Poor traction / gas mileage after accident

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Premanshu Jain, Nov 14, 2021.

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  1. Premanshu Jain

    Premanshu Jain New Member

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    My lovely 2012 Prius 3 after 130K miles got into a fender bender accident from the driver's side. The hitting vehicle dragged my front bumper driver side for a few seconds. The front bumper driver side, headlights suffered damage and all got replaced now.

    Now I am feeling that the car seems to have lost traction. It rarely goes into the battery mode and never seems to drive in ECO mode whenever I gas it up even a little bit. I also feel it's gone way too noisy drive now, but can't figure out the source of the noise. I already got the wheel alignment done, no success.

    What could be the issue, should I check driver-side front wheel bearing, suspension, or anything else? Talking to Toyota dealership even or diagnosis is a $220 rip-off. So I am trying to figure it out myself.
     
    #1 Premanshu Jain, Nov 14, 2021
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2021
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Does it get significantly lower mpg now? Who repaired the damage? The first assumption is some kind of drag exists caused by the collision. Brakes, bearings or transaxle.

    If there are warning lights, you would need a specialized hybrid capable code reader along with some knowledge of the hybrid system. Typically mpg losses not related to drag include a weak 12v or hybrid battery.
     
    #2 rjparker, Nov 15, 2021
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2021
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  3. Premanshu Jain

    Premanshu Jain New Member

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    Yes, the mpg meter shows 22mpg instead of 50 or 100 depending upon gas and speed. Everything happened after the accident, so I am presuming physical damage instead of electronics or a battery. Only the bumper damage was fixed by a freelance.
     
    #3 Premanshu Jain, Nov 15, 2021
  4. Premanshu Jain

    Premanshu Jain New Member

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    No warning lights so far. What can be the best inexpensive way to check the bearings/transaxle or brakes? I tried to jack up the wheel and rotate it to check for any bearing noise, but the front wheels in Prius don't rotate freely at all. I already tried with the non damaged side of the wheel and it doesn't rotate free either
     
    #4 Premanshu Jain, Nov 15, 2021
  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    You can't judge by instantaneous mpg. You need to go by average mpg, ideally comparing a reset trip meter against the overall average mpg. I doubt you are anywhere near 22 mpg, bad is usually 35-40 mpg average.

    A typical bearing failure will have a characteristic rumbling that gets louder over 35 mph. It may be quiet for the first mile when cold. Typically in a Prius, normal road noise at 60 mph and higher will drown it out. Someone may need to remove the calipers so that they can be inspected and the hub bearing can be rotated without brake drag. Then compare.

    But first be sure you have a problem based on average mpg. Often noise is subjective.
     
    #5 rjparker, Nov 15, 2021
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  6. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Normally modern integrated hub bearings do not exhibit a lot of loose wheel symptoms or slow hand rotation noise. Bearing rumbling at speed can sound like a rough concrete road as well so having a smooth asphalt road to use for the noise is best. Even with bad bearings I would never expect to see average mpg drop to the twenties.

    Many front end suspension shops could check the basics, probably with a free estimate. Just be careful of a bad strut diagnosis, easy money for them and unlikely to cause your symptoms.
     
    #6 rjparker, Nov 16, 2021
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