Check Hybrid System....message received

While driving in the highway @70mph I heard a beep, then
'Check Hybrid System Stop the Vehicle in a safe place' warning light came up.
Pulled over immediately.
Called roadside assistance, towed to nearest dealer.
Dealer pulled code #P0A3F .
Reason I was provided was 'Electric motor drive cycle malfunction. They checked for corrosion on plug, no corrosion found. Toyota adviced Service manager to Clear Code and Redrive twice.
Corrosion on the plug can be had because of protective coating they put on the plug. That was the reason service manager gave me, called toyota for further explanation.
Spoke with 2 representatives from Toyota, both telling me to talk to Dealer's Service manager.

I drove 8 hours with 2 minor stop to attend my friend's wedding. Couldnt' make it in time because of this, missed the whole ceremony. This is not what I expect from Toyota, espcially being brand new.

Edit :
quick google search says P0A3F is Drive Motor "A" Position Sensor Circuit

Read more: http://priuschat.com/threads/error-code-p0a3f-hybrid-warning-light.116646/#ixzz2AogNs9Wu

 

From http://priuschat.com/attachments/2010-prius-dtc-codes-pdf.33416/, page 65
DC / DC Converter Temperature Sensor "B" Range / Performance
Implies potential problems in the following areas
- Inverter cooling system
- Cooling fan system
- Power management control ECU
- Inverter with converter assembly - Water pump with motor assembly - Wire harness or connector
- IGCT No. 3 fuse

 

shades of the 1st generation Highlander Hybrid / RX 400h recall for the faulty Intelligent Power Module (IPM)??? hope not!

 

I have not taken mine at 75mph yet since it is still breaking in. Mine was manufactured on 5/2012. How about yours?

 

i haven't had mine over 65, i'll have to check the date.

 

sorry to hear it, don't recall anyone else posting this issue, all the best!

 

P0C3E - DC/DC Converter Temperature Sensor "B" Range/Performance

That's the inverter that boosts the battery 208 V to motor at 500 V. Check the inverter fluid level.

Overheating at 75 mph is not normal. Take it to the dealer and make sure a hybrid technician look at it. The inverter is a very expensive part.

 

I had this fault come on while driving, and after charging the msg went away.
I was in EV and going through 65 to merge onto the freeway when the msg appeared. I had about 8 miles of charge left.

 

Following.

 

Its been two days and my error code has not returned.

 

that is the exact same situation which caused the exact same thing that just happened to me. pulled over and cycled the car a couple of times and the message remained. Continued 30mi to my destination with the msg on the screen. Cycled it again and it was gone.

So is there a good chance that the inverter is on its way out? The car has 11k miles

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i would say no, based on the entire thread. i think there is a thread where someone's inverter went out early, not sure what the codes were. might want to run it by the dealer if it pops up again, trying to get rid of warning signs without knowing what's wrong is probably not your best option.

 

Take it to the dealer. Even if the message is no longer there, the on-board computer should still have the last error stored in the system.

 

We received the same on our 2012 with 8800 miles on it:
Driving home from Church on a highway for a brief 2 miles, in EV mode, under 65mph with @5 miles left on the battery.
Tried plugging it in and it did recharge completely but the message remained.
We went online and requested a service appt. from our local dealer (who is not whom we purchased the PiP from.)
Drove the car over yesterday using the drop box and by 11AM today had a call from the dealer that the car was ready.

Their service team traced the code - POC3E DC/DC Converter Temperature Sensor B Range/Performance
Apparently the coolant level was low. They adjusted to specification.

Coolant levels should be checked every 5000 miles and that should be enough, but they said we could check the coolant levels more often when asked if there was anything we could do to avoid the same issue.

Couldn't be happier with the service from this dealer. We actually went to them first when ready to purchase our Prius in December, but they could not match a deal from a nearby state. Their sales team was very honest and low pressure. Had we not been set on the PiP we would have definitely purchased from them.

 

Hopefully it's thats simple. I took mine to the dealer and they wanted the service tech to drive it home (his home) to keep it for a couple days to try to replicate the message. They were thinking about ripping the inverter out of the car to try to figure out the issue. So far it's happened 3 times.

 

Did you lose air conditioning? That was the first hint of trouble several years ago when my 2004's inverter water pump went out. The inverter was shedding load to give priority to the drive.

 

I too have had several issues that Toyota could not replicate. Yes, it is annoying. But I make sure to have them log the issue for future reference.