Prius Battery

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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 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.

No url

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.

Yes, this is true. I just bought a Prius this Tuesday and that fact was pointed out to me.

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.

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.

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.

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 ....

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.

Panasonic makes the regenerating (hybrid) battery for Toyota Prius.

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 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.

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.

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?

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.

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...)

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?

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.

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 .

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.

58.8 mpg is a record? I'd like to see the fine print of the record. Didn't the tadpole Insight have better EPA numbers than that, like 70mpg?

I'm getting roughly 53mpg combined and I'm not even working that hard for it. I have no doubt I could pull a 58mpg in the spring or fall if I did the whole route at 55mph.

By the way, way to be timely and restart an argument from March.

No problem Cupcake.

But I find it hard to believe the "World Record" for all stock cars is 58 mpg because the original Insight was EPA rated at 70 mpg.

So what are the qualifiers on the record? Is it that coarse? Is it for a diesel only? Is it for 4 seaters only? Is it only for a certain production quantity of vehicles?

There has to be some qualifiers because there are other mass production cars which have done better, i.e. the Insight.

You referenced the article with the record Cupcake. You do the research or go trolling for some other website to waste your time.

Hey there teddy bear. Good to hear from you. Usually all you liberal types run when faced with any confrontation. I would like to know where you got your information from since you didn't post a link as I did. And I don't know about you but on earth where I am from, there is no such thing as "low rolling resistance" tires that you speak of. And I think the special "low sulfur diesel" is that new-fangled diesel that is in every gas station across the country. Hence why every company who sold diesel powered vehicles had to revamp their fueling system to get them to pass the stricter emissions that go along with it. But once again, thanks for playing.

As long as I could guaranteed that I wouldn’t be forced into putting E10, E15, or winter gas into my tank, I’m fairly confident I could average 55 – 58 mpg on the same trek as this record in the spring, summer, or fall and no modifications to the car.

Why? Because I did it all spring, summer, and fall for the last 13,000 miles.

Right now I’m struggling a bit on mileage (still above 43mpg) because most of my commutes for the last week have been between 0F and 15F.

By the way, when does untreated ULSD gel?

And tell me how do the diesel Jetta’s NOx and particulate emissions stand up to a non-diesel engine? Pollution reduction is about more than just CO2 emissions and mpg. For diesels, DPM has to be considered. And that is something I would happly remind the California Auto Show.

Part cost only:
New - $2,600ish
Used - $500ish

Install time, 1 to 2 hours, so I'm guessing about $200 in labor on top of the part cost.

Hey,

I just rebuilt my own battery for about $450.. Maybe this will work for you?

It sounds like you need some new cells in your batterypack. You can replace them yourself if you want. Just use this site I listed below... They have a forum for your questions (if you cant follow guides very well) and they have a guide you can download.

Plus they have a supply center where they put all of the good deals on prius batteries, and cells, and pretty much what ever you need...

I just used it and thought it was pretty easy, I think I used all of 5 handtools to do the whole job.. It wasnt that hard...

Check it out if you want to fix it yourself, I just did mine for $450 or so.. So no big deal.. The guide and access to the forum and supply center was only 50 bucks.. well worth it for the help..

http://www.hybridbatteryrebuild.com/

hey, I have a '01 Prius with 106K miles on it, never a problem and I figure I've saved over $12,000 in gas compared to my husband's car (with 104K miles on it). Don't knock the Prius!

Dear vw lover,

The prize you talked about are based on votes from magazines.
These magazines receive money from vw.

The prizes are not based on facts but on votes.

Btw
The green car of the year was not a diesel.

Otis,
Sorry to hear of the battery issue.

If cost is the issue, there are less expensive ways to replace your battery than the dealer.

Are you in the SF Bay Area?

If so contact me via my contact page here on hybridcars.com and I can point you in the right direction.

My estimation is that the independent mechanics can replace it for half that cost.

--
Eric Powers
HybridCars.com Moderator
Green Drive Expo Organizer (See you there!)

