I was under the impression that when you enable EV mode the car will stay in EV till around 40 mph or something close to it? I can't seem to go above 10 mph without getting a message stating "EV Mode disabled due to excessive speed"? Is this a glitch or can you really only go 10 mph? That seems pointless if that is the case.
View 18 RepliesJust bought a 2010 Prius IV and loving the car.
Minor annoyance, but wondering why it's so difficult to get the car to enter or stay in EV mode.
When I'm able to get into EV mode, it often beeps that it's leaving EV mode due to excessive speed, but I'm often doing barely 10 mph when this happens. I was under the impression that I could do up to 25 mph. Yesterday, I was floating at 8 mph and it said that was excessive speed.
More often, though, I can't even get into EV mode. It says "EV mode currently unavailable" and why. Doesn't matter if I'm not moving or if I'm driving slowly.
About 2 months ago, I was driving and my cruise control wouldn't engage on the highway ... I happened to be right near the dealership so I immediately returned there .... didn't turn off the car, but the tech put it in P while I was waiting. I was so ticked off because I thought that may have 'reset' things, and of course when the tech took the car for a drive (in D) the cruise worked fine. We of course never confirmed that the cruise control didn't work.
Today, the same thing happened at the same place, so I returned to the dealership, calling them on the phone, and informing them that I would not turn the car off, or allow the car to be put in park. The service manager met me out front and we went for a quick ride so I could 'prove' that the cruise was inoperative. He confirmed that it was not working, and why. For some reason, I glanced at the dashboard and noticed that the car was in 'B' mode. I mentioned that to the manager and he noted it as well. I must have bumped it somehow while driving as I NEVER use B mode for anything ... ever. I said I wondered if that was the reason, and put it in D, and lo and behold, the cruise worked again.
I haven't checked the manual yet to see if this is stated there, but the cruise control is inoperative if the car is in B mode. Or at least it seems that that is the case. Other than the car being in B mode, it acted just like it always does, and since I was on the highway, I never noticed the braking effect that B mode gives you.
I have questions about ev mode for my Prius c. I just got the car in December and was using the ev mode frequently. It would work when I was going 25mph or lower as long as I wasn't rapidly accelerating or climbing a hill. Now it seems I barely get up to 10 mph before it clicks of saying "ev mode deactivated excessive speed". This happens when I break to come to a stop or when I slowly accelerate. I took it to where I bought it and the kid rudely told me to read my manual so I did and this isn't covered. I have lost 10 miles on my mpg and I have been doing the same commute since I got this car. Before I was getting 52.3 now I'm lucky if I get 40.
View 19 RepliesWhat's top speed for EV mode? I was able to keep it in EV when driving through town, after a hill, and keep it around 41-42 for a little while before my speed dropped and I had to use a little more throttle.
I don't understand why you can't lock in EV and deplete more of your battery at times, such as a few miles before getting on the freeway. Seems a bit wasteful, since the highway portion would give you plenty of time to build up charge again.
I've been using the EV mode - the EV portion of the curve without pushing the EV button - to run around town and to maintain speed once I've accelerated to traffic speed. It really boosts the mpg numbers and I'm able to get 55-60mpg on my 47mi. Roundtrip mostly highway commutes (hills included). Without the running in EV it's probably 42-48mpg.
View 8 RepliesMy new-to-me (bought in May this year) 2010 Prius last night suffered. Nearing home on my usual 21-mi commute from work and on a secondary road, I was stopped at a red light. As I normally do when at a red light when a rather spirited start isn't needed (no or few cars behind me, not uphill, etc) I pushed the "EV" button to take advantage of electric acceleration up to 25 mph. All seemed normal as the light turned green and I started off. I don't know if I reached 25 or not - must've been close - when all of a sudden the acceleration stopped as if I'd taken my foot off the pedal when indeed I'd not. Simultaneously, a circus of lights lit up on the dash along with the fairly ominous message of "Check Hybrid System."
As with all things electronic these days, I figured a good ol' fashioned reboot was in order. Turned it off and back on and...same thing of course. Being near an intersection and a very bad place to be stopped - and not knowing if the car would actually move - I pressed the accelerator anyway, despite the warning lights, and indeed the car started to move. It seemed to cap the speed at 12-13 mph, which immediately seemed like some kind of self-protective safe mode. Luckily, I was within spitting distance from home, so I limped the last 1/4 mile in this state - and at 12 mph.
There are probably 5-6 warning lights on in addition to the big "Check Hybrid System" message. Let's see, first and foremost, the yellow triangle of death, followed by what I think is the Slip indicator (car icon with wavy lines), the CEL, the encircled exclamation point which I think is the braking system, and I forget, a couple of more. I should've snapped a pic but I was in a hurry to troubleshoot.
So I used my Actron scanner to pull the P0A94 code. I didn't see that it's able to read the sub codes, or maybe that's a capability that only the expensive dealer scanners have. Anyway, I can't conclude what it is other than the generic "DC-DC Converter Performance". I know that here and elsewhere there's a list of all DTC codes, and I saw that this code has 17 sub-codes, many of which are related somehow to the inverter, which seems to have been the subject of a recall in Gen II models (acutally the inverter cooling pump IIRC) but not on Gen III.
Recently I have been doing a lot of highway driving with my 2007 Prius. There is noticeably an excessive amount of wind noise at highway speed due to the gap between the front and back door.
