Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Out-of-Control Prius

I was sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, moving as a snail's pace on the Dan Ryan Expressway Sunday, and all I could think of was:  what if my 2010 Prius decides to go rogue?

I calmed myself by thinking about all the vehicles controlled by computers - the airplanes, trains and cars.   With the notable exception of the Lexus and a few Toyota brands - it's never happened, right?

I took my Prius in for the "recall" fix a week ago.  They "re-programmed" the computer.  It's "fixed."  The only thing to fear - is other drivers. 

When I got home 8 hours later, my husband greeted me with:  Look what came in the mail from Toyota.

He passed the envelope and I opened it, expecting the official recall notice Toyota said they'd be sending - back in January.

Wrong...

It was a new Warranty and Maintenance Guide and Maintenance Log for the 2010 Prius, along with a letter explaining new oil change interval changes:  10,000 miles/1 year (due to the new SAE 0W-20 synthetic oil certification).

I still need to bring my Prius in to the shop every 5,000 miles so they can check the installation of the driver's floor mat, rotate the tires, inspect/adjust fluid levels and visually inspect the brakes.  

I'm still waiting for the official letter from Toyota regarding the Prius recall.  I guess they figure since it's been in the news, we don't need official communications.  Okay.

Then just when I thought I'd go through a day when Toyota is not the top news story - what's the breaking story on the evening news Monday night?

Say it isn't true, Katie Couric... "on the day when Toyota was making a high profile defense of its cars... one of them was speeding out of control."

Yah sure, wouldn't ya know - it's a Prius... and it was out of control going 90 mph somewhere near San Diego.

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