Vibration at 68mph in 2010 Prius?

I have read about some people complaining about rattles and vibration issues in the Prius. My Prius does not have any rattles currently, though I suppose it could develop in the future.

 

What's the history of your front tires and front brakes? First thing I would do is make sure the front tires are balanced properly.

 

No it is not normal. I agree with tv4fish, probably a tire balance problem on the front. But as long as you are going to have it done I would have all 4 balanced, and rotated if needed.

 

You might need a Hunter Road Force balancer to solve the problem.

But if these are the original tires that have never been dismounted, then they were already road force balanced at the factory.

MB860 ?

 

When I first joined this site, I had read all sorts of issues about rattling or vibrations with the 2010 Prius. I have occasionally heard rattling with my car...but it's always shown itself to be a seatbelt or buckles with my pet cover. I have yet to have my car develop any rattles or vibrations while going 70+ on the highway.

 

But was it done using a Hunter Road Force Balancer? That makes a difference.

 

This is not nornal. The dealer that sold it to you, says this is normal and denies your claim, is full of sh-t. Go to a quality independant shop, or another Dealer, discribe the issue, ask for a mechanic ride along (if allowed), but "do not" tell them where you bought the car or your experience with them. Have them check the wheel ballance, alignment, suspension components, wheel bearings, drive axles, and anything else they may consider suspect. Remember this is a used car out of "full" warranty and a non-vested Mechanic is better under these circumstances.

 

Or don't want to. Remember your Service Agent ultimately has the same Boss your Sales person has at this Dealership. It is hard enough fixing these problems under new car warranties. No profit. A document stating repair is needed from somewhere else gives some leverage. Be firm, but polite. Elevate your claim and document everything (names, times, dates, ect...). Good luck.

 

I have a 2010 V, no vibrations at any speed, good luck with the dealer you'll need it

 

Try rotating the tires front to back and see if it goes away or changes. That may tell you if is a wheel/tire or something else.

I just had a similar problem with my car and it went away when I rotated the tires. I never found out what it was for sure (wheel or tire) because I was offered a deal I couldn't refuse on a new set of tires. When I rotate them I should find out if it was a wheel or a tire, I suspect a tire.

 

Is this is the same dealership that told you that it's normal for a car to vibrate @ 68mph? Call me silly, but I'd get all 4 tires balanced somewhere else and see if your issue improves.

Good luck!

-Brad

 

Here is a link to the thread I started when I had the same problem: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-troubleshooting/99623-vibration-problem.html

The problem is gone now that I have new tires but, as I mentioned, I haven't rotated the new ones yet. If the problem comes back when I do I will need to look for a bent wheel. I marked the wheels so I know where they were when I had the vibration.

 

i had this problem on my 2000 Toyota Van after a brake job, went back a couple of times complaining, drove me nuts, then started really looking and it turned out that the rear wheel was not on the hub correctly, you could tell because the threads on the luggs were different than the other side. Bottom line look at the wheels in the rear for any problems.

 

I agree, it is a good thing to check especially on cars with "lug centric" vs "hub centric" wheels. With our cars the lug nuts are used to center up the wheel instead of a hub in the middle. Tire Rack says it is critical to torque the wheel lugs with the wheels still off the ground with lug centric wheels.
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=91&affiliate=TX4