I own a 2000 Honda Insight and have just been given the death sentence for my 2nd rear battery. (Integrated motor Assist is no longer with us.) The first went at 104,000 miles. I have 238,500 miles on it now. The indicator for the battery is half down now. I'm wondering if ithe car stops 100% when the battery is 100% discharged. I'm stalling (hills and all) and the car can't be restarted unless I take my key out of the ignition before trying to restart. I have a thing about good mileage, call it OCD, and, don't throw things, I'm thinking about a VW Gulf TDI. Can't pay for one right now, and haven't been able to find a used one for sale since getting the news, and I imagine it's because who would part with the things? You can convert them to biodiesel, I understand, and there is no problem with the old battery graveyard pollution. I suspect the net pollution from the turbodiesel will be comparable to my battery dying Insight. I have always run my vehicles until they can't be run anymore. Does an Insight have to have the rear battery (MVA) working for the gas powered to work?

Ron,
Good ideas.

me,
Ron Hansen's user profile on hybridcars.com is hybrid-battery-repair .
Looks like he was not signed in when he left you that message.
Ron's web site is hybrid-battery-repair.com
--
Eric Powers
HybridCars.com Moderator
Green Drive Expo Organizer (See you there!)

Try re-involt.com for info on remanufactured Prius batteries

Hey ms,

I don't know where you get your info from but according to all I have seen, the green car of the year for the second year in a row is a diesel. Before you try to talk about something, you should do some research so you don't look so ignorant.

http://www.greencar.com/articles/audi-a3-tdi-2010-green-car-year-clean-d...

PS I would never buy a Toyota because I wouldn't want it to take off unexpectedly and without warning causing me to probably get into an accident or have the brakes not work when I need them. Especially when I live in a snowy, icy area. If it takes so long for the brakes to change from electric to good ol' hydraulic, I won't trust it with my family.

Toyota is the epitomy of what happens when a car company gets greedy. They sacrifice quality. VW has never done that.

About a week ago, our 2004 Prius had the information-panel lights illuminate...including the red triangle and the auto shape with the exclamation point in it, also the Cruise Control dropped off line. Car seemed to be operating just fine at 65 mph. Upon computer read-out, the Toyota dealer told me the 12 volt battery was bad, and the inverter coolant pump was bad. The lights have since cleared from their trouble indications....car drives normally. We have 68,000 miles on the car. I seem to remember a noise that sounded as if I was dragging something under the car...yet inspection (even after pulling the front wheels to see if something got caught in the disk backing plate). The noise is no longer there. I have looked on the internet and it seems the early pump may be somewhat flawed...having one bearing mounting instead of the later used two, one on each side of the impeller shaft.
I think the battery should be replaced...not sure about the pump...voltage problems can tell wrong stories on the screens. Do you think I should "fly it and watch it" taking a chance on another break-down, or would you replace it now? It's $500 parts and labor. Appointment to do work is for tomorrow morning...sorry for short timing...just found this site this evening.
Thanks for any advice.
Ger

I respect the Prius. I also respect my Jetta TDI.

With 66k on it, the lifetime MPG average is 46.7. I don't speed too often, but I am not a hypermiling person either. Which vehicle is better? They both are; we both consume less.

Eco-aware people like us are monitoring the number of emerging strategies. That's why we're on this forum.

Are diesels clean and fuel efficient? Yes, just like a Prius, depending on your dirivng mix - maybe better.

My best highway MPG was 62.3 and often get 52mpg hwy. VW diesels owners have had these experiences for years, but now (with ultralow sulphur diesel and engine improvements) we can do this without black smoke and particulates. People who don't have current info on new diesels should take a few minutes to learn how much hey've improved.

Both Prius and new small diesels are less of an ecological disaster than gas-guzzling SUVs, pickups and generally oversized, overpowered vehicles. Let's focus on the reasons we chose our vehicles - to consume less - and agree we are accomplishing that.

For years, I've been hoping we'd see a diesel hybrid, which is really the best of both worlds. Ideally, a small diesel would only run to charge batteries when other cleaner (ie wind/solar) power sources weren't available. Diesel hybrid isn't exactly a new concept; train locomotives are diesel electric hybrids. It keeps getting announced at car shows, but never delivered. Such a solution (well executed) would probably make vehicles last too long (from the car companys' perspective), require too few repairs and cripple the replacement parts industry. Mercedes says "2011". We'll see.

I compared 46mpg(hybrid) to 30mpg(non-hybrid , gas at 3.00 per gal. based on 12000 miles

yearly cost of hybrid 783 non 1200.

7 year cost hybrid 5478 non 8400.
add battery replace4000

total 9478 for hybrid 8400 for non

In order to break even gas has to go to 5.00 per gal.

over 7 years the non-hybrid at 30mpg is cheaper if the battery is replaced after 7 years

Surprising to me.!!!!!!

