2007 Prius P1116 code and coolant control valve issues

It’s been a solid week since my last post. My last post described my Thursday evening (2/5/09) dealership service debacle. On Friday afternoon (2/6/09) at approximately 2pm I received a call from my Toyota Corp case manager. She was returning the phone call that I placed to her Thursday night after leaving the dealership. I had not spoken with the dealership yet on Friday, but she had just gotten off the phone with them.

The case manager claimed that the service manager at the dealership told her that when they (she and 4 techs) checked the vehicle Friday morning, I had been running the AC…that’s why the vehicle would not warm up. Well, I hit the roof…I asked her if she, the case manager, knew anything about how the climate control worked in the prius. She said no. I told her that the AC has nothing to do with the temperature of the air coming out of the vents. That is controlled by the temperature gauge. In fact when ‘Auto is chosen to regulate cabin temperature, the default setting is ‘AC’. I then thought to myself, how is it possible that a ‘case manager’ knows nothing about how the vehicle they’re representing operates? I asked her if she thought it was possible that after 2 years of owning my vehicle I did not know how to operate my climate control, and if that was the case, how could she explain the ‘red exclamation point’ and ‘problem’ and ‘red thermostat’. She explained that the dealership experienced no warnings, no problems, no codes on Friday morning.

I read her the riot act and asked her to send me info about Toyota arbitration. I also contacted my lawyer and began investigating NC Lemon Laws.

After I got off the phone with Toyota Corp. I called the dealership. I decided to drive up there at 2:30pm to get my vehicle. The vehicle that less than 24 hrs ago would not operate. It was 90 minute anger stewing drive. When I arrived I had a heated discussion with everyone involved and brought up the same questions I asked of Toyota Corp. Do you know that my main tech admitted that he never looked at the climate control temperature gauge which had been left on 76 degrees? They all assumed that because the AC light was lit, I was running the AC for cold air…unbelievable. I asked the service manager why she threw me under the bus with Toyota Corp, telling them I had the AC on. She called it a miscommunication. I asked them all if it was possible that all the air had not been bled out of the cooling system causing a malfunction….that I understood that it was difficult to purge all the air. They said yes, it was possible. The tech also told me that he had brought the car in again Friday morning to test it and got no codes or warnings….he also bled the cooling system again.

After all that, I drove my car home Friday night, and so far it’s running well. My case is going to be held open for another couple weeks, but I do hope this epic is over. I want to thank everyone who posted for making me sound like I knew what I was talking about when I discussed the issues with Toyota or the techs. I hope I don’t have to post in this thread again. Thanks.

 

As of Sunday 2/15 8pm, the MIL light is on again. Car went a week and 2 days this time....about 300 miles driven. The saga continues.....

 

The cabin heat seems to be working fine. I did notice that the car is much quieter since the last repair after shutting down. It's not squealing. Since this work has been done, there is one thing going on after shut down and right after start up....sounds like a waterfall in my car. After one of the earlier visits, the dealership tech told me I would hear that at first but it would go away, but it continues to do it. I honestly don't ever remember the vehicle making 'the waterfall' noise before I started having problems.

I'm not mechanically inclined, though I'm learning a lot these days, so I haven't checked any fluid levels or know that I've heard any bubbles.

 

I am seriously considering arbitration at this point. I have no confidence in the vehicle. I have no confidence in the folks working on it. They tell me it's probably fine to drive, but how can I trust that when they cannot even repair what they 'think' is wrong with it. I am so tired of driving back and forth to the dealer over and over again and getting the same result....that's the definition of insanity isn' it? I am souring toward this vehicle, but I can't imagine driving another.

I'll drive by Advanced Auto today to see what code pops up on their scanner. I checked my coolant level...definitely pink all the way to the full line....


I feel like parking it, and if toyota wants to keep working on it, they can come tow it. I feel like the money my wife and I have spent paying for this car has been waisted. Even if there's a favorable arbitration, that money is flushed because I had 2 great years of driving....it's the same as driving a rental car for two years.

Any thoughts on going down the arbitration road???

 

I'll have the code checked out.

Tomorrow I'll speak with Toyota Corp. I plan on asking them to find me another dealer and telling them I want it towed. I don't think that's unreasonable at this point.

What do I expect to get from arbitration? To be taken I'm sure. I expect a fair reimbursement or replacement of the vehicle with the same make and model. According to the owner's manual, arbitration is necessary before taking them to court in NC. I fit every single Lemon Law criteria in the state of NC. I can accept or reject the settlement and go to court if necessary.

I drove my last car (VW Golf) for 15 years, and had planned on doing the same with this one. I had less trouble with that one in 15 years than I've had with this one in 3 months...it's my first Toyota and it's a shame because I can't imagine driving anything else. I take care of my cars.

I just know every time I turn this car on that little yellow bastard light is coming on. It feels like everything I've spent on this vehicle has been wasted...like I've had a rental car for 2 years. This car will have been paid off at the end of this year, and right now, it looks like I'll have nothing to show for it.

I'll let you know on the code. Thanks for all your help.

 

Ladies and gentlemen....drum roll please....
Definitely another P1116 code! I dropped by Advanced Auto on my way home from work.

This is crazy...They've done $3000 worth of work to my vehicle, I haven't driven my car for longer than a week in 3 months, and still the same code. Are they just tinkering, replacing this and that because they can't figure it out?

I'll be discussing my case with Toyota again tomorrow.

MB

 

If the coolant valve was installed incorrectly, wouldn't the MIL have come on immediately? There has always been a delay after leaving the dealership...2 days, 3 days, 1 week. It seems to me that the outside temp has been cooler when trouble arises (30-40 degrees), and that's more in tune with the temperature/sensor issues. My problems started in November and the outside temp hasn't been above 60 more than a couple times since.

I get the feeling that most of you think I should keep plugging along, perhaps change dealerships, let the 'experts' figure this one out. Does anyone out there feel that arbitration is a viable alternative?