Dead Prius

Oy. Sorry to hear about your problems. Given that it died shortly after getting fuel, I think that "bad fuel" is a good guess. . .

I remember there was some problem with some (very early) Prius engines stalling at highway speeds, but I think those had no problems starting up again after powering down, right?

If you can find out what codes the dealer pulls, that'll help us (well, not me, but the smart people on this forum) work on this mystery.

 

Did you get the "ECU flash" recall work done before? If not, now is the time! Have them check the steering for another recall while they are at it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(weesa20 @ May 15 2007, 07:26 PM) [snapback]442824[/snapback]</div>

And I think you are just frustrated. I feel your pain but there is no need for gross generalizations based on one or two service incidents.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(weesa20 @ May 15 2007, 06:26 PM) [snapback]442824[/snapback]</div>

If the current problem has an external cause then this Prius has had as many dealer trips (perhaps not warranty trips) has the Chevy. If it turns out that the cause is a problem with the Prius then IMO weesa20 has made a fair call. It doesn't matter to me if there are a million other (insert car model here) that are completely trouble free if mine is the one in the shop.

Recently I discovered that I was missing fasteners (1 each side) in the guards that are in front of the front tires. Either Toyota didn't insert them or they fell out. If they were missing at the factory, QC didn't notice nor the two mechanics at the dealer that did the oil changes. If they fell out inside of 12,000 miles what kind of crap assembly is this? This is no less irritating (but less time consuming) than the comparable BS problem I had with the Intrigue. The reputation for quality rides on every vehicle, not just most of them.

 

Hi Weesa20,

Yea, if the 2005 Prius has not had the reprogaming (stored in flash type memory - called a Reflash by most nerds and geeks), that would explain what happened. Has happened to a bunch of people including one lady in the middle of the golden gate bridge. The old 2004 and 2005 software is apparently too sensative to the variablity in time it takes to restart the engine under some circumstances, and just gives up too quick. Many people have had the Reflash with no furter problems.

Do not be down on the Prius. Had the same kinda problem with my 6 month old Saturn SL2. Pull into a toll gate, and then in cripple mode on the way out. Kinda scarry merging onto a 70 mph experssway at 35 mph because that is as fast as the car could get going in a 1/2 mile. Best guess was the lock-up torque converter. Happened a few more time, and I took it into Saturn. Each time they said they did not find a problem. But it stopped after one the last trip to Saturn for the problem. I think they pulled the wire to the torque converter lock-up solenoid. No problem with it for rest of the 4 years I owned it.

 

"If they fell out inside of 12,000 miles what kind of crap assembly is this?"

I'd be willing to bet those plastic guards have a few scratches in them from parking stops. It doesn't take much to knock the fasteners out if you hit the stop, but the plastic is flexible enough you may not feel it from the driver's seat.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(weesa20 @ May 15 2007, 04:22 PM) [snapback]442792[/snapback]</div>

WHAT WOULD BAD FUEL BE ?
What kind of fuel should you use ?
thanks,


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(weesa20 @ May 15 2007, 04:22 PM) [snapback]442792[/snapback]</div>

WHAT WOULD BAD FUEL BE ?
What kind of fuel should you use ?
thanks,

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pola @ May 15 2007, 10:10 PM) [snapback]442987[/snapback]</div>

There are a few ways that fuel can be "bad," but the most common would probably be if water got in the tanks at the gas station. Note that this can happen anywhere and there's no reason to believe that one brand of fuel is more or less likely to have this happen (although, I'd probably avoid the specific station where you got the bad fuel).

 

Yeah, you bought your Prius RIGHT before the recall, I think. I bought mine two months after you, and it was just being shipped from Japan, so I know that mine was assembled after the recall, and has the updated software. The dealer may have been under the impression that the recall work had been done on the car before it was sold to you. Get that checked out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(weesa20 @ May 15 2007, 06:22 PM) [snapback]442792[/snapback]</div>

Do you think there is a possibility of vapor lock. One time I remember travelling through the mountains in NM as a kid and my parents had a brand new Saab and it died, but my dad is an aircraft mechanic and realized what happened and just got out of the car and unscrewed the gas cap to release the pressure. The car started right back up and we were on our way.

