2013 Toyota Prius V

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE OTHER DAY AND MY 2013 PRIUS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I FELT A POP AND I HAD NO GAS BY THE GRACE OF GOD I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND NOT GET KILLED I CALLED FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE I DID HAVE POWER I DID HAVE STEERING BUT THERE WAS NO GAS UPON CHECKING AT MY TOYOTA DEALER THEY SAID THE PISTON HAD GONE STRAIGHT THROUGH THE ENGINE AND I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND THAT IT WAS PROBABLY DUE TO ABUSE OF OIL AND LACK OF OIL CHANGES I GOOGLED AND SAW THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND I'M ACTUALLY A DOCTOR AND HAVE SEVEN CHILDREN AND I DID CHANGE MY OIL AND I HAD NO WARNING LIGHT

MY PRIUS V RECENTLY STARTED TO HAVE SOME ISSUES WITH COOLANT LOSS AND LOSS OF PERFORMANCE. MY ONBOARD MONITORING SYSTEM (HUM BY VERIZON) WARNED ME I HAVE A MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 2. I REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS ( DENSO PLUGS) AND CHECKED ALL THE COILS. I ALSO CHECKED AND CLEANED THE EGR VALVE. THIS MADE NO DIFFERENCE. UPON START UP, THERE IS A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE AND I HAVE WATER PERIODICALLY COMING OUT OF THE TAILPIPE. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO A REPUTABLE SHOP THAT SPECIALIZES IN ASIAN CARS AND IT HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AT 165,000 MILES. THATS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR! I HAVE LOOKED AT PRIUS FORUMS AND SEEMS LIKE THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR THIS YEAR MODEL. ACCORDING TO TO PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THIS FORUM, TOYOTA HAS SINCE CORRECTED THIS PROBLEM. IF THIS IS TRUE, SHOULDN'T TOYOTA BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES? AS A CONSUMER AND WORKING MAN, IS IT FAIR THAT I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN GOOD FAITH BECAUSE OF TOYOTAS REPUTATION, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT I HAVE BEEN DECEIVED BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM?

WE WERE DRIVING IN THE CITY AND AFTER GOING ON A SLIGHT INCLINE ROAD THE CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER. NOTICED A FEW WARNING INDICATORS CAME ON THE DASH THEN I LOST THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE THE CAR SO I HAD TO PULL OVER WHILE IT WAS SLOWING DOWN. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE SHORT DISTANCES TILL IT COMPLETELY LOST THE ABILITY TO DRIVE DUE TO LOST OF ACCELERATION. VERY SCARY SITUATION AND IT SEEMS LIKE ITS DUE TO THEIR INVERTER ISSUES THEY WERE TRYING TO FIX WITH A SOFTWARE UPDATE. IF THE SHOP CONFIRMS, ITS DUE TO THE INVERTER ISSUES, NOT SURE IF ID FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR EVEN IF THEY REPLACE THE WHOLE INVERTER ASSEMBLY. IT'S OUR FAMILY CAR FOR ROAD TRIPS AND I WOULDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE UNTIL THEY FIND A SOLID FIX FOR THIS ISSUE. 3 RECALLS FOR THE SAME ISSUE? THAT'S RIDICULOUS. *TR

THE ENGINE OIL RUNS LOW BETWEEN OIL CHANGES AND NO WARNING LIGHTS ARE DISPLAYED. THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND SHAKING AND JERKING OCCURRED. THE CAR WAS ON A CITY STREET. I ADDED THE APPROPRIATE TYPE AND WEIGHT OF OIL. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE FIRST TIME BUT I CHECK IT REGULARLY. I KNOW ONE OTHER PRIUS V 5 2013 OWNER WHO HAS THE SAME ISSUE.

I WAS LEAVING WORK AND AS I GOT ON TO THE FREEWAY, I NOTICED THAT WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATION, THE CAR WOULD REV AND JERK. DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT THINKING I WOULD MAKE IT HOME. BY TIME I MADE IT TO THE FREEWAY, MY CAR BEGAN TO REV LOUDLY AND I NOTICED I WAS LOOSING ACCELERATION. AROUND THIS TIME I WAS GOING ALMOST 65MPH. SO I PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY AND INSPECTED THE ENGINE, DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY SO TRIED TO CRANK IT UP AGAIN. CAR CRUNK, 'READY' LIGHT CAME ON AND SO DID ELECTRIC VEHICLE MODE. AS THE CAR WENT START THE ENGINE, THE LOUD RATTLE AND SHAKING OF THE CAR COULD BE HEAR AND FELT. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ANOTHER HALF A MILE BEFORE THE CAR JUST SHUT DOWN. THEY CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE OVER 5 MILES PER HOUR. WHEN IT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SMOKE SO I KNEW THAT COULD NOT BE GOOD. I TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON AND AT THE POINT I NOTICED I COULD NOT PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE NOR DRIVE. THE 'READY' LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AND I NO LONGER HAD POWER STEERING. THE FOLLOWING DAY I GOT IT TOWED TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT I HAD 'THREW A ROD.' I LOOKED AND SAW THAT OTHER OWNERS HAD SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT WITH VERY SIMILAR ISSUES. THOUGHT THAT SUBMITTING THIS WOULD BE EFFECTIVE AS IF THIS ISSUE PERSIST. THERE MAY NOT BE OTHER OWNERS WHO ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO MAKE IT OFF THE FREEWAY WITHOUT HAVING ANY ACCELERATION POWER.

