I was about five blocks from my house Saturday night and the "Check Hybrid System" warning came on the dash! We got the car home and parked in the garage only to find out in the manual that you are to call the dealer if this happens and not to drive the car! It is now Monday morning and the dealer sent a tow truck out to pick up the car. The car wouldn't even start this morning and all kinds of other warning lights came on the dash. So we put it in neutral and rolled it out into the driveway to be towed...

Anyone else have this problem? I've heard of a couple vsc/fire issues, but this is different.

I'll post updates as I get them.

That's crummy. I hope it's an easy fix. There was some other guy that had posted a big hairy problem with his TCH dying and the dealer working on it for several weeks. I hope your TCH gets back quicky and it's a minor problem. Please let us know.

Not just Super White...Super Duper White...

Were there any unusual symptions prior to the warning light? Low fuel, low battery, just to name a few off the top of my head.

There was one odd thing and this was noticed when I began the drive home. When applying the brakes there seemed to be a metal-on-metal scraping/screeching type noise coming from under the hood. It was not that loud at all though and I only heard this in my cousin's driveway as I was turning around since it was very quiet. The car had 3/4 tank of gas, and the battery/hybrid system all looked normal on the display. No warning lights at all until the "check hybrid system" light came on about five blocks from my house! For those last five blocks the hybrid screen wasn't working. There were no arrows signifying if the gas, electric, or both motors were running on the display.

I'll post any info from the dealer as I get it.

I think this is similar to the problem that "norb" posted about. It took a LONG time to get his car back if I recall correctly.

Try searching for posts containing "norb"...

The titles contained the subject "Major Malfunction".

Here are the two threads regarding "norb" experience;
thread 1
thread 2

I sure hope I don't have to go thru the same thing... That stinks it took 4 weeks to get his car back and fixed.

As soon as I get word from the dealer I'll post an update here.

Dear Charles,

I don't want to call the wrath of the car gods down on you, but I would strongly suggest you keep good records of each contact with the dealer.

I would guess that CA has a lemon law (NJ, where I live, does and I mediate lemon law cases under it). Here in NJ, if the car is out of service for a total of 20 days in the first 18,000 mi/18 months, there is a prima facie claim for relief under the lemon law.

Record (on paper at least) everything said to you by the dealer in each contact (in person, on the phone) and make note of the number of days that the car is unavailable due to the work being done (e.g., don't count days between the dealer's call saying the car is ready and when you actually pick it up). There may also be a requirement that you send the dealer a "last chance" letter indicating you will provide the car one more time to the dealer to see if it can be fixed. Consult with a local attorney as to the details of your law.

As good as Toyota seems to be about quality and defects, no manufacturer is perfect. If you have a major problem, you should seek relief under the lemon law.

My $0.02

Bill
2007 Magnetic Gray TCH/Nav/Ash Leather
2002 Blue BMW K1200RS
2000 Champagne BMW K1200LT

wcmack - thanks for your input on this.

I'm not quite at that point yet considering Toyota has only had the car for just over three hours! But if this drags out your advice will come in handy.

BTW In california I believe the car has to go back for the same repair four times, or else be out of service for a cumulative total of 30 days in the first 18month/18,000 miles for the lemon law to kick in.

That's just about right, but the law is (isn't it always?) a little more complicated. From the California Office of the Attorney General website:

B. THE "LEMON LAW" AND WHAT IS A REASONABLE NUMBER OF REPAIR ATTEMPTS

What is considered a reasonable number of repair attempts will depend on the circumstances including the seriousness of the defect. For example, one or two repair attempts may be considered reasonable for serious safety defects such as brake failure, depending on the exact situation.

A special provision, often called the "Lemon Law," helps determine what is a reasonable number of repair attempts for problems that substantially impair the use, value, or safety of the vehicle. The "Lemon Law" applies to these problems if they arise during the first 18 months after the consumer received delivery of the vehicle or within the first 18,000 miles on the odometer, whichever occurs first. During the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, the "Lemon Law" presumes that a manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts to repair the vehicle if either (1) The same problem results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is driven and the problem has been subject to repair two or more times by the manufacturer or its agents, and the buyer or lessee has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the problem as provided in the warranty or owner's manual or (2) The same problem has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its agents and the buyer has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the problem as provided in the warranty or owner's manual or (3) The vehicle is out of service because of the repair of any number of problems by the manufacturer or its agents for a cumulative total of more than 30 days since delivery of the vehicle.

The "Lemon Law" presumption is a guide, not an absolute rule. A judge or arbitrator can assume that the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of chances to repair the vehicle if all of the conditions are met. The manufacturer, however, has the right to try to prove that it should have the chance to attempt additional repairs, and the consumer has the right to show that fewer repair attempts are reasonable under the circumstances.

So it could be as few as two attempts or as many as the manufacturer is able to convince a court are necessary.

Short update:

I just got off the phone with the dealer. They said there are "a whole bunch of trouble codes". And that they aren't sure yet what is causing this. The guy said something about "charging it over night" and that they should have an idea what is going on tomorrow after some more diagnostic tests. This doesn't sound too good to me. It's a bit worrisome to me that they have had the car all day and have no idea what is wrong with it yet!