air conditioner doesn't work at high temps

My AC is awesome, gets really cold and has no probably staying that way, even in temps of 95-100 over the last few days. Sorry!

 

the a/c will cut out if there is an overheat condition. those issues could definitely be intertwined.

 

Get thee and thine to a dealer!

 

I have not gotten my prius yet..ordered 5-20-08 but on other cars there is a recirculating option for the a/c. if it does not recirculate then it will not get very cool on a 100 degree day. Hope this is it cause it can be fixed with a push of a button

 

Well, the dealer will be happy to see me, but it will be on my nickel, since the warranty hasn't been transferred yet. $105 for a diagnosis, then an unknown repair bill. I think I'll park it for a couple of weeks, until the warranty paperwork shows up. I was somewhat encouraged to see that the inverter pump appears to be working--evidence of flow at the top of the coolant tank. Might it turn out to be an air bubble in the engine cooling system?

Meanwhile, I've ordered a Scangauge II, which might tell me a lot...

 

Hi Rob,

• Have you checked the coolant level in the translucent tank mounted to the back of the radiator?
• Do you note coolant leaking on the ground?
• Look for the serpentine drive belt (at the front of the engine, very near to the passenger-side fender) and see if it is loose.

Regarding warranty coverage, I can understand the dealer asking you to pay an upfront diagnostic charge; but once the problem is determined to be covered under warranty, the charge should be waived.

Regarding the sight glass, that may well be evidence of low refrigerant in the system.

 

I've experience the same symptoms: on hot days (above 85 F) outside temp gauge spiking from 90 to 122 F in matter of minutes accompanied by loss of A/C and the dreaded red triangle and overheating warning light. Normally occurs in stop and go traffic. Once I run steady above 55mph for while temp reading goes back down to something resembling true outside temp, AC blows, warning light goes away. Dealer can't find problem. No error codes indicating overheat register. Replaced outside temp sensor, still get the wild readings. Dealer thinks wiring harness was improperly routed during the repairs after collision with a deer...i do not know. Sounds like from the other comments that maybe it is an inverter coolant pump problem. Does a failing inverter coolant pump produce error codes?

 

In a subsequent message post, Rob shared his remedy: the two radiator cooling fans had the fan blades switched (as the car had front-end accident damage which was repaired), which resulted in the fans blowing air forward rather than sucking air backwards. Hence the erroneous outside temp readings and the overheating situation. It sounds like your car may have a similar issue.

A failed inverter coolant pump should produce error codes.

 

Wow, Thanks. I missed that post. Sounds pretty easy to check. Nice to know invertor pump would display an error code.

 

Hi all, I live in just about the hottest place in the US. My 04 A/C/ usually lives on A/C Auto and for the first time yesterday we had nothing but hot air blowing and it was 90 degrees outside. I was very worried, don't think warranty is still good on A/C after 4 1/2years? but after 10minutes or so we decided to turn off the AUTO climate control and put it on manual Air conditioning and HiP Hip Horray we had Cool air instantly. Does this sound like a fuse problem? for now I will just adjust manually but I did like the way the auto feature worked.

 

Hi Kim,

This does not sound like a fuse issue. The AUTO function is not working, and this may be a relatively costly repair. However since you have discovered that the manual controls still work, you might decide to live with the problem.

 

I was driving my Prius across the Great Australian Bight when I noticed a lot of noise from the front of the car, I soon worked out it was the heater fan. The inside of my car was a comfortable preset 24 degrees when I noticed the outside air temperature had climbed to 48 degrees celsius!!
I love my climate control.

24C = 75f
48C = 118f

 

Thanks for the reply, Patrick. I did check into my warranty coverage and I am still covered until 8/5/2010 so I may be using my extended warranty at some point after all. I hoped to never have to use it, but after looking at the price I paid and for only 6years to boot I am kind of pissed off at my dealer! At least it is the platinum no deductible, but for the price I paid it should be 8years or at least 7 because I prob. will still be under 100,000 miles in a year and 1/2 (at 55000 now).
ANYWAY, the other weird thing is hubby just got home from work and said that today, he tried the auto setting again and it's now working like normal, so it seems to be a 24hour bug my Prius had but I will be keeping an eye on it espec. as warranty end gets closer and closer.

 

Hi Kim,

If the problem recurs, I suggest that you try both the A/C AUTO steering wheel switch and the AUTO touch-sensitive button on the MFD, to see whether one works but the other doesn't - or whether both don't operate when the problem appears. If you can pin down those details, that will help your dealer tech to decide what part(s) to replace.

 

I have the same problem. On a hot day it seems like the ac cannot get the car cool. On a cooler day the ac seems to work fine. The dealer said they want me to pay $89 for an AC check even though I have the Toyota extended warranty. Does that seem fair? I would think they should check out my complaint before charging me. Am I being reasonable?

 

Techs don't work for free, but like Patrick said,

"Regarding warranty coverage, I can understand the dealer asking you to pay an upfront diagnostic charge; but once the problem is determined to be covered under warranty, the charge should be waived."

 

I am experiencing the same problem at high temperatures. The AC works completely normally are more normal temperatures. Over 85 F and the unit blows hot air, The compressor does NOT come on and the condenser fan does not run. Something happens at elevated ambients which stops the compressor from running. Going to Toyota tomorrow to trouble shoot.

 

I also had a bearing go out on my 2004 Prius at 95,000m. Symtoms sound similar, however I also had bearing noise getting louder the longer the compressor ran, with performance progressively getting worse.

 

I have assumed my A/C was working okay although now I am not so sure. I live in AZ, and temperatures here have been hot (in the 100's). I assumed my A/C is working ok because it is blowing cool air, although the cabin temperature still feels warm. I always have to run my A/C on max during the day and it is still not very cool.

The air coming out feels cool but not cold. I assume that the A/C units on the Prius have to work very hard, especially in rough climates.

I suppose my question is this: I rode in a different Prius (a 2007), where the A/C was running around medium, and the temperature felt comfortable. However, in my vehicle, it still is a little bit warm even at full blast (with temperatures in the 100s). Also, it is running on the inside air A/C for sure.

Do you think this is really an issue or is the just A/C is working normally? I realize in some climate zones it is difficult to keep the car cold.