Yeah! My traction battery finally died!

My guess is that the 2G traction battery ECU might be more forgiving of individual battery module SOC differences, compared to Classic. Glad to hear that you will finally get a new battery on Toyota's dime.

The traction battery failed under warranty and was replaced on both my 2001 Prius and 2006 HiHy. In both cases the failure happened "overnight".

 

I'd wager the programming is very reluctant to throw that code...

Sounds a lot like Honda: many Civic hybrid owners in similar circumstances.

 

i don't see anything about warranty coverage, did i miss it? is toyota paying? what have been your yearly mpg averages?

 

Or maybe it really is a rare occurrence. Especially when considering how many Prius have been sold worldwide.

 

OP is in CA so I assume his car is subject to the CA 2G traction battery warranty: 10 years / 150K miles.

 

thanks, that's interesting. i was just thinking of the thread by brookside who is having similar long term mpg reduction issues, although i think he's down to about 25 mpg's. wondering if his battery has been deterioraing although he only has 45,000 miles on his 07.

 

i think with your mileage, you did pretty well, even having to pay for the ecu. it's interesting how the battery quality keeps dropping but has to get really bad before it throws a code. if it's that rare (and it seems to be, based on complaints here) you would think they would be willing to replace them before they get that bad.

 

Hi dwg. It would be really cool if you could update this thread to indicate how your MPG fairs with the new battery, once you've had a chance to drive it for a while.

 

Every time I think my traction battery is getting weak I'll get a 52 or higher mpg on a road trip. Town is still 42 to 46, always short trips. 98,000 miles.

 

I have to admit...I've been one of those people that have poo-poo'ed the concerns over battery failure...but I am getting a little concerned about ours...been a run of failures lately...

 

I'm *highly* suspicious of the dealer's claim of the HV ECU needing replacement. Because you paid for it you are entitled to get the old parts, did you?

If so, I'll be happy to test the ECU for you and provide you with a professional opinion.

If not, I'd go to the dealer and demand the return of the ECU.

 

battery ECU is there onlty for the battery and so part of the HSD...? so dont get it wy its not warrantyed under that some thing

yes me to
i think driving a lot over a few years 100k+ is better then driving 60k over 5 years of so for the battery life.
the car sitting stil on your driveway is maybe more damaging dan driving a lot of miles.

yes i also dont get the dealer HV ecu claim
and with a failty battery you dont need a new ECU..... or is this new ecu also better?

110.000miles WOW thats 178637.184 KM and the waranty over here is 150.000km or 8 years.( gen 2 the gen 3 is only 5 years and also lower milages of i am correct )

 

The hybrid vehicle ECU is covered under the 8 year / 100K mile hybrid system warranty. Is it possible that the ECU in question was the engine ECU, which would be covered under the powertrain warranty (5 year / 60K miles) and emissions warranty (80K miles)?

 

Patrick brings up a good point, both the Battery ECU and the HV ECU should be considered part of the Hybrid system, and thus covered.

In either case, even with the Engine ECU (ECM), failures are extremely rare so I would want a second opinion before shelling out that kind of cash.

 

Oh - I can just HEAR the dealer now . . . "um, er, well since you didn't ask for it right then & there . . . um we already disposed of it ... hea hea". I wonder how long they're obligated to hang onto broken stuff. It's not like they can claim there's a core charge.
hwell:

 

The other trick is they take a line cord with 2 bare wires and start touching the terminals. (at least that's my theory) I've seen damage like this to an ECU that the customer demanded back after a similarly questionable repair.

The damage would not have been explainable any other way, and in multiple places the pins were actually vaporized surrounded by black on the connector. Had this somehow inexplicably happened in the car, they would have had to replace the harness as well!

Everyone: If a dealer EVER tries to bilk you for an ECU, get a second opinion, and always ask for your original parts! At the very least you have a spare next time they try to con you. (provided they don't blow it up as I described!)