Prius Battery
Created April 14, 2005, at 9:26 am by Anonymous
I recently took my 2004 Prius in for an inspection and was surprised when the dealship mentioned I had a defective battery (front battery not the regenerating one underneath the car). It took about a week to get a new battery from Toyota (obviously under warrenty). I was surprised because the car didn't experience any signs beforehand of a low battery (e.g. light indicator, etc.). I'd like to hear if other owners have experienced any similiar circumstances.
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I've had an ongoing problem with my '04 Prius which turned out to be a battery issue in the end. However this was the rear battery (in the trunk not the one under the hood which you had a problem with) which I'm told starts up the HSD system when you power the car up. For months I had the check-engine light that kept coming on intermitently. In the end, it was just a defective battery in the trunk that wasn't holding its charge and a faulty wiring assembly. Toyota replaced the parts under warranty (though it took over 3 weeks to get the wiring assembly) and the car runs without the light coming on again. There was another post recently in this forum from someone who had a battery draining problem as well.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that aside from the check-engine light coming on, the car showed no signs of having anything wrong with it. It performed the same, there was no change in fuel economy, and it always started up, etc.
What is the name of the company that makes the Prius battery?
HI- My 2004 Prius just suddenly could not start, and had NO dash lights or anything. The tow truck guy tried to jump start it to no avail but the Prius tech at the dealership was able to jump it. They replaced the auxillary battery and so far all is good again. I am curious because there was no warning- it went from running perfectly to dead overnight. Nothing was left on in the car, etc. I am curious if anyone has any experience with using a trickle charger if the Prius will have to sit for a long time; over a week.
Thanks for any ideas or help.
Carol
I would not use a "trickle charger" but a "battery tender" which is an automatically controlled charger should be safe. I use one on my antique car as well as on the deep cycle we use on our trailer. They sense the voltage drop as the battery sits and supply just enough current to top it back up.
I believe if you are going to be not using the car for a long period of time the advice is to disconnect the auxiliary battery...
My wife recently ran her 2001 Prius with 64 K miles on it, low, or perhaps out of gas during a heavy thunderstorm. The Master warning lights came on, as usual and the vehicle stopped.
She had passed the dealer two miles back, so she immedediatly attempted to limp it back to the dealer. It finally stopped and she called AAA, who towed it into the dealer.
The next day the dealer said they had to contact Toyota because the battery had been "fried" and needed to be replaced. The following Monday, the Toyota District Service Parts Manager said that running the vehicle on low or no gas was "abuse" so they would not replace the battery.
The cost to replace the battery will be in the neighborhood of $3500.
Naturally, we aren't happy. Apparently, only the dealer can talk to the Toyota Distric Parts Manager. This is a bit like the fox guarding the hen house, isn't it?
Also, EVERY reply we've posted on various Prius message boards says they have never heard of any situation where running out of gas will fry the battery or make it unusable. Most have said that putting gas in the car and starting it will get it going again. The battery may be weakened, but the car is drivable.
Anyone else had anything like this happen? Is Toyota jerking us around here?
Bill in Durham, NC
Bill, I agree with you that the battery should not have fried. With the development of hybrids one of the interesting features that you get is a limp home on electric only. You can get about 2 to 3 miles at very low speed from the traction battery pack. Most of the manufactures as far as I know have designed this feature in. The battery pack used is able to handle this. They like to keep the pack at 60% to 80% of full charge at all times so you always have headroom for added energy when driving or space for recovering energy when braking. The battery pack design will allow it to drain to 20% if needed but many cycles of this type of drain will eventually shorten the life of your battery. But it does not sound like you have had cycles of deep discharge.
The battery system also has a computer that is monitoring the state and health of the battery. It is designed to protect the battery from extremes and indicates if there are any issues. This monitor should have prevented the battery from frying itself. If the battery is truly fried then there is an issue with why did the safety system not detect this and prevent this type of failure. The other possibility is that the battery is just worn out due to many hours of normal use. If your vehicle has high mileage then this would be the case, but 64K is probably little past mid-life.
Besides all of this the safety system should have just shut the vehicle down at some point before destroying the battery.
I also agree that normally the vehicle should regain its normal status once you refuel and allowed the battery to recharge.
I would take this up with Toyota directly – the dealer does not sound interested in getting to bottom of why this is even an issue.
My employer has a fleet of twenty 2003's. They are now buying more 05's. In the first year, the maintenance dept had to replace two Prius batteries at $5000 each. We were informed that the Prius battery is NOT intended for use to "limp home", but merely move your car safely off the road. Now when someone runs out of gas, a call is made. I bought an 04 Prius in December, 2003. The manual gives the same information.
