EV button and warrantee

I don't think the dealers might want to install it under warrantee. There is too much liability that they might have if an ECU or something went out. They would have to replace it out of their own pocket. Fine by me, though.

 

I don't think that was the question. I think the question was how a dealer reacted to being asked to perform work under warranty on a car that an owner had modified with an EV button.

Anybody?

 

Does EV button worth risking some of warranty and bother to press button each time?

 

Magnuson-Moss applies to the EV Button. Certainly, installing and using the button won't cause Toyota to "Void your warranty."

The worst case scenario, under US federal law, is that Toyota can deny a warranty claim only if they can prove that a particular aftermarket part, filter, fluid, accessory, or modification caused damage. This applies to oil, filters, tires, brake pads, seat covers, windshields, radios, paint, fenders, and batteries. If Toyota denied a claim because of an EV button (which they know better than to do) you can simply point out that the EV button is standard equipment in other countries, and is hardly a radical modification. In my opinion, this argument would soar through arbitration or small claims court, like wiring Daytime Running Lights in a method similar to Canada.

Plain and simple, Magnuson-Moss clearly spells out what a warranty means:
-If a company issues a warranty, the company must stand behind a product unless the product is used or maintained in an unreasonable manner.

This is very, very clear. You run as much risk losing warranty having a properly installed EV button as you do having properly installed mudflaps from Canada, or using a Fram oil filter.

Keep in mind this does NOT mean that if you damage the wiring or dashboard while installing the EV button that Toyota must repair it for you. Nor does it mean that the new modification is under warranty. Also, if you bring a vehicle in for a complaint, and it turns out to be caused by the modification, then you might be charged for that diagnosis.

For example, if your HSD battery dies an early death and Toyota blames it on the EV drive button, they have to prove that the EV button is an unreasonable modification. This can't be true due its presence in foreign models, therefore they don't have a leg to stand on.

When I worked for the dealership we warranted all kinds of things that didn't seem warrantable. We warranted an alarm ECU for a guy who spilled coffee on it. On the floor, under the seat! However, it's not unreasonable to expect that people would drink coffee while they drive, therefore it isn't considered abuse. We warranted cup holders that had broken because their kid kicked it. We warranted seat fabric because an overweight woman slid in and out of it 12 times a day. We warranted a manual retracting antenna that just flew off! (We had a bunch of these on 92 camrys).

I'm certain, too, that Toyota is aware of the EV button mod. (Especially with so many of the button part numbers selling!) They know it's out there, and likely will continue to look the other way due to their risk of magnuson moss problems and the risk of bad publicity about the Prius.

Nate

 

So if what you are saying is correct, then the warnings about voiding the warranty refer to the consequences of damaging the ECU or the HV battery pack while installing the switch, or of damage actually caused by a poorly designed or improperly installed switch.

That makes sense, since the DIY methods involve messing directly with the ECU (I think).

The "bother" of pressing the button is not mandatory, and nobody is going to press it "each time." The idea is to be able to select EV mode for those times when it's clearly prefered. Examples include moving the car a short distance, when there's no need to subject it to the entire warm-up cycle, or creeping through closed parking ramps.

If you seldom have that sort of situation, you have little reason to install the switch.

 

I just picked up my Prius after taking it in for the SSC-40d work. No comment was made regarding my factory EV button...

From a customer service standpoint, I don't think that Toyota would press the issue unless the EV button and/or your installation was directly responsible for vehicle damage.