Battery failed 2009 Prius

Only if you have a floormat not designed for the Prius and/or it is not secured properly with the floor clips.

Not sure what you're referring to here. There are threads relating to the brakes grabbing in reverse (low speed), and there are threads relating to short delays switching between regen braking and friction braking while going over potholes.

 

What did you mean by your last comment "They didn't say anything other than, heres your Prius, thanks for buying a toyota "? Don't you have a mouth? Can't you ask questions?

Didn't you ask for a copy of the service order to see what they did to the vehicle? As a responsible consumer, you need to keep a record of all work performed.

Next time, come back with some facts, not just whining.

 

"Throttle sticking" is not really an accurate description. In the case of the California incident, the dealer had installed the wrong all-weather floor mats in a Lexus (not a Prius) and failed to secure the driver's mat with the clips which were designed to hold the (correct) mats in place. As a result, the throttle got stuck under the floor mat. So the throttle did get stuck, but not because it was a sticky throttle.

The "brakes not working issue" refers to several reports related to the 3d Generation (2010) Prius. In the case I read about, the driver hit a pothole in NYC while decelerating for a stop light and the brakes didn't work initially, nearly leading to an accident. Apparently, the traction control or ABS system was overriding the brakes at an inopportune time. Toyota hasn't yet diagnosed the issue but is working on it. But it doesn't affect the 2d Gen Prii.

Enjoy your newly refurbished Prius!

 

Did you receive a repair invoice?

If yes, it would be great if you could please post the part number and description of the replaced parts. Thanks!

 

This is the key paragraph. The OP drew the short straw and had an early failure. That's not fun, but it does happen. The bad part is the dealer. The OP should have dumped that dealer and found a competent one. You can believe in the Prius without believing in a particular dealer. They are not equivalent or even related.

Tom

 

Do you guys all live in cities with multiple dealers? If I don't use the dealer who sold me the car it's a 2 hr drive to the next one. When out of warantee I may ask the shop that does the local taxis for work if the dealer is too expensive, although they've been fair so far on oil changes.

 

It is 30 miles to my 'local' dealer, but 7 dealers are within 75 miles.

You seem to have 3 dealers within 60 miles.

 

I live south of Tucson, AZ and that city has two Toyota dealers.

What's the difference between a good and bad servicing dealer, from a Prius owner's perspective? Typically a good dealer has one or two knowledgeable Prius specialists on staff.

The US has 1,200 Toyota dealers scattered throughout the country. It probably isn't easy to find technical staff who are competent to work on auto mechanical systems, and can deal with the highly computerized systems.

How many Toyota dealers are in Canada? Based on population, my guess is that there might be 150 or so.

I would further guess that most young people who have the aptitude to understand and work with computers and other electronic devices and elect a technician type of career would choose to service computers or other electronic equipment (i.e., lab and medical instrumentation) instead of automobiles, because the working conditions and pay is better.

Toyota tries to offer very comprehensive diagnostics that lead the auto tech by the hand. However in the event that those diagnostics are insufficient to shed light on a particular thorny situation, then the tech is usually lost.

 

7 dealers here within 31 miles.
I do agree that the main issue for the OP seems to be dealer moreso than the car.
In his situation I would be complaining to Toyota corporation and if possible, find another dealer.

 

Not to go too off topic but...

I also experience "brakes not working" in my 2006. I can name two specific places that it has happened several times enough that I can replicate the situation easily.

One is hitting potholes decelerating from about 35mph downhill to a stop sign, as soon as I hit the potholes while braking the VSC light flashes and it feels like a loss of brakes until the light stops flashing. The brake pedal feels like it just falls to the floor and doesn't work and I can get it to happen just about every time. It doesn't last long, it regains braking control within a very short few seconds.

The other is on a turn only when wet and entering the turn fast then braking into the turn, the VSC light begins to flash and again feels like loss of brakes until the VSC light goes off. This spot collects water very easily as can be seen in the streetview there is standing water in the turn.

 

Wow....who would heve thought Belleville and Brockville are both big enough for a Toyota dealership. I've had no problem with Kingston Toyota, although their main Prius guy will probably retire before I'm done with the car, so I hope they have depth.

 

That sounds normal for a Prius. For good or ill the system is what it is; so the only safe answer is, when you think you may be driving into potholes, water, loose sand, ice, or anything else that can compromise traction, slow down.

 

I've read stories about many different kinds of cars, equipped with ABS and/or traction control, that have an occasional "brakes not working" problem. However, I just assumed that those problems come with the territory and were too isolated to draw government attention.

With regard to the 2010 Prius, it seems that the issue is somewhat more pronounced, to the point that the NHTSA (I think that's the agency) is gathering incident reports. Again, that only concerns the 2010. The OP has a 2009.