Major Problem with 2010 Prius PCS

Were they both in the same stretch of road? There was a previous report of metal plate on the road but a few others have indicated they have not encountered problems despite driving over such plates. The manual lists several specific conditions that can confuse PCS, but I doubt it's a comprehensive list:

Page 252, section 2-4: "When there is an object by the roadside at the entrance to a curve" [or] "When passing an oncoming vehicle on a curve" [or] "When driving over a narrow iron bridge" [or] "When there is a metal object on the road surface" [or] "When driving on an uneven road surface" [or] "When passing an oncoming vehicle on a left-turn" [or] "When your vehicle rapidly closes on the vehicle in front"..."may trigger the system even if there is no danger of collision"...

If you can isolate a specific location, perhaps you can try to identify the object(s) or scenario and avoid it, or disable PCS only in the vicinity of the troublesome area?

But I agree with NHSTA reporting or at the minimum reporting to Toyota, especially if you can give them more specifics about location, situation, etc. because I'm also in the market for a Prius V w/AT pkg, and false activations of PCS was one of my greatest concerns. I have to say, however, in requesting for details, PCS activations seem extremely rare (at least among Prius drivers here on this forum) and yours is only the second post to describe incorrect activation of PCS.

 

Two different roadways (FDR / Harlem River Dr) at a 3 lane wide piece of it, and RT 46 in Teterboro heading toward Clifton, also 2-3 lanes wide.

The first roadway curves, and the 2nd is straight and flat.

I was not passing, I didn't see any metal in the road, but there could have been but very unlikely on RT 46., etc.

 

I really want one of those burgers about now....

 

I'm doing some burgers on Monday at the Javits for a food show.

 

chefHawk, much better. My NAV is a bit flaky too. It doesn't cope well with 3. I like taking 1&9 to Tonnelle Ave to go to Secaucus. On the way up it kept trying to take me through Newark. I got so used to second-guessing the unit I got off Tonnelle 1 or 2 ramps early.

Last month's HSA problem I attribute to "gremlins" as it has not happened again. I filed a complaint with the NHTSA over the jammed shifter although it has not happened again.

On the plus side, compared to the Gen2 the ride is better, the seats are more comfy, the NAV got an immediate fix in NYC (although it wanted to take me 1 block further west to go to the Lincoln Tunnel) and the avionics have paid for themselves.

On the minus side, the MID is too busy, the seat & radio controls are just out of reach, my beanbag mount slides around, and the FE is low.

In yesterday morning's storm enough snow & ice formed on the nose to disable the radar. A text message is displayed along with the yellow triangle.

Perhaps you can help with a local question. On NJ3 East where is the ramp/exit for Sheraton Center Drive? I see the sign for the Turnpike but end up going past it & turning around on Harmon Meadow Blvd.

Do you need to deliver stuff for your show at the Javits? If not park at the parking garage across from the Extended Stay (1 Plaza Dr., Secaucus) in the Harmon Meadow complex. The 320 bus stops there. The route runs frequently and the only stop after the hotel is the Park & Ride.

 

My last car was a 2000 Infinite G20 I bought in '99 and had a very tight suspension but was a nice car in general for a sub compact. I got 36 on the highway and about 21 in the city.

On the Prius I'm getting an average millage of 41-43 based on the odometer and the amount of fuel I put in, the internal fuel MPG seems 2 miles per gallon to high.. But if I ride the power harder it drops to 35 MPG. I think the engine is a bit under powered lacking the torque to go up hills effectively. Lots of hills near me.

I don't really know Route 3 that well although I travel on it a short distance from 17 to to Lincoln Tunnel. I don't know where "Sheraton Center Drive" is.. I do go to the outlets some times near there but don't pay too much attention to where I'm going..

I have to agree with you that something is missing from the Nav. I find that Toyota keeps a lot of features limited to different models; I would be willing to bet they dumbed down the Nav on the Prius vs. the Lexus.

I hate going to Javits because of the 30-40 dollar parking that is usually charged any where near there. So that bus thing is a good idea. I just have to show up and grill some butter burgers and some Goober burgers. These are regional burgers from Wisconsin and Missouri.

 

Wow, sounds like you have a real issue with the PCS that's not going to be easy to diagnose (different roads, different conditions, etc). Hopefully the Toyota dealer can identify some issue (calibration) with it, or else its going to be a major pain. I can see the headlines now: "Prius has problems both not braking and braking suddenly on its own"...

 

Hopefully the car retains a lot of "black box" data when the PCS is engaged and hopefully it can be retrieved by the dealer. That way they can try to figure out what happened.

 

The same thing happened to me right after I got my Prius. Here is a link to my post. After that I disabled PCS braking using the switch below the dash. It has been almost a year since then, and the PCS has not activated again, so I'm considering turning the braking feature back on.