2008 Prius traction battery failure

Glad to hear that they are taking care of you...

As a relatively new prius owner, just wondering, does the car stop working once the traction battery goes? Or will it still work without ev mode and getting lower mpg?

 

On a sample size of 1 you can not reliably determine the average lifespan of anything.
If there are 10 people that are claiming that they have done 300k+ and you claiming 90k, what is the average?
Although it could be that it was a manufacturing fault since it's not a normal lifespan for a battery.

There was a thread in here a few years back where people determined that batteries do tend to last more than 10 years (at least on Gen1).

Now battery longevity IS a problem and still one of the reasons why I would never consider an EV or PHEV. Batteries for those cost upwards of $12,000 to $28,000 for a Tesla Roadster. You got yours for nothing.



merged.

No, you cant start the engine without the traction battery or move that car, except for pushing it.

 

Typical battery lasts 60-80,000???
You are making a joke, right?

That is absolutely false.

For your battery to shows signs of "failure" at a measly 87,000 there must have been extenuating circumstances. (Sitting for long periods of time, low 12v, short trips leaving it at low SOC, etc)

There's a good chance your battery didn't need to be replaced at all, actually.

But congrats on the replacement.

Whatever conditions this car was under before, I'd try to avoid them so the replacement one doesn't fail prematurely as well.

 

first, you posted in the wrong forum. second, why wasn't it covered by warranty?

the OP is in TX, that may count as one (heat).

 

Well, see what you get with the new battery and that might be an indicator of the state of the last one when you bought it.
If it was standing empty longer that a year it is usually as good as dead, even if it is force charged afterwards it will die much sooner.

 

Batteries need tune-ups, too. Why maintain the rest of the car and ignore the battery. They are worth maintaining before they fail, and can often be recovered if in the early stages of 'failure'.

Problem is people just don't know it's an possibility. We are trying to change that but it is an uphill battle.

 

To get a new battery installed by Toyota for $225 is like hitting the jackpot. I'll take that anyday.

 

Our products allow you to easily maintain your own battery at home, without having to pay anyone to do it for you. For an investment of under $400, you can perform unlimited reconditioning of the battery for the rest of the life of the vehicle, without ever having to remove the battery from the car.

Interested parties can learn more here:
Prolong Battery Systems. Extending the life of your hybrid. - Hybrid Automotive

 

If you had an engine failure is a car you bought used would you then say you'd never by a car with an engine again?

A. You had bad luck in the car you bought...most hybrids go 150K plus miles without needing a new battery. You just got unlucky...probably because you didn't know the history of the battery and didn't even know you needed to know the history of it.

B. You had unbelievable good luck in that Toyota fixed it for you for almost free.

Mike

 

I think age is a greater fact in battery failure. I still don't understand the warranty -- I thought they were 10 years 100k -- unless CA emission state that takes you out to 150k.

Can't fault Toyota or your dealer -- they treated you very well. Parts fail .. no manufactured item has a zero failure rate.

 

I replace more batteries in older low mileage cars than average to high mileage cars. IMO age is much more a factor than miles in battery life. You also pay a huge premium when you purchase a car with low miles. The money saved by buying average to high miles would typically buy a new battery.

 

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I recently went shopping for a Gen 2 and I noticed this, too. So my target mileage range was right around 100K miles, hoping to get 60K more reliably for a relatively low initial cost in a car I like and trust, and worst case I can still afford to replace the battery. It would no longer be a great deal, but then I'd have a nice car with a new battery. BTW, my last battery replacement was a lucky salvage from a wreck, net cost was $500 after selling the core, and it worked very well for 50K+ miles until I sold the car. You don't have to pay too much of a premium for these cars with a little work and some luck.

 

Unless I'm missing something, I think you're over-estimating your dealer's goodwill. As stated earlier, the warrantee is for 10 years or 100K miles -- whichever comes first.

You're 2 years and 13K miles from your warranty expiring. It would seem to me that you're entitled you to a new battery free of charge.

 

Warranty is not the same for everywhere, you know.

 

I'm still curious about this background on this Prius

Was this a daily driver?

What were the error codes at the point of the final "failure"?

 

Dumb question:
If over charging and "super" discharging our traction battery extends it's life why did Toyota design it for an 80% - 40% operating range??