Check EV System warning message

[n3ckf]

the two firmware updates i know of are:

The "AVN system" (which is their name for the console display unit apparently). That one was done to my vehicle a couple weeks ago.

The "Tesla system" (i think you have to call it that so they know what you mean). That one my dealer said they didnt have.

Automotive manufacturers arent set up like Internet companies, they dont *expect* rapid updates to cars (the industry hasnt adapted to the "everything is really software" model yet. They'll get there... But for now there's some incredibly slow process that results in a repair bulletin and thats where dealers are looking for "change orders" for vehicles. The process apparently takes months. However, at my dealer there was one person on staff (they called him "the Prius guy") who is up to date on what's happening on software for cars, apparently the Prius is the other vehicle that has more-frequent updates and higher "software content" than other vehicles. No one else knew about the AVN update but he had heard of it and did it.

Now, my dealer is exactly 1 mile from the Tesla car plant and its like this. I can just imagine what its like for dealers that are outside the Bay Area. Information just wants to be free, but car companies are stuck in the heiarchial dinosoar road of normal corporatism, so it doesn't surprise me that it takes forever for stuff like this to happen.

 

[Vach]

Do you think contacting Toyota directly they'd be able to give specific information to a dealer? Or to one of us who needs to "tell" a dealer?

 

[robertk925]

I got my car back and, knock on wood, the Check EV System error does not display anymore.

I have never had a charge timer start issue (except when I forgot to plug it in!). I have pretty much always charged using the RAV4EV built-in timer with a Clipper Creek CS60, except for a few times when using public chargers. My scheduled departure time is 7AM, and the charger usually finishes around 6:15AM.

Several things I did notice in the last several weeks before I got the Check EV System error:
1. After a successful charge, when I unplugged the charger my RAV4EV would say I still had 10 minutes of charge time required. Now after the firmware update, this morning it says 0 minutes of charge time required (as it should).
2. After a successful charge, when I unplug the charger my RAV4EV says charging was interrupted. I also receive an Entunes email saying the same thing. This still happens after the firmware update. I also receive the standard "charging started" and "charging completed" Entunes emails, so I get 3 emails every morning saying start, complete, and interrupted). Does anyone else have this problem? I am pretty sure it just started happening a few weeks ago, but I have deleted all of my old Entunes emails so can't confirm.

 

[boredcleaner]

I receive the same messages as you. Start, Complete, and interrupt when I unplug in the morning. I also see the 10 minutes remaining on the display. I'm going in for the 5K service on Saturday, but not sure what to expect in terms of sw updates. I'm not expecting much.

 

[robertk925]

Thought someone might be interested in the (rather long) list of notes from my repair receipt from WC Toyota. My comments are in [].

Customer says there is an error message that is displaying on the dash that says Check EV System.
Customer says that he was able to drive the vehicle to the service department.
Inspected and fond no warning displayed at this time.
[I guess the Check EV System error went away on it's own, even though I did start and stop the car 5 times to make sure it kept showing up].
Hooked up Techstream to vehicle. Found no current or history codes stored in Tesla side of vehicle.
Found codes U1146 and U0293 stored in the Toyota side.
U1146 Lost communication with electric propulsion control system gateway (current code)(EV)(Detail code 2/480)
[that sounds like a bad thing.]
U0293 Lost communication with EV control system (current code)(ABS/VSC/TRAC)
[that doesn't sound good either.]
U1146 Lost communications with EP systems gateway (history code)(telematics)
Printed out freeze frame date for both codes.
Tesla side of vehicle said firmware is not up to date on Techstream
[For reference, I bought my 2012 RAV4EV in March 2013, last 4 digits of VIN are 1433.]
=========
No bulletins for these codes.
=========
Opened TAS Case 131550337.
=========
6/4/13 ==141==
=========
TAS said to perform firmware up date to Tesla side of vehicle and clear codes and reinspect.
=========
Techstream will not complete firmware up date at this time. Called and left message with Tesla.
=========
After trying to perform firmware up date, now vehicle has code P312F on Toyota side and BMS f062 on Tesla side.
P312F electric propulsion control module requested MIL illumination(current code)(EV)
BMS f062 contactor power supply problem.
=========
Now vehicle will not ready on.
=========
Called TAS back. No cases on file.
=========
FTS [is this Tesla?] came in and was able to complete firmware up date to vehicle and clear all codes. Vehicle now ready on.

[Unfortunately, I picked up my car late and wasn't able to talk to anyone knowledgable at WC Toyota about these notes, but I am happy that they only had my car for 3 days.]

 

[robertk925]

I receive the same messages as you. Start, Complete, and interrupt when I unplug in the morning. I also see the 10 minutes remaining on the display. I'm going in for the 5K service on Saturday, but not sure what to expect in terms of sw updates. I'm not expecting much.

Have you always seen the 10 minutes remaining and Start, Complete, and Interrupt messages? Because I don't remember getting either until a few weeks ago.

 

[the2bobs]

I was just told that my car was ready and that the problem was the dealer's EVSE. While I realize that an "incompatible" EVSE can trigger the "Check EV System" light, my unit at home is a Leviton and the Toyota unit is a Leviton. I've never charged from a non-Leviton EVSE. They claim that the firmware update was wiped by "the bad charging station" so they just had to re-apply the firmware update. Since the Check EV light isn't on they consider it fixed but I'll see how long it lasts. The Lemon Law details are a little hazy to me but this will be my second trip to the dealer and I'll be keeping all paperwork related to this as I don't have a very high confidence in my car at this point. It's not like I was planning to drive in the middle of nowhere with it (I can't find wilderness within 100 miles of LA but I would like to identify the root cause and not be stuck with "must have been a bad charging station because the light is off now"

 

[snoltor]

Smells like BS

I was just told that my car was ready and that the problem was the dealer's EVSE.

