A common warning that hybrid car users have to face is refilling inverter coolant. What does refill inverter mean?
It means that the level of inverter coolant is running low in the reservoir. Ideally, it should appear only when the coolant is below the marked minimum level when the engine is hot and refilling is fixed upon replenishment.
However, this warning may appear falsely and continuously even when nothing is wrong with the system. It’s a glitch that the manufacturer hasn’t fixed. As the warning takes up the entire screen, it can be quite a nuisance.
Our guide will provide you with the easiest way to fix this problem. You don’t even need to pop the hood. Scroll down for the solution!
What is Inverter Coolant?
Inverter coolant is used in electric or hybrid vehicles to keep the inverter system’s temperature in check. A hybrid or electric vehicle’s inverter system converts DC power from the battery into AC power, which runs the vehicle’s motor.
But during this conversion process, a lot of heat is produced. This heat needs to be absorbed and transferred away from the components to protect the system from overheating. A hybrid or electric car’s inverter system has special demands like thermal conductivity, resistance to degradation, and low electrical conductivity that the inverter coolant handles.
The inverter coolant is made of water, propylene glycol or ethylene glycol, and other additives to improve fluid performance and prevent corrosion. Different models of cars may require a different composition for their coolants.
What Does Refill Inverter Coolant Mean? Why This Warning Pops Up
Having the “Refill Inverter Coolant” warning pop-up on your dashboard means that your car is running low on inverter coolant. Not having adequate fluid will lower the performance of the inverter system. So, this warning notifies the driver to replenish.
Your car has a specific reservoir for this coolant that is marked between minimum and maximum. If you notice that the fluid level is below the minimum when the engine is hot, the warning you got is accurate.
In that case, you must buy an inverter coolant specified for your vehicle. It’s usually expensive, with half a gallon costing about $80. From there, you just pop the hood and refill the coolant reservoir with a funnel. Remember to keep it below max level.
What to Do When You Are Getting A False “Refill Inverter Coolant” Warning?
You may find that your reservoir has enough coolant in it and still, your hybrid or electric car is having this warning pop up falsely. It’s common with Hyundai and Kia models.
They likely have a fault in their coding that makes this warning continuously pop up. It’s a fairly common issue faced by users and if you are a sufferer, too, you should first try flushing the reservoir.
If that doesn’t help, take your car to a dealership. But most of the time, the dealers themselves aren’t experienced with Hybrid or Electric cars and rely on information coming from the manufacturers.
Since Kia or Hyundai don’t seem to be on top of this issue, their customers face it. There’s a chance your dealership may even fail to help you. In that case, we have a hack for you that may solve your issues.
How to Fix False “Refill Inverter Coolant” Warning
When you’re getting a false warning, it can be frustrating as it takes up your entire screen and you can’t view useful information. There’s an easy way to overcome this issue. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Keep your car door open.
Step 2: Start the engine. The system check will proceed.
Step 3: Close the door while the system check is still ongoing, but at the very last second. You’ll get ready to drive the signal.
You need to practice timing these steps. Otherwise, you’ll still be getting the warning signal as in the picture below.
But once your timing is perfected, this warning won’t pop. You have to remember to close your door after you turn on the engine each time or the sign will pop up again.
Related: What Does Defueling Coolant Mean
Can I Add Water To The Inverter Coolant?
No, you shouldn’t do that, as that will throw off the concentrations of antifreeze, water, and other additives that are optimum. Just purchase half a gallon of coolant at your local dealership and top it off yourself.
Is inverter coolant the same as coolant?
It’s not the same. Inverter coolant is a modified and specialized version of coolant that is designed specifically for inverter systems. It has some similarities with traditional coolants but also plenty of differences in composition as well as unique additives.
What kind of coolant does a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid take?
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid needs a hybrid organic acid technology (HOAT) coolant with long life for running optimally. The owner manual specifies the following ratio of antifreeze and water at different temperatures for the coolant. You can only trust Hyundai-approved dealerships to get the best coolant for your system.
Final Words
So, what does refill inverter coolant mean? To summarize, it simply means you need to top up the fluid that keeps your car’s inverter system cool by absorbing the heat and transferring it away from the parts. This warning appears falsely in a lot of hybrid car models. You should contact a dealership about this issue. If they aren’t able to help, you can try our hack of closing your car door when the system check is running after the engine is on.
Hello, I’m Michael Rosales an expert in cars. As a little boy, I have always loved cars. Over the years I became lucky to have the opportunity to work as a car dealer. It was at this stage I became vast in the knowledge of cars, things you need to know when buying cars and how to minimize cost while still getting your dream car.