Advice - Rav4EV in Extended Warranty but part not available

[sidb55]

Hi Experts - We are having a bit of an issue with our Rav4EV. We are the original owners and since purchase, we had to change the drive train unit in 2017 and then other parts in 2019 (unrelated to the drive train).

Then last month, we again had a set of issues including the need to replace the drive train (again), Battery coolant heater assembly and the converter assembly. Now after dealing with Toyota Brand Engagement, they were able to release the drive train unit but on the other parts, they are saying the parts are not available and neither do they have an ETA.

I do have an extended warranty that I had purchased before the original warranty ran out.

Have others had issues with the above parts, did they get the replacement, how long did it take? And if the repain was not able to be completed what were the options that Toyota offered in terms of buy back etc? We are based in California - Bay Area. Please advise.

Thanks!

 

[sfmartha]

My 2014 EV drive train needs to be replaced again. I had purchased the extended warrantee, which fully covered the first replacement in 2020. They said that this time it will be partially covered, as I will surpass the max of the plan. However, my issue is with Toyota, as they are giving me 6 months to a year for it to be repaired. They said Tesla needs to make the part. It is the drive train and the computer that talks to the drive train. It locked down and I was unable to move it at all. Sadly it is my only car, so I am contemplating getting another one, as I love the car so much! I test drove a couple, but they each have that high pitch noise upon acceleration, which I was told indicates that the drive train is going and it needs to be replaced. I am going to test drive another one about an hour away tomorrow. I would be curious if others are giving up with the lack of parts and time to repair? Is this just a Bay Area/Northern CA issue or are others having issues with drivetrain/computer failure?

 

[hokiematt]

These cars are unicorns: parts are going to continue to get harder to source. Manufacturers are generally required to offer replacement parts for 10 years, which means we've now hit the period where Tesla and Toyota are no longer obligated to offer any replacement parts. Something to keep in mind if you want to keep one of these cars running.

If your motor seized up, it was likely from coolant leaking. Your better option is to have an shop that specializes in Tesla drivetrains examine it. @Konduit EV is the owner of the former QC Charge in Vista, CA, and is likely your best bet. If there was no damage to the circuit boards, your motor can likely be saved.

The gateway ECU rarely fails; I would suspect that the tech who examined your car incorrectly jumped to that conclusion based on the simple charts they are provided with for diagnostics. I do have a spare gateway available if needed.

 

[asavage]

The high-pitched noise on accel is not always the rotor/pinion gear bearings; sometimes, it's the HV contactors. In the RAV4, they're located inside the battery pack, straight down from around the shifter, so it sounds like it's the rotor bearings. There's a Tesla service bulletin about it.

At the age of these cars, we have a list of known troublesome parts, and new items are cropping up as they age further.

• LDU rotor seal (fix forever with "coolant delete"). <$1000 if fixed before leaking, $5-10k after it leaks
• LDU rotor bearings: originals had high wear rate; replacements don't. $2-5k
• LDU axle seal leaks. This is more of a nuisance, but they fail frequently and drip ATF.
• HV Contactors: originals would overheat/weld. Inside the HV battery pack, so "difficult" to replace. $500-2k
• (new!) HV Battery Dehumidifier Air Pump. Located on the top of the HV Battery too. $500-2.5k
• Onboard Charger fuse(s). High failure rate, difficult to replace, can be a repeat failure. $300-1.5k
• Cabin Heater: originals have high failure rate, replacements don't. Takes out a hard-to-replace fuse in DC-DC Converter. $500-2k
• Water pumps. Lower failure rate, but they do fail. There are four of them. $500-1k
• Occasional LDU speed sensor failures. More common on the original ones. $300-400

Unless you plan to DIY these repairs, you'll need deep pockets to keep them on the road going forward. And proximity to an EV specialist who's willing to work with you on this niche car.

