Hi there! I've set my mind on buying a second gen Prius but I don't know which year to get because I'm concerned with the faulty TRAC system everyone seems to hate. Is there a year that doesn't have this feature? Or do they all have it? I know there's a complicated way to turn it off and I don't live in a very snowy area by any means, but I'm concerned if I'm ever in the mountains going up a gravel hill I might be in trouble. Thanks so much!
welcome! no, they're all the same. if you drive up gravel hills in the mountains, are you sure you want a prius?
Back when I had my 2005 I actually drove it off road from time to time. It did surprisingly well in mud and dirt. Just make sure it has decent tires on it and you'll be fine! I believe the early 2004 model has a very intrusive traction control system but I'm pretty sure it was fixed well before the 2005's came out. Still it likes to cut power when the wheels start to slip.. just keep the momentum going and you're golden, trust me.
If you drive on any surface that has a chance of losing traction, the Prius will frustrate, scare and anger you. I have lost traction countless times going up roads in my area, especially my driveway. If I stop on my driveway and try to get going again, it is a lesson in patience. I have lost traction at snowy intersections. The loss of traction, of course, is not the main complaint. It is the "shut-down" feature. Gee, real safe, shutting down in an intersection. If you are worried about it, I would recommend you go for a different vehicle. I certainly am not happy with it and I have been driving my 2008 since it was new off the dealership floor. As Bisco said....better think about a different car. BTW...as I understand it, they did away with this "feature" in later generations. As I recall, and I could be wrong, you need the Mini-VCI to shutdown the control feature....and I think someone said it is actually NOT good for the car....I may be wrong. Something about the shut-down is there to prevent damage to the transaxle??? Found the following interesting -- and while it talks about snowy conditions, know that it is the same on gravel roads or muddy roads. Winter Weather Warning for Prius Drivers
All 2nd generation Prii have TRAC. The 3rd generation (if you can swing a 2010 or newer) had a revised traction control system that at least allows some wheel spin.
CyberpriusII, that is an interesting and rather worrisome article but it is about 9 years old. I cannot imagine that Toyota would ignore such a dangerous and potentially deadly flaw if it were truly something that was real. Surely we would have heard of people having serious accidents or worse from it and as many lawyers as are just waiting for such an opportunity, numerous lawsuits against the deep pockets of Toyota would have been filed by now. Also, Toyota's response in the same article seems reasonable to me: Toyota's response Toyota spokesman Bill Kwon agreed last year that the traction control system in the Prius could impact performance in snow conditions but he insisted that the system is not a safety problem. "Prius has TRAC (traction control) as standard equipment," he said. "The purpose of traction control is to help prevent wheel spin and minimize slippage of the drive wheels by applying brakes and/or reducing engine power." Kwon pointed out last year that an 8- to 10-degree grade "is a fairly steep grade and combined with snow would cause a loss of traction which will activate the traction control system and therefore reduce or cut power." "A vehicle without TRAC in those conditions," Kwon added. "would probably just start spinning in place and eventually spin out of control. In my opinion, it's better to have the vehicle stop then to have the wheels spinning and out of control."
If you do not think the Prius traction control flaw is real, try some uphill gravel roads in the Texas hill country. The car is wonderful, except for the very serious traction control flaw.....which has been complained about countless times on this very forum, and only once or twice by me. Well, the rodent thing is also a pain, but I can live with that since I screened the entrances.
You may well be right. But I think I have got the rodent problem licked with the feline soundtrack to encourage their quick exit from the car.
One has to drive the Gen 2 to understand how the TRAC works. It works nothing like any other traction control I've used. Turning left on a rainy day and having the power cut midway through is not a very good feeling. And people already complain about the ABS/friction brake kicking in on the Gen 2/3 and having the car move "30 feet" (ok it feels like 30 feet but I don't think it's that far) before the brakes clamp in.
If you never drive off pavement, if you never leave an urban environment and if you don't drive in icy winter weather, sure. However, if you want a different point of view, come drive where I do and see if you still have the same opinion. The OP asked if she would have problems driving uphill on gravel roads. The answer to that is it is very possible.
I wouldn’t be so pessimistic about the traction control system. Although I’m not sure if the system is the same with stability control equipped Priuses. I have only tested Prius that has it. Prius gen 2 traction control isn’t a good system but it’s not really mutch worse than not having any traction control system. I only have had problems with it couple of times and here we do have more of a winter weather than in States except Alaska and we do have a lots of gravel roads as well. I happen to have Tekniikan Maailma –paper winter test from 2005. In it they tested how 19 different cars compared in winter conditions. I’m translating from finish. In the traction tests Prius was average. Comments on traction tests of Prius are: Prius keeps on going as long as driver doesn’t try too hard or try to use all the power. As long as driver is in control of accelerator Prius keeps on going good. If the driver just floors it and leaves the control to traction control system going slows. Traction control system is crude and takes too much power away eventually leading to complete stop on uphill.
