Battery Myth Busted

If you got your car back in one day, I highly doubt it's hybrid battery that they replaced. Toyota just don't keep the hybrid battery laying around in the parts department.

 

...if our 2006 Prius HV batts ever do die (hope not) I am thinking we can save big $$$$ (four figures?) by going with 3rd party replacement battery. BTW that was a very nice price for 12v replacement, so your approach seems to working.

 

You got a new 12v battery. The lead acid thing in the boot. Not a hybrid battery.

When the car is cold, the HV battery is 100% physically disconnected from the car and only the 12v is used. So if it didn't start well, then it is the 12v battery plain and simple.

 

I have experienced both types of battery failures in my 2006 Prius and my 12V experience was more in line with StevO's recent situation. I have also included some embarrassing anecdotes to give some additional information, and so that people will not follow my dumb actions.

March 2006 - purchased my 2006 Gen II Prius

August 2006 - 6,039 miles - I was in Orlando (very hot weather) and ran out of gas, I limped two miles to a gas station in EV mode (I don't advise this as it is a dumb idea!!!)

(Various dates) I probably let the 12V battery die about three times. Leaving the dome light on, leaving a door open while the car was in the garage, and one time I stopped at a rest stop for a nap, I shut off the engine but I didn't realize that if you don't exit the car the headlights stay on.

October 2010 - 53,914 miles - 12V battery failed. Replaced at Toyota dealer $167.97 parts, $39 labor, $10.08 tax, $217.05 total. Considering the abuse that I gave the battery I was happy that it lasted four years. I haven't let it run down since then so hopefully this one will last longer.

July 2011 - 67,731 miles - Driving back from Florida on a very hot day I ran out of gas and again limped to a gas station in EV mode. (I don't advise this as it is a really, really dumb idea!!!). This time I didn't quite make it as the battery depleted and I had to walk the remaining half mile. Obviously this is not good for the hybrid battery for it to completely drain.

November 2011 - 71,660 miles - The car was working absolutely fine until one morning when I got the big red triangle with exclamation point. Although the car seemed to run fine. I immediately headed for the dealer, on the way I noticed that the hybrid battery level was going down. It finally reached bottom and I had to drive the rest of the way to the dealer on ICE only, and I found out how much we rely on the hybrid battery for acceleration. ICE was fine for cruising but if I stopped at a red light it was incredibly slow trying to get going again on gas power alone.

The Toyota dealer replaced the hybrid battery under warranty. They also replaced the inverter water pump as a recall item which included changing the inverter coolant. I even got two free days rental of a Camry. $0 out of pocket.

The moral of the story of course is don't do what I did, even though I got a new hybrid battery very late into the warranty which hopefully will last many years, and so far I have had no other problems so I am hoping that no other harm was done to the hybrid system or electronics by my dumb action of continuing to drive after running out of gas.

An argument could be make that the car should not be able to be run in EV mode if you run out of gas. However I am guessing that they allow it so that you can move your car off the road to a safe location. It is not intended to allow you to continue driving to the gas station, which may be tempting if it is just a couple of miles away however you run great risk to your car by doing so, and it is in fact a dumb idea.

 

LOL! So great.

In an effort to squelch misguided and uniformed myths about Hybrid Traction Batteries, their cost and failure rate...

The OP starts a uninformed and misguided new thread starting a whole new uniformed and misguided myth...

The Myth of the $183.00 Hybrid Traction Battery.

Oh well? The OP should of known better just based on the price. But I suppose no harm, no foul.

 

Ok so it's all been figured out back in reply #13. The OP had a misunderstanding or a miscommunication with the dealer. Time to stop beating him up over it. :deadhorse:

 

OK, now that everybody has figured out what's what with the batteries, I have a question about the OP still. When the 12V battery gets tired, and one starts to "have trouble starting the car" - just what does that mean in the case of the Hybrid system that doesn't start like a normal gasoline car? I mean it isn't like the engine spins over slowly and doesn't fire, right? It isn't like a starter solenoid just goes click. What are symptoms of "having trouble starting" in this case? I have had the situation where pushing the power button makes nothing happen. Is that what we're talking about?

 

wow so 2 times hv battery drain in EV feul out mode ( and tthat not even a drain because it stopt at a low but not to low SOC ) and it wil damage your hv battery?... thats not good.....

 

Toyota should engineer a special backup circuit for situations like this. It would be a sound effects chip that would go "RRr, RRRrrr, RRrrr, Click, click click click" and then nothing.

Tom

 

Or why didn't Toyota instead of a CEL just say on the MFD:

Detected 12 volt battery voltage is low. Replace 12 volt battery.

Of course if that happened there may have never been a Priuschat as that seems to be the bulk of questions here.

 

You would still have the people asking "Do I use B mode to charge the battery?"

Tom

 

Its not that the engine turns on its the car goes into "READY". It says READY on the dashboard when a successful turn on happens. Which doesn't neccessarily mean the engine needs to turn on. When its in READY you can put it in gear and drive away even without the engine on.
And if this car needs just one jump start that usually means that little 12 volt AGM is done. Its a time bomb after that as you as you & thousands of others have found out.

Both you guys have close to 7500 posts each and 6 years on this site and your still scratching your heads about the 12 volt battery?