The one thing that I don’t know the answer to is whether Toyota forces ‘limp mode’ on the cars, or whether EPA does, as a condition of their mileage rating. But something tells me that its EPA.
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It is the EPA fleet mandates that cause this sort of engineering.
Just like washers that only fill the tubs 3/4 way
And dishwashers that force us to run the hot water before using them, these manufacturers shift the energy use to the homeowner in order to meet the mandates.
FWIW, my 2007 Camry hybrid died last year with no warning. car still ran fine as I was driving back and forth from FL to Pittsburgh, 1,000 miles each way. You would think if the Prius had a limp mode built in to make people buy a $3,000 replacement unit, they would do the same on the Camry. The problem is the cruise control was disabled during those long trips back and forth. Never realized how much I used CC until I couldn’t move my foot for a few minutes every so often. $1,600 for a new battery and all is good at 250,000 miles.