Hello. We have a 2010 Prius (purchased in Dec 2009). With all the snow in Chicago, my husband was driving thru an uncleared road–he said snow was only a few inches deep. Apparently this ripped off our “oil pan shield” and the new part costs $283 + 5 minutes labor. Is this shield necessary? Sounds like this happens frequently to Toyotas–seems like a design flaw. Do we need to replace it? Apparently it is not under warranty. Thanks!

Yes, it protects the equipment under the hood from spray, particularly important where they use salt, and where that equipment is complex and expensive, like your Prius. Get it replaced.

I hate to point out the obvious, but if it wasn’t for the oil pan shield, then your oil pan would have taken the damage instead of the shield. Having your oil pan torn off, and having snow and whatever else get into your running engine would have caused damage that would have cost A LOT MORE than $283. So, what’s more important to you? $283, or having the knowledge that this shield actually does protect the oil pan from potential damage? BC.

+1 A splash shield is important on any car, in order to protect wire connectors and electronic components from water damage. On a Prius, with its incredibly complex electronics, an intact splash shield is even more important. Truthfully, the only flaw was probably in your husband’s decision to drive a car with only a few inches of ground clearance though unplowed snow.

Thanks for the feedback. In my husband’s defense, it was 2 days after our blizzard & he had no choice but to drive over the snow to get to work–the roads weren’t plowed. The dealer told us this is very common so it seems like Toyota would recognize there’s a problem & try to fix it. Such a small piece of plastic for $283…sounds like we’ll have to do it. Thanks again.

Replace it. In addition to the already mentioned good reasons, these splash shields can also affect airflow through the radiator and over the engine. And they can affect turbulance under the car, which can manifest itself as reduced highway mileage. My guess is that on the Prius this underbody turbulance is a consideration. I’d do an internet search for an aftermarket part, however. You might be able to save big.

The aftermarket parts search is a very good idea. I’d also suggest that you check salvage yards for a used one. There obviously won’t be many 2010 Prius out there in salvage yards, but often the same basic part design will be used for years. It might be a long shot but if you come up with something you’d stand to save a bundle.

I don’t really see that the shield was a problem. It did it’s job. Plastic parts fly off/apart on impact basically being the part that’s sacrificed instead of more important parts. I’d do like Cigroller suggested and visit carpart.com for a used one. If I didn’t work on cars for a living, since it’s only a 5 minute job and it’s underneath I’d pay someone else to do it.

Since you are from Chicago surely you could find a way to “jury rig” some other type of shield, one that does not look the same but serves the same purpose

Ok, I agree the shield did it’s job & probably protected the oil pan. I’m just bitter because I know my 15 yr old Escort & 14 yr old Accord would not have had a problem clearing a few inches of snow. I guess the Prius is designed more low to the ground (but still, a $283 piece of plastic?!) Anyway, thanks to everyone’s advice, we see the need to replace it & we were going to look for an aftermarket part. My husband is MacGyver-ish so he was also going to see if he could rig it somehow. I went to grab our damaged part so we could shop around with an example/product #, but the dealer did not return the shield to us!!! So we drove all the way back up there to collect it (after calling in advance), and they could not find it!!! They are installing a new shield for us (free) and I am once more at peace with Toyota. And the Prius will never see another snow day.

Is the "oil pan shield" really necessary?

Maintenance/Repairs

Honda-Blackbird February 17, 2011, 3:50pm 4

My GOD thats expensive…look them up on ebay or other parts places…sounds like it may be a dealer only item tho…If you bought one you could easily put it on yourself.

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Is the "oil pan shield" really necessary?

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