Engine wiring harness safety recall (model year 2016–2018)

randomwalk is a good man from Texas. Depending on which part of Texas he's in, there can be lots of blowing wind / dust / dirt.

So where exactly are those wires that might fray? Are they inside that black box in my photo? Behind the box? Underneath or on top of the box? With all those earthquakes they have in Japan, I wonder if the workers can keep their mind on their jobs. Can't blame them if they make a mistake occasionally.

 

Looked up my 2016 Prius 2 and the result was: POSITIVE. This is the third recall for my vehicle.

 

the first 3 of many...

 

My VIN search returns: Customer Pre-notification
SRC R63 (Interim Réf. X63) – Certain 2016-2018MY Prius Engine Wire Harness

What does it mean?

 

Is that the Canadian version of the US Recall I got when I looked mine up:

Safety Recall J0T (Interim J1T) - Interim Notice Certain 2016 - 2018 Model Year Prius Engine Wire Harness

 

Had a look at mine today. As Randomwalk said, the right connectors cable does not go near the cable cover. The lefts connectors cable however does come in contact with the cover. Depending on how long Takes to do the recall, a few turns of abrasion resistant tape on the left one would be the fix I'd employ.

 

my VIN is registered with Toyota Canada and it is the place to check for recall.
I don/t understand what Customer Pre-notification status means.

 

Just got an explanation:

The purpose of this pre-notification is to provide you with important information about this recall.

What is the defect?
The subject vehicles have an engine wire harness which is connected to the hybrid vehicle Power Control Unit. The wire harness has a cover attached at this connection. Due to assembly variation, a portion of the wire harness could contact the cover. If dust has accumulated on the wire harness or the cover, vibration during vehicle use may cause the insulation on the wires to wear over time and expose the core wire, causing an electrical short circuit to occur between the damaged wires and generate heat. If sufficient heat is generated, there is an increased risk of a vehicle fire.

What will Toyota do?
Toyota is currently preparing the remedy for this campaign. Once preparations are complete, Toyota will send an owner notification letter by first class mail to owners of vehicles covered by this recall.

What should I do?
Once you receive your owner notification letter, return your vehicle to a Toyota dealer. The dealer will perform a repair at no charge to you.

 

What I read into it is "currently preparing the remedy" - likely means they have spotted a potential problem, which they said "if dust has accumulated" and "wear over time" - but they haven't finalised the solution.

Suspect just warning owners to be prepared for a coming recall. Which TOYOTA Australia hasn't done yet.

 

...if there is "dust accumulated" then I guess mine will be affected. LOL...

 

I've only got (besides what I just vacuumed inside the house) dust which accumulates on the Piano Black entertainment system and surrounds. Oh, for an all white interior ...

 

Many thanks to the MANY kind souls who posted helpful info about the recall. From my car examination it looks like both the left and right wire harnesses are pressing onto the top cover edge which itself feels quite sharp. i took photos of the right wire which seems to show some wear in my case, revealed by my finger pressing down on the pressure. My initial thoughts are to either remove the cover or cutaway a notch to relieve the pressure. but i’ll wait and see for now.

unfortunately to meet my budget i didn’t buy from an authorized dealer. others may dream of a lambo or i8, i’m driving mine already

 

No matter where you bought the vehicle, TOYOTA will fix it for FREE. I had a car (Daihatsu) and was at least the 3rd owner, but Daihatsu contacted me and it was done free. [and no, I don't want a Lambo or I8 either]

 

Can you take another picture zoom out & may be point to the exact area to get a better perspective of exact where that is??? Thanks

 

Looks like both of the wiring harnesses are touching that top cover on my '16 and it appears that both of them have dug into the electrical tape which is covering them and there is clearly an indentation on the plastic cover above it.. Wondering how they will fix it..

 

The RECALL has now appeared on TOYOTA AUSTRALIA's website as a press release. It seems that all Australian PRIUS Gen 4 are affected - mine is in the VIN range.



One detail they've advised:

Q6: How long will the repair take?
A6: To inspect the engine wire harness and add protection material will take approximately 30 minutes.

Should engine wire harness damage be identified during inspection, the wire harness will be replaced, which will take approximately four to five hours.

However, it may be necessary for the owner to make the vehicle available for a longer period of time depending upon the dealer's schedule.

[ Press Release - TOYOTA AUSTRALIA TO RECALL VEHICLES DUE TO POTENTIAL ENGINE WIRE HARNESS MALFUNCTION ]

 

I always get nervous hearing about 'wiring harness' replacements. Is this wiring harness contained in the engine compartment, or does it travel through the firewall into the passenger cabin? It would be a shame to have to have the dashboard area all yanked apart for this fix.

 

" four to five hours" - not sure they'll dismantle a dashboard in that time - and reassemble it? It was listed as a 12 hr job on my VOLVO to replace the heater/A/C Motor, and that was pre-computer.

 

I'm just jaded after having the Takata airbag replaced on a Subaru Forester awhile ago. The dashboard squeaked/rattled after that. I'm probably just being 'tinfoil hat-like' about the whole thing.