I have a 2005 with aprox 66,000 miles and this is the second time in the last month I have to jump start my car. I don't know if it's going to take a charge this time. I am going to get a 12 v battery just checking on prices. It happend Sunday. I never go to church the car wouldn't start. I've checked on line, I got a price of $161 and the instructions on how to do it yourself. i'll check with the dealer tomorrow on their price.

We had a similar problem. We jumped the car, it started, jumped it the next day, it didn't. AAA couldn't jump it either. We towed to Toyota , they told us we jumped it wrong and therefore not a warranty repair. (Although why a 2 year old car isn't starting to begin with would certainly indicate warranty issues!) We had to pay 6100 to replace the inverter. I think Toyota avoids warranty repairs whenever possible, even it means making things up! Would love to hear from others with this issue. Our arbitration is Wednesday.

We have a 2001 Prius and have never had a problem with it. Just recently though, in the consumption or energy we see little yellow diamonds with a E inside it. Up above it say E= 50 wgh regenerating. Does anyone kinow what this means? We read the book but it doesn't show anything like that. I would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks for this read mate. Well, this is my first visit to your blog! But I admire the precious time and effort you put into it, especially into interesting articles you share here!

It means that regenerative braking system has generated 50 watts of electricity stored in the hybrid battery. When a Prius is coasting or braking the electric motor becomes a generator to provide braking power by generating electrictiy that is stored in the main battery. Each star represents 50 watts being generated. When you push the brake pedal the regenerative braking system is engaged. If you push harder then the AntiLock Braking System comes on. So, if you drive with a light foot your ABS system is rarely used. My 2001 Prius has 218,000 miles with the original brake lining on the rear wheels.

A Prius always starts moving on battery power and engages the gasoline engine when acceleration requires it, The speed at which this happens varies by model and load. At 90,000 miles the car should have no problems but is approaching the limit of the hybrid battery warranty. The battery should last close to 200,000 miles but some have failed around 120,000. Driving a hybrid is different from driving an ordinary car. Watch the Consumption Display and it will help you get the best results. Good luck.

Greetings mentors..... just purchased a used '04 Prius with 84,000 miles on it. Wondering:1) what is best way to have 12v battery health assessed? 2) Is it normal to have no windows, radio, lights able to function unless power is on (after button pressed/brake pressed)? 3) Is it normal for gas engine to always kick on within ten(or so) seconds even when stopped still. Or should the engine start only after accelerator is first pressed (R or D)? Many Thanks!

TD: If your car died with the gas gauge reading 1/4 tank, it means your car ran out of gas, and the GAUGE IS WRONG. This is an extremely common complaint about the Priii equipped with the flexible bladder fuel tanks. The fuel gauges are NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

Is it REALLY that much trouble to refuel the car when it gets below half tank?

My Prius gets MORE miles driven on half tank than any other car I owned ever got on a full tank.

Ithican:

1. ANY car battery (including Prius) can only be quantitatively tested by a battery load tester. BUT if you want "quick and dirty". Get a voltage meter. Fully charged the battery should be in the range of 12.25 to 12.5 volts. Then turn the headlights on WITHOUT starting the car. Does the battery voltage drop in 15 or 30 minutes? A good battery should hold the headlights for at least 30 minutes with over 11 volts left. Also, check the battery voltage after the car has been parked for 2-3 days, and make sure the battery voltage is not dropping as the car is parked.

2. Your Prius should have "accessory" functions in the power button. Read the owner's manual. On my 2008, when you press the power button WITHOUT touching the brake pedal, the car cycles from "accessory 1" (radio) to "accessory 2" (windows, wipers, radio) to "off" every time you push the power button.

3. Yes. the gas engine always starts shortly after the car powers up, UNLESS you select the "electric mode only" switch when starting the car. NOTE: North American Prius DOES NOT HAVE the "electric mode only" switch. It's only on the Prius sold in Japan. USA and Canada forced Toyota to warrenty the battery for 100,000 miles, so the electric mode only function was deleted to extend battery life.

Thinking of buying an 04 Prius with 100k. Can the main power battery($4000) one be tested to tell it condition? Thanks

Just discovered my 2007 Prius was dead as a door nail after sitting overnight in 60 degree Arizona winter weather. Dealer's say get your wallet out for $170- @268. Havent corrected the problem on this 46k mile Prius yet but am turned off at the pricey quotes for a lawnmower size 12 volt that no AUTO PARTS STORES SEEM TO SELL.

so how far can you drive that thing for $10?

