Got this 2010 Prius a couple of months ago and has 142k miles. 2 weeks ago i had new michelin energy saver tires put on. I did notice some vibrations with original tires. Now with the new tires if anything the vibrations seem worse. If i am on a level, new, and smooth road its silky smooth. But as soon as i back off the accelerator, a very strong shuttering vibration develops. Once i step on gas, its smooth again. With cruise control on, going up a hilll, it's smooth....but when on the downhill side that shuttering vibration starts up every time. When levelling out past the hill, it goes away. I took it back to discount tire and they checked the tires out, said they rebalanced them, but no change. I took it yesterday to another local discount tire and complained again. They checked out again, and again they said they found them out of balance and that is all that was wrong. But again it did nothing for the strong deceleration vibrations. So I guess i have to take to a mechanic shop. Could wrong front end alignment cause a vibration like this?
Does it do it when you’re braking or just under deceleration with no brake applied? If it occurs during braking it can be a warped brake rotor. If it does it under deceleration it can be several things. Bad motor mounts, CV joint, bad tie rods are among the thing that can be the culprits. Taking it to an alignment shop might be a better option than a regular repair shop. An alignment shop would be more apt to diagnose the problem correctly.
It has nothing to do at all with brakes/ rotors. Braking does not cause the vibrations. I did notice today that its not quite correct that it only happens when decelerating. When starting up from a stop, it vibrates for the first 3-4 seconds, then smooths out.
You would have to put the car in maintainace mode so you can run and power brake the ICE while it’s in “D” and “R”. If the motor mounts are torn or worn the power braking will lift the engine substantially with the torque. You can’t mistake the mounts are broken by this method. BTW, there are a total of four engine and/or transmission mounts involved.
This car...a 2010....replaced my older 2009 prius. That one was a gen 2 then. Is the trans fluid servicing. And fluid type the same for this Prius?
Yes, same Toyota ATF WS. 4 quarts will suffice. Fill and drain bolts are identical now, are socket head cap screw style with a 10 mm hex recess. Torque for both is 29 ft/lb. Level is correct if you fill till it starts coming back out, with the car level. Toyota recommends to only use fluid from freshly opened bottles. Not in this attachment, but I have read it, could dig it up. I kinda think a fluid change will not solve your problem, but doesn't hurt.