CA vs Nevada Extended warranty
Has anyone read in their CA or NV hybrid battery warranty, and can confirm whether or not it's true that CA & Nevada offer 150,000 miles, and 10 years, instead of 100,000, on hybrid battery extended warranty?
Thanks
Hmmm, In Japan and Europe there is a button that makes the Prius "battery only" yet that feature is not implimented here. Hmmm, one can order the part if you have a friend in Japan or Europe, apparently, Priuschat has a post on how to install it on US cars, Seems to me that if all you have to do is add a switch, then the fried battery service guy needs a new job, like a used car salesman.
Next time I'm near my dealer I'm going to drop in and ask.
we have a 2003 prius in the uk and it does have an EV switch - instruction book suggests using it when moving in a multistory car park.
often use battery only in traffic. usually manage low 50 mpg (imperial gallon)
Just bought a new 2006 prius and it has an ev botton, battery only , i taxi this car and on ev around town its great when the battery reaches 20 per cent left it starts the engine and charges back up seems foolproof thers a 100,000 mile warranty on hybrid so il be making sure the system is well tested before the warranty runs out cheers jim
Jim,
I assume that you are in Europe? I've heard that the European Pri'ii (Priuses?) have this feature but Toyota intentionally removed it from the US versions.
The non-USA Priuses have an EV (electric vehicle) mode button. But they also have the ability to be plugged in at night for a recharge. In EV mode, the car cannot exceed 37 mph. That's simply the fastest the electric motor can turn. I do remember reading (from Toyota) that the Prius is not able to operate without gasoline. I guess there are people here that can attest to the opposite. Now, I know that from 2004, the Prius essentially transformed into a radically improved version. Nonetheless, a 2001 battery should not "fry." I mean, how brainless would Toyota have to be to run the risk of battery leakage or fire due to an overheating/"frying" of the battery just because you run out of gas. That's not THAT rare of an occurrence. I TOTALLY think your dealer is ripping you off. Call a lawyer after reading you owners manual and get reimbursed!
I am concerned about the longevity of the Prius hybrid battery in the desert. I live in Las Vegas. In general, batteries do not do well in Las Vegas. Regular batteries (D-cell, AA) do not do well, cell phone batteries do not do well, and regular car batteries do not do well. They have a much shorter life than in more temperate climates.
I recently heard a second hand report that makes me worried about the Prius Hybrid batteries. A care salesman told me that a mechanic who tends a small fleet of Prius's (whose name I don't know) has found that at about 3 years, they tend to get a lot of false warnings. They try to figure out what is going on, and can't track down the problem. When they replace the hybrid battery, and the problems all go away.
I have been trying to find some objective evidence regarding the performance of the Prius Hybrid batteries in the desert. Does anyone have this information, or know where I should go?
I have a two week old 2006 Prius. It has gone stone cold dead twice already. This time it's been in the shop 24 hours, so far. Has anyone had this problem with a new '06? Was it the 12V battery?
I suspect that's my problem, since the main pack is still about 40-50% charged after I have Toyoguard's roadside assistance people jump it.
The 12v battery in my 2004 Prius has failed twice. Fortunately the doors appear to unlock automatically when the 12 v battery fails -- otherwise you would need a rock to get into the car. I had just driven the car a few hours before and when I returned to the car everything was dead. Both times I was able to get the car running using jumper cables. One word of warning --you cannot clip a jumper cable onto the tiny red bolt that is provided for jumping the battery -- so always have a piece of 12 or 14 ga. bare wire along to make a connection between the post and the jumper cable
No url
More info on the battey tender. Where do you purchase one? Brand name, please. How do you attach it?
Boy that message got really messed up. What I ment to say was, Buy a deep cycle battery charger and it should have an automatic setting a charge setting. Use the automatic setting and it will do as the "tender" was described.
I bought a used 2005 Prius about 8 months ago. It has less than 40,000 miles on the car. I haven't had any trouble with it at all -- until yesterday when the 12V battery died. I drove it to church and after the service the car wouldn't start. Completely dead.
The guy from the towing company had quite a time trying to get it into neutral to roll it onto the truck. Also, the back hatch wouldn't open to get the towing key from the trunk until we read the manual to figure out how to "jump" it from the positive node in the fuse box.
I found out this morning that it uses a "special" gel battery that has to be ordered through Toyota to the tune of $279. Ouch. I certainly hope I won't be replacing that baby every 40,000 miles.
