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Should I call it a day? Bad invertor

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by vafoodie, Mar 24, 2016.

  1. vafoodie

    vafoodie Junior Member

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    My invertor for my battery has gone bad at 117,000 on my 2010 Prius. Dealer said it would cost 3, 400 to repair. Because we have bought 5 Toyotas over the years, our salesman contacted Toyota who will pay for some of that. We'd have a 1, 400 bill left. While it has been fun to drive, I must say that this car has been the worst Toyota we have owned in terms of needing repairs. Should I trade it in and take on a car payment, or pay the $1400 and hope can make it to 200,000 + like I have with the rest of my Toyotas?
     
    #1 vafoodie, Mar 24, 2016
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    idk, it sounds like a lemon. what about a salvage inverter?
     
    #2 bisco, Mar 24, 2016
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    There should be no cost to the repair, the inverter should be covered under an extended warranty by Toyota Corporate. You will find the warranty enhancement letter attached. It's good for 15 years
     

    Attached Files:

    #3 JC91006, Mar 24, 2016
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2016
    m.wynn and matt b. like this.
  4. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    Your dealer gave you a couple repair option$ and they didn't even mention the giant inverter recall where all dealers were told to notify and swap out inverters for n/c? You either have a naive dealer/service writer or a very unscrupulous one, if I'm reading your story correctly. 2010 models were the ones affected.
     
    #4 DavidA, Mar 25, 2016
  5. macman408

    macman408 Electron Guidance Counselor

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    It's possible that the inverter failed in a different way than the recall covers - but yes, draw their attention to the warranty enhancement, and ask them for the codes so you can compare against what's in the letter that was posted above.
     
    #5 macman408, Mar 25, 2016
  6. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    The recall covers applying updated software to lessen the chance that the inverter fails. Replacing the inverter is only as a last resort.
     
    #6 RRxing, Mar 25, 2016
  7. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    And a failure is not a "last resort"? ANY invertor that has been found to have failed MUST be replaced per the recall letter.
     
    #7 David Beale, Mar 25, 2016
  8. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #8 JimboPalmer, Mar 25, 2016
  9. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    The quote I referenced implied that the recall replaced the inverter, which was only partially true.
     
    #9 RRxing, Mar 25, 2016
  10. chronon

    chronon Active Member

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    is this only for cali and a few other states or applies to all 50 ?
    and ...
    Toyota Prius Inverter Failure Lawsuit Moves Forward | CarComplaints.com
     
    #10 chronon, Jul 11, 2019
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    #11 JC91006, Jul 11, 2019
  12. chronon

    chronon Active Member

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    #12 chronon, Jul 11, 2019
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