I think your dealer is lying to you. I have never turned my "smart key" function off. And I have parked in airport parking lots for up to 9 days. When I get in, the 12v battery is still showing full charge, and the car starts up perfectly normally.

One of two problems- you have a "phantom load", something is drawing substantial power (that is supposed to be shut off).

OR you have a bad battery (12v) that needs replacing.

Start with the easy to find problem- have the 12v battery LOAD TESTED. Don't let somebody just check the voltage, the condition of a battery can ONLY be tested under load.

If there's nothing wrong with the battery, start looking around for something that might be drawing power from the car's battery when it's shut off.

Hi Shanzaymalik, welcome to our world!

One important thing to remember about the Prius 12v battery is that UNLIKE every other car made, the Prius 12v battery DOES NOT start the car's engine.

The big 200v propulsion battery is the engine starter battery.

On every normal car, the 12v battery gets a quick load test every time we hit the starter. When the battery gets old, sooner or later we notice that the engine is cranking slower, and s l o w e r, and s...l...o...w...e...r.

But with the Prius, the 12v battery ONLY has to boot the computers and bring the 200v battery on line. So the 12v battery can get REALLY weak before we notice something is wrong.

With the Prius, you REALLY need to keep track of the 12v battery health BEFORE problems start cropping up.

Eric,
I live in the SF Bay area and I have just been told that I need to spend $3400 to replace my battery on my 2001 Prius or spend $1800 on fixing a bad cell at the Toyota dealership. Can you point me to someplace that would charge a lot less? Thanks.

Lindsay

I came to this site because my sis-in-law offered to sell us her 2008 pkg 6 (nav and reverse view kit) 40K mile California good condition Prius for $13.5K. Ive been a SUV and Corvette owner my whole 50 year life, other than my nice Honda motorcycle. So Im doing my homework to see if this opportunity is really worth it or not. Im also an electrical engineer who understands power and micro-electronics, so Im not frightened by these power issues. I think anyone that has owned even just a battery powered laptop should understand that batteries have a lifespan that part of the owners cost equation and whos lifespan is dependant upon many factors, including charging and discharging, useage and environmentals... and of course good ole Murphy's Law.

So OK, Im willing to consider less acceleration and braking power compared to my trusty GM V8 products in place with less costs at the pump. Most of our driving is soccer mom style driving with the weekend warrior LA freeway driving and occasional local vacation getaways. Is this Prius car for us?

Having just had to deal with the GMC and 3rd party subsequent >80K warrantee on my SUV, and seeing how they wiggled out of paying for repair bills with their T&Cs in their contract, Im very concerned with the warrantee now.

It appears that to own a hybrid, one now has to be very aware of their driving habits (more micromanagement in our lives, great) and always concerned about battery care. It also seems that now we have to look at the life of the battery as a major consideration in buying a used hybrid. How does one test the condition of the battery from a lifespan perspective, just the miles? And what of the warrantee on the battery, is the replacement costs pro-rated or does the dealer warrantee cover the whole thing? What happens to the warrantee when buying from a private seller? What are the conditions on the warrantee that have to be met so that all the electrical components of this vehicle are covered?

Off hand, it appears that its wise to unload these hybrids somewhere between 1/2 to 3/4 of their warrantee life if they are expecting Kelly BB value prices. Am I right? Like, who would want to buy these at 75K miles for say $11-15K if they are also possibly facing an additional $4-5K battery replacement. How would one recapture this cost when its time to sell it again? For all the gains of a hybrid car, it appears they are becoming disposable and shorter lifespan vehicles when compared to 200K mile plus combustion only vehicles. The $4k battery replacement cost becomes the grim reaper of every aging and resold hybrid. This is a whole new concept Im getting my mind wrapped around when considering my first hybrid as an used car.

Has anyone done any cost of ownership cost analysis for a Prius versus say a comparable sized gas-only vehicle over 3, 5, 8 years (or over 50, 80, 120K miles)?

I have a 2007 Prius. I was in an accident Friday night. While waiting for the police to arrive I had my flashers on. After 25-30 minutes the battery died. I had no power whatsoever, could not even roll up the window. Does anyone know how that will affect the battery performance? Can it simply be recharged, or will I end up needing a new battery? I have 87000 miles on the car. Thanks!

