Color me stupid, but I reversed my connectors when jumping my '08 Prius and I have a problem. I thought the only damage would be a blown 100amp fuse, but the dealership is telling me I fried the system....$4,800. Isn't this the reason to have a fuse? HELP!
Anthony, Perhaps the GenII Forum might have more advice. However, it's not beyond the realm of possibility. I've replaced more than a few ECMs after a sales porter has jump-started a vehicle backwards.
Other posters who inadvertently jumped the Prius with reverse polarity have destroyed the inverter. The inverter produces up to 100A of current and is fused accordingly using the DC/DC fusible link. Since the fuse is so large, when the 12V jump battery is reversed, 100A of current will flow through the inverter in the wrong direction before the DC/DC fusible link will blow. This will destroy the output transistors in the inverter. I recommend that you ask for a full list of the parts that will be replaced. An alternate approach would be for you to purchase an inverter (and other needed parts) from a salvage vehicle and have an independent mechanic who is willing to learn about Prius install it. That might cost you ~$1K or so.
I assume the car is at the dealer. Can you get codes from the car? If you can, post them and we can help. If you are a DIY type, we can help you fix it as well. Then it would probably cost you a lot less. As Patrick said, the inverter is proabably fried. They are not that difficult to replace. The question is what else was damaged?
You are not too far from a good independent Prius repair facility. Call Steve at Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle PHEV. Hes is just outside of Indianapolis and you can have the car shipped to him. JeffD ps. Fuses are generally too slow to protect electronics. They are sized to protect wiring.
Question for the experts: Is it possible to prevent such disaster with some simple addition to the 12V system such as a big diode? Digi-Key - 150K60A-ND (Manufacturer - 150K60A)
I'm still wondering why Toyota didn't put one of those circuits that are in those booster cables that can be put on in any direction behind the boosting point. That would be cheap and an indication they take care of their customers.
You want a diode with a low forward voltage drop. Most diodes will drop over 0.7 volts and more at high current. The keyword to look for is a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schottky_diode"]Schottky diode - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] JeffD
