First off, I did check other posts related to my oddity and saw nothing like this, feel free to post a link if there is one. I'm not looking for answers (though some ideas wouldn't hurt) but just passing my info on in case other have seen this. I have a 2002 Prius, bought it new in 2003 (not a demo) with about 97 miles on it. When we bought it all was as expected, about 42-47 mpg city and 37-42 highway in 65-90 degree weather a/c 80% of the time. In 2004 (if I remember right) we got a recall notice from Toyota on the battery connection terminals, ok, no big deal, bring it in, have it corrected and all is well. Right?....WRONG. After we got it back from the dealer we noticed the mileage had dropped way off, we brought back to dealer and they found nothing. That winter we then started having problems with the car starting, it became unreliable, back to the dealer and they found nothing. To make it brief, we had it into the dealy 4 times, 3 under warranty and they could never find a problem causing this. They did find the problem with the car not starting, a charging module was bad that charged the 12 volt battery and that's fine now but the MPG is still wrong. Getting current now, the tires are properly inflated (70% rubber), oil is ok, tuning is ok (plugs, timing ect) and it was all checked by the dealer. To date what I get is 42-47 mpg highway-70mph average speed, cruise and a/c on. When i do city driving (average 35-45 mph) it drops to 32-36 mpg. We all know something is wrong with figures like that but again, the dealer can find no problems. The natural response now for me when asked how I like the car is fine, except for the mileage which makes the car not worth it. Sadly I've talked several folks into not buying one due to this problem and the fact that the dealer just blows me off now. I will say I have contacted corporate Toyota and recieved a reply so if they can figure out the problem I'll go back to hawking the car again. Like my response or not, it's an honest one from the way way the mileage has been and the dealers handling of it, it's that simple.
Are you enjoying your Prius? That's what most of us like about the Prius, not the never beaten fuel consumption but the fantastic fun it is to drive. You took this long to find us and you have a 2002 Prius? I think you are going way too fast, I commute across town every day and I cover 35km in almost an hour, that is an average speed of about 40km/h which equates to about 25mph. I'd love to know how you manage to average 35 to 45mph in stop go traffic. I'd imagine you couldn't manage that kind of average speeds in stop go traffic in a Dodge Charger fitted with a worked over 340ci engine. I'm not sure what you call properly inflated but most owners of pre2004 models run about 120psi in their tyres, what are you running in yours? I'm assuming you are running the standard, super high pressure, LLR tyres? If you bought the car in 2003 and have only had it in the dealer 4 times and 3 of those warranty, who has been servicing your car? Have they been carrying out the correct inverter adjustments as specified in the owners manual? In 5 years you should have had 9 or so services by now. Good luck with finding the answer or a buyer.
Why do you think something is wrong? My 59,827 miles of driving a Classic in Minnesota suggest there isn't. With the wrong tires (a very easy error with the Classic model), PSI at minimum (only 33 PSI), oil overfilled (above full), and the A/C on most of the time (it's not electric, unlike the HSD model), a driver without a steady foot would see city MPG like that. .
Have another dealer check the traction battery and the mechanicals. It could be something like a drive plate (kinda like a clutch) slipping only during acceleration. Are you reading MPG only from MFD?
Based upon your reported speeds and speed ranges, you are getting what I would expect if I drove my 03 Prius the same way: After 50,000 miles of both city and highway driving, my mileage is running 52.4 MPG. In my case, I follow these speed rules: 65 mph highway speed on cruise control 0-38 or 45-65 in the city on cruise control, never 39-44 mph There are some other guidelines on tire pressure, oil level and lubricants. However, based upon just your posted speeds, you are getting exactly the mileage expected. Bob Wilson
Driving style has not changed, the mileage has. 120 psi tire pressure? I think I had that in my Peterbilt tires.... Dealer 3 or 4 times for this problem, that must have been to hard to understand I guess. Traction/Hybrid Bttry was checked, 12v bttry new. I've had site booked marked for 5 years or more but never created an account due to all the stupid smart-alect responses I saw to people looking for help from people who don't have a clue. After 40+ years of working on cars and trucks I can actually change my own oil now too! HAVE A NICE DAY
mrsnorm...your mpg's dont seem to be to far off, esp if the car is driven like a regualr car not the FE way the rest of the car on the other hand i wouldnt have a clue since i dont know too much about the 1st gens currently i avg about 42-43mpg combined city/hwy on my 2008
Nonsense Get you car aligned. My mileage went up 10mpg. Also after I disconnected my battery the mpg went to hell for a week or so until the car reprogrammed to my driving. Maybe there is something wrong with the learning curve of your car and it never optimizes itself?
I have a 2004 Prius. I've always gotten more miles on the highway (up to 55!) than in city driving. My problem. I just changed my factory-installed tires for 4 Michelin tires, having been told they would be better for winter driving. As soon as I started to drive with the Michelins, the mileage went DOWN! From around 43-48 mpg to 30-37 mpg. Has anyone else had a similar experience? weaver8
I consistently get 52 mpg. Highway/city combined. I'll drive around town a bit and it will be in the high 40s. A couple of commutes to work at 60 mph and I'm back at 52 mgp. I think it has a lot to do with driving style.
Sorry but when I see a gigantic yank tank in an avatar and post #1 is complaining of poor fuel consumption my tiny bird brain sees a troll. The 120psi and inverter adjustments were a (poor) joke and maybe a bit of a test to see if you're paying attention. A quick search of the site will uncover a multitude of suggestions to improve mileage, if you have had the site bookmarked for 5 years I'm surprised you haven't seen the many references to the search function. In my 12+ months of membership I have given a few smart-arse answers to dumb questions but I have given a lot more useful answers than you have in the last 5 years, thanks for that. I would have thought a guy who has spent 40 years working on cars would have some valuable information to add to this sort of forum. Now go check you have LRR tyres, pump your tyres up to 42psi, get a good 4 wheel alignment from a good tyre reseller and read this site for great driving tips then get back to us with the results. Personally I think the main difference between city and country driving is the stopping and starting. Fuel consumption in the city responds more to driving style than country driving, that is why people immediately refer to driving style as the first thing to check.
My suggestion is to have someone else farmiliar with the Prius drive the car. There is a Minnesata hypermilers club with several Prius owner members. A quick drive and they will be able to tell you if the car is OK. Where in Minnesota are you located.
