Last week my 02 Prius (which has had 26,500 trouble-free miles) did a strange thing. I'm wondering if anyone has heard of something similar, or experienced it, or has some idea/theory what the cause might be:
My Prius was parked for several hours on a cool day (temps around 55 F). I started it up, then (while parked with the engine running) I took a minute or two to enter an address into the navigation system. Then I began backing out of the parking space, driving very slowly because there were very expensive cars parked on either side (*g*), and was turning the steering wheel slightly while I was backing out of the parking space.
The Prius began to make a very loud mechanical buzzing noise (which seemed to come from the front of the vehicle), and the steering wheel vibrated _very_ violently. I immediately put my foot on the brake pedal, and put the car in "Park", but the noise & vibration continued. I waited about 3-5 seconds, but the problem continued, so my friend & I agreed that turning off the ignition was a good idea, which I did. The Prius' engine stopped, as did the noise & vibration. I waited about 5 seconds, then restarted the car, and the Prius functioned completely normally after that.
Needless to say my friend & I were freaked out, and I drove home extra carefully. The next morning the Prius started and drove normally, and I drove it straight to the nearby Toyota dealer where I bought it.
The dealer has had the car for several days, but everytime they drive it -- including after the car has been parked overnight -- the problem hasn't returned. So far they say they can't find anything wrong with the car, and they say Toyota hasn't been able to tell them what might have caused the symptoms. The dealer says they'll test for another day or two, but that I may just have to take it back and "wait and see if it happens again".
Because the symptoms were so intense I certainly wouldn't want it to do it again especially while driving at highway speeds, let alone over 10 mph. Unfortunately, I feel very reluctant to drive the car.
I'm going to call Toyota Customer Service myself tomorrow AM (Tuesday 5/27) to see if I can get any info about what might cause those particular symptoms.
In the meantime, if anyone has an idea or educated guess what might be the cause, I'd appreciate hearing it. Thanks.
- Peter
My Prius was parked for several hours on a cool day (temps around 55 F). I started it up, then (while parked with the engine running) I took a minute or two to enter an address into the navigation system. Then I began backing out of the parking space, driving very slowly because there were very expensive cars parked on either side (*g*), and was turning the steering wheel slightly while I was backing out of the parking space.
The Prius began to make a very loud mechanical buzzing noise (which seemed to come from the front of the vehicle), and the steering wheel vibrated _very_ violently. I immediately put my foot on the brake pedal, and put the car in "Park", but the noise & vibration continued. I waited about 3-5 seconds, but the problem continued, so my friend & I agreed that turning off the ignition was a good idea, which I did. The Prius' engine stopped, as did the noise & vibration. I waited about 5 seconds, then restarted the car, and the Prius functioned completely normally after that.
Needless to say my friend & I were freaked out, and I drove home extra carefully. The next morning the Prius started and drove normally, and I drove it straight to the nearby Toyota dealer where I bought it.
The dealer has had the car for several days, but everytime they drive it -- including after the car has been parked overnight -- the problem hasn't returned. So far they say they can't find anything wrong with the car, and they say Toyota hasn't been able to tell them what might have caused the symptoms. The dealer says they'll test for another day or two, but that I may just have to take it back and "wait and see if it happens again".
Because the symptoms were so intense I certainly wouldn't want it to do it again especially while driving at highway speeds, let alone over 10 mph. Unfortunately, I feel very reluctant to drive the car.
I'm going to call Toyota Customer Service myself tomorrow AM (Tuesday 5/27) to see if I can get any info about what might cause those particular symptoms.
In the meantime, if anyone has an idea or educated guess what might be the cause, I'd appreciate hearing it. Thanks.
- Peter