Anyone else had to replace the 12V battery in a 2005 Prius?
Yes, this is true. I just bought a Prius this Tuesday and that fact was pointed out to me.
You bought a lemon, unfortunately.
Toyota sells a $$$$ 12V battery that has bastard terminals. Although the big 200V battery propels the car, the 12v battery powers the computers THAT CONTROL EVERY FUNCTION in the car. Dead 12v battery makes the entire car dead!
BUT there are after market manufacturers that will sell you adapters so that you can put a regular off-the-shelf 12v car
battery in your Prius when the factory 12V battery dies.
I have a 2002 Prius, 110k. It's been running great, no issues whatsoever. Today out of the blue I get three warning lights simultaneously: PS (power steering), the battery icon, and the car with the exclamation point. The manual says to take it right away to a dealer. I'm nearby, so I take it in. 2.5 hours later they say it'll be $4,400 to replace the hybrid batteries, and that if I attempt to keep driving it, when the 40% charge on the batteries is depleted the car won't run at all.
This seems bogus to me. Anyone know?
Prius does not use fan belt power-takeoffs. Power Steering, AC and a few other features are powered by the hybrid battery.
IF the Hybrid battery suffered a sudden failure in one cell, it would be detected as a battery fault. Could also be a failure in the hybrid charging circuts.
Only three choices:
1. get rid of the car
2. Pay Toyota for a new hybrid battery
3. Take a look at after market hybrid battery suppliers.
At one point, there was a company out there on the net that would rebuild a hybrid battery that just had one bad cell.
Can you strap to Prius batterys together in parallel (just the battery only not the relays) to increase the EV mode? also how do you add the 220 volt charge plug to a USA Prius?
Calcars.org originally had the thought of providing an open-source solution for adding a plug and extra batteries to a Prius but I believe they found out that this probably isn't feasible right now. The best way today to modify your Prius to plug-in is to work with a company that has done the necessary engineering for this.
Strapping together 2 Prius batteries probably won't help too much since the battery computer may still operate assuming there is only 1 battery.
We were thinking of buying a 2008 Prius........with the problems you've all listed, would you buy a Prius again?
i'd recommend buying a 2008 prius. what kind of car do you drive now? what has been your personal experience with it versus the reviews that are on the internet? people that have issues with things would be more likely to tell other people about it (such as postings you see here) than people that are satisfied with their product. think about it, if the 2001 prius' were that much of a problem to a majority of the population, i'm certain toyota wouldn't still be making them now. they are constantly improving on each model they come out with year after year.
i own a 2003 corolla, i absolutely love my car but it does not have anti-lock brakes and that's the one thing that bothers me because i didn't know that until i was actually in an accident. but now, it comes standard in every single toyota along with tire pressure control. trust your personal judgement first, there's the lemon law and the extended hybrid warranty, if you run into issues.
lastly, consider leasing the vehicle instead of financing it, you'd pay about $100 less on a monthly basis and you're not stuck with the vehicle if you change your mind. technology is advancing and in 3 years, the hybrids will be at another level. toyota is looking to offer a hybrid option to most of their models in the near future.
p.s. if you are in georgia or looking to buy in georgia, let me know. i work for a toyota dealer.
yeah dude - i have an 01 pos prius --136k got it with about 104k -- ( feb 2006) -
in dec. the car started crapping out - ( triangle) had gotten triangle befor but it went away
.
here in FL , things get hot and that makes the gel evap - and also tends to help cells short out ( there are 6 in each module of 38 or 40) ..
so i dont know about PS but i got the turtle , and the triangle - i'm not taking it to dealer so they can
make me poor -- the first time ti happenedi was able to get a single module and replace it ...
i think the better solution is a pack from a recked car with low mileage ....
yeah dude - i have an 01 pos prius --136k got it with about 104k -- ( feb 2006) -
in dec. the car started crapping out - ( triangle) had gotten triangle befor but it went away
.
here in FL , things get hot and that makes the gel evap - and also tends to help cells short out ( there are 6 in each module of 38 or 40) ..
so i dont know about PS but i got the turtle , and the triangle - i'm not taking it to dealer so they can
make me poor -- the first time ti happenedi was able to get a single module and replace it ...
i think the better solution is a pack from a recked car with low mileage ....
MY 01 prius, 130K, has all the lights come on. I unplug the battery, negative, in the trunk and plug it back in...the lights go off.
Prius battery pack is determined more by mileage than by time, and it has been tested to 180,000 miles. I guess [&#@%!] is already supporting this issues.
