2006 Prius - Codes P1118 and P0A93

[pnufer]

I purchased a 2006 Prius (13,500 miles) a couple of days ago, and this is my first post. This looks like a good online community, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

However, my Prius is a bit on the ill side. This morning, after about 20 minutes of driving, the MIL, CEL, VSC and brake warning lights all came on at the same time. Lost cruise control and A/C. VSC and brake lights reset after power cycling, and cruise and AC. MIL and CEL stay on. I repeated the issue on the way home this afternoon.

Stopped at my local Autozone, where the friendly scanner pulled the following codes: P1118 (fuel/air metering) and P0A93 (inverter cooling). Does anyone have more info on these codes. I have a dealer service appointment set up for mid-next week, but I don't think I should drive the Prius again until it goes to the dealer in case one of the issues is an overheating inverter.

Your info, expertise and feedback are appreciated in advance!

[JimN]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pnufer @ Jul 19 2007, 07:04 PM) [snapback]481880[/snapback]</div>

I purchased a 2006 Prius (13,500 miles) a couple of days ago, and this is my first post. This looks like a good online community, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

However, my Prius is a bit on the ill side. This morning, after about 20 minutes of driving, the MIL, CEL, VSC and brake warning lights all came on at the same time. Lost cruise control and A/C. VSC and brake lights reset after power cycling, and cruise and AC. MIL and CEL stay on. I repeated the issue on the way home this afternoon.

Stopped at my local Autozone, where the friendly scanner pulled the following codes: P1118 (fuel/air metering) and P0A93 (inverter cooling). Does anyone have more info on these codes. I have a dealer service appointment set up for mid-next week, but I don't think I should drive the Prius again until it goes to the dealer in case one of the issues is an overheating inverter.

Your info, expertise and feedback are appreciated in advance!
[/b]

Welcome to the site. Sorry to hear about your problems. Your dash is lit up like a Christmas tree and the best the dealer can do is an APPOINTMENT next week. The idiot book says to take the car to the dealer and stop driving it.

Did you buy it from a Toyota dealer or this Toyota dealer? I'm not a mechanic but suspect something is seriously wrong. If this happened to me I'd call Toyota to see if they could work an attitude adjustment with the dealer. If that doesn't work I'd drive it to the dealer, block their service entrance, and tell them the car won't move. If they don't get it in the shop it's time to make a scene in the showroom. IMO no excuse for this level of service.

[FL_Prius_Driver]

The 20 minutes of driving before anything happened is a very strong pointer to inverter cooling problems. The fact that it repeated later is even more evidence. The inverter overtemp DTC is one of those that is usually not a indirect result of something else. If the inverter heats up more after the warnings, then it will shutdown to avoid damage. Minimum driving till this is fixed is the right decision.

Now when I have had problems that I want the dealer to solve, I limp straight to the dealer and get the ball rolling. Your inverter is a warranty item that you have paid for already....including a rental car while the Prius is Out Of Commission. Appointments are for oil changes and periodic maintenance. Warnings like you are getting are safety issues...straight to get fixed. JimN is right, call Toyota USA if the dealer is unable to handle safety issues or fullfill their warranty obligations.

[pnufer]

In the dealership's defense, I originally scheduled the visit online as periodic maintenance through ToyotaOwnersOnline.com, then included the additional information in the comments field.

I did some online research on the codes and got Toyota-specific info on both. They both point to an inverter cooling problem:

• P1118 (Toyota) Coolant temperature sensor circuit high for coolant heat storage system
• P0A93 (Toyota) (Subcode 346 or 347) Inverter coolant pump not running

My Prius and I will be at the service department at Metro Toyota in Kalamazoo when it opens later this morning at 7:30. I'll provide an update after they've completed the repair/replacement work.

Thanks again,
-Paul