Prius probed for engine stalls

[losdiablosgato]

Prius probed for engine stalls
By Shawn Langlois, MarketWatch
Last Update: 1:46 PM ET June 1, 2005
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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Federal regulators on Wednesday officially opened an investigation into the red-hot Toyota Prius, responding to complaints alleging the cars' hybrid engine cuts out in traffic.



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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it received 33 reports of the gas-electric hybrid shutting down without warning typically at speeds between 35 mph and 65 mph. The investigation covers about 75,000 vehicles.

Some of the complaints indicate that the vehicle was operated in electric mode for awhile after the gas engine stalled, NHTSA said. In at least half the cases, the car wouldn't restart and had to be towed.

Toyota said it was aware of the allegations and "cooperating fully" with the agency's investigation.


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[LostinVA]

1. So who started the "alleged" complaints? GM?

Like they haven't done THIS before...

[losdiablosgato]

4. Never buy new tech when it first comes out.

There are almost always bugs.

[satireV]

12. The current motor in Toyota hybrids are . . .

Second generation.

First generation Toyota hybrid engine technology is licensed by Ford for use in the Escape hybrid.

[AndyTiedye]

17. Actually, Ford Developed Theirs Independently

They did a patent swap with Toyota to avoid litigation, because what
they came up with is very similar to what Toyota has.

No stalls in my Escape Hybrid.

[Beaverhausen]

20. not exactly

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/10/business/10hybrid.html?ex=1394341200&en=f985594d347f34b8&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND

[madhat]

6. I LOOOOOVE my Prius!

No complaints!

[Shrubhater]

2. Wow.

And I thought that Toyota was a trustworthy brand. :wow:

[Mizmoon]

3. I do think there will be 'bugs'

to work out and that these vehicles will take time to perfect. That's why I'm waiting a few years before I get one ... :)

[catzies]

5. Yup. I'm waiting, then getting the Accord hybrid. I'll get the '06 in '08

n/t

[madhat]

7. They're pretty perfect now.

Mine is awesome-- 50 mpg.

[Mizmoon]

8. Tell me about it

color, pick-up, features, cost, etc.

What's this I hear about the battery needing expensive replacement at certain intervals?

Give us the dish ...

[Beaverhausen]

9. go to priuschat.com to get lots of info

I love my Pri!!!

[hecate77]

13. Excellent car

Pick up for passing is excellent in comparison to comparable cars. Better by far than our Saturn was. It holds its speed even up very steep hills in cruise control at high speeds, for instance 80 mph up hills with truck lanes (trucks doing 30 to 35 kind of steepness), no variance.

The battery replacement stuff is likely a rumor put out there by opponents and competitors. As far as I know, there is no need to do that. Now, can you wreck the battery? Sure. Can you wreck your gasoline engine in a regular car? Or transmission? Or clutch? You betcha!

Prius has no clutch, no regular transmission, and only a small gasoline engine. Not as much to wear out or break, and if it does, not as expensive to fix.

Grand Canyon to Albuquerque, average speed 80mph on cruise control, elevation changes in the neighborhood of 3000 feet. 53mpg.

We love the on steering wheel controls for most commonly used things. The nav system is great. The car has lots of little amenities that make riding in it more convenient. The dash is set way back from the steering wheel so you can see it with your distance vision and it is just below the window, so you do not have to look down much to see it. Dash is all electronic, of course.

One small problem we have seen. Because the gas tank uses a bladder, it shows it is low on gas before it really is. It tends to warn you to get gas at 7 or 8 gallons used, when the tank has an 11 gallon capacity. Not really a problem, since you can see your average mpg at any time and figure how many gallons you have really used. We just fill up when it says to, so we never go below about 4 gallons left in the tank. Range on the highway is easily over 500 miles, so we usually fill up at about 400 miles or wherever convenient below that.

We love the car. It is peppy, sits high and has great road visibility, rides smoothly, is comfortable to ride in, has great storage for hauling things, and best of all, doesn't use much gas. My partner likes it so much, her Miata is sitting unused in the driveway.

It is ready for prime time. Most of the problems you hear about are either rare or manufactured to try to keep people from buying them.

[stevedeshazer]

18. I'll be watching for the one driving 80 in a Prius, then.

Why do you drive 80 MPH? And that's your average speed?

