My 2005 Prius with 170k miles started making a whining noise after the car is warmed up. It is noticeable from about 30mph, but mostly at higher speeds. When you take your foot off the accelerator the whining stops. It has gotten a bit louder over the past several weeks. I took it to a Toyota dealership and they want to replace the transmission because they believe it is a failure of the transmission's 2nd stage?? Anyone else have a similar problem? Any other ideas?
First make sure that it is not a wheel bearing. Does the sound get more or less when turning hard to one side? If so then it might not be in the transaxle. If it is the transaxle then I would research getting one from a used parts source. It can be installed by a good mechanic using the info here on PC and elsewhere, for considerably less than Toyota. Put your location in your profile for better advice on that. There is info on transaxle failures on the Luscious Garage blog, which happens with high mileage taxis. There are a few ways that they can fail after hard service.
If it happens after the transmission is warmed up try changing the transmission fluid. This may not cure the problem 100% but it may reduce it and buy you some time on the old transmission giving you more time to search for a replacement and fitter. John (Britprius)
