[RonnieJ]

Is there a way to create a sticky thread that contains just the information from the people that have run into this problem?
Possibly containing year and model, location, mileage when issue occurred, etc. without all the back and forth conjecture?
Many other Honda and Subaru forums that I belong too have these "sticky" threads with the pertinents for the most common big problems for each of those model generations.
It certainly seems like it would help here.

 

[RonnieJ]

These guys look underneath a 21 R4P, from 9:35 to 10:00 they look over the rear motor. Is that the same motor and connector as the Hybrid, or is it different/beefier?

 

[RonnieJ]

Is it me, or does the clamp in the picture from Eldorado19h post 682 look different than from gj442 Post 602?
That post looks like the clamp is stainless, as if it was uncoated stamped metal it would have had some sort of rusting on it.
Wondering if they have multiple suppliers for this cable, and if one of them had one or more batches using a cheaper clamp material.
You could probably use one or more zip ties in place of that clamp if you do find yours is starting to rust.
Pictures from those posts seen below

 

[RonnieJ]

All Primes come from Japan. Hmmm…

Isn't yours on a boat from Japan right now? Feeling any better...

I bought mine in about April 2021 and it looks like the 2 piece connector.

View attachment 181472

Got under mine today, backed it up on ramps, to see what things look like. Your picture is of the side facing the wheel, the updated piece is on the diff/motor side. Without removing that black cover/tray underneath, I was able to get a dental inspection mirror in there to see behind, and verified it is the new open design. Outside of removing both of the clamshell pieces, you won't be able to see what kind of clamp is in use. My guess is that the clamp material is different between the affected harnesses, along with closed clamshell, lets the junk pack in there, causing the corrosion.
Specailk post 437 inspected his and his clamp looked like it was rusting degrading, as seen here

The Car Care Nut mentioned that he wants to get his hands on one, either currently having issues, or likely already corroding, to see if he can provide a solution before it gets to the point where you do need a new cable. I find that having the open design allows for a quick look, to see if anything is packing in there, or worse, you start to see rust coming down the braided shielding wire. If you see that, it is probably time to remove that clamp and put a zip tie on it, which won't start rusting. I know I will be treating this like going to the dentist, twice a year with an inspection mirror, when doing oil changes.

Time will tell, but I'd bet its at least in part due to that stupid clamp material. Hopefully he lends some insight into it, if Toyota doesn't first.

 

[RonnieJ]

Do the Primes all have the new version?

It sounds like EnjoyDriving above says the Prime looks the same as the original hybrid connector, unless I’m understanding that wrong. If that’s the case, then why would car care nut say they’re not affected?

Look at my page 27 thread 539 post.
They did a video of a 21 Prime, and it looks similar to the original on the regular HV, but does not have the up arrow on the outside piece, and still has the closed clamshell.
Nels0300 could be right, all Prime built in Japan, likely different supplier, different clamp. Us 21 or newer Japan build owners can only hope...

Here are pics from that video (9 to 10 minute area).

 

[RonnieJ]

Based on part number information listed earlier in this post, looking it up on parts.toyota.com, looks like different part numbers and prices for the 2T/4T and JT builds, assuming the new part number 821H10R011 was used as the fix for those who had corrosion and had their vehicles repaired.

WIRE, FLOOR UNDER for 2T and 4T builds $2374
Part Number: 821H10R011 Supersession(s): 821H1-0R011; 821H10R010
This part fits:
Limited (VIN starts with 4), LIMITED (VIN starts with 2),
LE (VIN starts with 4), LE (VIN starts with 2),
XSE (VIN starts with 4), XSE (VIN starts with 2),
XLE (VIN starts with 2), XLE (VIN starts with 4),
BASE (VIN starts with 2), BASE (VIN starts with 4)

and

WIRE, FLOOR UNDER for JT builds $2399
Part Number: 821H142021 Alternate Part Number(s): 821H1-42021, 821H142020
This part fits:
BASE (VIN starts with J),
XLE (VIN starts with J),
Limited (VIN starts with J),
XSE (VIN starts with J)

for the R4P, they have 2 different cable part numbers for "Wire, floor under", and both were $5300, so not what they are tied to as the diagrams they have suck.
Part Number: 821H142030 Alternate Part Number(s): 821H1-42030
Part Number: 821H142031 Alternate Part Number(s): 821H1-42031

One common thread in looking at parts diagrams, there are many that have notes with "1 Japan Sourced Parts" and "2 Local Sourced Parts", so maybe the different clamp material used by different supplier line of thought is plausible.

 

[RonnieJ]

My 2020 RAV4 XSE (October 2019 built) has not developed yet the issue (53k miles) and it has been thru 3 Michigan winters.
Has anyone with a Japanese VIN number experienced the issue?

Is yours a JT, 2T, or 4T build? If more people would post with the year/model including build month/year and 2T/4T/JT it would be helpful when trying to see if all are affected, or if it points to a particular build location and date range. And this applies to those that have already seen the problem, and those that live in heavy salt areas that have checked and things look good.

 

[RonnieJ]

Did an inspection on my Oct '21 Canadian built LE with almost 49000 km (over 30000 mi) and 887 runtime hours. Eighteen months and 2 winters of major hwy and city driving in southern Ontario;

Oct 21 build, or Oct 2020 build?
Has to be Oct2020 if 18 months on it, and it doesn't look like you have the newer "open" cover on the inside, then you likely have the original connector.
That was right around the time they came up with the updated part correct?
I thought the internal TSB was fall of 2020, so maybe the early 21 models still have the old connectors.

I'd like to see the clamp on the newer updated "open" cover 2T, 4T, and JT builds to see if that clamp looks like it is a different material.

