Ok, I searched the manual tonight, and found where it mentioned this "symptom". It states that it could be transmission related. I have noticed that it's been driving funny (regen kicking in and out and what seemed to be a little slipping when accelerating). I think I'll call the dealer tomorrow and see when I can get the car into them. Since I've got my backup truck, I can use it when the HCH is at the shop.

I don't recall which page this was on, but it was towards the 2nd half of the manual.

The light hasn't blinked since, but the car isn't driving right. I'd hate to get into an accident because of this problem.

 

Well, I had setup an appointment for yesterday.....turns out they state I need a new tranny. Thank god for factory warranty!!

So, in less than a year:

Window regulators & run channels on both front windows
New Tranny

Hopefully this will be the end of it, or I might have to raise some hell! I'm curious to see how much they list this repair as being on the paperwork.

 

Not good news. How many miles on your HCH2? What does the oil look like from the dip stick, clear or dark. Boy I hate hearing news like this! I guess ditto for you as well, since its your car. H

 

It's got around 8500 miles on the car. The oil was just changed around 1000 miles ago so it should be good still. They got the car yesterday, and should have it done by Thursday. We'll see how things go when I get it back. Luckily I've got a pickup that I can drive while they have my car. Not quite as fun to drive, but it does the trick none the less.

 

You mean the CVT oil was changed 1000 miles ago, and you only have 8500 mile on the car total. Did they change for a reason, was there a problem with the CVT at that time? Keep us informed on this issue. Thanks,H.

 

He probably meant the engine oil.

 

I'm sorry, I guess I got confused on the "oil" which harold was referring to. I was talking about the engine oil being changed 1000 miles ago. The car itself only has 8500 on it, as it's only 10 months old and most of my driving is 5 miles each way wherever I go. So, my average of just under 45 (by my manual calculations) is pretty darn good I think.

On a side note, my old boss just got a Prius and is loving it. I was apparently his inspiration for getting a hybrid, because he saw how nice the HCH was and how happy I'd been with it. The gas mileage was another plus also. He traded in his Jeep Liberty (lucky to hit 15 MPG) and is just having a blast. He said that if he's happy enough in 3 months with the Prius, he might go get another and trade in his Buick Regal.

 

You should suggest to him to get an HCHII to replace the Buick... this way he'll have the best of both hybrid worlds. Use the Prius when you know you're just driving around town. Use the HCHII when you're taking a trip or going to be on the freeway for a few miles!

Sorry to hear about your tranny problems. But luckily it happened within the factory warranty!

 

Thanks Matt. I thought they changed the oil in the CVT at 8500! H

 

Could this early failure due to the high usage of PULSE & GLIDE technique? Or, is it due to manufacturing defects? Or something else? This is a big concern. Hope to learn more to avoid running into the same fate!

Question:

Instead of stepping gently on the accelerator to get into PULSE & GLIDE mode ( i.e. not CHARGing & not ASSISTing ), has anyone tried shifting to N ( Neutral ) to GLIDE at say 30 MPH. 40 MPH, 55 MPH? If so, is mileage FE getting any better using the SHIFT TO NEUTRAL mode? Assuming we did not come to a complete stop before moving on, will there be any issue shifting CVT back into D (DRIVE ) mode? Will the life of CVT be shortened? Will this cause more harm than good to the CVT.