Are you serious?

[hecate77]

23. Speed limit is 75, so that is just what most traffic does in NM and AZ

I tend to keep within 5mph of the speed limit whereever I am. I don't like to be faster or too much slower than the pack, so about 5mph over is where most people drive.

[stevedeshazer]

25. Thanks

[confludemocrat]

19. Have not seen premature gas fill warnings

It has been extremely accurate for us. The last little square disappearing in the indicator means about 1/3 gallon left. Get 45 mpg in this current weather in MT-- high's in mid sixties to seventy, with less wind now.
We love ours too.

[hecate77]

24. In NM, it was accurate (higher altitude?)

It is in the lower altitude areas where we have trouble. in NM it was just fine, though.

[lady lib]

10. I've read that it's from a programming glitch

that affects the 2004's and early 2005's. Haven't had any problems on the freeway with mine. Bought a 2005 in February. Love it, love it, love it!

[XemaSab]

11. The major problem I've found with it

is the similarity of the name to both "Priapus" and "prion".

I think of both of these words every time I see a prius. And I giggle.

[LostinVA]

14. I admit I think of Priapus too! n/t

[Karmakaze]

15. So gas guzzling SUV's never break down in traffic?

SUV's never need to be towed?

This article is total propaganda.

[obxhead]

16. toyota will back their product I believe.

their pushing to hard to let this car die because of a problem, I'm sure they'll fix it.

[happyslug]

21. How do you stall an electric motor?????

Now the actual complaint says the engine just shuts down and than the car has to be towed, but that means the gasoline engine shut down, the driver still had electric power to take the car off the road.

Now, if this happened, in many ways a lot safer than when a conventional car stalls. When an conventional car stalls and does not restart you lose all power, you do NOT go anywhere (except by drifting) and on top of that you lose your power steering and power brakes (Both work off hydraulics in Conventional cars).

The Pirus steering is "Rack-and-pinion with electric power-assist" and its brakes are "Power-assisted ventilated front disc/rear drum with Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and integrated regenerative braking" Toyota's web site does not say if the Brake is electrically assisted or hydraulically powered (I assume electrical). In any case a much safer situation than when a Conventional car's engine shuts down for any reason.

If true, Sounds like the computer malfunctioned i.e. the Computer told the gasoline engine to shut down when it should have kept the gasoline engine on. Minor computer programming problem nothing more. Inherent in any system that has a computer turning off and on the gasoline engine (as both the hybrids do and as the VW Lupo does in Europe). This is a quick fix and than the car is back on the road again. That is probably why you have not heard of the problem, the owners did not complain for the car was quickly back on the road again (with either a new computer to control the engine or the old computer re-programed to correct the shut down problem). Remember this is a very complex system, simple in concept but complex in execution getting the to engines (Electric and Gasoline) to work together to maximize fuel usage.

[cyberpj]

22. We've had our Prius since Feb 2002 and LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!

Not a single problem and averaging 48-52 mpg.

I'm going to check in at the Prius owners groups and see if anyone's talking about this there.......

[Dover]

26. Had a long coversation with a Toyota dealer today. I asked him

why Toyota didn't increase it's supply of Prius's since there was such demand. He said American car company's had lobbied to squelch their allowable inventories of these cars. So while they are doing great, there is a cap on the numbers of vehicles they can sell here.

I'm not sure whether that's a tarrif issue or something else, but you can be sure that they AND the gas companies are not anxious to allow Japanese carmakers to move-in on them this time...challenging both domestic car sales AND keeping gas usage. So even though the oil companies have doubled the price of gas, you'll be hard-pressed to double your gas mileage in order to stay even. They have also been successfully dismantling gas efficiency and emissions standards in Congress...which proves they have no desire to act responsibly. Which is why they NEED to be regulated.

[TheWatcher]

27. There Should Be A Latest Breaking Propaganda Forum

For Stories like this.

Yawn.

[lady lib]

28. What part of this is "propaganda" and why are you yawning?

If the subject isn't interesting, you can just move on to one that is. Because in case you haven't noticed there are plenty to choose from.

[natrat]

29. federal regulators-give me a break

more like paid off goons these days
this government is absolutely corrupt