The Toyota Prius has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the last year, seeing unintended acceleration and other recalls. Now, Toyota has announced a Repair Campaign. While not a safety recall, it’s still a fairly serious issue. From the press release, it looks like some 378,000 Priuses in the US can develop an issue with the hybrid drive’s cooling system. Click past the jump for more details and the press release.
Hybrid batteries require cooling to keep them in their optimal operating temperature, so any automaker who produces a hybrid car needs to add a second cooling system. On the 2004-2007 Prius, apparently a fault in the water pump for the hybrid cooling system can allow air bubbles to be introduced into the cooling fluid, which leads to hotter components and eventually the car goes into “fail safe” mode, which reduces engine power. The check engine light will illuminate as well, a secondary indication of a moderate to severe problem.
According to Toyota, the repair campaign will begin in early December, 2010. Owners who bring their vehicles in will have their water pumps replaced with a newly-designed one, free of charge, so long as they schedule that appointment before November 30th, 2013. As a side note, no accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of the water pump issue.
This is another fault with a Toyota product, and isn’t going to do any good for their already tarnished reputation. I would expect more hybrid buyers to consider the offerings from Ford, Nissan and others, as an alternative to the immensely-popular Prius.
Show Press Release
Toyota Announces Limited Service Campaign of Certain 2004-2007 Prius Vehicles
Toyota Motor Corporation announced it will repair 378,000 Prius vehicles in the United States from model years 2004-2007 to correct a possible water-pump condition that could cause coolant to overheat resulting in reduced power output.
“The water pump is part of a system designed to cool the hybrid powertrain components and is separate from the engine cooling system,” said John Hanson, Toyota Motor Sales National Manager of Environmental, Quality and Safety Communications. “A fault in the water pump can cause air bubbles to build up and disrupt the flow of coolant, which can lead to overheating.”
The heating of the components could trigger the check engine light “on” condition. If the temperature of the hybrid components becomes too high, the vehicle will enter “fail-safe mode” to prevent hybrid component damage.
This customer support campaign is not a recall as Toyota has determined it is not a safety issue and the company has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition.
Owners of the involved vehicles will be notified by first class mail beginning in early December 2010. Toyota dealers will replace the water pump with a newly designed one at no charge to the vehicle owner as long as the owner arranges for service before Nov. 30, 2013. Owners who have previously paid for repairs to address this specific condition should refer to the owner letter for instructions regarding reimbursement.
Detailed information and answers to questions are available to customers at the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-888-270-9371.
by John Suit
Source: Toyota
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The Toyota Prius has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the last year, seeing unintended acceleration and other recalls. Now, Toyota has announced a Repair Campaign. While not a safety recall, it’s still a fairly serious issue. From the press release, it looks like some 378,000 Priuses in the US can develop an issue with the hybrid drive’s cooling system. Click past the jump for more details and the press release.
Hybrid batteries require cooling to keep them in their optimal operating temperature, so any automaker who produces a hybrid car needs to add a second cooling system. On the 2004-2007 Prius, apparently a fault in the water pump for the hybrid cooling system can allow air bubbles to be introduced into the cooling fluid, which leads to hotter components and eventually the car goes into “fail safe” mode, which reduces engine power. The check engine light will illuminate as well, a secondary indication of a moderate to severe problem.
According to Toyota, the repair campaign will begin in early December, 2010. Owners who bring their vehicles in will have their water pumps replaced with a newly-designed one, free of charge, so long as they schedule that appointment before November 30th, 2013. As a side note, no accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of the water pump issue.
This is another fault with a Toyota product, and isn’t going to do any good for their already tarnished reputation. I would expect more hybrid buyers to consider the offerings from Ford, Nissan and others, as an alternative to the immensely-popular Prius.