EV BUtton Mod - Who can install it without Voiding Warranty?

i use my hi-beam switch for ev mode, not only is it reversible, its practically hidden.

 

Having the EV Butoon is going to save you what? Aside from just another neat gadget..

I never modified mine, and didnt care too.

Efuscos right on the money..

 

To directly answer your question, anyone -outside of- North America can install an EV button without voiding the battery warranty (their cars come with it anyway).

Anyone -in- North America who has installed or has someone else install -any- EV mod runs the risk of loosing their battery warranty coverage.

This has been made quite clear by Toyota executives.

In practice, it appears the situation is resolved on a case by case basis. So far, I've only heard of one.

You will now hear from all kinds of internet legal experts, on whether Toyota could win in court. Good luck with that battle.

 

There was at least one confirmed case of the EV mode voiding the warranty in the U.S. The case in question was eventually settled by having the owner remove the EV button and agree to not reinstall it. There is no guaranty that Toyota will always be that accommodating. Don't install it unless you are willing to assume the risk.

Tom

 

Is there a link to details on this case?

I still wonder why an option sold outside the US being applied to a US car is considered a warranty violation when the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act seems to say that said violation would have to be specified on the warranty as "No EV switches, ever."...

 

Nate's post is still available on Google cache:

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cach...ius+battery+warranty&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

 

Ok, so there's one. Who's next?

 

I don't quite understand: apparently there was NO court case where Toyota won out when a judge decided the Act I mentioned was not applicable, yet this comment gets posted anyway. If Nate found an acceptable and cheap way out of his problem, fine, but to say Toyota has a legal right to violate warranties because of adding their own parts available elsewhere still seems questionable.

Unless you question nothing for fear of backlash?...

 

You don't understand?

1) Someone stated that we would now hear from "internet legal experts" on whether Toyota could win in court.

2) Twenty minutes later you posted the title of a Law and your belief that the law would require certain wording in the warrantee for Toyota to win in court.

3) I pointed out that your post is the first to meet the conditions indicated in 1.

Seems straight forward enough.

 

When I attended a Prius workshop at Sunnyvale Toyota, a technician said that an EV button would void the battery warranty. The reasoning he gave was that using it causes the battery to cycle more, thus lessening the life of the battery. With the 150,000 mile warranty (California & a few other states), Toyota didn't want to take the hit that an EV button would create. He was fully aware of the presence of the EV button in what he called "other markets".

The $3500 charge for a complete new battery isn't really necessary. The battery is actually made up of smaller individual modules than can be individually replaced. Its seems reasonable to expect that there will be a market in refurbished battery packs where only the bad modules have been swapped (maybe from another similar age pack). So the actual charge will be more like $200 to $500, not $3500. I've seen battery packs from wrecked cars for sale in the $700 range.

So I guess if you absolutely require a fully warranted car, you are out of luck with the EV button. But the probability of the battery actually dying before you sell the car seems really remote. Maybe you should be wary of purchasing a Prius with an EV button and 200,000 miles on it.

 

Is it an act or is it case law?

I don't know why people get so excited about the EV mode, I have it and only use it to sneak out of my garage when I am leaving for work at 6AM because my garage is 3 metres from my neighbours bedroom. It saves no petrol. I cancel it before my first corner because I like my traction battery and I trust the battery management and HSD computer to look after my traction battery.