After applying a piece of weather stripping from the hardware store, about $5 the wind noise is greatly reduced.
I have a concern about my 2010 Prius V(five). I've noticed some issues lately that may all tie in to one big problem.
1. My ev mode will not work at all. My battery will be fully charged and not in "B" mode. Turning car off and on will not work.
2. Engine will not turn off when coming to stops. Mind you when the battery is above 3 lines.
3. Throttle response feels like it's in PWR mode(super sensitive) but the engine is leggy. If I floor it for a sec the RPMS are super slow to come down.
4. The Eco line is quick to go in PWR portion and I'm not pushing it any harder than I was before all of this started. It seems like when I push the gas it skips the electric and automatically pulls from the engine.
This is my first summer in my 2010 Prius. Noticed excessive wind on your face when driving with the driver side window down? I'm guessing it might have to do with the shape of the car. I can drive at freeway speeds in my 02 Civic with the window down but if I'm travelling faster than a crawl in the Prius it becomes really annoying.
View 16 RepliesI'm in the market for a Prius and I read on carcomplaints that the 2010 model has excessive oil consumption issues. When I searched for more info about this issue, it seems that it occurs in the other model years as well. I'm wondering if I should avoid the 2010 model when looking for a used Prius, or if the trend on carcomplaints is incorrect and this issue is no worse on this model year than others. Did Toyota switch to a different piston ring in this year or are they all the same in the gen 3s?
View 19 RepliesBought a brand new 2012 Prius in California - Power Toyota in Irvine. It was heavily raining so did not test drive. Package 3. Next day noticed that there was excessive road feel and buzzing like vibration.
Took the car in and they noticed it too. Changed Goodyears to Yokohoma, checked suspension and tire pressure. Issue did not go away. It is subtle but constant.
Dealership said there is nothing wrong with the car and every car drives differently. Offered to change car with me taking a hit of 5000 dollars.
It is like driving on a stone like rough surface with a buzz like vibration.
I am talking about the manually activated EV mode, not stealth mode that runs up to 46 MPH.
View 10 RepliesI'm a longtime Prius owner starting with a 2007. Currently have a 2010 model V (not the wagon, the trim level with ATP). The maximum stealth mode speed (i.e. ICE not turning over) is about 46MPH. The maximum stealth mode speed for my old 2007 was 42MPH.
I just bought a 2012 Prius c as my commuting car. What is the maximum stealth mode speed?
I've noticed the Prius V engine is running at very low RPM in ECO mode at steady speed of about 65km/h (40mph). Fuel consumption vary between about 4-5L/100km (58 - 47mpg) and RPM is showing about 1100+
I usually see RPM of about 1100 to 1400+ which is very good; so I'm not surprised this engine is very fuel efficient.
I've read several posts that suggest the EV mode is mostly useless. I disagree. I've noticed that it's useful in gaining speed faster without the ICE, when taking off from a stop. Especially if I'm in traffic and I don't want to annoy drivers behind me.
I've noticed that conditions have to be met in order to do this, such as engine warmed up etc. but I find it very useful, and I am seeing improved MPG when doing this. I've had my 2013 PRius v Two for almost a month now.
I have only been driving my Prius for a month. I have been paying close attention the to the Car energy usage screen. I have been noticing the car (while on cruise control) entering into stealth mode (Engine seemingly off and power getting drawn from battery only w/ about 3/4 bar on EV) on the highway @ 60mph going down a slight decline. I have been trying to mimic this on my own w/o the cruise control, but no matter what I try (P+G and other techniques) I cannot get the same results.
View 18 RepliesI have a 2010 Chevy malibu LT with 120000 miles. And today while I was driving my engine disabled and there was a message of reduced engine power. After letting it sit I turned the key and nothing happens all the lights and things come on but the reduced engine power and engine disabled shows up. The car won't crank up. Earlier that day I had my engine coolant temperature sensor replaced. What is going on or what needs to be done? I am getting so frustrated with this car.
View 3 RepliesJust curious, is the low speed electric acceleration in *hybrid mode* generally, seat of the pants, noticeably more robust than that of the 'regular', 3rd gen Prius? By low speed, I mean starting off from stop lights in normal driving.
Why do I ask? In 3rd gen Prius, electric acceleration lasts only a few seconds from a stop, maybe up to about 15 MPG roughly with light acceleration. With heavy throttle, gas engine comes on about right away.
How does the PiP behave under moderate acceleration from stop in hybrid mode? Could we say PiP accelerates on electric drive in HV about 6 MPH per second +/-x up to 25 MPH +/- x on level ground, etc....?
I have a 2010 Prius. In the last few months, the radio has started acting strangely.
Sometimes it will increase I speed when you speed up and slow down when you slow down. And play normally when at a stand still. Sometimes it locks up, you can not change the volume or station. Sometimes it does not work at all. Other times it works just fine.
When I called the dealership, they will only replace the radio and not investigate the issue. Replacement could cost 300-400.
I recently acquired a 2014 Sonata Limited 2.4L. Don't know if its me or not but engine noise seems to be excessive in the cabin especially when I am accelerating from a very low speed, almost like something in the engine is loose. Had it at the dealership today for warranty work (seat belt) and recall work and asked the techs to take a listen when the do their inspection. They came back and said that the noise is coming from the electric fuel pump and that it is totally normal. Previous car I had was a 2011 Honda Accord Ex and it seamed quieter.
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