 

[bdunst]

Al - I am curious about the high pitched noise of HV contactors. One of my rav's has 86K miles. I have had it 10 years and it has always had a high pitch whine. The speed sensor has always been dry. I recall asking Tony Williams when he installed Jdemo if it sounded like bearings - and he said it didn't sound like any that he had heard - he noticed no bearing noise.
So I am curious if there is a solution to the high pitch whine? and where to look?
Thanks

 

[alflash]

...
So I am curious if there is a solution to the high pitch whine? and where to look?
Thanks

Recording of this extraneous high-frequency sound on the lift in the place where it is heard the loudest?
For example,

 

[asavage]

Al - I am curious about the high pitched noise of HV contactors. One of my rav's has 86K miles. I have had it 10 years and it has always had a high pitch whine.

So I am curious if there is a solution to the high pitch whine? and where to look?
Thanks

https://www.myrav4ev.com/threads/all-posts-replacement-traction-battery.1803/page-4#post-28898

TL;DR
I had the battery replaced under warranty in 2019, due to a failed contactor. The replacement "reman" battery had 10 miles less range, and also immediately had a noise that I didn't have before: as I was accelerating, a high-pitched squeal would exhibit, only on acceleration, and the frequency of the pitch would change depending on how hard I pushed the accelerator.

I noted that in that thread, and later found the Tesla service bulletin* regarding the contactor squealing on the early model S.

After a period, a few months, the squeal was no longer heard by me, though a passenger remarked on it.

Here we are, five years later, and I've had to replace the contactors, and I find out that they are the original contractors not the updated replacements that everybody should've been getting on "reman" high voltage batteries.

* = I'm not certain about the origin of that service bulletin ("Tech Note"). I've been citing it for years, but I just tried to find the PDF that includes it, and using the number on that PNG, "TN-13-16-002 R1", all I can find is a SB about the Rapid Mate connector. I suppose it's possible that someone "made up" that Tech Note that I've been citing.

 

[bdunst]

 

[bdunst]

Actually what I was told at every dealer over the years is normal operation. but my whine is not noticeable in the car if the windows are up. and it appears to go away above 40mph but that could be just the cover of road noise. And it has nothing to do with "hard" acceleration. I guess eventually I will have battery contact issues and find out.
Also is coming from the front not the rear of the car.

Vlad - my pitch seems much higher than the video - and I always did think it was electronic.

 

[asavage]

Also is coming from the front not the rear of the car.

That TN is for a Model S, where the contactors are at the rear of the HV battey pack; our contactors are at the front, approximately straight down under where the shifter resides, so the noise is "up front". Mine certainly was.

 

[alflash]

...
Vlad - my pitch seems much higher than the video - and I always did think it was electronic.

Dear Sir, That video was shown only as an example of receiving, saving and analyzing the source data.

Off-topic.
With your permission I will show that with the help of simple homemade devices the phone can be used only as a storage device for audio recordings.
For example,

​

https://forum.alflash.com.ua/download/file.php?id=3740 is one of several homemade devices
https://alflash.com.ua/mydevices/#my_do_it_yourself_devices/20/514_Sound_Finders.jpg

Notes to the TSB.

1. It refers to "The Model S Performance features a 310 kW motor, which is far more powerful than the electric motors in most other all-electric vehicles".​

2. The RAV4EV only has 115.​

3. The explanation "In this case, under hard acceleration, the main contactors inside the HV battery might vibrate as large amounts of current flow from the battery to the motor. These vibrations might result in a squealing sound. Depending on ambient temperature and the age of the battery, these vibrations might happen at different power levels over time".​

I think is only
a) an excuse/justification;
b) an attempt to justify the use of contactors of an insufficiently good design. Which is quite explainable by the little experience of Tesla specialists in designing electric vehicles at that time.

And the main my (rhetorical) questions.

• Why is there such a small number of complaints among RAV4EV owners about a squeak in the battery while driving? I'm sure they don't have hearing problems.
• What is the mechanism for the occurrence of mechanical vibrations of the sound range in contacts through which current flows from a DC voltage source?