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2008 Pkg 5 Touring car died on highway (49k miles)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by DHurt, Aug 3, 2011.

  1. DHurt

    DHurt Junior Member

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    Palm Bay, FL
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Apologize for the long story – Driving home from work, 5pm San Antonio heat, appx 103 F, and the A/C quits blowing cold air, the following lights are on as in the following picture (I found it elsewhere on this site, sorry for stealing it)


    mrkash.com/images/prius1.jpg

    I took the next exit and flipped through the owner’s manual, saw what the lights meant and inspected the engine fluids and operation. I turned off the car and turned it back on to see if there would be any changes, same lights come on but the car is running. I thought I could make it to the dealer so I hit the road again.

    I drive another 5 or so miles and right when I’m about to exit the highway the engine shuts off and the ABS light comes on. I apply moderate braking pressure as I exit and it feels like one wheel locks up and I start to skid. I do the manual pump to control and I coast to the side of the access road.

    I call for a tow and it gets to the dealer as they are closing. They call me the next morning with “we can’t find anything wrong and the computer doesn’t have any codes storedâ€. I have them test drive it under similar conditions; highway, A/C, 100F+ temps. They called later and said nope, nothing wrong.
    The service rep says it sounds like the inverter pump and would fall under the powertrain warranty.
    They wanted me to take the car back and if it happens again to bring it in and hopefully they could diagnose it. I don’t feel comfortable driving my wife and infant around in this car now that it has failed and is likely to fail again when it’s over 100 out. I asked them to call Toyota to see if this has happened to others and how we could test it to determine the problem.
    To their credit they did let me use a loaner vehicle.
    The service rep has since told me that the inverter pump does not fall under the powertrain warranty, otherwise they would have replaced it already and they are waiting to hear from Toyota.

    Questions for the forum;
    1. Does this sound like the inverter pump and should it fall under warranty?
    2. How likely is it that a failure of this kind results in no codes being stored?
    3. What actions should I take from this point on?

    Thanks for reading and any advice you can give

    Dan
     
    #1 DHurt, Aug 3, 2011
  2. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    II
    I would make sure the inverter pump is circulating the fluid, for sure. Sounds like it may not be! Check the 12V after sitting over night. You would like to see over 12V or better when tested in morning. Hal
     
    #2 Hal W, Aug 3, 2011
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Dan,

    1. Yes, this sounds like the inverter coolant pump (located behind the driver's headlight assembly) has failed. You can verify its operation by making the Prius READY and looking for fluid turbulence within the inverter coolant reservoir. If you do not see turbulence then the pump is not working. This failure "should" be covered under warranty since the pump is being replaced for no charge under an Limited Service Campaign for 2004 - certain 2007 Prius. However, for your model year, the failure is currently not covered beyond the 3 yr/36K mile warranty.

    See: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...call-alert-2004-2007-inverter-water-pump.html

    2. This is quite likely if your 12V battery is in marginal condition. Assuming that the inverter pump is not working and the inverter overheated, this would cause the AC compressor to stop working (since it receives power from the inverter), and would also cause the DC/DC converter which maintains 12V bus voltage to stop. That places the burden on the 12V battery which, even when new, has limited capacity to run the Prius vehicle electronics for more than a brief period. If 12V bus voltage sags down, then the DTC logged by most of the ECUs will clear. I suggest that you replace the 12V battery now. Do not waste your time asking the dealer to test the battery because the testing available to the dealer personnel is not reliable. MSRP of the 12V battery is $138.70. If you have the dealer install the battery, you will probably be charged for one hour of labor time on top of that, and some dealers may charge more for the battery itself.

    3. Replace the 12V battery. Verify if the inverter coolant pump has failed. If so, then ask your dealer to replace the pump (at your expense if required.) Then, file a complaint with the Toyota Customer Experience Center and ask to be reimbursed for your repair. Good luck.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, Aug 3, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  4. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    #4 uart, Aug 3, 2011
  5. DHurt

    DHurt Junior Member

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    Model:
    Three
    Thanks for the information, I'll replace the 12v battery as soon as I can, any suggestions on which to go with - factory replacement or aftermarket?

    At this point it can not be verified that anything failed, would it be prudent to pay for the replacement?

    Thanks again,

    Dan
     
    #5 DHurt, Aug 3, 2011
  6. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    I believe the service writer has it wrong. Before the recall for 04-07, the IC pump replacement was covered as a 5/60 powertrain warranty item. Your symptoms are a good match for this problem, including the failure by the dealership to figure it out! Please do check the fluid level in the inverter cooling reservoir (too low due to a leak can cause air lock) and for flow, as shown in uart's post.
     
    #6 seilerts, Aug 3, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  7. DHurt

    DHurt Junior Member

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    Thanks all, I'm headed back to the dealer to pick up the car. I'll check the fluid level and for flow and report back.

    Dan
     
    #7 DHurt, Aug 3, 2011
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Considering that the 12V battery is ~4 years old, I would say that it is worthwhile replacing it, especially with your reported symptoms.

    I use the 12V battery purchased from my local Toyota dealer's parts dept, while other members here are strong Optima yellow-top advocates. Installation of the Optima requires you to change the battery terminal connectors.

    If you can buy the battery from your Toyota dealer for MSRP or better, then I would say that is a good deal.
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, Aug 4, 2011
  9. DHurt

    DHurt Junior Member

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    Model:
    Three
    The inverter pump is working; the fluid was circulating when I started the car this morning.

    The parts Dept quoted $166 for the battery.
     
    #9 DHurt, Aug 4, 2011
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