I wish had not bought the Prius

WOW, this is horrible news. You literally hit the trifecta of expensive repairs with the exception of the hybrid battery. You truly have a lemon which is very rare although that will not come as comforting news to you.

I have learned the hard way that hybrids but especially used hybrids are not good vehicles for people who don't drive much or drive very short distances; the car actually works harder than a regular car in these instances.

I wish you GOOD LUCK!

 

find a decent mechanic who can install a salvage unit for a few hundred dollars. try steve at auto be yours, it's a bit of a haul, but worth it.

you got a lemon, it happens. i would feel the same way. all the best!

 

What year is your car?

The actuator has been a known problem at Toyota, they had an extended warranty on it that expired December 2017.

I think you might had an inverter pump replacement and not an actually inverter? That's another very expensive unit.

I would try and find the $2000 to do this repair. Hopefully the car will be trouble free for a while. Buying used units may bring you back to this situation again when the actuator fails

 

southeast toyota dealers are the worst. and they don't give a hoot because they don't answer to toyota.

i wish you could respond to all the people who come on here asking if they should by a used prius.

 

Did you buy the car from a Toyota dealer? If yes, you should start complaining loudly to every person, starting with the sales person.

1. Sales Person
2. Service Adviser
3. Service manager
4. Dealership general manager
5. Dealership owner.

Step up the complaints and have them cover this repair on your newly purchased car.

 

Wow!! That sure stinks.

Also, that $4000 estimate for the actuator is nuts. The Toyota dealer nearest me quoted $2,700 to replace mine. That was without help from corporate.

A used actuator is another possibility, but would not be my first choice.

 

Check the laws in your state, surely they sold you a lemon with possibly known problems.

 

Actually that's the first we heard of Toyota assisting anyone with the Brake Actuator job $$$.

 

I had a goodwill warranty done on my 2015 actuator, cost was $4500

 

Inverter or inverter water pump? Water pump, I can understand as 100k seems to be the typical replacement time. Dealer price $650. DIY is $65 for the pump online, $160 at Autozone, $10 for a set of hose clamps, some coolant and an hour or less of your time.

Combo Meter...sticks, but unfortunately seems to be a common issue. Dealer cost? IDK, but DIY is about $150 for a programmed meter from Texas Hybrids (?) and again, an hour or two of your time.

Brake actuator ...dealers seem to vary widely, but it can be purchased online, new from Toyota for around $1200. Used on ebay from reputable sellers for about $250 give or take a bit. If you have a favorite local mechanic with some Prius experience, I'm sure they could beat dealer cost for installation labor. Certainly there's a hybrid specialist somewhere near you in Florida.

Can I ask what symptoms you experienced that led you to take the car to Toyota? Are they telling you this is an urgent repair need, or is there just some noise you're having them look at?

 

I feel for you. It sound like a string of incredibly bad luck. Wish you were closer, I'd be happy to help out. Personally, I trust a dealer about as much as a used car salesman or an A/C company. Remember, their goal is to get your money into their pockets. You may want to search around and see if there's a Prius Group in your area. At least then you'd be able to compare your noise to another car to see if it's abnormal or not. They may even have a member or two who work on Prii. I've seen some Craigslist ads locally where someone was looking for a Prius mechanic to do some side work. Maybe that's an option. I'm sure there's guys out there that do jobs on the side.

 

If there's something wrong with the actuator, the warning lights on your dash will light up. Maybe you're just not used to the feeling of the electronic braking?

I'd say just keep driving the car. Don't throw all your money in it

 

I am a little shocked all that happened in such a short time span. Either the previous owner knew and that's why they unloaded it, or maybe even the repair shop you're using is just not diagnosing the actual problem and just throwing new parts at things until it works.

Also buying a used car in the Southern US after all the flooding that happened recently is a terrible idea in general. There are so many flood damaged cars that weren't totaled, and a flood damaged Prius is a paperweight.

Good luck. Once you replace the HV battery, you'll have a brand new car!

 

Sorry about the situation. What did you pay for the car, it might be time to cut bait depending on the total costs of repairs and this isn't factoring in a potential battery replacement.

This is why many here caution against buying a 10+ year old preowned Prius- unless they have a decent size repair fund. There's a reason why the previous owner sold it and it probably wasn't because it was running great without any major repairs needed.

Previous owner traded car in when the symptoms came up. Bought a new car. Dealership sold the trade in via auction. Use car dealer purchased the Prius via auction, and buyer beware for next owner. Rinse and repeat.