DC-DC Convertor Failure

Hi Everyone,

On Friday 2nd Feb 2024, whilst pulling away at a roundabout my 2010 Prius dash lit up stating to Check Hybrid System.

It has 79k miles on the clock.

The Car is still drivable at the moment yet struggles to accelerate. The EV system of the car appears to not be working and the traction battery not charging.

Upon starting the car the engine will immediately come on and no longer turns off.
Toyota looked at the car on Monday 5th Feb and said that the issue is dc/dc convertor.
I have watched numerous videos of the inverter part's replacement.

Toyota has quoted £2103.17 to fix the issue and a local specialist even more at £2331. The specialist gave me a breakdown of 1440 inc VAT for the part - nearly £900 for labour. these numbers don't add up from the procedures I have seen.
I have already disconnected the traction battery and 12V to see if the car would reset, but the error returns immediately.

A couple of questions, probably for the more technically minded members:

• The 12V is fine and is being charged when the car is on- the interior lights brighten when the can is on. So how is it charging if the DC-DC convertor is broken? It is my understanding that part of the inverter/convertor unit is used to convert the 200V+ DC to a usable voltage for the 12V system?
• How long can I drive the Prius without its EV system (as a regular Petrol Car) - I appreciate this will load the engine more and potentially decrease its life.
• My father-in-law is super handy with cars and offered to help with the process of replacing it ourselves, since they seem to be around £200 on eBay and the process seems so straightforward. My only concern initially was the coolant, but we are fine with that as well. However, my Invertor/Convertor doesn't appear to have a visible part number.
• I cannot find any garage at the moment willing to fit a used part - any suggestions in the Lincoln area would be useful.

Let me know any other advice or issues I'm too naive to know about.
Thank you to anyone who can lend a hand.
PS, we would like to keep the car- there are no other issues and have been perfect for the last 4 years of ownership.

Mike

 

Yes Sorry, will remember the Location details, forgot that Lincoln could be US as well! I am in the UK.

When speaking to the dealers they seem incapable of understanding it was a recall notice and they haven't done the work- they seem to keep coming back to me about the warranty on work they have done. .

I'm trying again if I can ever get through,

 

Update:

Just got off the phone with Toyota UK, and they acknowledge that the software update was performed in 2019. However, there is no Warranty, extended or otherwise on the car from that Inverter / Convertor Unit.

So looks like it is time to go on eBay

 

So I have been reading several posts on replacing the inverter and there are several about successfully using G9200-47190 which I believe is the Aurius part- but without the inherent flaw that the original has, instead of G9200-47140 (2009-2015).

It seems straightforward, fit the part and clear the codes- can anyone vouch for that simplicity or is it not really as straightforward as the posts make it seem?

 

Amazing, thank you for the manual- I was searching for the torque settings for the bolts.

It won't be a new part - and WOW I thought we got ripped off over here in the UK- Toyota will do the whole thing: parts, labour and taxes for $3,565 Canadian equivalent.

The Secondhand part and coolant replacement is going to be (hopefully) less than £400 ($680 Canadian)

 

I have had this update- the dealership and Toyota support confirmed it was done in 2019.

no not since new. We got the car 2.5 years ago with 50k on the clock.

 

UPDATE

Fitted a second-hand part today.
The total cost was £119 for the Inverter and £45 for the coolant. So about $207 USD in total.
The most difficult bit was a plastic push-fitting of all things!
Started at around 10am, and finished at 12:30 with everything back together and ready for a test drive.


Went on a 20-mile drive, filled her up the drive back home, and the mileage seems to be back in the range I'm used to! 67.9 MPG - Remember this is UK MPG.

Thats 56.5 MPG US and 4.2L/100km for the Europeans


Thank you everyone for your help

 

It was a 5 litre Bottle. UK can be a bit of a rip off, but that is the price. In retrospect I could have bought a smaller amount, but with 2 priuss? in the family we are now covered!

I know the total price including the parts isn't comparable because I don't have a new part, I cannot believe that Toyota wanted £800 ($1,008 US) labour, and an independent £1000 ($1,260 US). For what I presume I skilled technician would have been able to complete in an hour.

 

No I didn't replace the coolant pump. I looked at the job and concluded that it was a significantly more time consuming than I had time for at the moment, and yes I understand that a coolant pump failure will result in the part breaking again.

The general consensus seems to be changing it around 100,000 miles so I have 20,000 miles to go before that point. Which is probably 2-4 years depending on how often we use the car.

Whilst it is an important car, it is also the secondary car, realistically it is needed for 80 miles twice a week and we have access to other cars in the family should this one end up off the road.