 

AFAIK, if the OP's Prius was built in July or AUgust of '05, it shouldn't be suject to the reflash requirements. At least, my July '05 build-date Prius hasn't required one, nor have I received a notice about it.

Good luck on finding the solution! Let us know what the dealer does to fix it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(weesa20 @ May 15 2007, 06:26 PM) [snapback]442824[/snapback]</div>

Realibility is all about statistics. The worst vehicles can be problem free for years and the best can be disasters. The WORST vehicle I ever owned was a Subaru Outback. A lemon of epic proportions.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(morpheusx @ May 15 2007, 09:41 PM) [snapback]443071[/snapback]</div>

I don't know for certain, but I believe vapor lock disappeared along with carburetors. I don't think I've see vapor lock since my '54 Chevy. Of course, I drove that car into the late '60s. We used a clothespin on the fuel line to eliminate that. Old "mechanics" tale or not, IIRC it did work.
Water in the gas can be fixed temporarily by putting methanol in the gas. I'm not certain how reliable that is with modern cars, but it would be better than water in the gas. The methanol dissolves(is dissolved by) the water so it dilutes itself throughout the gas, rather than staying clumped together in the line.

Dave M.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Boxster...WRX...Prius? @ May 16 2007, 12:26 AM) [snapback]443141[/snapback]</div>

Mine, which I received on August 15, 2005 hasn't had the reflash. It also hasn't had any of traction problems associated with earlier '05s. There's speculation that the reflash took care of (or at least reduced) that problem.

Dave M.

 

Find your car's VIN. Call Toyota (NOT a dealer, but Toyota USA: 800-331-4331) and ask whether any recalls or service campaigns apply to your car. If so, have them all performed. Parts and labor are free.

"Bad gas" does happen sometimes, but your Prius is about the right age to have needed a computer software upgrade that fixes the problem you described, so eliminate that possibility first.

 

It will be interesting to see what the deal was on this.

Any chance you filled up with E85, and would the car run or die on E85. I think there are others here that have used it successfully as far as running the car on a tank, it'll just eat the seals out of the fuel system if left over time.

Diesel? Any chance you filled up with diesel? That would be a hoot.

In any case, let us know what happened.

I'm past 50k on a 2006 and all I've done is oil changes and tire rotations so far.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mootsman @ May 16 2007, 09:16 AM) [snapback]443267[/snapback]</div>

If it was a 1998 Subaru Outback I'm with you on that one. That car was a nightmare for us. Easy to park in the snow, but otherwise nearly gave me an ucler.

 

Hi again pola... and others in this thread.

Kind of fuel? - Regular unleaded. "Bad" fuel comment would suggest water or other contaminants in the fuel or accidentally using E85 (85% ethanol) not recommended for Prius use. The E15 fuel used in many areas in the winter fuel blend is OK for the Prius, but the E85 is not. Seems the E85 could deteriorate some of the hoses and gaskets in the fuel system over time... in addition, E85 has less energy than regular fuel so your MPG would likely be a bit less.

The 2004 and some early 2005 Prius had a minor computer glitch which could simply turn the gasoline engine OFF at highway speeds... not a good surprise. The vast majority of Prius drivers of those had no problems. The potential problem was solved with a 'flash' update of the ECU computer. I made very sure that all the updates were done on my 2004 and never had a problem of any kind. The 2007's you and your fellow are purchasing have never had such an update and I think are not likely to since they are now the 5th model year of this Prius series providing more than adequate 'field tests' to iron out glitches.

My 2¢

 

our 05 was built in 2/05 and did not need the reflash. but it would be a good idea to check. bad gas can do a lot of different things- we ran through a tank of bad gas and got downright horrible mpg, but no stalls. others have had water in their fuel rails and such from bad gas.