I blew up the inverter????

[GinnyErns]

First tried a jump from another car. I did it myself and was very careful to have the right polarity. Infast I had just jumped my RV a few days before this. I know how to jump autos. When I did the charger. I set up the Prius with the hot and ground then plugged in the charger which has an auto shut off. It never even lit up as charging, but I left it on overnight just to see if it would charge. The tow truck man used a portable jump. He tried the same way and used the same ground as I did.

This is my first Toyota...and my first hybrid. Always had jeeps. Infact my current jeep is 10 years old and I have only had to buy a new battery twice. Had a warranty problem at about 4 yrs old, which jeep fixed without hesitation and never had a problem again.

I live 85 miles from the Toyota dealer. Didn't think to have it towed just because it wouldn't start. And I did call the salesman right away for advice. He never mentioned to have it towed in. I hesitated because I live so far and didn't know how I would get the car when it was done. That's way I tried to jump it. So guess I bought a car that every time it won't start I have to have it towed in. Bummer....think I will dump this car and never buy a foreign car again. From all the reading I am doing about Toyota and hybrids....there are many problems with them dying....some on the road.....that seems dangerous to me. Wish I had know these thing before I bought. All the reviews on the car buying sites are roses and wine......

[Patrick Wong]

It sounds like the damage occurred when you did the jump start with the other vehicle, or perhaps had occurred prior to the jump start. Was the engine of that vehicle on? I am wondering if the voltage output from that car was greater than the expected 14.5V or so, which caused your problems. If you have access to a digital voltmeter and that vehicle, it would be interesting to see what the voltage output is.

It would also be interesting to find out whether your battery really had been low or not. The fact that the battery did not accept a charge from the charger implies that the battery might have been good.

Well - it sounds like your Prius has now been sitting at the dealer for one month. You are probably tired of dealing with the dealer's service dept staff and they undoubtedly are also tired of the situation and wishing you would tow your car away and leave them in peace.

Nevertheless, if you can contact the responsible tech or the service writer, and find out exactly what DTC had been logged and exactly which fuses (or fuse links) had been destroyed, maybe we can offer an opinion about whether it is possible that some other problem exists, instead of a failed inverter.

Regarding Jeep, you appear to have been very lucky as an owner since in general that brand has a poor reliability record. The Prius is extremely complex, and on the occasion when there is a failure, unwarranted repairs can be extremely expensive as you have learned.

I am wondering whether you feel that the salvage parts route is a reasonable one for you to pursue.

[GinnyErns]

The original part that they said was bad he called a defusable link.....
I don't know what these parts do or how they are related to the car not starting. I will ask for the DTC (does that stand for diagnostic Test Code????or something)....

Just can't get over the fact that the car wouldn't start in the first place. I had called the salesmen as soon as it wouldn't start. I tried everything he said to try. He then told me where the jump post was under the hood and we walked that thru together. Why didn't he tell me not to do anything. why didn't he say have the car towed in. When I bought the car, why didn't they say if it quits running have it towed in. This makes me very angry. I bought the car because it was suppose to be reliable. I live in the mountains far from any toyota dearler, but thought with just a good warranty and good reliability reports I wouldn't have to worry because it was new. GRRRRRRRR

It's not that I wouldn't find the cheapest way to fix the car. But don't know how to go about finding junk yard parts and finding an approved repair shop to install. Again I live in a tiny town 85 miles away from the dealer. I did not do anything unusual and feel this should be a warranty fix. I know I didn't jump anything backwards. If the jump did compound the problem, it still comes back to the fact the car stopped running before the jump....and why didn't they recommend I get it towed in right away.

My reliable car is a 1998 Jeep Laredo Grand Cherokee....4x4............love it, was only trying to plan for the future and buy green to save on gas and the envirnment....but now have to put out a ton of green.............it is not fair.......

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by GinnyErns

The original part that they said was bad he called a defusable link.....
I don't know what these parts do or how they are related to the car not starting. I will ask for the DTC (does that stand for diagnostic Test Code????or something)....
Just can't get over the fact that the car wouldn't start in the first place...

If you can find out the DTCs (diagnostic trouble code) and exactly which fuses or fusible links were blown (my guess is that the DC/DC 100A fusible link is the one, given the diagnosis of a failed inverter), that would be helpful, if you would like confirmation that the inverter has in fact failed.

Yes, I understand your frustration when a relatively new car does not start. That is really irritating. Most owners who have needed to jump start their Prius have been able to do so successfully.

As far as locating salvage parts is concerned, one place is eBay Motors. However as of this writing no suitable inverters are being offered for sale there. You can also do a Google search for Prius salvage parts.

