Prius died on freeway. 3 lug nuts missing, is this the cause?

It says

I am attaching the PDF of the warranty booklet. "Inverter with converter" is also in the parts list of the Federal emission control warranty, with the same footnote "Covered under the Hybrid System Warranty for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first." So I think the answers to my questions in the earlier post above are that the inverter should be in the parts list for the CARB states and that it should be covered up to 15 yrs/150K miles, since the only exception spelled out in the booklet was the hybrid battery (10 yrs/150K miles).

 

I agree with your observation, after reading the entire booklet (thanks for posting the pdf.)

Yes, I think this is a reasonable conclusion.

 

That's terrific!

Thanks for the follow up!

 

It's always good news to hear that the repair was covered under warranty through Toyota! Thanks for the update!

 

There are there are 4 issues to consider when replacing our little Prius 12v battery:

1. Size - it is a 51R where the "R" stands for reversed terminals (positive on the left with the terminal side facing you). This also means that the total capacity is reduced (about 30 amp-hours) and you should look for a battery that can tolerate deep discharges.
2. Terminals - It has the smaller Japanese style terminal posts versus the SAE standard terminals.
3. Chemistry - As the battery is in the passenger compartment, the sulfuric acid is contained within an "Absorbed Glass Mat" (AGM) to contain possible spills.
4. Vented - Again due to the battery being in the passenger compartment, the battery is "sealed" so that in normal circumstances no gasses are released and vented to handle any fault condition the releases gasses due to excessive internal pressure via a vent tube.

There are several batteries that address all of these requirements. The three most popular ones are:

1. Optima DS46B24R yellow top - a spiral wound battery AGM that is rugged, but a bit expensive
2. Exide Edge 51JIS Flat Plate AGM - A cost effective alternative
3. Toyota OE Battery - Dealers tend to overcharge for their battery

JeffD

 

Well, I think we can safely put the "It was the Lug Nuts" theory to bed.

 

But it does leave open an important question: why did the inverter fail? The first suspect is the inverter's cooling system. Make certain that the dealer makes certain that it is operating correctly (pump, plumbing, adequate coolant, etc.) before you take the car back.

 

Uart is correct. I bet they clamp off the coolant hoses on the Inverter too.

Take some Inverter coolant out with a turkey baster and look at it in a clear jar. Cloudy needs to be changed asap.