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Entire panel of lights, 12v battery bad, inverter pump bad - $1070, warranty?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by SoopahMan, Sep 8, 2014.

  1. SoopahMan

    SoopahMan Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2006
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    I want to start with my attempt to draw how terrifying my dash looked, that looks like it was drawn by a confused child:

    [​IMG]

    You're welcome internet.

    So googling "Prius red triangle" or "Prius exclamation mark car" get you almost exclusively the tire pressure or ominous red triangle in results, which leads to a lot of people saying it could be anything.

    The above lights came on at about 75000 miles, during a hill climb, on a day over 100F in LA, immediately after a car wash.

    The car began by making a single tone and lighting what felt like the entire dash up - I didn't draw them here but it also gave me the brake warning and low tire pressure warning. I wondered if a self-destruct sequence had begun. I pulled off and power cycled in case it were anything like Windows - no luck. We had to turn around and drive a long ways back, during which it then added the warning at the right hand side on the touch display, whose actual icon kind of looks like someone is dropping something through the roof of the car, but is actually an exclamation mark poorly overlayed on a car drawing.

    After a few miles the car began to beep about once every 30 seconds and if I pushed it past even moderate on the accelerator it would surge forward. It was time for a tow.

    We got towed the rest of the way and the diagnosis is:

    Bad 12v battery - not dead but voltage way off. Needs replacement.
    Bad inverter pump - needs replacement.

    Total $1070.

    So, the Prius Hybrid Warranty is supposed to be 100k mi and 8 years. I'm just under 8 years and certainly under 100k mi. Should I be asking that either of these parts be covered under that warranty, or do these both fall outside that bill?

    I hope if anyone else encounters this, which it appears is somewhat common at this mileage count, that this drawing at least makes their day a little less upsetting for them.
     
  2. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    The Inverter pump is covered under a TSB. The OEM battery is $300 and about $100 installed at the dealer. The Inverter pump fails and the Inverter overheats and shuts off & throws all the nags you see on the dash.

    The 12 volt ....well....you've been on this forum for 7 years so you must have noticed the hundreds of posts concerning the 12 volt.
    Most discussed thread on this forum.
    And the second most discussed post is the Inverter pump failure and resultant TSB.

    Hard not to take your Prius into the dealer without them doing the pedal chop off and Inverter pump replacement.
     
  3. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2011
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    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Yup, the inverter overheated and that caused it to go into turtle mode and also caused the dash to light up.

    I would think the warranty should cover it. Did you have the recall done last year?

    Have the inverter fluid changed while the pump is being replaced. Don't settle for a top off of the fluid. Insist on a drain and refill of the inverter system. You will probably have to pay for that, but the pump should be covered under warranty as long as the car is under eight years old and or 100,000 miles on the odometer.

    You mentioned LA. If your car was bought in Cali and registered there, then the warranty is 150K or ten years on the hybrid parts. Remind your dealer of it. The inverter pump should be covered under the hybrid section of the warranty IIRC.

    Get a new 12 volt battery and install it yourself. New at the dealer is $200.00 Save yourself a $100 by DIY.

    Ron (dorunron)