2008 Prius Water Pump Problem/Recall

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ferhat, Jun 14, 2015.

  1. ferhat

    ferhat Junior Member

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    Hi

    my 2008 Prius had a water pump problem at 2011 and caused fried inverter. I paid nearly $5K. As you know there is a recall and Toyota has been replacing electric system water pump since 2012.

    Does anybody have any idea about getting reimbursement for that repair? I have been trying to get my money back but Toyota keep refusing that! I live in NYC. Is there any way to open small claim against Toyota ( they don't have NYC address) ?

    Thanks for the help
     
    #1 ferhat, Jun 14, 2015
  2. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Well, you're going to need to get a better technical understanding of the situation.
    Gen2 Prius has several pumps. There is the so-called water pump for coolant to the engine. To my knowledge, there was not a recall on the water pump, but it is a common thing to be replaced due to coolant leaks. The water pump does not normally impact the inverter. Then there is I believe another inverter coolant pump (somebody help me here) and that was subject to recall in some Gen2 models...not sure about 2008.

    If you live in NY, and your car was always registered in a CARB state. You may have 10-yr 150k miles warranty coverage on major hybrid components. But that assumes you had repairs done by Toyota.
     
    #2 wjtracy, Jun 14, 2015
  3. ferhat

    ferhat Junior Member

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    I'm talking about hybrid system water pump and there is a recall about it. Yes, it causes inverter failure because of some copper coul thing. At the beginning Toyota accepted the case and asked invoice, registration etc. aftet a few months they said they won't pay. When this happened my car was 123K mile but they still charged me $4800! Because this part isn't related with emission .
    Shouldn't they reimbursement the repair?
     
    #3 ferhat, Jun 14, 2015
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    First question is - is this car under CARB warranty? Requires orig and current registration to have been in NY or similar CARB state. The next question is what is covered? And NY has some unique aspects, but I am unclear on the specifics.

    PS- also it's better to sort it out before the repair often people get assistance. But now you've sort of accepted the charges and it's harder to negotiate. If it was improper, then they should fix it for you. But it's harder now to get a reduced price if it's correctly on your nickel.
     
    #4 wjtracy, Jun 14, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2015
  5. ferhat

    ferhat Junior Member

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    It is registered NY but hybrid system water pump is not under that warranty. If I find a way to sue them I will bring that up too. Since there is a recall Toyota must cover that repair cost but they don't.
     
    #5 ferhat, Jun 14, 2015
  6. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    You are not giving us enough facts to understand your situation. Sorry.
     
    #6 wjtracy, Jun 15, 2015
  7. tanglefoot

    tanglefoot Whee!

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    Did you receive a notice about the inverter coolant pump recall? Did you follow the instructions under "What if you have previously paid for repairs to address this condition?"

    It does indicate that this is for "reimbursement consideration", so it is still at their discretion. If they deny reimbursement, I do not believe you have a case against Toyota.
     
    #7 tanglefoot, Jun 15, 2015
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if your inverter fried before the recall was put in place, i think you should be reimbursed.
     
    #8 bisco, Jun 15, 2015
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  9. ferhat

    ferhat Junior Member

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    No I did not receive letter about recall but found VIN number on their website.

    Yes, I did fallow everything and send them registration, invoice, repair order etc. they kept askinf extra docs ans I kept sending.
    At the last letter, they asked me itemized invoice so they could calculate reimbursement amount. I sent that too and a few days ago their decision arrived. NO!
     
    #9 ferhat, Jun 16, 2015
  10. ferhat

    ferhat Junior Member

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    That's what I believe too. I'd to open small claim case but they don't have office in NYC.
     
    #10 ferhat, Jun 16, 2015
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    is there no arbitration?
     
    #11 bisco, Jun 16, 2015
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    They most likely felt the cause of your failure is not related to the recall pump. The recall was to address the pump failing, not the inverter failing
     
    #12 JC91006, Jun 16, 2015
  13. ferhat

    ferhat Junior Member

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    I don't know.
     
    #13 ferhat, Jun 16, 2015
  14. ferhat

    ferhat Junior Member

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    Pump failed first. When I continued to drive (I was on highway) inverter failed in two mintues.
    I wrote to Toyota about it and they explained to me why and how inverter fried. It was before recall and they blamed water pump for this. I kept all emaling conversation. If I knew where to apply for arbitration would give all docs.

    It was water pump failure ( there is recall) and that caused inverter failure. This I don't have to prove Toyota already accepted.
     
    #14 ferhat, Jun 16, 2015
  15. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If Toyota and their engineers have accepted this reason, then it's a clear cut case. You need to escalate your concern to someone higher up.

    From the readings here, a failed pump would disable you from driving or starting your car
     
    #15 JC91006, Jun 16, 2015
  16. ferhat

    ferhat Junior Member

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    In their mail, it says what exactly happened and why inverter fried. I just don't know how to find higher person or which court would accept this small case.
    Thanks
     
    #16 ferhat, Jun 16, 2015
  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You call the Toyota customer service and talk to a supervisor. Then ask why they are not reimbursing for the repair when it's caused by the recall pump and they admitted fault
     
    #17 JC91006, Jun 16, 2015
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