Traction motor [mechanically] disconnected from drive train

[brad11140]

This happened last night. As I was getting onto I-15 to head North to Las Vegas. I went to accelerate and I heard a clunk from the engine compartment. I pressed the accelerator pedal down and there was zero power going to the wheels. I coasted to a stop on the shoulder and called for a tow. We will see what the ultimate issue is.

There were no alarm indication on the display. When you attempted to accelerate I could hear what I will describe as a sick sounding whine from the traction motor which I could tell was still turning, but something internal had disconnected from the wheels.

Can you guys confirm. Warranty on power train should be 100k miles correct?

Currently at 53k miles and was just thinking about what a good car it has been and possibly deciding to keep at lease end. Not sure now.

 

[TonyWilliams]

If you can hear the motor turning then something clearly is broken between the motor and the drive wheels on the front. We have not heard of this issue from anybody so far... you might be the first.

Jack up the front of the car with the lifting points, and raise the front wheels. Then turn the front wheels by hand and see what is disconnected. Is it a driveshaft or something internally in the gearbox?

You may want to also take off the plastic under motor cover to better see what's going on. It's easy to take off.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I believe the drivetrain warranty is five years or 60,000 miles if you did not buy the platinum extended warranty (which I highly recommend).

 

[brad11140]

Thank you Tony for fixing the title of the post. Was trying to think of the best way.

Its already at Toyota where I figure it will live for a couple of weeks. I live in Las Vegas so they have to fly in an engineer to work on it. Real pain in the butt.

I did not get the Platinum Warranty, but as yous aid Toyota said 60k miles. I am at 53k so hopefully shouldn't be an issue.

Ill keep everyone posted on what I hear

 

[brad11140]

So I have gotten a whole lot of nowhere. Toyota will not issue a loaner car because the vehicle is outside of California. This puts me in a real bind because now not only do I have to rent a car, but it will be an ICE which means added fuel cost. What a pain.

Talked to Kevin at Toyota Corporate customer experience and was basically told I should have thought about things before moving to Vegas.

He said the tech comes on a scheduled basis and will not be expediting his visit. So basically I dont know if this thing is going to be sitting there for a month or more.

Really at a loss of what to do here

Anyone aware of any pending litigation in regards to this vehicle?

 

[miimura]

If you're having to pay for the rental, it's in your interest to get it fixed as soon as possible. I would consider having it towed to the nearest CA EV dealer and dropping it off there for them to deal with. Since it's being fixed in CA, Toyota would probably have to spring for the rental then too. Vegas is a lot different situation than Denver or Seattle or Austin.

Edit: A 10' Uhaul truck and flat auto trailer is less than $350 one-way from Vegas to Longo Toyota including 2 days use and 308 miles.

 

[4EVEREV]

So I have gotten a whole lot of nowhere. Toyota will not issue a loaner car because the vehicle is outside of California. This puts me in a real bind because now not only do I have to rent a car, but it will be an ICE which means added fuel cost. What a pain.

Talked to Kevin at Toyota Corporate customer experience and was basically told I should have thought about things before moving to Vegas.

He said the tech comes on a scheduled basis and will not be expediting his visit. So basically I dont know if this thing is going to be sitting there for a month or more.

Really at a loss of what to do here

Anyone aware of any pending litigation in regards to this vehicle?

Litigation? For a car having something break down? Good luck.

 

[brad11140]

I had considered having it towed to California. When I posed that idea to Toyota they couldn't grasp why I would do that. The diagnostic cable is en route. Should know something in a few days.

I'm not a sue happy idiot that would litigate for a car simply breaking down. I know there are active recall on the traction motor issue (which I know is a software fix now) and than Toyota leaving out of state drivers high and dry. That as what I was asking about. Cars break. I would never litigate for a normal issue. This is not normal.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I'm not a sue happy idiot that would litigate for a car simply breaking down. I know there are active recall on the traction motor issue (which I know is a software fix now) and than Toyota leaving out of state drivers high and dry. That as what I was asking about. Cars break. I would never litigate for a normal issue. This is not normal.

The traction motor recall issue is resolved... nothing to sue for there.

