Dear anyone with advice! I have a 2010 Prius, and I love it. Recently on the parkway, the car sputtered while in traffic and the dashboard lit up with every warning indicator. Message in box 'Check Hybrid System' and of course, the whole hybrid system failed. Luckily I was, and am, able to drive the car (although I am not sure I should be doing that or for how long). I had a diagnostic done and it says it is the inverter. I am not sure if I should go for this replacement (thousands $$) or if I do and then the car fails (in some other expensive way such as the hybrid battery) or will the car most likely be fine again for a good amount of years. I really cannot afford getting even a new preowned, as I do not want an additional monthly (loan) payment at this time in my life. I just wonder if anyone has advice (has had this replacement) and can confidently say it should be fine to invest in the replacement part ? THANK YOU to anyone who might help steer me in the right direction!!
Well if the budget is tight, then a hybrid battery replacement (if it ends up being the issue) is a good way to go. If you think the rest of the powertrain is in good condition and the car is in good condition, then a new battery will bring the car back to almost as new. If not, there’s also the refurbished route or salvaging one from the salvage yard but with this last option, there’s no guarantee how long it’ll last.
Who did the diagnostics and what trouble codes were found. I ask because the inverter is covered by an extended warranty if you have specific trouble codes. If it is covered by the Toyota extended warranty, it will not cost you anything to get it fixed at a dealership. Toyota will need to do their own diagnostics, so do NOT clear the trouble codes!
I can relate to your dilemma: in February of 2022 our 2008 family vehicle suddenly had a weird problem that left us stranded at a local store for the first time since we bought it in August of 2008. We really liked it. However, we realized it was 14 years old and, even though the problem was minor, more were sure to come. We bit the bullet and, even though we didn’t REALLY want car payments, we bought a new Prius. Just the peace of mind we have in knowing the odds of getting stranded by it (and if we did, Toyota would tow it in) has been wonderful. FWIW
I was hoping that you would list the trouble codes that your mechanic found so that we could see if they are included in the Toyota extended warranty for the inverter. The trouble codes that are covered are summarized very nicely by ChapmanF in post #99 of this thread. I have copied it below. Please follow up and let us know if your inverter was covered under the Toyota extended warranty.
