2010 Prius in need of Inverter?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Stormzcale, May 4, 2022.

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  1. Stormzcale

    Stormzcale New Member

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    Hey there, New to the forums but a proud Prius owner for last 5 years. (this is my second one)
    Hes got just 101,600mi and no other problems other than a bad rear axel from an accident with previous owner i was not informed of at time of purchase. I have been keeping the oil and fuel maintenance regularly. The other day I was returning home from work (i deliver pizza) with heavier than usual traffic if that maters. suddenly there was a clunk and the message CHECK HYBRID SYSEM came on and has been on ever since. also most'll of he dash lights are indeed on. The car however, still runs and drives with the gas engine, I haven't been of course. Took to dealer for $100 diagnosis, they suggested inverter repair for $3,610 but also notes to do another diognogsis afterward. My normal mechanic says to shop around as that seems extremely high, and also they don't go out often. Also i hear there may be a warranty, but the dealer mention not of it.

    Located in the PNW if anyone knows any good specialists near Seattle, WA.
     
    #1 Stormzcale, May 4, 2022
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I'm an hour south of you but in current situation getting it down here is going to be a problem. And Seattle Toyota Stealerships are awful. They'll literally replace your inverter before they confirm that's the true source of the problem and then shrug their shoulders and diagnose the problem as the next expensive part to replace. Did they give you the error codes?

    Also disconnecting the 12v for a few minutes will reset the car and you can see how long it takes car to remember the problem? Maybe you'll get luck and can get back to work?

    Alternatively, maybe we can diagnose some minor problem that made inverter think its bad? The inverter handles so many different functions that car can think inverter is the problem when its not. First step would be to get a simple OBD2 code reader so you can use phone apps to diagnose stuff. Here's one I just bought in past couple days: Panlong Bluetooth OBD2 OBDII Car Diagnostic Scanner Code Reader Check Engine ... | eBay
     
    #2 PriusCamper, May 5, 2022
  3. JSB_99

    JSB_99 Member

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    There is a warranty extension on the inverter for 15 years from first date of service and unlimited miles. There was also a software update recall on them. Not sure if either applies to your problem though.

    https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10145758-9999.pdf
     
    #3 JSB_99, May 5, 2022
    tony_2018 and PriusCamper like this.
  4. Stormzcale

    Stormzcale New Member

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    Yeah i might be able to get it a tow or limp him down south. I'll have my main mechanic scan it but not delete any codes he finds as i don't see any on the paperwork from the Toyota spot. (unless its this 102IDISC) Rad that there's cell phone ones now, I may get one in future. Willing to try the reset method too as the gas engine seems to be performing normally. Does seem fishy they went straight for a multi thousand dollar repair. Thanks for the responses.
     
    #4 Stormzcale, May 7, 2022
  5. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I'd be leery of that diagnosis immediately find a Prius person in your area maybe someone on this list someone that hangs out on this list etc that has an idea of things to check people get sucked into really ridiculous nonsense with these cars because of the word hybrid if you really get to understanding how these cars work if that interests you you will see why they are one of the lowest maintenance cars on the planet other than some of these minute electrical problems these cars go 200k with tire changes and oil changes 250 even minus the head gasket problems in the Gen 3 so people can be real quick to want to replace these expensive parts because it's the only way they're going to get any money from a Prius owner generally speaking is if they can be convinced that this problem is so high tech it's beyond computers and nuclear power and of course many people hear that word hybrid and immediately think of dual power plants and all kinds of complicated works it just isn't really so so beware be careful and talk to folks
     
    #5 Tombukt2, May 7, 2022
  6. Stormzcale

    Stormzcale New Member

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    Ok just returned from having a scan and the only code it popped was [P0A94]. It is a code that I seen on a document elsewhere eon these forums for warranty so I Should be good? Wondering if I should take this new info to a different dealer and try for warranty or take to another Prius prof.
     
    #6 Stormzcale, May 9, 2022
  7. Stormzcale

    Stormzcale New Member

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    Sorry for the Late update, but i Was able to have the Inverter Repaired at a Different Dealer for the Warranty. I Brought in the Letter i got from this site. Thanks to all whom helped for the advice.
     
    #7 Stormzcale, May 22, 2022
    Half Vast likes this.
  8. Half Vast

    Half Vast Junior Member

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    Glad to hear you got it fixed on Toyota's dime! Thanks for posting the follow-up.
     
    #8 Half Vast, May 22, 2022
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