The other part of the repair problem will be finding an independent mechanic willing to learn how to install the inverter, which will not be easy as it appears you are in a rural location. Toyota has a subscription website that provides repair manual info: techinfo.toyota.com

[GinnyErns]

There is a new thread by someone else that has a 2007 Prius....his battery went dead also. He is trying to recharge it. He was wondering the same thing I was.....why does a 1 yr old battery go dead in the first place. The mechanic did tell me, they know I did the jump wrong because they had 4 others with the same problem. Now doesn't that just make you wonder. Those 4 at my dealer plus mine and the new post. Maybe there is a problem with the 2007's................that is what I really feel is the crux.....not to mention I feel there should be a big warning sticker that says do not jump start could cause $5000 in damage...............I told the other post to read this thread to see the danger in jump starting or charging.

[icarus]

Sorry for your trouble. A couple o thoughts. (They may not help you, but they might help the next person!)

First, the 12 volt battery shouldn't go dead in 5k miles or 1 year. While it is possible that you did something to drain the battery, (lights on radio, key on etc) it is also possible that you have a defective battery.

Second, acting on the advice of Toyota's reps (salesmen, service dept., manual, etc.) you did what you thought was correct to start the car. It seems they should have some culpability here.

Third, it is not a complicated issue to protect the special jumping lug under the hood from reverse polarity. A sensor and a switch that would not allow it to be closed if the polarity is wrong. With economy of scale, this protection would cost Toyota next to nothing per unit to install.If

Fourth, if reverse polarity jumping is as potentially damaging as it seems, Toyota should do (or have done) number three.

Fifth, once again, if reverse polarity is as potentially damaging Toyota should state so in the manual

Sixth. if all of the above is true, it seems that a shark lawyer should be able to solve this.

You can't expect the car to be towed to the dealer every time there is a dead battery. AAA would go nuts!

Finally, If you can't get satisfaction from Toyota by making a huge stink, I suggest that you contact your car and homeowners insurance. I seem to be insured for all kinds of things that I didn't know. I have never used it, but I know people who have claimed all kinds of odd things, and have gotten paid. (once again a big stink works)

Once again, sorry for your trouble, and good luck,

Icarus

[Neicy]

Go to this site and file a complaint if nothing else works:

ODI - Office of Defects Investigation

[Yak18]

Does your state have a Lemon Law? I'm sure they do. Maybe a complaint through the lemon law can get Toyota's attention and have them give you a "good faith" repair. I thought the Prius had failsafes built in to protect the car from dead batteries. Your defective battery plus defective dealer advice caused this problem. IMO. I know that it is possible for Toyota to waive the repair costs in the interest of good customer relations. This will require you to raise a big stink that they want to go away though.

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by GinnyErns

. . . I will dump this car and never buy a foreign car again. . . .

How much do you want?

Bob Wilson

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by GinnyErns

...why does a 1 yr old battery go dead in the first place. The mechanic did tell me, they know I did the jump wrong because they had 4 others with the same problem...

The 12V auxiliary battery can go dead if the passenger cabin lights are left on (say if the hatch is not properly closed or a door is left ajar.) It can go dead if the car is not driven sufficiently to keep the battery charged. The 12V bus maintains voltage at 13.8V which is less than most cars (which operate at 14.5V or perhaps more), so it will take longer to charge a drained battery. The battery can fail randomly, after all it is a consumer product designed for a cost point, and does not offer 100% reliability.

Others are giving you advice to "stir the pot, raise a stink", etc. You've already tried that during the past month. In my opinion this activity is premature because you don't know for sure exactly what is wrong with the car. Once you have gotten the car repaired and know what failed, then you can write letters, complain, ask for reimbursement, file a lawsuit etc to your heart's content.

Assuming that you properly jump-started the car, which you assert, may I suggest that it is possible that all your car needs is a new 12V battery and a new fusible link assembly.

Here is a possible failure scenario: your battery had one or two dead cells. This resulted in the battery lacking power to start the car. When you applied the jump start voltage, the car did start up. Once the DC to DC converter started working, it realized that the 12V bus voltage was low (due to the bad battery) and increased current output. The shorted battery cells resulted in excessive current flowing to the battery, which popped the DC/DC fusible link or the large fuse located at the battery's positive terminal fuseblock.

If no other fuses were popped, then this would confirm your assertion that you properly connected the jump cables. If any other fuses popped, then I would have to say that despite your best efforts, the jump cables were incorrectly connected.

Its unfortunate that you were not able to open the hatch (there is a mechanical release on the inside but you have to crawl into the hatch, remove the folding floor, and remove an access panel in the black plastic tray over the spare tire to find it.) If you had been able to connect your charger directly to the battery, and if the charger refused to provide current to the battery, that would be evidence that the battery had a bad cell or was seriously depleted.

Suppose the tech tells you that the DC/DC fusible link was the only bad fuse. In that case, I would advise you to authorize replacement of the fusible link assembly, which should cost $60 plus labor. I would also advise you to replace the 12V battery with a new battery which may cost $160 plus labor. Then see if the car starts.

Good luck.