When it comes to moving the metal, Toyota doesn’t fool around. OK, they did do those stupid Tundra truck tricks. But how do you think a man like Mr. Toyonda got to be a man like Mr. Toyonda? By building on the brand’s rep for reliability. To that end, to expand the market for Priora and other hybrid models, Toyota’s adding “Toyota Certfied Used Hybrids” (TCUH) to their Toyota Certified Vehicles (TCUV) program. “Customers benefit from additional inspection and warranty coverage on Toyota hybrids within the program. Each vehicle comes with the three-month/3,000-mile comprehensive warranty, seven-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and roadside assistance plan offered on traditional TCUV models.” The program also “brings added awareness to a pre-existing eight-year/100,000-mile factory hybrid battery warranty.” In other words, same coverage, more rappers. The TCUH pre-certfication process includes 14 additional hybrid-related inspection points, including the hybrid transaxle, control modules and battery. Existing owners should benefit from improved residuals. Now, if Lexus will do the same for the LS600hL…
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Well manufactures have to do something as those hybrids start coming off of leases or are traded-in. I’d seriously want some type of a warranty (when I would usually not buy an extended warranty on other vehicles).
I wouldn’t touch a hybrid without a serious warranty judging by all the issues I have seen folks with the Prius have such as battery fires, false lying trip computers, engine stalling on the highway, electrical gremlins and vibrating/stuttering powertrain engagement. Better yet I will pass on the Prius and get a vehicle that actually acheives what the window sticker claims in the form of a Jetta TDI stick.
As ponchoman49 inadvertently points out, there’s a lot of FUD surrounding hybrids and a program like this will help Toyota move used Priora; so it makes sense. Especially in light of falling gas prices.
I like the Prius but I must admit, I might feel more comfortable with a certified used at a slightly higher price than a private party deal.
It will be interesting to see how Toyota prices the new ’10 Prius and how this affects prices and availability of used Priora.
Prius reliability issues are far more FUD (stirred up by hybrid critics) than facts. The 400+ Prius owners in TrueDelta’s Vehicle Reliability Survey report almost no repairs, of any kind. But when a single car has a failure, it’s news, and people assume that that failure is common. It’s not.
http://www.truedelta.com/latest_results.php
I subscribe to Consumer Reports, and strangely enough, the Prius actually earns less-than-stellar ratings in the Customer Reviews.
The complaints mainly center around the “bladder” fuel tank (will not fill consistently, sometimes sprays fuel rather than engaging the gas pump’s auto shut-off), the overly agressive traction control (which sometimes prevents the car from accelerating in an emergency on wet/snowy pavement), the in-cabin backup “beep”, lack of rear visibility (without the camera), and general lack of interior fit/finish.
Nothing about battery fires, or major mechanical issues, though.
quote: Prius reliability issues are far more FUD (stirred up by hybrid critics) than facts.
Yeah critics who drive VW TDI sticks and make claims all over the web that their car gets lot better than factory mpg numbers and Prius lot less than factory figures. Doesn’t that get old already?
http://www.germancarblog.com/2008/07/vw-polo-bluemotion-video-review-by.html
shaker, I also subscribe to Consumer Reports, and your comment is highly misleading (more FUD). They actually gave the Prius their highest satisfaction rating again this year.
http://blogs.automotive.com/6405222/opinion/toyota-prius-again-tops-consumer-reports-satisfaction-survey/index.html
Prius owners are tops. Rounding out the top three most satisfying automobiles to own are the Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 and Mini Clubman with over 90% of respondents saying they would buy another one. There were four versions of the Mini; two of the Corvette; and four BMW 3 series variants that rounded out the top of the list.
The results were taken from 425,000 respondents to the annual Consumer Reports Automotive Ownership Survey. The exact wording used in the survey was, “considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment) would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?”
Michael, take a look at
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius_Technical_Stuff/?yguid=80778389
Now I realise that that is not a statistically valid sample, but blown steering rack, ecus, and batteries in various states of misery are not the impression that your report gives.
CR’s samples are large enough to draw some conclusions from. The yahoo group isn’t even close (you, at times, will have gotten an absurdly sunny view of the car from that same group, too – a group of which, by the way, I’ve been a member since 2004).
The discussion he’s referring to, by the way, starts out with this post:
I have been getting the power steering warning light occaisionally.
If I shut the engine off and reboot, it goes away. I figured out that
sometimes the power steering stops functioning and sometimes it does
not. My steering wheel will move a little when I am stopped. This
motion even continues for few seconds after the igitnition is turned
off. Also the car seems to occaisionally pull to the right if I don’t
hold the steering wheel. I can drive the car just fine and yet the
motion is a little bit unnerving.
My car was under the 5 year unlimited warranty for the power steering
which unfortunately expired on Nov.30, 2006. Has anyone had any luck
having Toyota cover this repair after the five year period was over.
Also, what expense is typically involved if I cannot convince them to
fix this item?
I did invest in a new traction battery at 227,444
miles and was hoping for 500,000 miles or so. Everything else about
the car seems fine
1st gen (US) Prius, 8 years old. Lasted >220,000 miles before a new battery was warranted. A steering problem develops at >260,000 miles.
Any questions?
People are talking about two different Consumer Reports measurements here.
A vehicle can earn earn high owner satisfaction scores in the Consumer Reports survey without necessarily having the best reliabilty scores (as measured by the charts with the black and red dots).
Note that the Corvette Z06 is listed as one of the top-scoring vehicles in the owner satisfaction survey. Corvettes tend not to score well in the magazine’s reliability surveys. But owners are willing to overlook reliability glitches because of the car’s other qualities.
That doesn’t mean that the Prius is unreliable – as I recall, it scores well in the magazine’s reliability surveys. But earning a high customer satisfaction rating score is NOT a guarantee of good reliability.
Agreed, but even your comment undersells the Prius – it won most reliable overall a few years recently:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/10/18/consumer-reports-top-five-reliable-family-cars-list-includes-tw/