Parts for your 2022 Toyota Prius-Centre bearing

2022 Toyota Prius centre-bearing — is it a thing?

Short answer: a centre-bearing isn’t used on the 2022 Toyota Prius. That’s because Prius runs a front-wheel-drive hybrid transaxle (Toyota’s P610) and, on AWD-e models, a separate electric rear drive unit. There’s no long, two-piece tailshaft in a Prius, so there’s no need for a tailshaft centre support bearing.

This layout is confirmed in Toyota’s technical literature. The New Car Features manual for the ZVW50-series Prius details the P610 front transaxle driving the front wheels, and the AWD-e (E-Four/AWD-i) system using an independent rear motor-generator with no mechanical propeller shaft between axles. Toyota’s Repair Manual for the model year likewise has no “propeller shaft” or “centre support bearing” service section because the vehicle simply doesn’t have one. Engineering references describing the P610 hybrid transaxle (e.g., SAE papers on the Prius hybrid transaxle) also make clear the entire drive package sits at the front, eliminating the need for a tailshaft and its centre-bearing.

Why isn’t a centre-bearing used here? A centre-bearing supports the middle of a long, two-piece prop shaft on rear- or four-wheel-drive vehicles (think utes and big SUVs) to control vibration and shaft alignment. The Prius doesn’t run that architecture. Instead, it has short front CV halfshafts coming straight out of the transaxle, and on AWD-e models the rear axle is powered locally by its own electric drive. No long shaft means nothing to support in the middle.

If someone’s chasing a noise they reckon is a “centre-bearing” on a Prius, it’s worth steering them towards more likely culprits for this platform:

• Front wheel bearings humming or growling with road speed
• Outer or inner CV joints clicking on turns or vibrating on acceleration
• Tyre cupping or uneven wear patterns
• For AWD-e, rear wheel bearings or rear motor/diff mounting noises (still no centre-bearing involved)

Some front-drive cars use an intermediate (carrier) bearing on a right-hand driveshaft, Toyota’s Prius driveline doesn’t use a tailshaft-style centre support bearing, and front axle components are serviced as CV axle or bearing assemblies per Toyota’s service procedures. So if a parts search turns up “centre-bearing” for a 2022 Prius, it’s not the right part for this vehicle’s driveline.

• Does the 2022 Prius have a centre-bearing?
  No. The Prius is FWD with a front hybrid transaxle, and AWD-e models add a separate electric rear drive. There’s no propeller shaft, so no centre support bearing.
• What noise gets mistaken for a centre-bearing on a Prius?
  Most commonly wheel bearings, worn CV joints, or tyre-related noise. Technicians will road test, check for play, and inspect CV boots and wheel bearings before calling any parts.
• Does AWD-e (E-Four) add a centre-bearing?
  Still no. The rear axle is powered locally by an electric motor and differential with no mechanical link to the front, so there’s no tailshaft or centre-bearing to maintain.