Leaving out-of-state owners in a difficult situation is Toyota's choice. Since they were adamant with both dealers and consumers about NOT taking the car out-of-state, I believe you would lose.

But, I think careful persistence will get the (delayed) results you need.

 

[brad11140]

I don't want to sue anyone. I was just curious

The dealer really is trying. They gave me a rental for $10 a day. They just cant do much else.

I know Toyota didn't want the vehicles outside California, but they are. And it just seems like bad form to take that stance. It is what it is. They are a big company that can do as they please.

Probably wont buy out the lease now and will look at PEHV for next daily driver. Tony do you know anything about the Audi E-Tron?

 

[TonyWilliams]

Probably wont buy out the lease now and will look at PEHV for next daily driver. Tony do you know anything about the Audi E-Tron?

I personally don't follow gasoline powered cars. Sorry.

 

[brad11140]

So good news is they are replacing the traction motor.

Bad news is it will not arrive till after the new year.

 

[fromport]

Probably wont buy out the lease now and will look at PEHV for next daily driver. Tony do you know anything about the Audi E-Tron?

I personally don't follow gasoline powered cars. Sorry.

There is an Audi E-Tron concept that is electric only

Audi’s e-tron quattro electric SUV: 310 mile range, arrives in 2018

http://www.audiusa.com/newsroom/new...ron-quattro-concept-electric-driving-pleasure

http://arstechnica.com/cars/2015/09...-electric-suv-310-mile-range-arrives-in-2018/

 

[brad11140]

Actually the A-3 E-tron is in production. I stopped by the Audi dealer a couple days ago. Cars are int he port and shoudl arrive any day.

The price is a bit steep for me. 42-45k. Basically a VW Golf

 

[brad11140]

Toyota called this morning. They are covering the cost of the loaner. So that is good news.

 

[brad11140]

Picked it up tonight. All is good now and I cant believe how much quieter the new motor is.

10 moths left on the lease. Hopefully no more problems

 

[brad11140]

Car drove great this morning. Smooth and quiet.

However when I went to plug in at work the charging unit clicks and clicks, than I get a charging system failure. Tried with the 12V cable as well. Does the same thing. It charged fine at home last night. Saw some other threads on this forum saying that the on board charger is probably no good. So back to Toyota it goes

 

[JoulesThief]

Actually the A-3 E-tron is in production. I stopped by the Audi dealer a couple days ago. Cars are int he port and shoudl arrive any day.

The price is a bit steep for me. 42-45k. Basically a VW Golf

The all electric VW e-Golf is a lot less than that. Especially if you can pick up a year end 2015 in California on a buy. Can't lease it out of state. Pricing on them now is amazingly inexpensive, but servicing them in NV could be problematic. VW wants the e-Golf to stay in 10 states they sell in, for warranty and servicing reasons. There is no way I would own either a Rav4ev or an e-Golf out of a designated state, service techs for them are rare, highly trained, and very specialized, as well as in demand, and there are not a lot of them out there. You kind of bought a compliance car for Toyota to get carbon credits in the states they are operated in. Would be a good idea if owners would comply too with Toyota's wishes. It's a two way street.

 

[TonyWilliams]

VW wants the e-Golf to stay in 10 states they sell in, for warranty and servicing reasons.

No, the REAL reason they want the cars to stay (at least 36 months) in the CARB-ZEV "compliance states" is for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) credits. Tesla has earned $600 million so far selling them, so they are VERY valuable.

You do realize that having trained mechanics, manuals, and parts in any state or country is a just normal business, right?

Further, the drivetrain of any EV is far, far simpler and easier to service and work on then ANY internal combustion motor and automatic transmission.

There is no way I would own either a Rav4ev or an e-Golf out of a designated state, service techs for them are rare, highly trained, and very specialized, as well as in demand, and there are not a lot of them out there. You kind of bought a compliance car for Toyota to get carbon credits in the states they are operated in. Would be a good idea if owners would comply too with Toyota's wishes. It's a two way street.