Own a 2005 Prius (got brand new). Starting about 6 months ago, 1/2 the time, the car doesn't power up all the way (red triangle) and have to push power and start over. The battery indicator drops quickly when driving and if I try to put it in neutral (for a car wash) the battery drains and the car goes dead. It does restart but then must be driven for a good while to recharge. As soon as I restart it, the battery drains again. MPG dropped from 42 in town to 32 and interstate mileage is going up. I have been told, its the weather but since I have been through 3 summer and 3 winters, I don't think so. Any suggestions?
Panasonic makes the regenerating (hybrid) battery for Toyota Prius.
You guys should have bought an American Car.
Look at the weird problems you have. These issues and expenses will cost more than the gas you save.
I have a 2001 Prius. Two weeks ago the Triangle Warning Light came on and the dealer said that the catalytic converter and the hybrid battery needed to be replaced. I replaced the catalytic converter, but did not trust the dealer's assessment of the hybrid battery having "ONE CELL" dead.
I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else and what I can do instead of shelling out $2,300.00 for a new battery.
Thanks
I have the same problem - car worked 100% last thursday - will not start at all this past sunday !!! No signs of trouble ahead of time
I have an '05 with 96k miles and have no battery issues. Whenever I start it, the battery works great! I think it's mainly due to the fact that my alternator is powered by the 6.0 liter V-8 engine under the hood of my Hummer H2, which cranks out 325 horsepower. This power is also useful when passing malfunctioning hybrids on the interstate, hurdling my 9,000 pound vehicle towards my destination in a timely and oh, so comfortable fashion. I wish you all luck with your respective car troubles.
I bought a 2005 Prius new. I live in Florida and it now has 67K miles. I love it because it helps train me to keep my foot off the Gas! Have had NO problems at all. On several 500 mile trips from Atlanta to Tampa I got 50 to 52 mpg on I-75 at 70-72 mph all the way with AC running. Great car.
Wow now this shows how crappy japanese cars are.
My ford explorer uses 1k a year more gas than a prius.
However it has 220 k on it with nothing breaking.
So now prius owners have to spend 4k on a new battery.
Ha I knew the Japanese could not build a car to last.
I have a 2006 Prius and have had 4 problems in the last year.
1-Oct.,2007;we towed the car on a tow dolly across country. At on stop in S.D. my wife backed the car off of the twdlly and when she started the car ALL of the idiot lights stayed lit. Towed the car to Toyota dlr and mechanic said best guess is the car had a brain fart, computer showed nothing-no further problems.
The following are related to the start-up battery, located in rear compartment:
2-May,2008 drove 125miles to campground,used dash outlet to charge cell phone; used car vac for 20 min. to clean car, hokked into dash outlet, finished job, 1/2 hour later couldn't get into car, battery DEAD,tow company operator gave it HOT SHOT thne towed to dealer, dealer rep said "You are taking too many SHORT TRIPS", I asked what is defined as 'SHORT'. All the dealer did was recharge battery.
3- June, 2008, exactly 30 days later, same problem only this time I had not used the dash outlet for anything,went to use the car after driving 125 miles to the same campground,same result, dead battery, towed by same company, got to know their driver on first name basis, dealer rep said battery was bad and would replace under warranty.
4-Oct,2008, went to use car at home, dead battery,had made the mistake of using a dash powered compressor to inflate bike tires, took all of 5 minutes. Towed to Original Dealer, rep called and said car had "BAD BATTERY" and wasn't under warranty, complained and told about replaced battery from other Toyota dealer, changed to 'Yes we will replace under warranty', talked to mechanic, he can't explain, requested that he write to Toyota to tell them of problem. WHY DOES A START-UP BATTERY GO DEAD WHEN THE DASH OUTLET IS USED???
im considering getting a prius or a lexus hybrid. has anybody heard of there being issues with the battery for these vehicles. what is the average life of a battery. what happens if the battery dies? does one have to buy a new battery and how much would this cost?
losizim
Bought 2008 Prius in December 2008. Had 2000 plus miles on it. Thought I was getting great deal. Afraid not! Battery has gone dead three times since December. Towed to dealer twice of the three times.
So far, getting same response from dealer - I need to drive car more.
Any other suggestions from anyone? I'm retired and don't drive everyday. Was never told anything about this at time of purchase.
Yes, the so-called "Green States" have to warranty the hybrid drive train, which includes the batteries, for 10 years or 150,000 instead of 100,000. New York State is also a green state as is CT., I believe.