 

[miimura]

I was just told that my car was ready and that the problem was the dealer's EVSE. ...

This must be the worst dealer snow job ever... I could make up better nonsense than that. I don't know why some people are unable to say "We can't find the source of the problem, but it's gone now."

 

[evbuddy]

I think FTS is (Toyota) Field Technical Support.

 

[the2bobs]

The paperwork shows "CUST STATES CHECK EVE SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON CHECK AND ADVICE
POOR POWER TRAIN LOGIC
AND STATIONS CHARGING SYSTEM WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY
UPGRADED BETTER LOGIC. CHARGED VEHICLE TEST DROVE 8 MILES
LIGHT DID NOT COME BACK ON"

Definitely not the most impressive diagnosis but it's all going into my folder. I was looking forward to leading edge but this experience has been a bit too bleeding edge for me. 5 days without a car so far and 2 dealer visits. I'll remind them of The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act and Lemon Law next time it happens (and with the current lack of a root cause I'm pretty confident there will be a next time).

 

[Vach]

Anyone on here have the legal text for the lemon law? I want to get it printed so I can keep it with everything. I know what it is but I'd love to have everything nice and bar with originals.

 

[miimura]

http://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/lemon

 

[Vach]

Yea I've read that one, but I was hoping for more exact legal text to see how it applies to my exact situation I since technically my car is "used."

 

[the2bobs]

Unsurprisingly, I was greeted with another "Check EV System" light this morning on my car and it wouldn't shift into gear. After rebooting it (just once) I was able to at least get it in gear and drop off my kids. The first dealer I took it to didn't have any loaner cars. The second dealer wasn't certified to work on EVs (even though I called them on the way to make an appointment for a Rav4 EV). I ended up back where I bought it (Carson Toyota) and was able to get a brand new Prius (3 miles on it) which is a big step up from the Camry I had before. Hopefully the techs at Carson are better than Manhattan Toyota but either way this is the third time I've had to take my car in and I'll be bringing up the lemon law when I contact Toyota corporate today. I would have thought I could get more than 670 miles on it before having this many problems but no such luck.

 

[Vach]

Please post back your results when bringing up the lemon law, I'm very curious to know what they say.

 

[ground_gainer]

Have any of the folks that had the gateway ECU replaced seen the problem crop up again?

Is this hardware going bad or just something that could be solved with updated software/firmware?

 

[gssman526]

I've in the Screen of Death Club.

First issue May 3 at less than 500 miles, Check EV system Error and car wouldn't run. Was visiting the Desert so waited 3 hours in 106 degrees for tow to dealer. Dealer had it 21 days and replaced the Inverter pump and coolant. They also drove it 150 miles. Still waiting for Toyota to reimburse my over $1,000 out of pockets on rentals, gas, etc.

Then June 9, Check EV Error -- in shop for 4 days -- they removed an after market Alarm the the other dealer that they got the car from had installed. They said it was causing phantom power drain on the battery which the computer detected. I was skeptical but hopeful. Also amazed that a Dealer would be dumb enough to install a totally unneeded alarm on an EV car. Installing anything electrical is asking for trouble.

Last night 6/12 - Check EV error not operational. stuck in parking garage so towed in today and of course once at the dealer they got it immediately started and the error cleared. Left it there for further investigation.

Has anyone had similar issues resolved and if so how?

Also has anyone successfully gotten a replacement under the lemon law? The California Lemon law presumes 4 times to fix the same problem or 30 days out of service means its a lemon. I am at 3 services calls at going on 26 days out of service.

As many have pointed out when it works it's a fantastic car. For me sadly it's not been working almost 1/2 the 2 months I've had it.

Thanks for any input and thanks the moderators and creators of this forum.

 

[gssman526]

Yea I've read that one, but I was hoping for more exact legal text to see how it applies to my exact situation I since technically my car is "used."

In California when people say the Lemon Law they mean the Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. The part of that that deals expressly with cars only covers new cars, but the statute itself broadly applies to consumer goods. You would start reading at Civil Code Section 1790 but it's a tough slog. For a used car you might do better to see if you can get a free consultation with a Lemon Law attorney. Many of them seem to do contingency work.

 

[gssman526]

Yea I've read that one, but I was hoping for more exact legal text to see how it applies to my exact situation I since technically my car is "used."

In California when people say the Lemon Law they mean the Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. The part of that that deals expressly with cars only covers new cars, but the statute itself broadly applies to consumer goods. You would start reading at Civil Code Section 1790 but it's a tough slog. For a used car you might do better to see if you can get a free consultation with a Lemon Law attorney. Many of them seem to do contingency work.

The term "new motor vehicle" includes not only new motor vehicles but also demonstrators; the chassis, chassis cab, and propulsion system of a new motor home; and any other motor vehicle sold with a manufacturer's new car warranty. For example, a two-year old used car sold with the remaining one year portion of a manufacturer's three-year new car warranty would be treated as a new motor vehicle.