I have a 2002 Prius which had an inverter failure at 65,000 miles, cost me over $6000. There is a large community on the internet who have had inverter problems with various Toyota hybrids, but no class action suit yet. Are you willing to join the class? We need to get the word out to others.

 

Yes, a class action suit is a good idea. I'm trying to get people to commit. It's not just the Highlander; the Prius has this problem too. Haven't checked the boards but I would be suspicious that the Camry may have similar problems.

Let's get going, people! Call your state Attorney General.

 

Sorry I haven't been getting back here very often. I do see that a lot of other people are having problems, but since the repair our Highlander has been running well. I jokingly call it "my mother the car." I HATE all the beeps, bells, and buzzers that go off all the time, especially the seat belt warning. I sat a gallon of milk on the seat without thinking about it and heard the car scream at my "passenger" for the trip home. The buzzer is buried way up in the dash or I would have removed it by now!
I hope you were able to get the vehicle repaired OK. I was told by someone recently that some "electronic repair shops" had been popping up to do repairs on these type of systems and I can't imagine a repair being more than $500 to $1000 dollars. A lot cheaper than a replacement, but still expensive.
Several junk yards told me that they could get their hands on a used one if I would pay up front with the shipping charges. But since Toyota repaired it under warranty, I didn't have to do that. We'll see about the future....

Good luck and I hope it serves you well into the future. I really like mine, but now I'm a little "gun shy" of what the future holds...

ldwhitworth

 

There are two separate issues with the early '06 HiHy inverter failures:

First, Toyota recognized that the inverters used in some of these (a specific VIN # range, I believe) were undersized or otherwise prone to failure. But instead of ordring a recall, they just issued a TSB (technical service bulletin) about the replacement part to use in Toyota service facilities, and the time charge the repair - 2.1 hrs. All well and good if you were within the 100,000 mile/8 year warranty period.

But most egregiously, the outrageous repair charges - $7-9500 I've seen. This in the setting of a TOTAL hybrid surcharge of $3500 in my new '06, of which the inverter was only one of the many parts, including a massive traction battery pack, two large electric motors, a vast array of sensors reporting to the complex HSD computer, in addition to the inverter and its cooling system. Since it handles the inversion of 266 volts DC to 650 volts AC, and transmits up to 45 kilowatts of power (about 60 HP), it's got to be a substantial unit with a fair degree of complexity to be efficient in the process (mimimal heat generation). So either Toyota is eating a monumental deficit in their hybrid surcharge (which I very much doubt) or the true cost of the inverter is hundreds rather than thousand dollars, as the labor cost for 2.1 hrs. is certainly under $300.

Here's the link to the TSB:

https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...31/index2.html

Pete

 

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Inverter shoots craps at 105,000 miles - GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars