My 2010 Prius goes into limp mode; the inverter died!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Boffin, Feb 22, 2017.

  1. Boffin

    Boffin Member

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    It stranded me as I got off the Baltimore beltway and headed north on I-83. The car went into "limp" mode (battery only drive) where its highest speed is ~7mph. Not a good situation to be in on a 65MPH highway. My son drove over in his gigantic pickup to try and rescue me, and we plugged in his code reader to try and shut the error off so I could at least get home, but although the device said it had successfully erased them, it hadn't. Oh well. Fortunately my wife has an AAA membership, so was able to have the car towed to an independent shop (at 102,000+ miles, it's a bit out of warranty!).

    The Independent shop couldn't help us. Fortunately, there was a Toyota dealer but 2 blocks North of the shop, so we went there instead. We left the car with them, and I ended up spending the night with my son & family. Not a terrible fate. Next morning, the dealer called to inform me that the inverter (the device that converts the AC electricity generated by the electric motor to DC electricity for the battery had died. ($2000+!!!) They then told me there was good news. The part was covered by an extended warranty that went into effect when I had a recall attended to. This extended the warranty on the inverter, so it was covered! They also gave me a loaner car for the week it will take them to fix my car.

    So a happy, and quite unexpected, ending so far. Reading the other threads on this site it appears that the problem will be solved by the inverter replacement. If not, I'll post the details here.

    Another take away from this. The cheap OBDC code readers one buys at Harbor Freight or Auto Zone are helpless when it comes to this error.

    Last but not least, I had religiously taken care of all recalls on the car ASAP. The dealer informed me that by doing so, I had extended the warranty on the hybrid drive train to past 100K miles. My car has 102K miles on it.
     
    #1 Boffin, Feb 22, 2017
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  2. GrGramps

    GrGramps Active Member

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    It's good to hear a favorable report on a Toyota dealer and I'm sure its a relief to you that the warranty covers the converter. Good luck and keep us posted.
     
    #2 GrGramps, Feb 22, 2017
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  3. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Good story that cost was covered. Quite rare I do not think we have heard too much of that failure in the USA.

    Maryland is a CARB state since 2011 so that gives you 10-yrs 150000 miles if you qualify. In theory a 2010 might not qualify (assuming orig purchase was in MD in 2010) in which case you'd have "standard" 8-yrs and 100000 miles coverage. But Toyota has been pretty good about honoring the warranty even if you are slightly over, so sounds like you were close enough.

    If I lived in MD, and I had a problem like that. I would assume I had the extended coverage and try to push Toyota to cover it as such. Alas, I live in lowly non-CARB Virginia where I do not have a leg to stand on.
     
    #3 wjtracy, Feb 22, 2017
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    have we heard of the recalled (replaced) ipm failing? not a good thing.
     
    #4 bisco, Feb 22, 2017
  5. m.wynn

    m.wynn Senior Member

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    I don't recall hearing of a replacement IPM failing, but it's absolutely possible in the same vein that inverter failure does happen in Gen 2, it's just random and isolated. Considering that Toy didn't choose to replace IPM's as part of the recall, I suppose the E0E was designed to be the real fix. It's not so funny that so many (all?..) IPM failure stories seem take place in highway/interstate settings.
     
    #5 m.wynn, Feb 22, 2017
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  6. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    That is good to know that the extended warranty for the Inverter and IPM is being honored as the letter states.

    Glad it worked out so well for you.
     
    #6 jdcollins5, Feb 23, 2017
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    "Shooting the messenger" never fixes the underlying problem, and can complicate dealership diagnosis. Sounds like you're out of the woods though. (y)
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Feb 23, 2017
  8. Boffin

    Boffin Member

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    Just heard from the dealer. They want $25 to replace all of the plastic fasteners that hold the engine shield in place. :-( But they are changing the inverter coolant :)

    Trying to erase the codes? It was an attempt to cross a heavily trafficked highway where the average speed was ~65MPH. As it was, we waited quite a while for an opening and then moved across as quickly as possible, which was not very quick! We made it, but luck was involved. Had the car been back in normal operating mode, it would have been no problem.
     
    #8 Boffin, Feb 23, 2017
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Does erasing codes restore the car to normal behaviour? I'm curious, haven't been in that situation.
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Feb 23, 2017
  10. spiff72

    spiff72 Member

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    This would seem doubtful. If the inverter really experienced a failure, just clearing codes isn't going to restore it to working order. I would think that if the codes were cleared it would only be temporary, and when the computer detects the inverter issue, it would revert to limp mode immediately.
     
    #10 spiff72, Feb 23, 2017
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  11. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    They didn't say anything about replacing the transistors in the IPM, or replacing the IPM in the inverter?
     
    #11 xliderider, Feb 23, 2017
  12. Boffin

    Boffin Member

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    Did erasing the codes have any effect? No! It is possible that they actually were erased, but the faulty inverter caused them to reset immediately upon the subsequent power up, as spiff72 conjectured.

    The service adviser did not mention the IPM. If I understood him correctly, the entire inverter will be replaced.
     
    #12 Boffin, Feb 24, 2017
  13. Boffin

    Boffin Member

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    I just got the car back and ran it 50 miles. Seems OK! As part of the service, they replaced my inverter coolant which needed to be replaced, and fixed some lower engine cover plastic fasteners that had been knocked out in some unplanned offroading, and an inverter coolant hose. Above and beyond the call of duty. The dealer, should you ever be in Cockeysville, MD is Bill Kidd's Toyota.
     
    #13 Boffin, Feb 28, 2017
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  14. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Glad to hear it's all good now. (y)
     
    #14 xliderider, Feb 28, 2017
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  15. bjb120

    bjb120 New Member

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    I have just now done the software update on my 2010 Prius. It has 148,000 on the clock. I got a check engine light that came on after I had gotten the car back. It showed code N/A, so I cleared it and it has not come back on. If it does come back on, it will most likely be a faulty inverter correct? Will Toyota cover it? Will it be backed by their new 15 years unlimited mile warranty?
     
    #15 bjb120, Apr 6, 2019
  16. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    If the light is on, there is a code to be read. You need a better code reader, like Techstream ;).

    The code will tell you what the next steps would be, not just assume it’s the inverter:).

    Good luck and keep us posted (y).
     
    #16 Raytheeagle, Apr 6, 2019
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  17. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    Don't clear the code next time till you talk to Toyota. From what I understand if there is no code there is no repair.
     
    #17 padroo, Apr 6, 2019
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  18. bjb120

    bjb120 New Member

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    After I cleared the code it came back on. I called Toyota the next morning with intentions of dropping it off later that night. Started my car getting ready to take it to the dealership and the light went off. Any clue as to what happened? I know it is difficult to pinpoint without knowing the actual codes it threw.
     
    #18 bjb120, Apr 8, 2019
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