TODAY, 9/11/2019. I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 405, MY CAR WAS GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AROUND 65. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A BEEP SOUND AND MY ENGINE LIGHT TURN ON. MY VEHICLE WENT INTO THE "LIMP HOME" MODE, THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THEN THE CAR RED LIGHT WAS ON, AND THE SPEEDOMETER WENT OFF AND THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. LUCKILY I WAS DRIVING ON THE SLOW LANE AS I WAS PLANNING TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY IN A MILE DISTANCE. MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATION PEDAL AT ALL, SO I PUT ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHING LIGHT UP AND SLOWLY ROW OUT TOWARD THE EXIT. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME HAPPENED TO ME, WITHIN THE LAST 30 DAYS. TWO INCIDENT HAPPENED ON HIGHWAY AND ONE HAPPENED ON LOCAL ROAD. THE FIRST TIME WAS ALSO ON HIGHWAY WITH SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. I HAVE BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER MAINTENANCE 5 DAYS AGO, 9/13/2019, WHERE THEY CLAIMED THEY HAVE CHECKED EVERYTHING AND TOLD ME THE VEHICLE WAS FINE AFTER CHARGING ME $150 ANALYZE FEE. THE VEHICLE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT FINE AND I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ON HIGHWAY. THE PICTURE PROVIDED WAS THE DAY BEFORE I BROUGHT MY CAR IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER.

TWO WEEKS AGO I WAS DRIVING 50MPH ON A STREET IN MY TOWN WITH MY 3 GRANDSONS WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR JOLTED ME FORWARD AND THE SPEED DROPPED TO 20MPH .I IMMEDIATELY TOOK EVASIVE ACTION AND MOVED TO THE CURB AND PUT MY EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON. THE CHECK ENGINE ,CHECK HYBRID SYS. ,CK BRAKING SYSTEM,AND THE ANTI SKID LIGHT ALL CAME ON. I STARTED TO DRIVE BUT THE ENGINE SPEED WOULD ONLY GO 20MPH SO I STAYED CLOSE TO THE CURB AND DROVE TO MY SON'S HOME WHICH WAS LESS THE A MILE AWAY WITH MY FLASHERS GOING. NEEDLESS TO SAY MY GRANDSONS WERE VERY SCARED WITH THE ABRUPT JOLT THAT OCURRED WHEN THE CAR SPEED DROPPED SUDDENLY.THANKS HEAVENS THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS NOT TOO CLOSE AND WAS ABLE TO AVOID HITTING ME. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO SAID IT WAS A HYBRID ISSUE SO I HAD MY CAR TOWED AGAIN TO AN INDEPENDENT TOYOTA HYBRID SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS A INVERTER FAILURE. I HAD PREVIOUSLY TAKEN MY CAR TO A CERTIFIED TOYOTA DEALER FOR 2 DIFFERENT SOFTWARE UPDATE RECALLS WITH THE 2ND ONE COMING THREE MONTHS AGO FOR THE NHTSA RECALL NO.18 V-684 HYBRID SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE. THIS FAILURE IS A VERY DANGEROUS FAILURE THAT COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS OR DEADLY ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENED ON AN EXPRESSWAY ETC. GOING 70MPH AND THEN SUDDENLY DROPPING TO 20MPH COULD RESULT IN ANOTHER CAR OR TRUCK FOLLOWING BEHIND TO RUN RIGHT OVER YOUR CAR. I AM SURPRISED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT TAKEN STEPS TO REPLACE THESE INVERTERS. IF I WASN'T RETIRED I WOULD IMMEDIATELY SELL THIS CAR AND BUY ANOTHER AS I NOW HAVE A CONCERN THAT THIS FAILURE COULD OCCUR AGAIN AND I MIGHT NOT BE SO LUCKY. MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS THERE IS NO ENGINE LIGHT WARNING PRIOR TO THE FAILURE WHICH WOULD GIVE YOU TIME TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED OUT.

ENGINE IS STARTING TO BURN OIL AFTER 120000 MILES. APPEARS ENGINE HAS AN INHERENT DESIGN FLAW AS THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM PER TOYOTA IS TO REPLACE RINGS AND PISTONS AT A $4500 COST TO THE OWNER. SPOKE TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY SAY THEY HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING YET I TOOK MY CAR TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THAT TOYOTA KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE PROBLEM SO SOMEONE IS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH. I BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA SHOULD STEP UP AND REPAIR THIS DEFECT NOW THAT THEY KNOW THEY HAVE IT AT THEIR COST. I HAD A 100000 WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE AND HAVE ALWAYS SERVICED IT EVERY 5000 MILES. THAT'S HOW I FOUND OUT THAT I HAD THE PROBLEM. THE NEXT PROBLEM IS THAT THE OWNERS ARE GOING TO SELL THEIR VEHICLES TO AN UNSUSPECTING OWNER WHO WILL INHERENT THIS PROBLEM. ALSO, THE VALUE OF MY CAR WILL DIMINISH AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT. TOYOTA JUST WANTS THIS PROBLEM TO GO AWAY AND THAT'S NOT RIGHT THAT THEY DON'T MAKE AN ACCOMMODATION TO HELP THE CONSUMER WHO HAS TRUSTED THEM OVER THE MANY YEARS. I HAVE PURCHASED 3 OTHER TOYOTA S OVER THE YEARS AND THEY ALL LIVED UP TO THE QUALITY THAT TOYOTA SELLS TO THE CONSUMER. THIS TIME THEY HAVE AN INHERENT DESIGN ISSUE THAT THEY WANT TO SWEEP UNDER THE RUG