my 2017 prius (150k km) decided it didnt want to start last weekend, all dash lights and triangle! were on and the messages were that the hybrid system had malfunctioned (it was also saying other systems were malfunctioning). the 12v battery was drained and dead so that was replaced and the mechanic i took it to couldnt do any more, so they brought it to toyota. the dealership is telling me its the inverter converter and that this is a very rare issue. they are expecting about $5000 for parts ($3100), labour and the diagnostics. and that they cant get the part until the end of the month. has this happened to anyone else? is this what I should expect for cost? does anyone know if in Canada for the 2017 models if there is an extended warranty on the inverters?
welcome! it is unusual. we see them from time to time on earlier generations, and the cost solution is either diy, or finding a mech who will install one from salvage. if it is anything like earlier gen's, installation is relatively simple. all the best!
Welcome...... That's a very rare failure and I'd spring for a second opinion. Ask the dealer/mechanic what error codes are currently displaying - tell them you want a 'screen-shot' of the error codes. You can do some sleuthing from there. I've never heard of a dead 12VDC battery 'taking out' an inverter, especially with such low miles. Once the 12V battery is replaced, clear the codes and take it for a test drive to see if any codes return. If the inverter coolant pump wasn't working; the ECU would warn n stop the car - to prevent inverter damage. That code should be clearly visible in the set of error codes. Your suppose to go after the coolant pump first, before condemning the inverter. Hope this helps..... FWIW; down here in the lower 48 the EV portion of the car has an extended warranty - don't know about Canada; but may be worth looking into. I would think that your dealership should already know about this, so their credibility would be in question.........
thank you very much for your reply! toyota did say it was very rare. i will ask for the codes and do some digging. i had the twelve volt battery replaced, they said that because the inverter wasn't working.The twelve volt won't charge, so won't drive very far. but the first mechanic did drive it from their shop to toyota, but thought he might have to attach it to a booster If it didn't make it. I will also confirm that they checked.It wasn't the pump. they charged me for 2 and a half hours of diagnostics to sort through the codes, or so they said. Thanks again, not overly hopeful about the situation in general
IMHO; 2.5 hours is highway robbery. It's easy to test the DC-DC converter turning-on and shouldn't take 2.5 hours to troubleshoot. Perhaps they aren't following Prius troubleshooting guidelines and expecting to see 14VDC at the battery terminals, like an ICE. THAT IS DEAD WRONG!!! Check your new car warranty; that would be covered, if that car was here in the states. I'd tow it to another Toyota dealership if the screen shot of the error codes aren't matching up what they're telling you. MAKE SURE it's a screen shot of the diagnostic tool error code display. This prevents them from lying to you, because they can type in any error code numbers into a work invoice. Have they checked fuses and relays??? They can pull those to get the correct error code to pop up; but there's usually accompanying codes that'll point to fuses in the troubleshooting guide. This sounds fishy to me.........
Dealerships won't put in used parts, especially used electronic parts. Remanufactured/Rebuilt for very old parts is about as far as they'll go. I suspect there's nothing wrong with it or there's a cold solder joint on that board. One thing is for sure, dealerships only swap out parts and assemblies - they don't do component level troubleshooting/repair.
