13 shutdown cases reported for Toyota Prius

I wish that upgraded-or-not question had been answered in the article. I have had all the recalls I'm supposed to have done, and I'm hoping my car doesn't 'glitch' on me...

 

I agree, it would be VERY interesting to see if the cars involved had the programming upgrade or not. Mine's got 36,000 with no problems so I'm gonna stick with my thought and Kyle's opinion"If it ain't broke don't fix it".

 

If Toyota makes a recall for the TSB I'll have it done; if not I'll wait.

 

My dealer told me that they get service bulletins, etc, tagged to VIN numbers; when my car comes in, the VIN is entered into the computer and any relevant service bulletin pops up. The dealer's computer also logs any work already done on my car. I'm sure this is standard practice at Toyota dealers and is probably the only way to make sure glitches are tagged and repaired. It's also a good arguement for not taking a Prius to your corner mechnanic who might not have access to the Toyota database.
If you wonder whether your car is included in some batch of Prii needing service done, you can ask your dealer. I think a lot of us can get riled up unnecessarily by rumors and anecdotal accounts of problems.
B

 

(Warning: Sarcasm alert!)

Gee, it's heartening to see the WSJ taking such an earnest and sincere interest in the public good, and not merely grasping desperately for an opportunity to cast doubt on a successful new technology that conserves energy, something with which the Journal's editorial board philosophically disapproves. (See "Conservation Wastes Energy" at:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/k...el/?id=95000484

Abstract: It is wrong to have a higher standard of living without spending more for it.)

The Journal was not always so public-minded. I recall an editorial from the late 1990s in which they chastized the British government for overreacting to Mad Cow disease, since, at that time, only 30 people had actually DIED of nvCJD. The cost to the British beef industry, you see, was unacceptably high.

 

We had a small (very small) handful of reports on PriusChat about this.

However, I believe they've dried up over the last six months. I assumed it was associated with the rare "all lights go on and shutdown" problem, that was fixed by a TSB in 2004.

 

Hey,
i just started another thread dealing with a similar problem.
I thought that Iran out of gas, the whole Christmas tree lit up and the ICE would not run. HV was not affected though. I have a February 05. Is this the same problem? I had two bars of fuel remaining when the "shutdown" occurred. It really wasn't a shutdown though because the computer kept working just the ICE quit.

 

Thanks for keeping a level head Bob, but I must admit this report does spook me a bit. I think I will contact my dealer because I don't know how methodical their process for informing owners is.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob Allen\";p=\"89917)</div>

 

Hmm. My baby's in the shop today for its 5,000-mile check-up. Sounds as though there's already a fix out there, and that if mine wasn't already equipped (purchased in February), it'll get an upgrade today?

I must ask the shop.

 

> The newspaper reports the National Highway Transportation Safety
> Administration has logged 13 reports of the engine shutdowns


I searched the NHTSA reports myself. I actually found 14 reports; however, 3 of them were duplicate entries. So there were really only 11 vehicles reporting that "VEHICLE LOST POWER" problem.

Reading through the details available, you wonder if SSC-40A (Electronic-Control-Unit Reprogramming) and LSC-40E (Engine Compartment Seal) had been done. They are required updates that some owners may not have been aware of... unfortunately. In other words, a preventative fix was possibly already available for some (or all) of them.

The following are summaries of all the NHTSA reports and links so you can read through the details yourself:

• fuel gauge (November 29, 2004)
• highway stability (April 1, 2005)
• crosswinds & tires (March 19, 2005)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (April 19, 2005)
• brake problem (April 12, 2005)
• back seatbelt (December 30, 2003)
• navigation accuracy (December 10, 2003)
• cruise-control (December 15, 2003)
• brake problem (May 2, 2004)
• tire traction (May 9, 2004)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (June 16, 2004)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (July 18, 2004)
• tire wear (September 23, 2004)
• brake light assembly (August 10, 2004)
• back seatbelt (October 15, 2004)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (October 29, 2004)
• * duplicate entry, same vehicle (October 29, 2004)
• * duplicate entry, same vehicle (October 29, 2004)
• brake fluid (November 23, 2004)
• tire blowout (November 22, 2004)
• accelerator stuck (October 12, 2004)
• air bags (December 28, 2004)
• * duplicate entry, same vehicle (December 28, 2004)
• fuel guage (January 1, 2005)
• backseat latch (February 4, 2005)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (February 24, 2005)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (November 1, 2004)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (March 30, 2005)
• * duplicate entry, same vehicle (March 30, 2005)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (April 17, 2005)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (April 20, 2005)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (May 2, 2005)
• VEHICLE LOST POWER (May 7, 2005)
  • 
    
    
    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems...=0&summary=true
    
    
    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems...=0&summary=true
    
    
    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems...=0&summary=true
    
    .

 

Thanks for reviewing the NHTSA reports, John. I was suspecting that the articles were describing the problem fixed by SSC-40A, but I wasn't sure and your review helps put me at ease.

I am a still a bit confused, however. I thought SSC-40A occurred in early 2004. Aren't all Prius bought after SSC-40A suppose to have the SSC-40A programming already? In that case, how is it possible that any 2005 Prius and at the later half-year of 2004 Prius have this problem?

Also, similar logic for LSC-40E.

 

The 2004-05 Prius are 2008 compliant. When you have your car scoped by your local repair shop, (Not Toyota service) They aren't equipped for that 2008 compliance. Only a few Lexus vehicles, and the 04-05 Pris have the 08 compliance. The computer upgrade was actually a downgrade with a few variables of upgrade. That's why it takes about an hour for this "up/downgrade" procedure in both the 04, and o5 Pris.

 

Does anybody have a link to the website that lists all the Toyota TSB's?
I was there once. It costs like $10 for a years access. I would like to check them all out.

 

i think the access is a bit shorter than a year... isnt it about $10 a DAY

 

I figure I can download everything in a day, I just need the link! Or a link to a database that has all the TSB'S!!!

 

a vehicle losing power at freeway speeds is hardly news. it has happened to two people that i personally know of, one driving a caravan and another driving a chevy S-10 pickup. in both of the above cases, the cause of the shutdown was never positively identified. the caravan was in the shop 4 times with repair bills (it was new and under warantee but prices could still be seen on his copy) totalling over $15,000. he eventually got his money back (after 14 months) under the state lemon law.

 

Devil's Advocate,

http://techinfo.toyota.com/

 

I wonder if any of those incidents involved unauthorized "modifications" to the electrical system/wiring?