prius 2010 hybrid batteries dead at 126000km and up on atleast 3 taxis i know of

You, a human, can be killed by a little virus. Or if a little artery gets plugged, you may loose a limb or die too.

Maintenance is always needed.

 

Socrates, have you find more info about the battery failure events? What really happened, or what the dealer's staff have found...

 

I no longer use mine as a cab but have started to notice what could be the beginnings of the HV battery failing! I'm only at 65,000 miles/105,000 km!

When the car has been in heavy traffic and reduced to 2 bars it takes an age now to get it back upto 6 bars - a little while to 3 bars, no time at all to 4 bars, a little while to 5 and a while upto 6 bars. It always seemed to be a smooth time curve whereas now there's that quick spot at 3/4 bars. Going the other way - discharging when in traffic or sat, the car will stay at 6 bars for a good long while and then fairly quickly drops from 5 to 3 bars, then slows for a while at 3 to 2 bars. It just seems there is a low or dead spot at that 3 & 4 bar stage.

I'm out of warranty (ran out at 60k miles), the dealer says the HV is within tollerances and my fuel economy is still great. So am I seeing the start of wear or have I got nothing better to look at and thus analysing it too much?

 

Each bar does not refer to the same energy increase/decrease. The 6th bar (normal flat road) holds a range of SOC wider than the others.
You might be worried in excess...

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the battery under warranty for 8 yr's?

 

8 years/100K miles in most US states and 10 years/150K miles in CA and CARB states.

Problem is, outside the US, HV batteries can be much shorter in time and/or mileage. AFAIK, the CARB emission HV battery warranty is the longest in the world.

 

It WAS 8 years 100k miles here for the gen2 but when the gen3 came out they reduced it to 5 years 60k miles (to match the mileage of the non hybrid side). Then there was all that trouble with the recalls in 2010 so they increased it to 100k miles for everything (hybrid and non hybrid side).

Unfortunately I have one of the early models in that first 6 months with the lower 60k mile hybrid warranty. I can't trade it in as the 2nd hand values for these cars with the lower warranty is about 30% lower. I'm waiting until I can legally hand the car back (small print in the hire purchase agreement) and will do so at that time. If there's a hit, then it's a problem for Toyota Finance and not me!

 

Maybe the UK drivers are different but in all other parts of Europe the battery carries a warranty of 8 years for 2nd and 3rd gen.

 

A german TV show (March 23, 2012 "Abenteuer Auto" on KabelEins) tested three taxis and one of them was a 2nd gen Prius with more than 300'000km. The result was more than positive. Especially, the only parts that had to be replaced where the front brake disks and pads due to wear. No repairs, no problems, no battery issues. On the rear seats the wear of the leather was heavy but that's it. Due to the very low maintenance costs, lowest fuel consumption (although 5.8l/100km average is a lot!)and great feedback from the drivers as well as their customers the Prius won against Mercedes E Class Diesel, Volkswagen Passat with Natural Gas and Dacia (very low price car from Romania).

Here's the video (in German):
Part1:
Der ultimative Qualitäts-Check, Teil 1 - Abenteuer Auto

Part2:
Der ultimative Qualitäts-Check, Teil 2 - Abenteuer Auto

In Zurich (largest city of Switzerland), the amount of Prius Taxis has significantly grown since the Gen3 came out. I spoke with some of them before I bought my Gen3 and got very positive feedbacks. One already hat 200'000km and the only issue he had where the mode button at the steering weheel who got sticky when temperatures fell below -15°C and the car sat outside during the night.

 

Robby, I'd check about that 8 month period between September 2009 and May 2010. You might be surprised. It's all a bit hush hush by Toyota. I have been told I get 100k mile warranty by Toyota dealers but when I push them to double check they accept there is that dud period of lower warranty.

Or it might just be a UK thing. I'm still not convinced the gen3 is as 'hardy' as the gen2.

 

What happened if I may ask?

 

GC - consider all the threads here on PC relating to crazy symptoms when the 12v aux battery gets weak. Our Lexus hybrid had symptoms like what you described - and swapping out the aux battery cured it. You never know. That may be all that you're experiencing.
Good Luck!

As for the OP - written about a year ago ... maybe I just missed it, but did he ever say whether the friend's Prius was a Gen I or II ... ?
.

 

My car runs out of the 3 year warranty this June. When I changed to Sumemr tires a week ago I asked the dealer and he told me that I can exptend the warranty (of course I have to pay for that) but the battery carries an 8 year warranty anyways regardless of the mileage. But we only know when it really happens.

Maybe it's a really good idea ot check the state of the aux battery more often.

Well, my parents had a Celica 2000, I had a Corolla Coupe SR, my GF two Gens of MR2 and now a RAV4 and we never ever had any issues with these cars. I just sold another car (3000GT VR4) I owned for more than 10 years and I hope to keep the Prius that long too (knock on wood).

 

Aren't all the Prii manufactured to at least meet a ten year, 150k warranty period even if they're sold in areas that don't require that?

 

Yes and that's what I originally thought would help me. But I'm on my THIRD steering rack/system at only 65,000 miles. These were replaced under the warranty but cost £1200 + 20% vat + fitting.

 

For those of us who don't use our Gen III as taxis, but do drive in hot weather a lot (e.g., American south), say 20K miles/30K km per year,
How often (if at all) should we be inspecting and/of cleaning our fans?

 

It could be the 12v. I understand they last about 4 years or 60k miles. I'm at 65k and it will have had a hard life. The car is also sat a lot now pending my future

The recession. I earnt less last tax year doing 70 hours a week than I would working on minimum wage doing 35 hours weekly. Petrol has gone up 40% in two years YET I can only charge what the local council say I can and they only increase the tariff according to the cost of living index, about 3% pa.

When I started petrol was 10% of my costs, then add the car, insurance and running costs and outgoings worked out about a third of my gross income, leaving 2/3 for me to live and pay my tax bill with. It was worth doing then

Now petrol is running about 30% of my costings (even with the Prius which is 40% less than a diesel car), then adding insurance, running costs, licences etc which have all gone up above inflation and costs added upto about 60% of my income. So I was working 70 hours for 40% before tax at 20%. (an easy calculation of earnings in the good ol' days was about £1 for each mile, 30,000 miles pa = £30,000/$48,000 gross)

Then the trade is getting watered down. The first thing people consider when they've lost their job is to become a cabbie (there's no restrictions on numbers here - the ranks are full and cabs are parked everywhere), so not only is business down, costs up, but there were lots of new drivers working stupid hours. I know of drivers who have done 26 hours in a row!?! Madness and I want no part of that. I'm a professional cabbie, not some scumbag taking drugs to work every hour there is!

As such it just isn't worth working, at least as a cabbie at the moment. Am living on my savings at the moment and hassling my friend network for any jobs.

I could go back to taxi work but not for 70 hours a week for £200($320) before tax.

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