I have a 2004 Prius with approximately 27000 miles. The car was experiencing a noise recently, seemingly coming from the engine compartment. The noise kept getting louder and more apparent the more miles we drove. I took the car to my dealer for a diagnosis. The tech determined the problem to be the left front wheel bearing assembly (bearing noise) and ordered a new part. When the part came in, I took the car to the dealer for installation. The new part was installed in about 2 hours but the noise was still there. The tech felt there was no change after the new parts were installed but asked me to drive the car for varification.
The dealer kept the car, gave me a rental and indicated they would do more testing and analysis. The tech called me later that day and said they had gotten a defective new part from the factory and would order another new part. I picked the car up a couple of days later and the noise was gone...the second new part fixed the problem.
I called Toyota corporate and asked if there were problems with the wheel bearing assemblies on the Prius. The person contacted checked with the technical service people and indicated that there had not been an abnormal number of replacements. She made a note of the problem associated with my VIN number and indicated the bearing assemblies are covered under the power-train warranty...6 years/60000 miles.
My concerns were two-fold: 1. The original bearing assembly going bad after only 27000 miles. 2. The dealer getting a new but faulty unit from stock. If the information I was provided is accurate, my experiences were coincidental.
Information for anyone else that may be experiencing a 'whirring' noise with a Prius.
The dealer kept the car, gave me a rental and indicated they would do more testing and analysis. The tech called me later that day and said they had gotten a defective new part from the factory and would order another new part. I picked the car up a couple of days later and the noise was gone...the second new part fixed the problem.
I called Toyota corporate and asked if there were problems with the wheel bearing assemblies on the Prius. The person contacted checked with the technical service people and indicated that there had not been an abnormal number of replacements. She made a note of the problem associated with my VIN number and indicated the bearing assemblies are covered under the power-train warranty...6 years/60000 miles.
My concerns were two-fold: 1. The original bearing assembly going bad after only 27000 miles. 2. The dealer getting a new but faulty unit from stock. If the information I was provided is accurate, my experiences were coincidental.
Information for anyone else that may be experiencing a 'whirring' noise with a Prius.
