IPM Settlement Check??

first i've heard of it. is that the result of a class action?

 

Take it to your bank. Ask them....
They should know, and/or could call and find out before depositing it.
And then when it doesn't clear, charge YOU!

 

Did you have a problem with the inverter and paid to have it fixed and then submitted a claim for reimbursement for the cost to have it fixed? If so, the check is legit.

Who is the check from?

 

Besides getting a check for a repaired inverter, there is an IPM check being sent out.

I searched a little and quickly found that people are getting a $350 check.


Looks like you would have had to filled out something a while back.

Not sure if owners who had the two updates, E0E and J0V would be automatically included.

This is besides anyone getting a check for a repair made to the inverter.

20 million was to be disbursed.

 

What does IPM stand for?

 

Intelligent Power Module

 

Or integrated power module, depending on where you look. It is basically a single electronic unit that combines several big IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistors) along with simple driver circuits and some sensors for temperature, maybe current, etc.

A small one, as you might find in a 3 kW DC to AC inverter, looks sorta like this:



The connections to the DC power bus are the big terminals at the left, the switched power outputs are the big ones below, and the small gold connector pins in the middle are the control inputs and sensor outputs. The other face not shown in this picture is all metal, and you would bolt it down to a large heat sink to carry the heat away.

The one inside a gen 3 Prius looks like this:



You can see the big bolted power connections along the edges, and the small ribbon-cable connector for control and sensors near the middle of the board. From the pipe nipples, you can see that the Prius one even includes its own liquid coolant passages.

There isn't really much 'intelligence' to it; it just combines some big transistors and associated sensors. The intelligence will be in some ECU that is pulling the strings, like the gen 3 MG ECU that mounts above the IPM and looks like this:

 

This one?:

Remy McCarthy, et al., v. Toyota Motor Corp., et al.

 

I just received a class action check. Anyone know if cashing check results in relinquishing rights if something happens in the future to the IPM? Imagine those rights might already be forfeited by simply being part of the class action (?)

 

I doubt it, the warranty on it has been extended and will still be covered.

$350 does not cover the replacement of the inverter.

Just make sure you have the updates to the inverter to be covered.

That check is just a settlement for causing problems and affecting owners.

 

Any restrictions triggered by cashing a check, should be written or referenced somewhere on it.

 

How do I claim mine?

 

It's too late. See link in post # 13.

 

I’ve a vague recollection that Toyota Canada (perhaps USA counterpart too) wouldn’t reimburse owners, in the event of inverter failure, if this component failed, arguing that while it’s within the inverter housing it’s not part of it.

Seemed a little absurd. @Tideland Prius may have more detail.

 

That sounds to me like it could have been misinfo. The docs for the covered repairs have charts showing which components inside the inverter housing are to be replaced depending on the codes and symptoms. The IPM is definitely on the charts. Sometimes the MG ECU and/or current sensor get replaced too, or the whole inverter. Depends on the size of the boom that happened.

 

I received my check for $352, researched a bit, checked with my bank and it cleared with no issues. We traded that Prius in when it failed and they had told me at the time it was covered. We then bought our 2015 Prius 4. I think we will always own a Prius. We drive over an hour to work work and the savings alone has paid for both cars.

It's smart to do the due diligence when you get a random check in the mail, especially these days.

Sadly, most class actions never pay the victims, only the lawyers. FYI.