I took my 07 TCH in to the dealer for routine maintenance and asked that they look at the coolant system for leaks since I noticed some pink coolant on the garage floor. This was observed twice and the puddle was a nickel size each time. They diagnosed the issue as a leaking water pump. I talked to the technician and he stated that there have been numerous water pumps replaced in the four cylinder engines and that Toyota knows of the issue. He was not certain whether the replacement pump was a redesign pump. The leak was not even noticable on the coolant expansion tank. Keep an eye out.

 

The pink coolant could also be from the smaller cooling system or the inverter coolant pump. It's used to cool the inverter and the electric motor inside the power split device housing. Check the viewable reservoir next to the inverter.

If you look between the flat air intake located just above the radiator and the drivers headlight. Looking down behind the radiator you should see two hoses connected to a electric pump. It kicks on when the inverter gets over a preset temperature.

What complicates things, is the engine radiator coolant is also pink.

 

The dealer also checked this out and did not see any issues. Having both fluids the same color does complicate things. One can use where the fluid is located on the garage floor relative to the car's equipment to help diagnose the issue. Thanks for the input.

 

I just took my 2007 TCH in for an oil change and was told the water pump was leaking. I've got 28k miles on it & have had it for 2 yrs. I scheduled the pump to be replaced in a couple of days along with the steering rack. The rack is a recall item

 

Is replacing the water pump a warrantee issue as long as you have not passed the 3 year, 36,000 mile mark?

 

Dave, I would think so with it being in warranty. A call to the Service Writer would answer that question.

Watching the fluid levels on the inverter glass and the radiator overflow tank is a good way to spot leaks. I have seen leaks so slow it would take weeks to see the reservoir get a little low.

 

Yep, just took my 2007 in for the steering recall, told them that the coolant level was a little low.
The water pump was leaking so they changed it as well.

 

Whoa?? Is there an odd number of people having water pump issues or is it just me?

 

I was thinking the same thing! What do we have, three now reported? And all 2007 TCHs? "Whoa" is right!

I have an '07 with 53,000 miles...Are water pumps covered under powertrain warranty? 60,000 miles? Don't have my booklets handy. I haven't heard of water pumps needing replacement in such low mileage cars since the GM cars of the 1960's........

 

Scary, I put over 200,000 on the water pump on my previous car. Hopefully this is not a trend.