#1086 goes to the shop tomorrow!!

[Michael Bornstein]

I have 23000+ miles with no problems.

Jdemo installed in September, only used a half dozen times September and October. No problems.

On Sunday I drove several times. Finally stopped at an ATM, left the power on, but on getting back in the car, I reflexively hit the power button, shutting it off. I immediately turned it back on and got the EV Systems Error, take car to dealer immediately. Went through a power on/power off cycle 4 times to clear the error, but when I put it in gear I got the error again. I had a little bit of motive power, but the car bucked a little like a gas engine that was missing. Then no power. Even the power steering was out. All computer functions on the center stack seemed to be working.

Had the car towed home, recharged the 12V overnight and tried it again on Monday morning. Same thing. Unfortunately I had gotten just enough power to pull out of the driveway, but not enough to get back in. The car is now parked at the curb waiting for a tow tomorrow morning to Carson Toyota.

Is this a drive unit failure?

My warranty is still in effect (6yr, 75K miles) so hopefully it is covered and they will authorize a rental.

The service manager at Carson had never heard of Jdemo (Tony, you have to advertise better )Is this going to cause a problem?

I'll keep you guys informed when they diagnose the problem tomorrow.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I can't comment if JdeMO will be an issue for the service manager (I find that folks who guess at vehicle diagnosis and don't really understand the vehicle tend to have "issues" moreso than others).

I can guarantee one thing... those that don't know the car will be quick to blame ANYTHING for the issues you are experiencing. Like the Oxnard dealer that wanted the RAV4 owner to remove the trailer hitch for an electrical problem, the sky is the limit for stupidity.

You likely have the same problem as every other RAV4 EV with persistent "Check EV System".

I would, first and foremost, put a new 12 volt battery in, if yours is more than 2 years old.

Then, the issue will ultimately be the gateway computer, the firmware (1.3.103 is the latest), or the speed sensor (requires motor swap).

Yours sounds a little different, so perhaps it's a mechanical problem (broken half shaft / u-joints?).

 

[smkettner]

Was the 12 volt battery disconnected for at least 10 minutes and try again?
What was or is the 12v battery voltage?

 

[Michael Bornstein]

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to try that. The car is currently on a flatbed tow truck on its way to LA. I'll let you know what the folks at Carson find as soon as they tell me.

 

[Michael Bornstein]

They are saying that it is the speed sensor, and that it can be replaced separately, possibly by the end of the week. I AM JUST GLAD THAT THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS PARKED, NOT WHILE I WAS DRIVING.

 

[TonyWilliams]

They are saying that it is the speed sensor, and that it can be replaced separately, possibly by the end of the week. I AM JUST GLAD THAT THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS PARKED, NOT WHILE I WAS DRIVING.

Very common, and it's great that they can now replace that, instead of replacing the entire motor. I would report this to the NHTSB, because the government recall did NOT fix this issue.

 

[Michael Bornstein]

I would report this to the NHTSB, because the government recall did NOT fix this issue.

Thanks. Do you have a link to the page or form?

 

[miimura]

You can file complaints online here:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/

 

[Michael Bornstein]

Got the car back yesterday. The main delay was getting a new speed sensor which arrived on Friday. Erik Bergner at Carson honchoed the repair and put the new speed sensor in as soon as it arrived and then test drove the car. The car was fully charged when I picked it up. All went well until just before I got home (about 3 miles away) when I got a warning about cruise control not working. That disappeared after stopping and restarting, and has not re-appeared.

Apparently the old speed sensor was totally dead, not just out of specs. This then raises the question of whether this is something to report to the NHTSA, or just to consider it to be a part that failed. As I said earlier, I am thankful that it failed when I was parked in a parking lot, not doing 75 on the freeway.

There was no charge for the repair, and they paid for 10 days of car rental. The tow was on my AAA club card.

BTW, JdeMO worked perfectly at the ABB unit at Canyon Country. I can't wait until they have one near Magic Mountain so that I wont have to travel so far off my route.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Yes, I would report this. This is a known failure part, and their cheap-ass software "fix" didn't resolve the actual problem.

The car still stops and leaves you stranded.