Lisa O

This is a pretty good read on the multiple batteries on board a Prius:

http://hybridcarsbattery.info/prius-battery-recharge

Hi Lisa,
We have been using prius. By reading your post, I think your 12v. small battery is run down. Jusr charge this and you should be fine. BTW you did not mentioned, if the accident had any damage to your car?

Hi AV8R.
Glad to meet someone considering a non-tree hugger like me.
I bought my 2005 Prius new. I now have 150,000 miles (trouble free) on it. My wife and I have taken it through every one of the contiguous United States and through most of the Canadian Provinces. We have been coast to coast 3 times, taken the speed up to 106 mph three times (Montana and Nevada) and the only thing replaced have been tires. I always use synthetic oil and never go over 8,000 miles without changing it. Since the engine duty cycle is approximately 60 gas 40 electric, even with regular oil, Toyota recommends changing the oil at 5000 miles instead of the normal 3000 for normal gas engines.
I bought this car because I'm a techie and although I like the "green" aspect of the car, that is far from being my primary concern. My wife doesn't drive so when we pull off at rest areas when we get tired, we put both seats all the way back, close off the windows, bring out the pillows and sleep comfortably for a couple of hours before continuing our trip. Running the air conditioner all the time with the car closed up is no problem since it's electric and carbon monoxide poisoning is of no concern.
This is the best car that we have ever owned (I'm 74 and retired). I am about to trade it in for another Prius modified with a rechargeable battery pack that will allow between 20 to 40 miles in electric only mode. Great for local shopping and local gadding about plus no other restrictions on long distance traveling when we want to.
My advice is find a good local mechanic that you can trust and NEVER take the car to a Toyota dealership unless it's in warranty. We have had three tanks at over 600 mile range and several at 400 mile range but most between 450 and 550 miles per tank.
If you do purchase one, I hope you enjoy it as much as we have and expect to with our next one.
Good luck
Pat.

hi all is there anybody who can help me with my 1998 nhw10 prius? please help? please help? please help? i'm from mongolia , darkhan city

I've been told by my dealership to replace the "big" battery in my 2001 Prius . . . 115,000 miles. I'd like to try recharging the battery but don't know the going rate. Can anyone tell me cost? Also, what luck have you had replacing the battery with a used battery of newer vintage? My Toyota dealer won't do it. Who does? thanks!

Can anyonen confirm what I seem to deduce from the discussion on (main) battery life i.e that the Prius battery is soley determined by milegae and not length of time it existed?? I have a 9 year old car with only 62K on it but am slightly conscerned that the vehicle's age might edetermine hwne the battery wil diie. If teh battery will last 100K-150K miles then that should mean I can keep teh car for anotehr 5 years or so given my low mileages.

Did you ever get the answer to your question? I have the same question.

thanks

I am interested in purchasing a Toyota prius, and I wanted to now a few things beforehand.
1) How much does it cost to but a new battery?
2) How much does it cost to have the battery put into the vehicle?
3) How often to do have to replace the battery?
4) What harmful gases does the battery produce?
5) Where do they send the old battery after it needs to be replaced?
I need these answer ASAP, so please hurry.

AAA sells them installed for $54.95

I bought a 02 Prius and everything was going great and then the check engine turned on and then the car starts to shake and seems to turn off but the car is still running also the brake signal also turns on what can I do ...

Good luck doing this in your driveway. If for some crazy reason that it’s not the battery, causing your car not to start.. The battery package has some zip! If you get shocked, would you think your friend Jonathan is going to visit you in hospital? But to save money when you should’ve bought gas powered car so you don’t have this issue.. Go for it. Good Luck!!

Mr. Bear - You are precisely right on all 5 points! There is one thing that a Prius Owner can do and that is rebuild the battery using second generation batteries that last longer. It costs about $500 dollars and takes an unskilled worker about 6 hours or so to do it in their home/garage. I know several hundred people have had success with this.

(I happen to sell the guide- but you don't have to buy the guide to be able to do it)

Best,

Lou
www.hybridbatteryrebuild.com

Hi, if its helpful a hybrid specialist mechanic told me the mileage doesnt make that much difference. I have a 2000 Gen2 Prius thats done 147000km (91000miles) and have been told my hybrid battery needs replacing (or reconditioning) due to a faulty cell. I thought that mileage was quite low compared with what I was led to believe at the time of purchase.