 

[RonnieJ]

From Post #696. My Jan 22 looks the same. Definitely a different metal, or coating.

Yeah, I bet the new ones are stainless. Is yours a 2T/4T or JT build?

 

[RonnieJ]

Update from post #693; no corrosion found, VIN not included on list of affected vehicles. Given the existence of a VIN list of known affected vehicles, I’d take that to mean Toyota knows what the design/build flaw was/is, and how to fix it.

I didn't realize there was a list of VIN for the internal TSB from fall 2020 for this issue. Where was yours built - 2T/4T/JT?

 

[RonnieJ]

I didn’t think it was a TSB but rather a tech tip. Nor did I see any VINs associated.

I didn't think so, but the OP stated the dealer told them that their vehicle wasn't on the affected VIN list, and said the cable was clean, hence asking. If there was a "VIN" list, it would likely be a supplier bad batch, and not across the board.

 

[RonnieJ]

So if it’s this simple, why hasn’t this list become publicized, and why are other owners getting shafted by dealers? This should be a common practice by dealers across the board if it is indeed legitimate. That why it raises my suspicion.

It's the first I've heard of a VIN list for this one. Probably a line of B.S. from the dealer. I wouldn't be surprised if they even checked, just trying to tell the OP "all is well", and "nothing to worry about".
But, IF there really is a VIN list, then it would likely point to faulty part batches, and not an across the board thing. I am curious if their build is a 2T/4T or a JT build.

 

[RonnieJ]

There is a list of VIN’s in French in the link in post #384. Ours is not listed.

Well translated to English looks like the list of VIN's are for the cutover to the updated "open" connectors being put into play with early 21 builds, probably around that Sep/Oct 2020 timeframe, and looks to be used in all plants and battery types.
I don't see specific affected VIN ranges for the 19-21 up until that point, although it does state near the beginning "Certain 2019-2021 model year RAV4 Hybrid vehicles may exhibit an illuminated Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) with the recording of one or both of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)", so if there is an affected VIN list, they aren't making it public.

 

[RonnieJ]

If you live near Chicago, please reach out to the CareCareNut.
He's been looking to get his hands on one with the problem, so he can diagnose how to properly come up with a workaround.

 

[RonnieJ]

How would I go about getting a hold of him?

Post#708, watch from 37:00 to 39:00. He has a Youtube channel, well known here on the boards. He is in the process of opening up his own shop, so he is kind of busy right now, but look at his About page on his channel, has information about all of his stuff

High Voltage Wire Big Corrosion Problem

 

[RonnieJ]

@njbill please let us know how it goes with this part# being covered. Particularly, what sub system it falls under or if there is some other method used for determination. I would think that a simple "yes" from the F&I person isn't good enough when a 5k repair is at stake. Thanks in advance.

Ask the questions, but I wouldn't purchase ANYTHING today. Do you really think the F&I person is going to say anything that is likely to lose a sale of these high profit contracts? I guarantee their price will be at least 2 times what someone could get from the known places, on these forums, that sell the Toyota Platinum warranties. You have 3 years or 36k miles to determine whether you want to buy one, and it will give you time to see how all of this plays out, whether the current updated "open" connector with different clamp material is a real solution, or something that still needs to be worried about.

 

[RonnieJ]

Is it confirmed that the updated new part number wire with the "open" connector has a different clamp material? I must have missed that somewhere back in the thread.

I don't think anything has been confirmed, but if you look back through the hundreds of threads here with pictures from those who have checked their connectors and taken pictures, there are some where the clamp looks to be made of stainless steel, and most of the corroded ones have some sort of black finish amongst all the corrosion.
I'm not an engineer, or a rocket scientist, and I haven't stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in a long time, but I'd be shocked if the clamp material wasn't partly at fault for this...

I will wait and see how this all plays out to see if the updated part is a resolution to the problem, as mine has the new part, but for those that may be affected with the original part, hopefully the CCN comes up with a good workaround, if Toyota doesn't offer some sort of warranty extension or fix for the original cable.

 

[RonnieJ]

Does this design help prevent a similar issue just like on the RAV4H or is this a different cabling?

Re-routing the cabling from front to rear is not as important as where it connects to the rear motor.
If they changed the rear motor to have it connect to the top of the motor like previous generations, then yes, that may be true.

 

[RonnieJ]

Not sure how I stumbled onto it, but found a few interesting pictures of the rear motor HV cables from 06 and 08 Lexus 400h, those from the rust belt areas are corroded, and one from California that looks pretty good.

Here is the link to that forum post - post #3 has a link to another forum post showing a couple more connectors.
Pics from these posts are below: Possible Issues with Orange HV Cables - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion
Not sure if these failed over time, as the Lexus dealer said it was normal, but certainly Toyota/Lexus must have seen this a long time ago and decided it was ok to move onward with variants of the exposed braided shielding cable design.

 

[RonnieJ]

The one thing that is, at least, mildly encouraging about those pictures is that, at the time when they were posted, the vehicle was 11 years old, and the cable had not yet failed. I hope that those of us with RAV4 Hybrids can be that fortunate.

That is exactly what I was thinking. If you look under any vehicle from up north in heavy salt areas, almost everything under the vehicle looks heavily surface corroded pretty quickly, but I've seen a number of vehicles (ICE) go a long way looking way worse than things seem. I am from CT/MA originally, and I know what vehicles up there go through, but you'd be surprised how good the underside of our 15-18 year old NC Hondas still look underneath, even though they see snow/salt a couple times a year locally, and when we visit up north. I'm hoping our Toyota will fair the same, and I will check the connector yearly to see if I need to spray anything on it, but I doubt this will be something that I'll see look like any of the rust belt area connectors.