Is something missing from my undercarriage?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by plantdude, Sep 22, 2022.

  1. plantdude

    plantdude New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2022
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    Location:
    New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE AWD-e
    I just got my car back from service, and noticed it sounded a little weird when I started it once (the car shook, but it hasn't happened since).

    I don't know much about the car mechanics, but when I looked under it, I could have sworn that it seems a little more open than normal. Is there supposed to be a guard in the undercarriage here, next to the muffler? Here's a picture:

    20220922_140525.jpg

    Thank you for your time!

    20220922_140525.jpg
     
    #1 plantdude, Sep 22, 2022
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

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    IIRC, the AWD-e removes that cover. Hopefully someone else can confirm this.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Sep 23, 2022
  3. plantdude

    plantdude New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE AWD-e
    Thanks for the insight! I hope this is the case and that I'm just being paranoid.

    Out of curiosity (because I don't know much about my car outside of the manual): why do you think they remove the cover on that model?
     
    #3 plantdude, Sep 23, 2022
  4. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    Location:
    Monument, Colorado USA
    Vehicle:
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    Two
    It's look the same as mine but I'll double check for you. One thing we who own the AWD version need to be aware of is that our muffler hangs down a few inches lower than models with no AWD. This is because we have an electric rear-wheel motor right above it and the extra space is to prevent the heat from the muffler from reaching it. (And why our AWD doesn't have a spare tire back there.)
     
    #4 ColoradoBoo, Sep 23, 2022
  5. plantdude

    plantdude New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2022
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    Location:
    New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE AWD-e
    Thank you. Wow, I love this message board. Learning so much!
     
    #5 plantdude, Sep 23, 2022
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