first gen prius troubles -need help

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Tdorr, Aug 29, 2012.

  1. Tdorr

    Tdorr New Member

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    I am a new member but I could use some advice. I own a 2001 Prius which I bought from an aquaintance 7 years ago. It has 132,000 miles on it. Last week the display lit up with dreaded triangle and battery icon indicating trouble. I took it in to local mechanic. He said the hybrid battery had a bad cell. He cleared the display. I drove it for 2 days and then the same display came on again but this time I also noticed that the engine was revving up on it's own and the brake light also showed up on the display. I drove it over to the local mechanic. He said I needed to replace the hybrid battery. Okay. But why would the engine rev and simultaneous brake light display. Is this an additional problem or is it related to the battery? I would consider putting in a rebuilt battery if that was the only problem. Please, any advice would help.
     
  2. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Give us the codes its throwing.
     
  3. Tdorr

    Tdorr New Member

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    I am a new member but I could use some advice. I own a 2001 Prius which I bought from an aquaintance 7 years ago. It has 132,000 miles on it. Last week the display lit up with dreaded triangle and battery icon indicating trouble. I took it in to local mechanic. He said the hybrid battery had a bad cell. He cleared the display. I drove it for 2 days and then the same display came on again but this time I also noticed that the engine was revving up on it's own and the brake light also showed up on the display. I drove it over to the local mechanic. He said I needed to replace the hybrid battery. Okay. But why would the engine rev and simultaneous brake light display. Is this an additional problem or is it related to the battery? I would consider putting in a rebuilt battery if that was the only problem. Please, any advice would help.

    Read more: http://priuschat.com/threads/first-gen-prius-troubles-need-help.114422/#ixzz252ZZEz6H
     
  4. Tdorr

    Tdorr New Member

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    The codes are: P3000 and P3006 P3011 and C1259
     
  5. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    Moderator note: Moved to the Gen 1 discussion area.

    Also, merged the OPs 2 seperate threads on this issue. Please don't post new threads about the same topic. Thanks! :)
     
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The DTC codes confirm that you have a bad traction battery. The first three codes are logged by the traction battery ECU:

    P3000 indicates a traction battery ECU problem, but this is probably just related to the next two codes.
    P3006 indicates that the traction battery is bad.
    P3011 provides the specific module pair that has uneven state-of-charge compared to the other 18 pairs.

    C1259 is the skid control ECU reporting that there is a regen malfunction and this is why the brake warning light is on. The regen malfunction is due to the traction battery.

    The engine is revving up because it has to make up for insufficient power coming from the traction battery under low speed acceleration.
     
  7. Tdorr

    Tdorr New Member

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    Thank you for the information. It sounds like I need to replace the battery.
     
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, if you want to keep the car. I suggest you determine the market value of the car and compare to the proposed repair price once you get a quote.
     
  9. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    It would be interesting to know what part of the country/world you are in. That might help other's with longevity questions concerning the traction battery.

    It is evident that the traction battery lasted many years (2001 model).

    If you would, please post additional info about your location, or at least update your profile.

    It sounds like you got a lot of life out of the car when you consider the age of the car.

    Good luck with your decision regarding the battery.