2012 Prius V ,ABS brake and traction light on, code C1391, denied by Toyota ZJB

Trouble codes give you some information about what is happening in the brake system, but they don't completely pin down why. The workup section for C1391 in the repair manual (more info) can give you some idea of the things that can cause that code.

When a company announces a warranty extension for a certain issue, it usually means they have discovered a common underlying cause where a lot of the manufactured units will develop a certain symptom. For example, they might find their part supplier made a bad run of parts on a certain line in a certain month, and they know which cars those units went into.

That doesn't mean that no other Prius ever made will ever show C1391 symptoms. Things do wear out. Normally that will be randomly spread out over a wide range of mileage, tailing out past the expected life of the car, and some unexpectedly early.

But that doesn't mean an announced warranty extension is meant to cover everybody who ever has a part that wears out. It's usually limited to the parts that wear out because they were in a known run of parts with a specific known defect that was the reason for the announcement.

 

welcome!
how many miles on your car?
how much do they want to repair it?

 

One thing to consider is obtaining the parts and finding an independent shop.

For example:
47070-12020 Booster Pump, your dealer $913, Mcgeorge online $696 or ebay used $164
47050-47110 Master Cylinder, your dealer $1405, Mcgeorge online $1072

 

Warranty extension programs are different from standard warranties as they don't apply to everyone with the same part, just those years and vins Toyota deems fit to cover. I might go to another Toyota dealer with the estimates and request they contact Toyota corp for help.

I am sure you can appeal the decision while realizing the odds may not be in your favor.

I think there are options to get it fixed for around $2000 if you wanted to do some online shopping along with first finding an independent mechanic that would take it on.

Is the car driveable as is?

 

try calling toyota corporate back, and explain the situation regarding cpo and the amount of miles.

ask for some goodwill warranty consideration. perhaps they will help with the cost.

i don't know any other way to find out if it is covered by the extended warranty except through the vin, that is how toyota does it.

 

That's the question, whether it's the same problem, or normal wear out, or some other cause. If Toyota made a list of VINs for ZJB, presumably that means they knew of something specific to a specific run of parts that would make those more-than-normally likely to fail early in this way. But that doesn't mean that parts outside that run can never fail in any way that shows similar symptoms.

92,000 miles seems on the early side, but probably not completely outside the bell curve of when somebody's part might go, out of millions of units on the road.

 

What is the repair history of the car? Specifically, when was the brake fluid last changed?

What were the CPO warranty limits in terms of months and miles and how does this car fit into those limits? When was it first put into service via a sale and first ownership change?

 

I bought both parts online today, used supposedly 76,000 miles.... $210.00 going to install myself.

 

Hello Tim,
We just got a $3500 quote to replace the master cylinder and the booster at our local dealership. I would like to try to do this myself .
Did it require special tools and how did it work out for you? Appreciate any feedback. Thank you Brian

 

Haven't done it yet... was diagnosed with pneumonia this afternoon. I will keep you informed. I haven't had any codes just the running of the pump every 15 seconds.

 

HI Tim, Hope you feel better soon. Stay hydrated and res. I see that we can buy Toyota genuine parts for the master cylinder and the booster at a local dealer for just over $1400.00. This is interesting because the dealer that has my car said, " $2500 was the parts cost alone. It's interesting that they can sell the parts at a profit for $1400.00 at a different Toyota dealership. Possibly another member has done this job and could offer feedback on their experience?

 

If your going to do it yourself I would use recycled parts. You can find both parts low miles parts you need for $400 or less.

 

What parts are you looking at?

I just ask because in Gen 3 there's a nomenclature gotcha that can trip people up.

The "booster" (without the word "pump") is a purely hydraulic part at the rear of the master cylinder, not available separately. There's just one part to buy that is all of: the "master cylinder", the "booster", the "actuator", and the "skid ECU". (At least on the Gen 3 liftback; they could have packaged things differently for the v.)

So if somebody is showing you one price calling it the "master cylinder" and the "booster", that could be because it's the price of one part.

There is another part that's known as the "booster pump" (don't leave out the second word!), also known as the "accumulator". Are you looking at pricing for both the master-cylinder/booster/actuator/ecu and the booster-pump/accumulator, or only for one of those assemblies?

 

I would talk with the service manager. Have them give you the codes and then argue the codes match since now they have added 2011-2015. find your built date which is on same sticker as the Tire pressure specs on your driver side. i attached the copy of the letter. take it to the manager. if they don't budge, i would look on ebay or LKQ. It shouldn't cost more than $400-500 in labor plus parts. Even though its fairly accessible, its very labor intensive. Also try finding local hybrid mechanics near you.