After second recall, Toyota Prius electrical system is still overheating

LA Times ^ | 4/14/19 | RALPH VARTABEDIAN

[oldtech]

Thought it was interesting that this inverter, which apparently is over heating is supposedly a shoebox-sized unit. Having worked on older Prius cars, I remember the inverter as much bigger than a shoebox. Maybe that’s why the newer unit is overheating. Without that inverter, it’s going nowhere.

[Svartalfiar]

What ticks me off more is why they even go into ‘Limp Home’ mode when the inverter fails. The reason should tick off owners too, particularly if it causes them an accident or close call. So here it goes:

Sigh I had my Tundra hit limp mode a couple years ago.. They have some stupid system that diverts some of your air intake in order to inject it into your exhaust to heat up your catalytic converter faster. (EPA, of course.) Well if a valve sticks open, the trucks goes into limp mode and can barely accelerate, and even loses speed going up I30 into Rockwall since it's too uphill for the limp mode's limited power to handle, the truck drops from 70 to maybe 55mph...

[Scarpetta]

Toyota Pius.

[tinamina]

I bought a 2015 Prius and drove it for 33,000 miles. The engine light kept coming on and I was nervous. I heard about the cost of the batteries and since I’m an old lady I was worried that I could not have board to replace them. So I traded it in for a RAV4. I love that car but I sure do notice the amount of money I spend on gas is a lot higher. I have more peace of mind though knowing I do not own a Prius

[OrangeHoof]

Libs, just keep saying to yourselves “we’re saving the planet. we’re saving the planet. we’re saving the planet”...

Great gas mileage. Zero to zero in sixty seconds.

[newnhdad]

Something similar was going on with my jeep. Lots of cars w/o working 4wd many just limping off the road after the critical software update. Turns out they used the update to Id the defective parts and charged a heap of money to “fix” it. I was able to get a refund after a year.

[dsrtsage]

[BobL]

It’s really rude, but they know people generally won’t bother to fix their emission control system unless the car forces them to do so...and so it does. Limp mode does make sense in some cases, such as driving the car in its condition is bad or risky, but most of the time it is to force the driver to ‘bring it in’ - and that can get nasty when the cost of repair is high, with no warranty coverage.

[Chickensoup]

I am not sure but I think each fleet finds its own way to manage total energy output mandates.

[Svartalfiar]

It’s really rude, but they know people generally won’t bother to fix their emission control system unless the car forces them to do so...and so it does. Limp mode does make sense in some cases, such as driving the car in its condition is bad or risky, but most of the time it is to force the driver to ‘bring it in’ - and that can get nasty when the cost of repair is high, with no warranty coverage.

Well the annoying thing is that if the air pump stopped or the valve is stuck closed, it won't limp, you'll only get the check engine light. Limp mode only activates if the air valve is stuck open.

Apparently it was on an extended warranty (up to 10yr/150M from the original 3yr/60M), but this happened in Summer and my ten years expired in April... And there's nothing the service guys can do to help with that except put you in the Toyota Good Will program, but that real iffy on if you get anything.

So, web search found a small kit for ~#200 that tricks the computer into thinking the system works, and two plates just block off the air pipes. I certainly probably did not install it instead of paying $3M to fix the issue. But the problem did go away...

[BobL]

Nice to see your issue ‘resolved itself’...

[LumberJack53213]

No I’m just frugal

[grey_whiskers]

Were there any Priuses parked in the upper levels of Notre Dame?
Askin’ for a fren.

[Elsie]

Depends on how it ‘goes out’; as the BATTERY is still hooked up and supplying power to EVERYTHING.

[Elsie]

I lost a serpentine belt in the winter and drove 20 miles down the interstate to the next exit.

HOW? one might ask; for the belt turns the fan/water pump.

There was enough air coming thru grill at highway speed to spin fan and turn the pump.

Plus, it was VERY cold outside so not that much heat was being dumped out thru the radiator.

Also; it was daytime and power hungry headlights were not being used. Also; all unneeded accessories were turned off, including the heater fan.

[Elsie]

(It was a bit tricky steering though! ;^)

[Elsie]

Them mice can also carry the PLAGUE!

[Right Wing Assault]

That's what blinkers are for!

Good luck with that. Someone going 40 mi/h (or whatever limping speed is) faster than you is not likely to slow down to your speed to let you change lanes. Try it some time. At best it will set off a massive traffic jam. On the worse side, you will get rear-ended, which will set off a massive traffic jam.

[Right Wing Assault]

I checked limping speed. Here's a quote from an article:

"It stranded me as I got off the Baltimore beltway and headed north on I-83. The car went into "limp" mode (battery only drive) where its highest speed is ~7mph. Not a good situation to be in on a 65MPH highway."

7 mi/h?? On an interstate?

https://priuschat.com/threads/my-2010-prius-goes-into-limp-mode-the-inverter-died.176754/

[Pearls Before Swine]

Guess I forgot the “/S.”