Hi all, new member here. I bought my Gen 1 Prius in July 2001 and have absolutely loved it. I am a fairly low-mileage driver in everyday life (I work at home) but because of occasional road trips, the odometer now reads 123K. Still pretty good for a ten year old car. I lucked out a couple years ago when Toyota replaced my battery for free JUST before my 8-year warranty expired (mwahahaaaaa!). Lately, however, a new problem has appeared. On the freeway, when going anywhere from 55 to 75, the car suddenly loses a little of its engine power. It does not shut off or stop running (thank god). It just loses a little speed and feels kind of "floaty," like the pedal has lost contact with the engine. It recovers pretty quickly if I floor the accelerator. The recovery is gradual, not sudden; within a minute or two, it's normal again. This does not happen every time I use the freeway. It happens occasionally, unpredictably. I have read a number of threads here about transmission problems in the Gen 1 and plan to have the transaxle fluid replaced asap, just because it sounds like a good idea in general. But what do you guys think is going on? It this just another variant on the transaxle theme or might it be something else? When I take it in, what would be some good questions to ask, to learn more about what is happening? Part II of this topic is, I am seriously considering buying a Nissan Leaf. I registered before the deadline (yay) and now have the opportunity to acquire one around August. Given all of this information I just shared with you about my Prius, do you think I should just jump to the Leaf now on the assumption that the Prius is probably going to need a major repair within a year anyway? Thus saving the stress of waiting for the car to fail, and possibly failing on the freeway? Many thanks in advance for your help. You guys seem like a great group.
This sounds more like an engine issue. The throttle plate is known to have problems with carbon buildup. Have you ever had it cleaned?
I am a bit confused. 160k in 10 years = 16k a year. This is NOT low usage it's average milage. I assume you are going to rent a car for those road trips. Since the Leaf will need to be charged about five times to get you to Vegas.
You are so right--I was confusing the numbers in my mind with our other car. The Prius has 123,000 miles on it. Duh!
BTW the "other car" I confused the numbers with has just been replaced by a used 2007 Prius. It has about 40,000 miles on it. So none of our cars has 160,000 miles on it. Sorry again for the misstatement. Our thinking is, use the leaf for everyday short-range driving, and use the 2007 Prius for trips.
Cleaning up the throttle plate area and changing transaxle fluid are both good ideas. For the latter I also suggest that the trans. pan be removed and cleaned internally. It is the best way to discover if your 'particle load' down there is worryingly much, or just average. Neither may improve ops at highway speeds though. Another possibility is that the accelerator pedal potentiometers are functioning poorly. This is not uncommon in 2001 and 2002 Prius. I previously rebuilt them, and have since passed that 'business' to Bob Wilson in Huntsville. AL. You can find him at the Yahoo group prius_technical_stuff. Of course Toyota would sell you a new accelerator pedal asembly, but the price (>$500) might cause you to consider the rebuilding option. With a new traction battery already, and if the Transaxle doesn't show any bad hints, I would not be quick to predict that your 2001 will fail heavily/soon. Others here might be more pessimistic. The potentiometers in the power steering assist can poop out (like in the accel pedal), leading to a more expensive repair. Or, they could do fine for a very long time. Anyway I have now advice about that Nissan either way. PS: I got mine in August 2001 so you beat me there.
Thank you so much Tochatihu! These sound like great ideas. I am planning to take it in on Thursday to have those specific procedures done. (Never have I gone in with such a specific request!). So let me ask you this. What results am I looking for, so I don't have to rely on one mechanic's personal judgment? Like for example, take the pan cleaning. How would a mechanic measure the "particle load"? What, to you, is "worryingly much"? I trust you more than my Toyota dealer because obviously they have a motive to recommend more and bigger repairs.
The transaxle pan has a magnet, which will have some ferrous 'bits' attached that need to be wiped off. Elsewhere in the pan there will probably be some nonferrous debris. All should be wiped out. But now you are up against it; there is nothing better available than to rely on the mechanic's history with the subject. A photo could be taken and posted here? I really could not draw a line where 'too much' begins, but maybe with visual information, others here would make learned comments. I think the main point is to get the internals clean. Secondary, you may know a bit more about the health of transaxle into the future. Unless you are going to one of the poorer Toyota shops (those are often discussed here) I would not be concerned that the mechanic will try to upsell you a new transaxle. Surely there is profit for them in the work; on the other hand they should assume that you would immediately seek a second opinion. After all, there is little or no evidence at the moment that the transaxle is unhealthy. As it has been a topic of discussion here before, you might ask the mechanic whether he'd rather refill with T-IV fluid (the original) or the newer WS fluid that has been standard since the 2004 redesign. It could both provide some useful info, and show that you are reasonably well versed on Prius matters and not someone who can be pushed around. Same comment applies to discussing the possible problem in the accel. pedal assembly.
Thank you Tochatihu. I am taking it to a Toyota dealer I have been using for many years: Keyes Toyota in Van Nuys, CA. Thanks to you, I have a list of specific things I want them to do. Really appreciate the help and will of course post the outcome.
Update: Thanks in part to YOU, my smart new friends on Prius Chat, I now feel reassured that I can keep my Gen 1 Prius for years to come. I had the mechanics do everything you suggested and they thought everything looked really good. The pan had less particles than they would expect for a car of its age, the throttle was due for a complete cleaning anyway so we did that, and they could not replicate the slipping problem on the freeway. I actually forgot to ask what they found relating to the accelerator pedal potentiometer, but in any case, they said the car looks to be in great shape overall. That positive assessment, plus the fairly low mileage (123K), plus the fact that I got a brand new hybrid battery in 2009, convinces me to KEEP THE CAR. I am surprised how happy I am. What a relief! They did say if I continue to experience the slipping thing at freeways speeds, to make note of how regularly it happens, and when it starts happening real regularly, bring it in again. But they won't "fix" something that they can't replicate. Seems like a good policy to me. Anyway, I'm thrilled. Thanks guys for all the help!
