2009 Prius loaded with Nav etc. Purchased and next day warning sounds and center display is showing a bunch of warnings. Dealer said the ECM was bad and the car did not know what it was supposed to do. For instance trunk button did not work. Is it possible that the previous owner rebooted the ECM or replaced it with a used unit? Dealer said $800 to replace.
Trunk button could be the fob, 12v, latch, etc. Without the trouble codes, your in the dark. If you paid for an analysis, ask for the codes and post them here
My main question is what did the previous owner do or what did he maybe do all the rest of it I know about
I wonder if there might have been a miscommunication somewhere, such that “ECM” (engine control module) is actually “BCM” (body control module), a generic term for what Toyota calls the Main Body ECU. The ECM has no role in opening the trunk, for example—its job is only to run the gasoline engine, under instructions from the hybrid vehicle control ECU—but the Main Body ECU is essential for that function. Without more information—especially the diagnostic trouble codes—it’s difficult to say what might be the problem, and still less whether the cause is anything that might have been done by the previous owner.
OP -- call the dealership that performed the test. Tell them that you would like to know the specific fault codes that were present. Then post those codes here. Otherwise, we are taking shots in the dark.
Most used car sales are AS IS, Where is, and final. BUT, but we do not know if the OP bought the car from THE dealer, another dealer, or an individual. Leaving that aside.... @kc4ness You need to presume that the dealer doesn't know what is wrong with your car and is going to throw parts at it with your wallet until the problem(s) are either fixed or you run out of money. If your car is at the dealership I would strongly consider driving it or having it towed either to an independent mechanic or your house. If you paid a diagnostic fee, you're entitled to the codes that they observed. You're also entitled to Toyota's records for this car, which you may or may not have accessed before purchasing the car. If you bought the car from a dealer you may have other rights. Read the paperwork you signed carefully and if you bought from a dealership also check Aridzona's laws for vehicle purchases. They may be different than what you signed when you bought the car... You (we) need to know what specific symptoms your car is exhibiting (including codes) because you could be dealing with anything from a marginal 12v battery (common on used car lots) to a vehicle whose wiring harness has been chewed to bits by a rodent infestation or involved with a flood or accident (commonly precedes cars being traded in.) WE simply do not know.....meaning YOU, your fellow forum members, and almost certainly the dealership. ENGINE CODES are not mysterious. You can buy a scanner for less than $20. If you can drive your car, most parts houses (AutoZone, Pep Boyz, etc) will scan your car for free. The University of Google will more or less accurately diagnose the cause of the code being displayed AND the University of the YouTubes will SHOW you in many cases how to fix the problem yourself. It's NOT HARD. Rednecks drinking beer do it all the time. If you're going to buy used cars you need to EMPOWER YOURSELF with the knowledge to be able to scan the car yourself and invest $20 or so in a scanner. Good Luck!
The sale was probably "as is" but the OP might get somewhere if s/he could show that the dealer knew about the codes, reset them to conceal them, only to have them pop back up again immediately after the sale. When the OP says "dealer," my guess is some used car dealer and this was not a Toyota dealership used car sale.
I heard there's an expression lawyers like: "reasonable expectation". For this instance, you've just put down a fair chunk of money, or committed to a monthly payment, and you have a reasonable expectation that it'll work, at least for a while. You wouldn't have bought it otherwise, and for the car to immediately fail is very suspicious. Another example: when our kids were little, getting them ice cream cones, our son got his cone and the ice cream promptly fell out. I looked at the guy, he didn't bat an eye. I said I'd like to buy another cone. Never went back there though.
original owner probably replaced the ecm with a chinese knockoff from ebay. like the clock springs and spark plugs, not worth the paper they're printed on