Today, the prius is no longer as attractive as it once was. The new VW Jetta TDI diesel provides 32 to 35 MPG city, and 45 or better highway with a diesel engine fully capable of excellent performance with NO battery woes and 600 miles between fill-ups. The engine produces 140 horsepower with 236 Lb-Ft of torque capable of spinning the tires with plenty of pep. Engine life is 250,000 + miles with no $4000 batteries to replace. Sort of puts the Prius in a distant second place.
32 MPG city, and 45MPG highway? On diesel fuel? (150% the cost of gasoline)
If my Prius ever got 32/45MPG, I'd shoot it and put it out of it's misery.
And you call a 140 HP engine "peppy"? Prius has the equivilent torque (gas and electric combined) of a 170 HP engine.
Now lets talk about the wonderful emissions record of diesel engines (choke, gag...)
Diesel fuel is currently $2.25 per gallon. Gas is $1.95, hardly 150% premium. Secondly the Prius $4000 battery is lucky to last 100,000 miles. IF it dies at 90,000 miles, the owner pays $3600 and the warranty will pay $400. The battery is essentially consumed over the life of the 100,000 miles at a cost of $0.04 per mile. Since the Jetta costs $0.05 per mile to drive highway, and the Prius battery costs $0.04 per mile, the Prius would have only 1 penny per mile to spend on gasoline to equal the Jetta's economy. That means the Prius would have to get 195 miles per gallon. Don't feel bad, the Chevy Volt battery currently costs about $16,000 and may eventually cost "only" $11,000 acccording to the DOE figures. A battery cost between $0.11 and 0.16 per mile is crazy! We'll need a new category for battery guzzlers.
No, the Prius battery is WARRENTIED for 100,000 miles.
150,000 miles is a typical life span for the battery system.
AND the hybrid battery is not ONE battery, but a stack of 14 individual batteries inside one metal case.
Toyota would LOVE to sell you a new battery system every time the little yellow warning light comes on. But there are more than enough Priii out there, that there is an aftermarket service industry that will rebuild and replace individual Hybrid battery cells.
Now, perhaps you would like to tell us which car company you work for, and how much you are being paid to go onto Hybrid forums and trash hybrid cars?
When you press your EV swicht does you have a EV icon that lighted in the dash to confirm it mode?
I HAVE A 2006 PRIOUS, BOUGHT NEW, I KNOW HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT HAS NOW 170,000 MILES ON IT. AT 160,000 MILES I HAD MY 1ST PROBLEM. I HAD BEEN DRIVING IT ALL DAY, STOPPED AT A 7-11, CAME OUT, STARTED IT, COULDN'T GET IT TO EXCEED 20 MPH, DROVE IT TO DEALER, THEY SPENT THE REST OF THE DAY TESTING AND DECIDED THAT IT WAS THE TRANS AXLE, 5600.00 LATER IT IS RUNNING AGAIN LIKE NEW. MY MAIN CONCERN, WAS I TAKEN FOR A RIDE???? ALSO NOW THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER, SOMETIMES GO OFF AND HAVE TO BE RECYCLED TO COME BACK ON. TOOK IT TO DEALER, THEY SAID EACH HEADLIGHT HAD ITS OWN COMPUTER AND IT IS OVERHEATING. WANT 1600.00 TO REPAIR. ANYONE ELSE WITH THIS, HEARD THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT, BUT CANNOT FIND ANY INFO ON THIS.
Merle Nagel, it seems like they are fooling you completely. Headlights in Prius do not have any computer at all. What they have is a simple switch and a simple relay.
From your symptoms it seems that your 12 Volt battery is going weak and probably needs replacement. What also needs replacement is the "stealer" fixing your car.
You can get more info and solutions on your Prius's problems by visiting Prius Chat Forum.
http://priuschat.com/
Ogo
i like to know what happens if the hybrid battery dies and i don't have money to replace it can i drive the car on the gas engine by itself . i know the gas milage drops and i don't care . i just want to know if i can still drive the car and i mean driving it back and forth to work just using the gas engine .
Check out our solution to the high priced hybrid battery replacement issue.
http://www.re-involt.com
Kim: Sorry, but without the hybrid battery, the Prius cannot run it's gas engine. There is no separate starter motor, as on a normal car. The Pruis uses the hybrid electric motor as a starter motor for the gas engine. Also, there is no 12v alternator. The Pruis generates the 12v power from the 200v hybrid battery system. No hybrid battery, and the 12v battery does not get charged.
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