Taxi driver in downtown Victoria BC who has been driving the Prius for a couple of models says he looks forward to that.
If the engine shakes violently, my first thought would be broken motor mount. Take it in to the dealer and have it looked at.
I have an oil/air filter change appointment tomorrow morning. I will definitely have them check it. I hope they can explain it...
Keep us updated with details. I notice mine kind of shudders at stop lights - kind of like gasoline only cars do with they "die" on you ...but it's not overly "violent"
Well, if the filter hasn't been changed for 40K, that could be it. My filter was rather dirty at the required 30K interval, having me consider changing it every 15K instead. Also, if you were near the front of the engine when it shuddered, it might sound worse from there. I can't say though, I have never been outside of the car when it shuddered off. The car does have knock and engine misfire sensors, so if there was a substatial problem, a DTC would probably be set.
So I had the service done (and the most recent recall campaign since I had to wait anyway) and I have not noticed any problems since. I never even saw the air filter before it was replacedso I have no idea how bad it was; I am going to convince myself that the air filter was the problem so I don't have to worry any more...
The Shake is also worse when the car is cold. If I drive out to the hobby farm - about 1.5 to 2 hours from Winnipeg - when I stop to open the gate to the driveway, I don't even notice the shutdown and startup. Driving around the city, especially now that it's way cooler (-24 C this morning), the shake is quite pronounced.
Anyone find a fix fir this? My 2010 prius started the engine shuddering about a month back. I've changed plugs, coils, sprayed engine cleaner & ran injector cleaner through a full tank & its still shuddering occasionally. Any help would be much appreciated.
