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hybrid vehicles

Hello, thank you for writing in. You should have no issues steam cleaning your seats. Your owner's manual will have the best information on how to handle cleaning your interior based on the trim you have and what the interior...

Hello. Most of the time this is caused by a programming issue. I have seen these cars need to be re-programmed for issues with the batteries not fully charging in cold weather. If the vehicles computer have not been updated...

Hi. Emissions codes and emission problems are sometimes very difficult to diagnosis and pin point what exactly is causing the problem. Because of this it sometimes requires extra labor time to fix the emission problem properly. The good thing about...

Hello. The PCM is a potential cause of the problem that you are experiencing. The PCM is the main computer for the car and could be malfunctioning. There could also be a problem with the electric motor of the hybrid...

When the IMA light is on in the hybrid Honda Civic models, this usually means that the battery pack (not to be confused with the starting battery) is no longer charging properly. This is typically is a part that has...

Hello. This can be a dangerous issue and does happen on this vehicle. Typically I have repaired this with updating the computers in the vehicle. Some of the time when the degeneration is not working correctly it is because the...

Get a Toyota Corolla (https://www.yourmechanic.com/scheduled-maintenance/toyota-corolla/) or Camry (https://www.yourmechanic.com/scheduled-maintenance/toyota-camry/). Just don't buy a hybrid car. I'm against hybrid cars of any particular make because they are so high-tech, and when they break, they can cost a fortune. You can buy a...

I'm not a hybrid fan, because they are so complex, and when they break, many cost a fortune to fix. That is the only car Toyota makes that I advise people not to buy. I wouldn't go for it unless...

For you who don't know, those are the cars that don't have transmission gears. They never shift. They just continuously have a range to drive a car. The reason they are doing that is because they get a better gas...

Hello. I would need to know the model of the vehicle to be able to give a better diagnosis as to what is going on. If you have warning lights that came on all of a sudden then the computer...

Plugging it in won't resolve the issue. Your vehicle has a conventional heater core through which hot engine coolant, from the internal combustion (IC) engine, circulates. If the no heat condition is occurring while the vehicle's IC engine is running,...

Hello. The VCS light comes on when the computer detects there is an issue with the vehicle's stabilty contorl system. This caa be set off for many reason. The most common reasons are for an issue with one of the...

Hello. It sounds like the car has low battery voltage. Either the battery has gone bad (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/battery-replacement) or the alternator is not charging (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/alternator-replacement) properly and is draining the battery. I would suggest that you have the electrical system inspected...

Hello. If the system is leaking coolant then the leak needs to be found immediately. If it is leaking from around the transmission area then it is usually either the external pump or the inverter. These inverters are a common...

Auxiliary batteries can take awhile before symptoms may be noticed on a Prius. This is due to the hybrid system powering many of the components. In this vehicle the auxiliary battery is mainly used for starting. It could cause problems...

Things change as technology advances. Most hybrids have a regenerative braking system to charge up the hybrid battery. If Toyota has changed the design of the regenerative braking system since the year of Prius that you own, it is very...

It depends on the design, but a lot of them are running a Toyota's design. The Fords have Toyota's parts in them, and a lot of GMs run Toyota's design. Generally, those batteries last anywhere from 7 to 10 years,...

If your radiator was leaking, there are good chances that your engine overheated. Not knowing the vehicle history on the frequency of oil changes can make it difficult to diagnose over the internet. Oil changes should be performed every 3,000...