Failed inverter. 25 Days and counting.... Waiting for the part

If his lips are moving.....he's lying... JK

 

...and *if* they're NOT moving, you have a ventriloquist for a dealer.

 

For those of you in CA was the inverter replacement free? I think a friend of mine with 90k miles on his 10 might be having the same issue.

 

CARB state (CA is a CARB state) warranty on hybrid components is 10yrs/150k miles.
So an inverter failure for a 2010 Prius in CA with 90k mi would be covered.

 

isn't there a recall on the inverter?

 

IIRC, it's for reprogramming the inverter.

 

I hope they are paying for your rental. 25 days, in this day and age, is rediclous for a vehicle line that has been around for this long. What happens at this point is high failure parts are taken from the assembly plant (it ain't like they're hand making them and waiting a month to roll a new car off the production line). I know, because Xerox did this several times on high volume printing systems I worked on that were high profit margin machines. I have had to drive to the airport at 3am more than a few times to pick up a part directly from manufacturing that got shipped same day air from Rochester.

I got the same run around from toyota on a VVT actuator that broke in my corolla under warrantee only to find out there had been a "silent" TSB out on it for years. It was actually part of the redesign in 2009.

I would be standing on a chair screaming at this point!! Which is exactly what I did when I found out about all of that I mentioned. They will put you off until they are "busted". I got all that info from a mechanic at the dealership I pulled aside and asked about it.

 

I am currently in the same situation. My inverter failed 06/2/2014) and I was told today (06/30/2014) that they have not received the part, nor do they know when they will receive the part. My car only has about 60,000 miles on it. I am in the same situation with the rental-it gets 22-24 mpg (causing my 2 hour daily round trip cost to double to about $7.00-8.00 per day). The vehicle has leather seats (so I cannot take my dog to the park or lake for fear she will scratch the leather), it does not have GPS or satellite radio (things I paid extra for for a reason) and it drives horribly (it feels like its automatic transmission is slipping and the oil light has come on). In addition, my husband is not authorized to drive the vehicle, because it costs extra to have 2 authorized drivers, and I left many things I need in my Prius, not expecting a month or longer wait. Finally, since Toyota would only pay to tow my car to the nearest dealer-the dealership is over two hours away from my house making the pick up of my Prius and the return of the rental a huge inconvenience.

I understand that in the grand scheme of things-these are minor inconveniences and expenses, but these are inconveniences and expenses that I expected to avoid by putting out the extra money to buy a brand new vehicle, from a reputable company and taking good care of the vehicle by always getting timely maintenance performed at the dealership. Although I love my Prius, I doubt I will be doing business with Toyota in the future. As my husband put it:

"Toyota: Making sure the phrase "factory recall" stays fresh since 2007."

 

If they are paying for a rental car for you what else can you expect? I would be grateful for that.

 

...ah, but if *I* purchased a 50 mpg red vehicle, then the "rental substitute" vehicle SHOULD be commensurate with 50 mpg and be RED.

 

A second class ride is better than a first class walk.

So what if the rental is less economical or a different colour or less prestigious. It has four wheels and stops you getting wet if it rains. If you needed a flash car for a wedding or needed a specific type of vehicle for a business, then fair enough, but if it's to let you just get about, then does it matter what it is?

Life's too short to worry.

 

A percentage of your miles is maintance cost. No maintance cost in free rental. Saves a little, I know just a very little bit. Every little helps.
Saves miles on your car also.

 

The car was less than a week old and didn't have 60 total miles on it. What can I expect? A brand new car that runs!! Nothing unreasonable at all about pushing for a courtesy loaner. I could have cared less if it was the oldest used car they had on the lot.

I just this morning got my son his 8 hrs from a temp agency that was going to stiff him because the manager didn't turn in his time at the job he was sent. He and my wife were both saying "oh well". I said "hell no"!! Should he (or I with my new Corolla) expect any more or less?

 

All valid points, which if only you took to the dealer, I am reasonably sure, they will understand and try to make it less stressful for you, such as may be loaning you a hybrid without leather seats. It's at least worth trying talking to the dealer. Usually on the first go, the points you mention aren't weighing on the mind of the dealer, so they might arbitrarily get you "a" vehicle on their lot. Unless of course, it's a luxury dealership you are dealing with ...

 

Yes, there's a HUGE difference between the DEALERSHIP bending over to make you happy...and YOU having to bend over !

 

Are the dealers in question enrolled in Toyota-Rent-a-car? When I had the body work done I coupled the rental to the shop. I asked for a Prius and the dealer dropped a silver Three off at the shop for me. Yeah, I know it isn't a Five-AT but I wanted the experience (it's still silver) & the PiP wasn't available.

When my friend dropped off her BMW they gave her a Yaris as a loaner. She was not happy.

I agree with the other posters that a free ride is better than no ride but I would also get my name on the reservation list for a Prius of some sort.

The recall covers reprogramming if the inverter is not showing signs of damage. Failed or damaged inverters are replaced in addition to the reprogramming.

And, yes, I would expect someone with a warranty issue to be treated better than someone with a recall. With 60 miles on the odo I'd be holding that customer satisfaction survey hostage.

 

I'd missed that part.

If it's only got 60 mile on it I'd expect the dealer to be falling over backwards to offer something of higher spec, even giving them free reign of their lot to try and pacify them. I'm actually very surprised that the dealer haven't done that or something similar. I'd be aiming for the bosses Land Cruiser or Lexus

 

I'm dealing with the same issue - 2010 prius III with 73k miles on it. Inverter went bad back in the middle of May, it is now July and still not word on when they will get the part.

BUT... I've got everyone beat. I got a call last week from the dealer and I thought well, it must be done! Not quite. A storm rolled through and now in addition to being inoperable, the car has SEVERE hail damage. My rental has no damage. I'd like to think the Toyota body shop would pull as many of the dents out as they can for free but we all know that isn't going to happen.

Oh well... shit happens. I've got a rental prius with 3k miles on it (from me) so life could be worse.

 

Thats why dealers have Insurance. Or maybe get you a new car at a really.............. good deal!

 

In their care, on their insurance. That's how I see it.