Hello All, My 2005 died in the middle of the road a few days go. Was just rolling along fine then suddenly out of a stop light, the car stalled and would no longer go back into P, D, or R while the battery still seemed to be working. So had it towed to the dealership to be checked. They started a verification test to which was only complete to 90% (which cost $130)... and to complete the test to 100% it was gonna cost even more, but they did not think I needed to do this. I cringed, checked the wallet and caved in. Anywho - they said "we are pretty sure your inverter needs to be replaced"... which is gonna be like 4K to fix + any other problems that may or may not be related. I'm usually taking their word for gold but I'm feeling, I do not know, suspicious about this whole thing. Is it also true that they cannot provide me an error code from the diagnostic until the inverter is replaced? And that there are no other tests or anything that can be done to be 100 sure of the problem? Please let me know, Thanks!
Ask for the DTC codes the dealer retrieved, post on here and we can give you a better opinion. You can find an inverter on eBay or from a wrecked car for much less.
It is possible that the logged DTC may have been erased, if the voltage on the 12V bus sagged down sufficiently so that ECU memories were lost. As previously suggested, a used inverter can be purchased in the low to mid three-digits and that would be the best bet if in fact the inverter is the problem.
Thanks for the quick responses. I'll check with them again specifically asking for DTC codes. In the meantime, they did say that there may be a refurbished unit that they might be able to get but will not guarantee or recommend that I go this route.
If you have reasonable DIY skills then you can replace the inverter yourself for ~$300. Two examples below: 2005 Toyota Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive DC Converter Inverter 04 05 06 08 09 | eBay 05 Prius Power Converter Inverter Broken Case | eBay