I have a 2018 Prius Prime, Advanced Trim, with all the safety features. I think it is supposed to brake automatically to prevent a collision, no? Didn't work for me. I was driving on an LA freeway. The traffic in front of me stopped suddenly, I was not able to brake fast enough, and there was a major collision. What happened to that automatic braking feature? Does it not actually work? Can Toyota be held liable when it doesn't work. My airbags activated, and the car would not drive. (The car in front had much less damage, was drivable, and no injuries there.)(I have pain in the chest from the airbag, but nothing broken, will be OK.) My car was towed to a collision center, and someone from my insurance will look at it Monday morning. I purchased the car brand new 3 years ago, had little mileage on it (about 7000 miles), like the car, and would much prefer that they repair it. But from what I hear, that is unlikely, that insurance will likely total it (they will likely make a LOT from selling the parts), and pay me something of what they assess it to be worth before the accident. Any way to convince the insurance company to have the car repaired rather than total it? If they total it, I have heard that insurance companies often under-assess the value, pay you less than what it is worth? True? (My insurance co. is Amica.) Is there a way for me to assess the value myself, and if I disagree with their assessment, to dispute it? If it is totaled, and I have to buy a new car, any recommendations? I think I would like to get a plug-in hybrid again. I like driving with the plug-in power, but would be worried with all-electric, what about if I run out of power sometime, or have a power outage at my home and could not charge? So I like having the gas backup option, as well as electric. I like my Prius Prime 2018, and am accustomed to it. However, the plug-in capacity is pretty low. (Officially about 25 miles, more like 20 for me.) Would be nice to be able to go further on EV. Also, although Toyota has a good safety reputation, that automatic braking (I forget what they call it) certainly did not work Friday night. Also, the car did not hold up well in the collision, smashed up a lot. Do people still consider the Prius Prime the best plug-in hybrid? Or are there better ones out now? Are the newer ones much improved, longer battery life, better safety etc.? I know I asked several different questions in this post, but all related to my collision Friday night, and my next steps. If anyone reading could address even one of my questions (or more), I would appreciate it. Thank you in advance.
Did the bright RED “BRAKE” warning pop up on the MID Display? If yes then it did engage but was unable to stop the car for whatever reason. There are disclaimers in the owners manual. Pretty much it applies the brakes but makes no guarantees it will stop the car in time. Fwiw one time the guy in front of me slammed on his brakes, I was in the process of braking but the safety system thought I was getting too close and applied additional brake force and displayed the BRAKE warning. I’m sure I would have stopped short but my Prius Prime felt otherwise I guess.
In my 2021 Prime, the auto braking (Pre-Collision Detection System) is ON by default. You can turn it off, so perhaps the original owner turned it off. If you have access to the owners manual and the car, you can check to see if it is on or off. I cannot give any specs, as maybe they are different from a 21 to an 18 etc. But I do know that speed plays a role, as in it does not work if you are under a specific speed maybe only 23mph or something. Now, I have no loan on my car, (title in hand) but when I put it on my auto insurance policy, the agent recommended "Repair or Replacement coverage" which is $32/yr and if totaled would cover the cost of "current model vehicle". However, it is defunct when the car reaches 3 years old. I think this is very similar to GAP insurance when you have a loan, but benefits the owner directly. As far as Prime being best out there? It comes down to if it fits your needs. Right now, after just upgrading a 2015 Prius to a 2021 Prime, for me it is the best that fits our family needs. If I have to replace or get new, it would still be a Prime. over 460mpg for the month of September so far, as we do lots of short runs. Very sorry for the loss of your Prime
I am the original owner, so am sure I did not turn it off.(Also I have seen that red BRAKE light go on before.) Mine was bought in September 2018, so it is exactly three years old. I have full collision coverage (with $1000 deductible), but don't know if it is that "replacement coverage".
