Prius Solar Panel Failure

· I bought a 2010 Prius 3 in 2010 and now have abut 63000 miles on it. I love this car. I have had no mechanical problems except one that made itself known just past the 36 month warranty period.
I noticed that my solar driven cooling fan wasn't working this summer. I thought the fan had maybe died but then I looked at the solar panel and saw that green copper corrosion caused by long term moisture infiltration had shorted out the solar panel and it was unable to produce electricity anymore.
I had the Dealer look at the panel and by looking at the panel from a ladder he ascertained that the moisture infiltration had reached all the way across the panel to the rear as evidenced by the green corrosion of the wiring in the panel.
Now this just didn't happen overnight, but most likely, moisture had been infiltrating the panel for several years. There was no moisture visible in the pane, just the evidence of long term corrosion throughout the panel. What I am saying is this. These panels were manufactured by an outside vendor for Toyota. If made properly, a solar panel should be hermetically sealed. Most solar panels normally have a useful life of 15 years. This panel was defective the day it was made and it just took 3 years for the corrosion to infiltrate deep enough to disable enough of the solar cells to render it inoperative.
The reason I tell you this is the solar option is an expensive option($2000 replacement cost) If you are still in your warranty period I would suggest having the panel inspected for corrosion before you experience a failure. Once you know what to look for you can examine it yourself. Much like a hermetically sealed double pane house window there will be some clouding of the glass panel where the moisture has infiltrated. In my case the infiltration appears to have been going on for years before total failure. Since it is tinted and part of the roof design you won't notice the subtle changes in the color unless you inspect the panel closely. In conclusion, these panels should be waterproof and sealed during manufacture. If any moisture infiltrates by means other than from damage it is a design and/or manufacturing error.


Oct 11, 2012 (1:23 pm)
· Well, Just got off the phone with Toyota Corporate. Basically they told me that they will give me $750 towards my repair of $2000 for the defective solar panel on my 2010 Prius. I told them I was surprised that they weren't at least offering to supply the part and I could pay for the labor(about $350) for repair as most all other car manufacturers would have done. Even Ford has been known to do this. Sadly, It appears Toyota's customer service quality is well below Ford's. I guess Toyota has made a corporate decision of "Buyer Beware". If Toyota installs a defective part in your new car and you don't find out until 9 days after the 3 years warranty is up it is just to bad for you. Even if it was defective before the warranty expired. Amazing! It is disappointing to see this attitude from a company I thought was known for quality and great customer service. I asked them if I could appeal the decision and was told "No, I would have to pursue a remedy outside Toyota". In other words hire a lawyer or file in small claims court. What a craven answer. I hope you folks don't have any problems with your Toyota after the paper warranty is up. Toyota appears not to care about or understand their customers. I t has become , in my opinion, a company run by bean counters and Lawyers. I like my dealer and had planned on making Toyota my car of choice for the future , but after this experience I think I won't be buying any more of their cars.

 

Ok, let me explain further . There are written warranties and implied warranties. A good example is a company can honor implied warranties when they understand the defect existed at the point of sale or in the basic design of a part.
A personal example was in 1986 I bought one of the first Ford Taurus' . I had it for 80K miles. Back then they had only 12k mile warranty. At 13 thousand miles my Alternator got fried and failed. Replacement cost was $375 for a new alternator. A lot of money in 1986 , equivalent to $ 770 in today's inflated dollars. Real experience and history is that most alternators last for many many years in most all automobiles. I sold my 1994 Honda Accord with 140,000 miles on the Odo with the original alternator. The second alternator on my Taurus was running strong at 80k miles when I sold it.

That said, obviously logic and common sense shows that this Taurus had a defective alternator well before the warranty expiration date. The norm was well set and known by everyone. Ford understood this and agreed that the failure was premature and it must have had a defect. So, in good will and with great customer service, they offered to supply a new part and only have me pay the dealer his labor charge for replacement.

Another good example was the problems with Inverters on 2006 Lexus RX Hybrids. They have a written warranty of 100k on Hybrid parts and systems. Yet 100's of inverter failures(a $10,000 cost to fix) were replaced by Lexus on 2006 RX400's well after the mileage and time limit on the warranty had expired. Some were replaced on cars that had passed 150,000 miles! Lexus realized they had a problem and a defective design and began a silent recall which later finally became a real voluntary published recall. All defective inverters on 2006 Lexus RX400's were replaced free of charge. Lexus is a company that understands loyalty and costumer service.

One final note, Solar panels normally have a guaranteed life of 15 to 25 years. This panel failed in about 2 and 1/2 years and showed long term corrosion that meant it had been infiltrated by water for years. Solar panels are hermetically sealed and should never leak unless they are damaged or defective. Bottom line is, Toyota introduced a new technology and installed a defective solar panel. They don't seem to care and don't feel responsible.

Sadly, Toyota will slowly lose market share to companies that provide better deals and much better customer service. It won't happen overnight but it will happen. I regret it, because I thought I was starting a brand new relationship with a great car company. I love my dealership. I really like my Toyota car. But, they chose not to back up their product with a reasonable response to my problem. Regrettably, unless something changes, this will probably be my last car from Toyota.

 

Mike, No the car has never been through any trauma or accident event. The amazing thing is the solar panel has no apparent visible defect that would allow you to visually see a pointb of entry for the moisture

Toaster,
Yes , like I said, the moisture infiltration has creeped through the solar cell grid slowly until it has wiped out over half of the cells and now the voltage is too low to drive the 12 volt fan.

Luke