Toyota Recalls 1.9 Million Prius Hybrids Over Software Flaw (Feb. 2014)

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Montex, Aug 6, 2014.

  1. Montex

    Montex Junior Member

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    Toyota Recalls 1.9 Million Prius Hybrids Over Software Flaw - IEEE Spectrum

    Faulty software in Toyota's popular Prius hybrids has forced the Japanese automaker to recall 1.9 million of such vehicles worldwide. The huge recall—representing more than half of all Prius cars ever sold—shows how Toyota has adopted an increasingly cautious stance as major automakers struggle with the rise of software-related car problems.

    The flawed Prius software can cause overheating and damage in transistors within the electronic system controlling the hybrid's gasoline-electric hybrid motor, according to The Wall Street Journal. That scenario can trigger warning lights on the dashboard and force the vehicle into a failsafe mode known as "limp home mode" that slows vehicle performance to a crawl. In "rare circumstances," Toyota warned that the hybrid system might shut down and bring the vehicle to a halt while it's being driven....

    Toyota Recalls 1.9 Million Prius Hybrids Over Software Flaw - IEEE Spectrum
     
    #1 Montex, Aug 6, 2014
  2. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Old news but I still wonder what they actually changed. Did they change the dead time between the top and bottom FETs to reduce the risk of shoot-through? Are the IGBTs too high in gate capacitance?

    Who knows.
     
    #2 2k1Toaster, Aug 6, 2014
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    and, it's causing many to lose mpg's and some to gain.
     
    #3 bisco, Aug 6, 2014
  4. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    more likely they drop the switching timing in order to avoid overheating under no load
     
    #4 mrbigh, Aug 6, 2014
  5. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    If there is no load, then little current is flowing through the switch, and the RDSON is usually negligible. They could put it into burst mode I suppose... But that seems more like an efficiency "feature", not a recall worthy firmware update.
     
    #5 2k1Toaster, Aug 6, 2014
  6. Alicia Soto

    Alicia Soto New Member

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    What do I do if my warning lights are going on & the car is sluggish.
     
    #6 Alicia Soto, Aug 11, 2014
  7. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    This IS old news.

    So why if no new information in this arena, why post this "alert" again?

    It's August and that announcement is from February.
     
    #7 The Electric Me, Aug 11, 2014
  8. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    You read the codes... The car is telling you "problem exists", so now you need to interrogate it to find out what problem. A CAN reader is needed for that, a dealership is easiest and generally also the priciest.
     
    #8 2k1Toaster, Aug 11, 2014
  9. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    CAN or OBDII? The CAN bus was an earlier diagnostic access version but don't all cars have OBDII ports today?
     
    #9 mikefocke, Aug 12, 2014
  10. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    OBDII is a standard port with a standardized pinout. But the communications protocol and implementation varies. In the Prius, the OBDII connector provides a standard interface to the CAN Bus. All cars sold in the US after the mid 90's (1996?) are required to have an OBDII port and it even specifies how far from the steering wheel and within drivers' reach.

    CAN was not OBDII compliant by itself until 2003 but by 2008 it was required in all new vehicles.

    The Prius uses fully compliant CAN protocol through the OBDII connector. Any modern shop with an OBDII scanner will support reading Prius codes. There are subcodes that sometimes require interrogation on the network and not all places can do that. But dealerships can, or you can with things like a Scangauge, or a Techstream (or an eBay ripoff of one).
     
    #10 2k1Toaster, Aug 12, 2014
  11. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Some auto parts stores will pull the codes for free, and you can find the meaning for most online. The OBDII standard also included standardizing the codes. There are still some manufacturer specific ones, though. Which will likely include things specific to the hybrid system.
     
    #11 Trollbait, Aug 12, 2014
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