Sweet Jesus... good luck with that. Since I currently have one in both California and Washington state, I better comply!!! Coming back to reality, your comments are bordering on simple trolling. I have no idea who you are, or why you think we should capitulate to the demands of a very large corporation (with several hundred BILLION dollars in the bank), or why you think a secondary owner would have any obligation (they don't... since they signed no agreement to keep the RAV4 EV in-state).

People move, lives change, needs change. My car doesn't make demands of me for those changes. And, now my first car is officially 3 years old! I guess Toyota can rest easy with that one... they got the full ZEV three credits for model year 2012.

On a related side note, Toyota USA is officially becoming less of an asshole for out-of-state maintenance of our cars. My car will get the recall software in eastern Washington on Dec 9, 2015, through Toyota's traveling EV mechanic. Many have had motors swapped, etc, out of state. So, don't worry folks. It might take more time than having the car in California, but Toyota is on track to do the right thing for you, and keep their CARB-ZEV credits.

 

[JoulesThief]

VW wants the e-Golf to stay in 10 states they sell in, for warranty and servicing reasons.

No, the REAL reason they want the cars to stay (at least 36 months) in the CARB-ZEV "compliance states" is for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) credits. Tesla has earned $600 million so far selling them, so they are VERY valuable.

You do realize that having trained mechanics, manuals, and parts in any state or country is a just normal business, right?

Further, the drivetrain of any EV is far, far simpler and easier to service and work on then ANY internal combustion motor and automatic transmission.

There is no way I would own either a Rav4ev or an e-Golf out of a designated state, service techs for them are rare, highly trained, and very specialized, as well as in demand, and there are not a lot of them out there. You kind of bought a compliance car for Toyota to get carbon credits in the states they are operated in. Would be a good idea if owners would comply too with Toyota's wishes. It's a two way street.

Sweet Jesus... good luck with that. Since I currently have one in both California and Washington state, I better comply!!! Coming back to reality, your comments are bordering on simple trolling. I have no idea who you are, or why you think we should capitulate to the demands of a very large corporation (with several hundred BILLION dollars in the bank), or why you think a secondary owner would have any obligation (they don't... since they signed no agreement to keep the RAV4 EV in-state).

People move, lives change, needs change. My car doesn't make demands of me for those changes.

If only the electrics, the software programming, and the firmware were that simple, Tony. It's not just screwing in nuts and bolts and fasteners to replace... There is adaptation that needs to occur on german cars, procedures in certain order, and on and on and on, which the germans, I assure you keep locked up to monopolize service and repair on their vehicles, to support and keep business coming back to their dealerships. I own two VW Touaregs TDIs, there is no one in the USA that knows how to work on them, all diagnostics get sent back to Germany for an engineer to diagnose, and then tell the technician what the next step is.

I don't tell Toyota or VW how to run their business, that's up to them. If you don't like how they run their business or how they service it or don't service it, don't buy the product. But at least go in with both eyes open. If Toyota only sells them in California, and services them only in California [Moderator Edit: DELETE INFLAMARORY REMARKS] caveat emptor

Toyota is in business to make a profit. Servicing outside of states the EV is not sold in is obviously not profitable, hence the discouragement of owning or breaking down out of state.

As an aside, I sold my 1987 Toyota 4x4 SR-5 manual with 350k miles on it last year. 22RE motor, that anyone could work on. Same with the 5 speed manual transmission. Did the clutch, timing chain on it, did rear wheel bearings at 190k mile, changed out $3.50 worth of brushes on the alternator with a soldering gun. Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-40 every 7500 miles and an oil filter. Never replaced the motor, never did the head gasket. Seems far more reliable per mile traveled than any Toyota with American made Tesla parts in it, and there was no wait for parts, and it was a 50 state car, that any dealership could work on, lots of independents and owners too. Maybe Toyota buying American technology to meet CARB demands wasn't such a good or profitable business model, or what the people wanted... Toyota had to give them away at a loss in the end, not something Toyota was happy about being forced to produce for carbon credits, by CARB, our socialist government, giving the people what they don't want or won't pay for.

All these failed electric motors, both in the Tesla and the RAV4 is a real turn off, once out of warranty. I am hoping VW and Audi do a better job of it than Tesla or Toyota.