Prius C failing automatic door locks - again

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by D. Scott, Oct 3, 2018.

  1. D. Scott

    D. Scott New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2017
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    Location:
    Athens GA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I had a 2012 Prius C Three I bought new and everything was great about it except for the automatic door locks, which I was forced to replace 7 times. Yes, 7 times. The car lasted 180,000 miles until I was hit by a drunk driver and it was totaled. I was lucky enough to find a good used 2014 Prius C Three with only 28,000 miles on it and it has been great also until this week. Now, you guessed it, the drivers side automatic door lock is now failing. Has anyone else been through this? The dealership wants to charge me $400 a pop to fix this and I can’t afford that. Any ideas? Thank you!
     
    #1 D. Scott, Oct 3, 2018
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hmmm... The fact that this very uncommon problem has happened in both vehicles makes me more concerned with what's causing it, rather than fixing it.

    But let's get the fixing it out of the way first. The dealership, or as we call them Stealership, specializes in warranty repairs, which means charging Toyota as much as possible replacing expensive components even when a cheaper fix is available. You local Hybrid auto mechanic, or just about any mechanic specializes in repairing vehicles in the most affordable way so the customer uses their business again. Or if you have some basic mechanical skills, head to a pick-a-part type junk yard with a Prius C and remove some auto door lock switches, motors, sensors etc.. and hopefully that can be done separately from the key/security routine unique to your vehicle.

    But the real issue is that you're doing something with your FOB or your Door locks or exposing the sensors to something that breaking them either mechanically, or by electrically by shorting them out. And until you figure that out, repairing it is not going to stop it from happening again.

    Looking forward to what you learn... I've never heard of a situation like this...
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Oct 3, 2018
  3. dubit

    dubit Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Indiana
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I've never had the failure myself, but it's apparently a known issue with the Prius C. There is a thread just a couple down from this one on the very thing. But a quick search found a couple pages worth. Anyways, this thread is about 3 pages long, but I think on the 2nd page is a link to the power door lock actuator. It runs about $49.00 - if you can install it yourself that's a ton of savings.

    Driver Power Door Lock Actuator Failed at 55k Miles | Page 2 | PriusChat
     
    #3 dubit, Oct 4, 2018
  4. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Cumming, Georgia
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    It's definitely a common problem. Almost every Toyota and Lexus vehicle uses this actuator. I've replaced both of my front one's already. I went with the cheap 40 dollar aftermarket one that has a 10 year warranty. That way if I'm forced to replace it, I will at least be able to do so for free. :D
     
    #4 ztanos, Oct 4, 2018
  5. ontheamtrak

    ontheamtrak Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2019
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    N/A
    Attaching this video if anyone else is experiencing this issue:
     
    #5 ontheamtrak, Feb 3, 2019
    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller and ztanos like this.
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