Help! 2004 - 150K miles and battery issues

Did you buy it used, recently? New? Salvaged? As Efusco says, a little more info is needed. It's uncommon that a Toyota hybrid tech would just walk away saying, 'beats me'. I mean heck, there's $$ to be made! Was it an actual dealer, or just the local shloemoe who made that judgement call? It is not unheard of for the high voltage system, including the nickel batteries, to make it into the 200k longevity range. Is the car garaged? Do you have a block heater? Anyway, the hybrid tech we've used is more than willing to ride with us to watch unusual conditions ... did the repair person repeat your condition so they could see it for their self? All unanswered questions aside, congrat's on membership in the 100K miles plus club, and let us know how things evolve.

 

Doesn't sound like there's a problem, simply less charge available due to battery age.

If there are no codes and pink is only seen during times of strain, all is probably just fine.
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What dealership was this in Vermont? I want to make sure it's not mine!

 

Get it checked out technically and historically as well. You don't know if the previous owner ran out of gas and ran down the HV battery and caused some damage before.

 

That makes a difference.

Why did the previous owner part with the car after so few miles? Was it a rental? Whatever the case, battery abuse could have easily occured before you purchased it.

Good luck.
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It may not be the previous owner but it could be your driving habbit, terrain of your home, etc... Why don't you tell us about how you drive and the history about the car? Do you have an EV mode and how often do you use it? Have you ran out of gas before?

I am just trying to collect data points to understand the battery issue so that maybe I can avoid too.

 

I'd just keep quite and trade it in on a new one.

 

I think this is an option more people should probably explore. 150k miles is not a bad lifespan for a new vehicle. Someone can certainly put a used or refurb battery in and keep it going for another 50k, 100k, or more miles. Ultimately it just depends on if you're willing to put up with an increasing amount of maintenance issues (like any older/high mileage car).

My folks had a head gasket fail in an early 90s Toyota van w/ ~110k miles on the clock. Way out of warranty, and very pricey to fix. Dealer ended up giving them a very generous trade in on a new van, or offered to help with part of the repair cost. Trade in was much better deal so they took it. Dealer should give you at least $9-10k for yours, if not a bit more as a good will gesture. Thats a pretty good chunk out of a new or low mileage used one ....

Batteries can last 200-300k miles, but like anything YMMV. Temperatures, SOC excursions, driving style, terrain, initial process variation will all play into how long your particular battery will end up lasting.

BTW, I would second consulting another dealer. There is quite a lot of data they can read from the battery down to the individual pack level to determine the health of the battery. However the most likely outcome of that is still, you probably need a new battery. Then your choices are buy new from dealer, buy used from junkyard, or try to have your pack rebuilt by one of several pioneering individuals.

rob

 

That's what I'd do.

 

Have you replaced you 12v battery yet? A bad 12v volt battery can drag down you traction battery due to the 12v converter trying to keep dead 12v at 14.7v or what ever the regulator is set to. 4 years is about the service life of a lead acid battery.Jim

 

It may not be a battery problem at all. If the ICE has lost compression and is producing less power after 150K miles, the electric side is having to do more work, draining the battery faster. Have them do a compression and leakdown check of the ICE.

 

Especially since I don't trust that dealership to change my oil anymore. And don't let them change your cabin air filter, they charge $18 for the labor. Buy the filter and do it yourself in 3 minutes for free.

Did Joel (unless they have more than 1 Certified Prius Tech now) look at it or did they give it to some generic mechanic that probably doesn't even know there are 2 batteries in it?

After telling the service manager why I would no longer be bringing our Prii there for general maintenance, he said if I did bring it there, only the Prius Tech would touch it. I'm due for my 60K which includes a valve clearance check. Still trying to decide if I trust them or I should try the dealer in St. Albans.

I don't think there is any reason to let it idle 3-5 minutes in the mornings before you head out, especially since you have a long downhill before you get to I/89. I have noticed that my car uses the electric motor more when the engine is cold. More than likely, your ICE is just idling while you go down the hill anyway (not that this has ANY bearing on your current issue).

 

Is that to get heat for the cabin? Doing this noticeably reduces MPGs.

 

i had the same issues last summer when i was on a trip to CA. my charge went down lower and my 05' prius seemed to struggle. i was near 100k and needed to do a radiator flush. i've since changed my radiator fluid and haven't had any issues. maybe you can check out your fluids. i'm at 120k and going fine now but i haven't hit the mtns yet.

 

I would definitely start small. Start with getting the 12V battery tested. As stated previously the 12V battery can bring the system down. But as a tech and you saying "they couldn't figure it out" I am thinking they could not duplicate the problem and since it's not throwing any codes they are saying it "ok" I would take the tech on a test drive and show him/her the issue, if its replicated that easily. Again, start small then work to larger issues. Before jumping to the hybrid battery packs.

 

hmmm... well, 150,000 miles that is 3000 gallons of gas which is savings of (very conservative estimate) 2000 gallons over a compact car getting 30 mpg (guessing that your weather and driving means only a very small compact will average that)...

2000 gallons saved at same $2.50 is $5,000 you saved by driving the Pri. what other money have you put into it?? brakes?? anything?

well, replacing the battery is about a $3,000 job i think... could offer Sandy something for the brand new traction battery she has in her garage. if not that, i believe there are several options for getting a battery cheap... it is unfortunate the battery may seem to be dying, but all cars have something on them that will potentially fail eventually. not but all cars will save you 3 cents a mile while driving them... in 150,000 miles that adds up