Inverter Failures

[aajos]

My 2006 RX400h has just failed on me as i was accelerating up a dual carriageway, there was a bang from under the car and then total drive failure in the outer lane. I managed to get it to the side before it totally stopped. This has got to be a safety hazard, lucky I wasn’t on a motorway in the fast lane like some have reported.

I got it to lexus in Cheltenham who have taken 3 days to suspect that it maybe the inverter that has failed. Normally this would have been covered under the warrantee but apparently because when I brought the car from a garage 3 years ago it was classed as cat D insurance then all the warrantees are void. It apparently had minor flood damage back in the 2007 floods and was in excellent condition when I brought it. It had only done 6K miles when I brought it and has only done 28k now 3 years later, so very low mileage.

They didn’t tell me that when they were servicing it every year which I had done to maintain the warrantee.

They replaced the steering rack early this year under a recall but the inverter is not classified as a recall even though there appears to be many failures especially on 2006 models.

Normally the inverter failures are hidden because they are paid for by lexus under the warrantee, does anyone know how many have failed , bet lexus don’t publish that information.

Surely the ones replaced under warrantee would have been examined by lexus to see what the common point of failure was, where is this data?.

Have all the newer ones been modified or now the 5 year warrantee are about to run out will this start highlighting this problem.

Surely the resale price of a hybrid over 5 years will be zero with the cost of an inverter is £3k just for the part without the labour.

Does anyone know if these inverters can be repaired.

[javadude]

Ouch, expensive. Have you tried approaching Lexus GB to see if they will help out?

[ihpj]

Sorry, but you bought a car knowing it was a Cat. D - and the reason why it was a Cat. D: water damage. I would never have bought such a complex vehicle, chock full of electronics, suffering from water damage - it just goes against common sense. You just don't know what unseen damage the water would have caused to the various complex internals of the car...no matter how it looked. It is written off for a reason by an Insurance Company.

Furthermore, I agree with Lexus' stance on warranty on the car. It has been subject to extreme conditions and as such falls outside the terms of the warranty - which is there to cover defects in workmanship for a set period. By virtue of the car suffering water damage, any subsequent failures may not easily be attributable to manufacturing defects, but rather resultant of said water damage. Why should then Lexus extend the warranty privileges to you as the subsequent owner?

I'm guessing the bargain you bought doesn't quite seem a bargain now...

Sorry to sound harsh, but I don't think you did your homework before buying it!

[PCthug]

There are a couple of ways to look at this.

Firstly it was 'wrote off' Cat D meaning the cost of repair would have been more than the price to buy for its year/mileage. So 3 years ago it would have been only 1 year old, with 6k on and worth about £30,000. That is one hell of a repair bill.

If you got it for a really good price (say £20,000), then the cost of the inverter may not be 'that' bad (although still an unexpected sting).

You say that 'many' 2006 models suffer this problem, but i have only seen you report it so far, so where did you hear this? Only interested as i have a 2006 model with 22,000 miles on it, so hope i dont suffer the same fate.

Have you looked for a second hand inverter?

[aajos]

Ouch, expensive. Have you tried approaching Lexus GB to see if they will help out?

Thanks for the helpful advice, i did contact them and after getting past the admin girl with the standard "not covered, go away" attitude, i manage to speak to her manager. I explained my concerns that it appeared to be a defect in the inverter in 2006 models and after consulting her technical people came back and said "as an act of good will" they would supply a new inverter at no cost to me, and they spoke to the lexus garage and ask them to carry out the labour at a reduce. So a good result and lexus pulled out the stops to get the car repaired with just the cost of the 6 hours labour to install it.

[aajos]

Sorry, but you bought a car knowing it was a Cat. D - and the reason why it was a Cat. D: water damage. I would never have bought such a complex vehicle, chock full of electronics, suffering from water damage - it just goes against common sense. You just don't know what unseen damage the water would have caused to the various complex internals of the car...no matter how it looked. It is written off for a reason by an Insurance Company.

