2010 Auris Hybrid - potential problem?

[hybridspeed]

Hello all, 

New to this forum but not new to hybrid, have owned two gen3 prius before so i understand hybrid to an extent but need some help with a new car.

Recently purchased a 2010 Auris Hybrid 1.8ltr. I only had the 1.5ltr before.

Purchased the car from a trader, mileage on the car is roughly 151k, took my mechanic with me so he could do the tests he needs to and for any problems, he only saw two at the time, the blower motor and something to do with the steering column, i did tracking for it but the steering wheel still is off centre and pulls to the left slightly whilst driving, any ideas for this?  Was able to reduce price a bit and for the past few weeks its been driving good, definitely more power than the gen3 prius i had. The car was serviced before it was sold to me.

In the beginning i was getting maybe 49-50mpg, i know it could push out more but it wasnt happening, on my gen3 i was doing 55mpg so for me i was expecting more. On Thursday i drove out and the car was fine. After a few hours, ready to go home, i got the Yellow triangle light and it showed Check Hybrid System showing up, car started and move into gear so i was confused. I turned car on and off and it was still there, i quickly got myself to a nearby garage who used the snap on tool to check for codes and three codes were found : 
P2532
U0129
U0164

I was told that the code U0129 is more likely the specific code that triggered the light and to check it out the Battery pack needs to be opened which i was told to open and check etc could be a couple hours. 

Need some advice and help to know if anyone has encountered any of these codes before as i have searched these codes online but not found much from people reporting it themselves. In regards to the mpg of the car, is that a sign of potential hybrid Battery weakening?

Currently the mpg has dropped to 46.8mpg and it moves till about 47.2 and kind of stays between these two, i am trying to move better the mpg but struggling to, also recently i have only been doing short journeys so i will try to do a longer journey during the week to see if its my short journeys that arent helping the mpg but comparing it to the gen3 i had, that still on short journey achieved 52-54mpg. The oil level is just under max and all tyres have enough pressure as needed by the sticker on the door panel. 

Any advice or help appreciated.

[TonyHSD]

Hi, 

all these codes might be related to weak or low voltage in the 12v Battery, or perhaps loose terminals. Check your 12v Battery terminals, voltage when unlocked and ask someone to start the car while you are out and taking measurements of the 12v Battery. Maybe a recharge with a smart charger overnight is a good idea too.
The mpg it’s kind of normal especially if you drive on short trips in London and it’s cold. This will improve with weather warms up. The Prius gen 3 has the same drive train and hybrid battery but it’s lighter and more aerodynamic and always has been the more efficient one, 5-10mpg more on average. At that mileage you need to double check hybrid battery cooling fan, get into it and clean it if never been done before. Replace coolant in both engine and inverter if not done at 150k miles service. Double check each wheel for free spin in the air, brakes are problematic on these cars, get rust and stuck closed. Proper wheel alignment in good place highly recommended if you have not centred steering wheel, pulling to the left a bit it’s normal as a result of road camber. 
When you get low on fuel refill won’t E5 99 from Tesco or other garages and see the better performance and efficiency, 3-5mpg immediate increase. 👍
Good luck 👍

[hybridspeed]

On 4/15/2023 at 6:16 PM, TonyHSD said:

Hi, 

all these codes might be related to weak or low voltage in the 12v battery, or perhaps loose terminals. Check your 12v battery terminals, voltage when unlocked and ask someone to start the car while you are out and taking measurements of the 12v battery. Maybe a recharge with a smart charger overnight is a good idea too.
The mpg it’s kind of normal especially if you drive on short trips in London and it’s cold. This will improve with weather warms up. The Prius gen 3 has the same drive train and hybrid battery but it’s lighter and more aerodynamic and always has been the more efficient one, 5-10mpg more on average. At that mileage you need to double check hybrid battery cooling fan, get into it and clean it if never been done before. Replace coolant in both engine and inverter if not done at 150k miles service. Double check each wheel for free spin in the air, brakes are problematic on these cars, get rust and stuck closed. Proper wheel alignment in good place highly recommended if you have not centred steering wheel, pulling to the left a bit it’s normal as a result of road camber. 
When you get low on fuel refill won’t E5 99 from Tesco or other garages and see the better performance and efficiency, 3-5mpg immediate increase. 👍
Good luck 👍

Thanks for your reply, 

I have checked the terminals and the 12v Battery and all is good for now. I did do a full tank on 99 momentum from Tesco and achieved 60mpg in the beginning few days and then it dropped to about 53ish and stayed like that, was happy with that tbh and i got abut 320ish miles from the tank too. I have just refuelled on normal unleaded, just want to see the difference in miles and mpg. 

The gen 3 was a nicer feel, only reason why as i asked about the mpg for this engine is because i test drove a few gen 4 prius and they were achieving 57-60mpg and was under the impression that since its the same engine ( i believe) that the auris would do the same also. 

Havent had time to check the fan yet but i will be booking it in for a check again as i am feeling some jittering when i accelerate very slowly but when the speed kicks up the jittering goes, any idea on that? throttle body?

I have been told about the steering that its due to the steering rod and this can be costly to repair because a sensor can fail when doing this, is this correct?

Also, 2 days after posting the original post, i was driving home and the engine light came on, since i was no more than 5 minutes to my house i thought to get to my driveway as i could and check there, shortly after the hybrid system warning light came on and the car entered limp mode, i was stuck on the dual carriageway. I turned the car off and waited 30 seconds and turned it back on, it came out of limp mode but the engine light was still there, i managed to get it home, i realised it had 2 bars of fuel but wasnt sure how much of the 2 bars if that makes sense. Called RAC in the morning, the mechanic did a software check but nothing showed up that didnt before, he said that because it was low on fuel the fuel line may have clogged up and made the car enter limp mode, is this true? When i did refuel no engine light came on and it was working perfectly fine and has been till now

[TonyHSD]

Hi, 

it seems you have some trouble with your car that needs to be look at. Diagnosis should show stored codes for hybrid system malfunction. This can be caused by the engine, electric motors, transmission or battery/ inverter. This needs to be checked properly. Also the hybrid Battery cooler fan. Egr malfunction or blockage can also cause these problems. At this age and miles it should had been cleaned at least once including throttle body,and intake manifold. For the steering wheel I have no idea what can be and how to proceed, perhaps an alignment specialist. If you had recently bought the car from a trader you can ask them to fix for you or return for refund. 
You know best the circumstances around. 
Good luck