No Start. Check Hybrid System warning. Repaired free in Canada.

In the last 10 years, my 2010 Prius has never given me any troubles until it suddenly refused to start, and displayed a triangle warning sign and "Check Hybrid System" on the dashboard, in early June 2020. It only had 123,500 kms.

It was towed to a Toyota dealer. The service advisor eventually called and the diagnosis was the failure of a transistor kit in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the Hybrid Inverter Assembly. The whole repair job, including labour and taxes, would cost over $3,000.

After the diagnosis, I googled and read several Priuschat threads relating to Hybrid Inverter failure. There I learned Toyota USA had mailed a Warranty Enhancement Program letter, to extend the warranty specifically on the IPM Transistor to 15 years with unlimited mileage, to certain 2010-2014 Prius owners in the US. The chats on Priuschat.com lamented that it was unfair not to provide the same enhanced warranty in Canada. Prius owners in the UK, Malaysia and Lithuania have also reported they do not have that particular warranty enhancement.

Layer I found on the Internet a Toyota Warranty Policy Bulletin to U.S. Toyota dealers, a PDF document posted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR HYBRID INVERTER ASSEMBLY ON CERTAIN 2010-2014 Manufacture Year PRIUS VEHICLES (ZE3)

According to the American press:
- a recall to update the software of the IPM Electronic Control Unit in 2014/02
- the Warranty Enhancement Program (ZE3) letter and bulletin issued in 2014/08
- another recall to update the software of the IPM Electronic Control Unit in 2018/10
- there is an ongoing class action suit on this problem in the US

Those 2 software recalls were publicized in Canada as well, and I had both recalls done. I printed and took the Bulletin to the dealership. I pleaded with the Service Advisor to check with Toyota Canada. He promised he would do that. I received his call the next day indicating that Toyota Canada had agreed to cover my repairs.

The dealer finally received the necessary parts from the US. I got my Prius back for free on 2020/06/23. However, I found that instead of replacing the inverter IPM transistor, they had replaced the entire inverter assembly. The invoice indicated the Diagnostic Trouble code was P3004, the repair operation was AHG10A, done under WEP927.

Now I am writing to:

• Thank everyone in the Priuschat community for sharing his/her knowledge
• Share with fellow Prius owners in Canada the good news that the Warranty Enhancement Program ZE3 now applies to Canada as WEP927.

 

Yes, Seward, it was Richmond Hill Toyota.

Had Toyota not agreed to cover the Hybrid Inverter IPM failure, I would have to pay for the diagnosis fee of C$130 plus tax, as well as the repair costs.

Of course I feel super lucky:

• I found the Toyota Warranty Policy Bulletin to U.S. Toyota dealers, posted by NHTSA, detailing the warranty extension for hybrid inverter IPM on certain 2010-2014 Prius vehicles (ZE3)
• When I printed and showed the Bulletin to the Service Advisor at the dealership, he responded to my pleading to check with Toyota Canada
• Toyota Canada agreed to cover my repairs

However, I still wonder if Toyota Canada has issued a Toyota Warranty Policy Bulletin equivalent to the ZE3 to Canadian Toyota dealers. I also wonder if owners of Toyota vehicles can really rely on Toyota dealerships to identify repairs that are covered by warranty or extended warranty?