Also, in completely non-technical terms, can anyone help me with the link between the 12V battery and the main battery? My 12V battery went dead a month ago, we jumpstarted it and it went fine. Now a month later my warning light goes on and I'm told my hybrid battery needs replacing. Is this coincidental or did one lead to the other? thanks

I have had my 2005 Prius for about six months. Something forced my emergency button down on my remote and the alarm went off three times. I couldn't get it to shut off and didn't realize the button was stuck. The next day the doors wouldn't unlock using the remote. I bought a new battery for the remote. Didn't fix it. I went to the dealer and bought a new remote and had it programmed. (My spare was stolen by a burgler recently.) He said they did a "safety inspection" and everything was OK. When I went to leave the dealership I was having trouble getting my car into drive. It indicated it was in N, when I had the shifter in any position, but when I took my foot off the break, the car would move backwards without the obnoxious beep usually emitted when in reverse. I played with the shifter a few times with similar result. I was late for an appointment so I turned the car off and started over. Everything was fine and I drove off.

Several miles and stops later I was driving home. It was dark. I was on a narrow two-lane, curvy highway. On one of the curves all my lights went off. I was driving around a curve and not able to see anything. I turned my light switch on and off several times without success. I hit the brake and came to a stop. I still couldn't see anything. I quickly opened the door and saw I was next to the fog line on the opposing traffic side of the road. I could see part of a hillside. I drove to the other side of the road with my door open until I came to the fogline on the right and parked on the soft gravel shoulder. There was a hill on my left and a drop off on my right. I was lucky I didn't hit the hillside or go over the embankment. I turned my car off and back on. The headlights came back on. There was no cellphone service in the area. Pretty scary. Someone stopped and I was able to follow them 50 miles to my hometown. One of my headlights turned off and came back on a couple times during the drive, but they didn't all go out at once again.

I called the dealer today and relayed my experience. He told me they would have to check my 12V battery, but that was the most likely cause. He also said it could be the headlights themselves along with something else.

I had done a lot of car camping with this car in the last month. It had been parked for several days at different campsites, and the doors and back hatch had been opened frequently. Maybe that is what drained the battery. ???

My post is mostly to inform and warn Prius owners of the possibility that their lights could go off unexpectantly. Be careful.

I have a 2005 Prius that I purchased new and now has 211,500 miles on it. Recently, I have been having trouble with my battery loosing charge both while driving it first thing in the morning or in a lot of stop and go traffic. Sometimes I have to turn off the air conditioner to get the car to charge. I have ordered a new auxillary battery from the dealer to see it that is the problem. This battery from the dealer will run me less than $200.

Besides this problem, I have NEVER had any issues with this car. Besides the fact that this is a terribly uncomfortable car to drive on long trips I just could not be more thankful for how this little car has performed over the years. All the original parts and NO major repairs. Only the routine maintenance. I feel very lucky after reading some of the stories here. I would buy another Prius in a heartbeat!

All excellent points Sarah. While the Prius is a fantastic car sometimes the technology can be frustrating and issues can come up all of a sudden, leaving the driver stranded.

R u dumb or just stupid

My brother-in-law is shopping for cars and considered a hybrid but a family member told him that because he leaves his car parked most of the time and drives less that 4,000 miles a year, it would shorten the life of his hybrid battery. I've looked elsewhere for support for this argument but haven't found any. Is this a myth? Is there any truth to the idea that infrequent driving will cause the hybrid batteries to fail sooner than normal?

My 2008 Prius won't shut off !!!! ... .
The same thing happend about a month ago and I took it into the toyota dealership. They tested the small battery and said it was strong and they couldn't even drain it! .. Suddenly, with no warning, the dash lights came on and I was able to shut it off.

Today it's all happening again ... The car is sitting in my driveway with a full tank of gas and just running. The key is in the house .. and if someone were to walk up and try to drive away with the car, they could.
This is crazy ... anyone know what I should do?

I have 120,000 miles on 2005 Prius, dealer said hybrid battery bad. Toyota corporate said they would cover half of cost of batteries, $1297, so it left me with over 2000 due, local dealer gave no discount, wouldn't even return my calls although they had my car. I opted to buy and install hybrid battery myself. Lots of labor to take out panels, seat backs, shielding, spare tire, air vents-time more than skill...Piece that I didn't know going in that I should have planned to replace 12volt at same time, (especially since car already ripped apart allowing access) until I did car would not run- flat surface error message as described above was due to low power in 12v. New batteries - cost a grand, but life is good again. I will never feel the same about toyota since dealer nor corporate returned calls as promised, and made me wait over a week for a determination. Thank to all who helped me figure out my issues here.