Not sure on other years, but the 2021 has three levels 1) will throw up the BRAKE on display if warning something is detected 2) will throw up the BRAKE on display and assist braking power in the drivers actually foot braking 3) will throw up the BRAKE on display and fully brake for the driver Again, iifc the 18 had different safety sense (1.0 maybe?) but the 2021 has SS 2.0 ? may be different specs.
I would check manual to see how to access turning on/off, and if you have access to car, check if it is on/off. Also see if manual says default. I am not wanting to shoot in the dark, but (BIG BUT) if the default is on, and you never turned it off, never had the dealer turn it off, no one else had access to turn it off, then maybe the dealer turned it off for a reason, and if that can be found out by the black box, then might need a lawyer involved. ...im sure that probably isnt the case, but never know in the day and age. There is also a sensor for this feature to work, may want to check to see if it was dirty or something, but maybe it sends a warning that the sensor(s) are dirty?? Sorry, I just sent threw the 700 page manual a few weeks ago, and I am not sure how much applies to the 2018 vrs the 2021
The 7000 miles is all that is on it now, after I have driven it for three years. (Because I retired at about the same time, so no driving to work every day, I haven't had any long trips, etc. Still excellent condition.
How many miles does the 2021 version supposed to get on full plug-in charge, only driving in EV mode?
25 i would file a complaint with nhtsa, maybe they will start an investigation like they do on every tesla accident. did the cops come and measure everyone's speed and distance between vehicles?
The CHP came quite a long time later, and wrote a report. Of course he did not know the speed. He asked me, but I didn't really know. The other two vehicles drove off the road onto the shoulder (my car would not drive, so blocked traffic), to wait for the cops. So I have no idea what the distance was at the time of the collision?
Do a country wide used car search for a 2018 Prius Prime with really low miles. That will help when negoiating That's what a former coworker did when an almost new car was totaled. The newer Prius Prime does get a better safety suite, and you might get a middle rear seat over the 2018. The Rav4 Prime gets a lot more EV range for higher price. You could look at the Ioniq and Niro PHEVs. They have longer range rating, but are more blended PHEV than the Prime. Meaning they are more likely to have the engine come on when power demand goes up, and there is no EV only setting. I think the US is suppose to get the Outlander PHEV with more efficient engine soon. Insurance regs and products vary by state. The above coworker was living in Delaware. NHTSA has asked every automaker for collision data involving driver aids and collisions with emergency vehicles.
Thank you Trollbait. Any suggestions on how to do such a country wide used car search? Any particular site for such a search? Thank you. Then if I come up with a different figure for what it is worth than my insurance company says, can I bargain with them?
As mentioned above, there are some circumstances where the "BRAKE" won't work - listed in the manual. I know that if you've touched the brake yourself, it stops thinking about it, as it KNOWS you're in control. There are some other situations where it won't that are listed - from memory, if you hit the accelerator, and, I think if you steer beyond a certain limit (I assume it then assumes that you're taking evasive action. Haven't got time to look it up at the moment.
I had many situations where Prime when on DCC Dynamic cruise control has saved me. Although in some scenarios I have seen that the DCC keeps on acceleration even though there was a traffic stop. I had to jump in and engage the brake, as I didnt want to take any chances. In my car accident, the estimator told me when airbags are deployed then it is more expensive to repair. The way estimator evaluated the money is by looking at my zip code and look at the inventory of local car dealers and how much a used car of my car age and miles is costing. They low ball. You must make sure they are looking at advanced model. In my view you will be better off with a new car. New battery, new tires, new brakes, 2 more years of oil replacement. My guess would be around $25k, what you will get for 3 years old car. I only got $29k for 8 months old car. $25k you will have to add another 8k to get a new car. 4.5k you will get back from Feds. I think Cali gives state level incentives also. Even without it in $3.5k you are getting a brand new car, which is awesome. Although I am not sure, if you can claim Fed refund of 4.5k. Do keep us posted.
