ALL POSTS - Heater Failed - Service Bulletin TSB 0111-14

[Joyride]

The TSB for the heater is 0111-14


I took delivery of my Rav4EV on 11/11/2012 and took it in for service on 12/11/2012 for a malfunctioning heater. According to my service rep, Toyota engineers have been consulted from Japan, and several have visited the car while it's been at the dealership.

All I know at this point is that they are waiting for parts to be shipped to the dealership, but they're backordered and there is no ETA. One of the parts had an ETA of Jan 15, but my service rep really had no details on the specific parts or when things would be fixed. I did get a call on Monday asking me if the heater had ever worked, but that's about it so far. The dealership has loaned me their rental Rav4EV at no cost, so I at least have a vehicle that is a BEV. However, it still grates on my nerves to be driving someone else's car rather than my own. It's also a bit frustrating to have very little information about what's going on with the car and what the specific issues are.

I did visit my car last weekend, and snapped a few photos of the motor compartment since they had things disassembled a bit. The first is of the whole area, and the second is a closeup of the area that's usually covered. I don't know enough about this car to know how far it was disassembled at this point, but the visuals were pretty cool, so I snapped a couple of photos.

As I hear more information on the issue, I'll post here so everyone can hopefully learn from my experiences. Also, if anyone has suggestions on what I can do, I'd appreciate the feedback.

-Chris

 

[TonyWilliams]

If it was me, I'd get one off a wrecked LEAF in a wrecking yard. It's the same 6kW heater.

Or, I can think of tons of other ways to heat that fluid (assuming the pump and controls work).

Did they give you a Rav4 EV loaner? If so, I wouldn't worry about it. If not, I'd take it home, fix it, and wait for them to call me with the "official part".

 

[Joyride]

They did provide their Rav4EV rental to me.

I'm not a competent mechanic (or electrician), so doing any sort of car surgery is outside of both my experience and skills.

At this point, it's also not clear if the defect is limited to just the heater unit itself. They were also talking about replacing the cabin temperature sensor, and were planning to tear apart the dash as well. I guess I should be a little more patient with something that is as relatively bleeding edge as this car, but it seems like they'd be able to source replacement parts more quickly this early in the product cycle.

I guess this is a good opportunity to continue learning patience.

-Chris

 

[Joyride]

I got a call from the dealer last night that my car has been fixed and the "heater is operating as designed". My service rep repeated this particular line a couple of times, which I find interesting. He said there was about $8k in warranty work done on the vehicle, replacing the main heating unit and one or two other things. I'll be picking it up this afternoon and am interested in the itemized list of things that were repaired/replaced. I'll try and scan the document tonight so you guys can see what all was done.

-Chris

 

[Joyride]

Picked up my car today. Here's the relevant part of the repair bill:

Looks like they replaced the heater and the DC/DC converter. Not entirely sure what that is, but that's what's on the bill. Glad that the warranty covered all of that and am feeling a little better about purchasing the extended warranty. $8k to replace a heater on a 40k (after rebates) car, seems a little excessive.

-Chris

 

[TonyWilliams]

They call that guessing when they have to replace a whole bunch of parts in the "shotgun" method.

The dealership makes beau coup more money on a simple repair, all charged to warranty at Toyota. I seriously doubt the DC/DC convertor had ANYTHING to do with this. That is the device that takes 300+ volts DC and turns it into 14 volts DC for the car to use. I'm going to guess all the low voltage things worked (headlights, radio, horn, etc).

 

[BestDay]

That is completely crazy! They should be ashamed. $8,000 to fix a heater is insane.

Bill

 

[TonyWilliams]

There was a Nissan dealer that charged $3000 to remove the LEAF battery for painting. With proper equipment (a lift), this is an hour job.

Obviously, they wouldn't get away with charging Nissan that as a warranty claim. But, the insurance company didn't know any different then!!!!

 

[TonyWilliams]

Anybody else with a failed heater? Crap, this car is a lemon!!!

New motor a month ago, so maybe a connection. It's San Diego and I never noticed until my wife wanted heat.

I put my hand on the Denso 6kW heater, and no pumps running and no heat at the unit.

 

[occ]

My heater was working fine a few weeks ago. I noticed it comes up faster than the LEAF's. In SoCal we usually don't get to use the heater.

Maybe they forgot to plug back something when they replaced your motor. You've never used your heater before then?

 

[AvLegends]

Mine was pretty weak the other evening... was on eco high (the lowest setting for climate control, I believe) and heat was pretty slow to come out of the vents. Does it matter which setting... eco high, eco low or regular AC for the heat output?

 

[TonyWilliams]

Mine was pretty weak the other evening... was on eco high (the lowest setting for climate control, I believe) and heat was pretty slow to come out of the vents. Does it matter which setting... eco high, eco low or regular AC for the heat output?

Well, yes, it matters which setting as to how much it will cycle the heater / air conditioner.

I put it on 90 degrees, Normal, fan at full speed... no heat, no pump running.

BTW, it uses exactly the same Denso 6kW heater as the LEAF (supplied by Toyota for the Rav4) and a separate heater for the battery (supplied by Tesla). Both systems uses separate and different ethylene glycol "coolant".

I haven't checked the fuses, but even if one is blown, I'll let the dealer figure out why.

 

[amped up]

Keep us posted please. I'm hoping it's something simple, really hard to believe you are having this much trouble, really does sound like a lemon.

 

[reeler]

My heater has worked at 12000 ft (thin air) and -15 degrees just fine. The car worked great on a half-dozen ski days to Copper Mountain.

 

[TonyWilliams]

My heater has worked at 12000 ft (thin air) and -15 degrees just fine. The car worked great on a half-dozen ski days to Copper Mountain.

Ya, when they work, they work OK. But that 6kW power draw will suck the life out of the battery! Sure wish they would have spend a few extra nickels for a heat pump.

 

[robochimp]

When I first got the car the heater was pretty good... now nothing.

is there a quick fix (fuse, etc) or is it time to take in to the dealer?

Thanks!

 

[mark_rivers19]

So there's no heat coming from the vent?
take it to the dealer.

 

[robochimp]

Yep... no heat out of the vents...blows cold air.

It worked the first week I had it - I cranked it to 80 or so and hasn't worked since.

 

[Charlestonleafer]

Having the same issue, did you ever find a resolution?

 

[Charlestonleafer]

Did you ever find a resolution? It's started to get a bit chilly, and still have no heater. The Aux power consumption never goes above 1kw while heater is on, but the GOM drops about 30 miles. That range is not lost of course, but it's as if it's registering that heater is turned on. Not a California resident, so don't want to take it by a dealer just yet. If anyone has any insight, do tell!