Furthermore, I agree with Lexus' stance on warranty on the car. It has been subject to extreme conditions and as such falls outside the terms of the warranty - which is there to cover defects in workmanship for a set period. By virtue of the car suffering water damage, any subsequent failures may not easily be attributable to manufacturing defects, but rather resultant of said water damage. Why should then Lexus extend the warranty privileges to you as the subsequent owner?

I'm guessing the bargain you bought doesn't quite seem a bargain now...

Sorry to sound harsh, but I don't think you did your homework before buying it!

The water damage was very minor and the garage had replaced the Battery that was contaminated, they lead me to believe there was a warrantee still on the car. It has worked for 3 years with no problems, if water had caused damaged then it would of effected it a long time ago. All the other inverters that have failed have not been subjected to water damage so you are totally missing the point. I am glad to report that lexus GB dont take your view and have supplied a replacement inverter free of charge.

[aajos]

There are a couple of ways to look at this.

Firstly it was 'wrote off' Cat D meaning the cost of repair would have been more than the price to buy for its year/mileage. So 3 years ago it would have been only 1 year old, with 6k on and worth about £30,000. That is one hell of a repair bill.

If you got it for a really good price (say £20,000), then the cost of the inverter may not be 'that' bad (although still an unexpected sting).

You say that 'many' 2006 models suffer this problem, but i have only seen you report it so far, so where did you hear this? Only interested as i have a 2006 model with 22,000 miles on it, so hope i dont suffer the same fate.

Have you looked for a second hand inverter?

Here are links to a few sites reporting inverter failures as requested, mine had only done 28k miles:-

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f31/06-highlander-inverter-failure-21426/

http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2006/lexus/rx400h

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=67644

http://www.justanswer.com/questions/3osk9-im-investigating-hybrid-inverter-failures-in-the-2006-highlanders

http://townhall.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f136279

[Normski]

Glad you got it sorted...but absolutely AMAZED that Lexus paid up!! I tend to agree with IHPJ and don't think he was talking out of line when he said the car had been "subject to extreme conditions". I would be very wary of any car that had been written off at such a young age with "minor flood damage". The RX is massively complex (like many modern cars) but with the addition of the hybrid drive system it just makes it even worse. Anyway, I guess each to their own. Hope you enjoy many more years of motoring in it.

[Fredza]

My 2005 RX400h President has just failed on me as i was accelerating up at city limits. Inverter failure. No warrantee(ended 10.2010) 142000km on clock. I have LEXUS EXTRACARE warrantee(till 02.2012) in Estonia, but it dosnt cover hybrid components. Now Im waiting answer from Lexus. Lexus waiting answer from Toyota factory. Car is about 23000€ and inverter about 8-9000€.

mine vin ending:024410

From other forum:

Upon checking that the inverter replacement had a new part number and actually said New and Improved in the Toyota service system, the resourceful Highlander owner discovered the VIN break for the change from the defective inverter to the new part in the automotive manufacturing process. Before the break you may experience total power failure, engine, steering and brakes. After the break the new part does not have any failures that have been reported as of press time, but remember, this is a breaking story.

Toyota 06 Highlander Hybrid 2wd - Ending in 60009725*

Toyota 06 Highlander Hybrid 4wd - Ending in 60019910*

Lexus 06 Rx 400h 2wd - Ending in 60002207*

Lexus 06 Rx 400h 4wd - Ending in 60036526* - (mid 2007 service bulletin in their system.)

[Boxbrownie]

Presumably you did not buy the vehicle from a Lexus main dealer? If you did then I can understand Lexus GB capitulating on the cost as a main dealer should have made it clear the vehicle did NOT carry the standard approved used warranty.

If you bought it from an independant used car dealer then I would say you were extremely lucky that Lexus GB pitched in....very lucky indeed!

When I bought my used RX from a main dealer I had an extremely bad experience of shoddy practice and Lexus GB brushed it off as "nothing to do with us, dealers are completey independant from Lexus GB".

So count yourself fortunate, well done.