Inverter IPM - 15 year Warranty Enhancement ZE3

out of the three recalls I have had on my car I only got a letter for the brake booster one. The other two I learned about on here.

 

I bought a new 2013 Two in January of this year. I took it to the dealership for the E0E software update based on seeing it on this forum. I never received a mailed notice.

Lookup Safety Recalls & Service Campaigns by VIN

This shows I have no open recalls.

 

I don't believe it was a recall for the software. Probably more like a service bulletin. Even the inverter was a letter and not an official recall if I remember correctly. If it is a service to do by symptom only and not by vin you won't find it except by word of mouth or with an inside connection.

 

Hopefully, Toyota is reasonable about the price of an inverter that has failed after warranty. Anyone who has been so loyal to Prius that they are still driving it after so many years, deserves a bit of a break, not to be crapped on by exorbitant prices.

There used to be laws to protectus from being ripped off by monopolies on spare parts. Apparently such things have gone by the wayside along with Glass–Steagall.

 

We just received our letter from Toyota about the IPM warranty yesterday, 03-Dec-2014, which is about 9 months AFTER we purchased the vehicle (a 2014 Prius)!

 

What year vehicle? 2014?

 

Yes, it's a 2014 Prius·4.

 

Just signed up to confirm an IPM failure.

2010 Prius III ~123k
Software updated in July 2014
Failed a week ago. I was in EV mode accelerating from a stop light, exiting a shopping center when the car went into limp mode and the dash lit like a christmas tree. Luckily I was a block from my house. Parked and the car wouldn't start again. Towed to the stealer. They confirmed IPM failure. Part is marked back ordered showing ~10Days ETA. Dealer also confirmed the car was covered under the current recall campaign. Also confirmed ~10 years / Unlimited mileage left on the warranty for my car.

Cheers!

<D>

 

Just curious: you'd expressly set it in EV, or were accelerating gently enough the engine hadn't started?

 

Expressly set to EV mode for parking lot cruising. I usually let the computer manage taking it out of EV. Up until the failure, it had done a good job. =)

 

As an aside, I asked the service manager to confirm whether the replacement part was resigned. He confirmed it was a superseded part number...anyone actually have any information on what the software updates were supposed to do to help with the problem and if indeed the replacement part is redesigned / more durable in some way?

 

Ask the service manager what the OLD (original) p/n was and what the NEW (superseding) p/n is for the unit being installed into your Prius.

 

No, nobody has any real, incontrovertible information on what the update changed. Kbeck has a plausible theory that it limits the rate of change of current through the transistors so that both the transistors and the heatsink they're soldered to will heat up together - rather than the transistors first and the heatsink second. The idea is that if they heat up together, they'll expand together, putting less stress on the solder. If the solder cracks due to repeated thermal expansion stress, then the transistors are basically uncooled, and they'll rapidly incinerate themselves.

 

I always felt forcing the EV was bad for the hybrid system. this is the most comment mistake of new prius owners, they think it's an EV. i've been there too, but learned quickly.

 

I have a 2010 Prius 5. Received a letter for software update. Took vehicle in about two weeks ago. While driving down to Florida the other day the car lost all power at the top of mountain in Tennessee. Had enough power to get to left lane. Put on flayers since we were on s-curve. Flashers worked for about 15 minutes then had no power in car. Very Scarry thinking no one would see us around curve. Got towed to dealer in Manchester. Dashboard said check hybrid system before it went completely dead. Turns out it is the power module. $3,000 part. Won't be there till Friday or Saturday. Was told software upgrade may stress the system. Have 75,000 miles on car. Toyota will warranty part. And gave us rental car to use for remainder of our trip at no charge. Will pick my car up on way back end of next week. Thank you Toyota!

 

Thumbs up to Toyota and to that dealer in Manchester, TN!

 

The hill climb maybe tipped the balance?

I wouldn't paint Toyota too rosy: the inverter is over stressed, they've applied a software patch to protect it, and it's still failure prone. Leaving you inconvenienced, stranded in a dangerous spot. Giving you a loaner is not much of a stretch.

Probably a service writer grasping at straws.

 

Just got the letter extending the warranty today.
Had the recall software update done a few months ago.
No difference in mpg or performance.

But is IPM just another name for the invertor or is it a seperate part inside the invertor?

 

IPM is the Inverter Power Module that contains the power transistors and heat sinks. It is a sub module of the Inverter/Converter unit.

 

Thanks. So I assume if the IPM fails they just replace the entire Inverter ?