2006 Prius battery replacement needed

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by withoutapaddle, Jun 1, 2010.

  1. withoutapaddle

    withoutapaddle Junior Member

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    Saturday the wife started the Prius, all sorts of warning lights came on. She delivered the car to the dealer this morning. They just called, said it needed a new battery pack, it's under warranty so we aren't paying anything for it. It has 80K miles on it, seems a bit early for that to go out.

    I remember before buying it back in 2006, we asked the dealer how much it would cost to replace one, fearing the cost would make the purchase a poor investment. His response, "Toyota has never replaced one on a Prius....ever."

    I doubt we are the first, and I wonder if he was even being truthful.

    Anyone else had this done?.....just curious

    Thanks
     
    #1 withoutapaddle, Jun 1, 2010
  2. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    YES, it does and has happened. It's rare. However Toyota diagnosed it and will replace the car with another free battery! That's incredible. Now you can drive it another 80,000 miles. Be happy!
     
    #2 andyprius, Jun 1, 2010
  3. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    You were wondering IF the salesman was truthful???????????? Welcome to Mother Earth.:cheer2:
     
    #3 andyprius, Jun 1, 2010
  4. withoutapaddle

    withoutapaddle Junior Member

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    It was 5 years back, and the Prius was debuted in 2000...making the oldest cars only 5 years old.
     
    #4 withoutapaddle, Jun 1, 2010
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You are definitely not the first. I was not the first either. The traction battery on my 2001 was replaced in the fall of 2006.

    Pls post the DTC logged by your car (which should be recorded on your service invoice.)
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Jun 1, 2010
  6. withoutapaddle

    withoutapaddle Junior Member

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    Can you tell me what a "DTC" is? I'll post it when I get the invoice tomorrow.

    :)
     
    #6 withoutapaddle, Jun 1, 2010
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Diagnostic Trouble Code. The various ECUs in the car can produce numerous DTC which help the Toyota tech to figure out what is wrong with the vehicle.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Jun 2, 2010
  8. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Interesting. All of the warning lights coming on at startup is also an indication of a failing 12v battery. Are you sure they are replacing the traction battery?
     
    #8 firepa63, Jun 2, 2010
  9. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Agreed. Ask the dealer what voltages they found on the 12V battery when they tested it. If they are replacing the traction (high voltage) battery without first testing the 12V battery, and replacing that if needed, then they're big dummies. It has been demonstrated several times that a simple pass/fail tester used by many dealers is often not adequate for assessing a Prius 12V battery.
     
    #9 richard schumacher, Jun 2, 2010
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I do not believe it is in the OP's best interests to discourage the installation of a replacement traction battery, free of charge.
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, Jun 2, 2010
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  11. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    !! It's nice to get stuff for free, but that would be abusing the system.
     
    #11 richard schumacher, Jun 2, 2010
  12. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    You lost me there Richard. The dealership concludes the OP's HV Bat is defunct. It is not his/her obligation to question thier decision. There is no abuse of a system when you are unknowing of any facts. The OP is a customer, consumer , not a con artist.
     
    #12 andyprius, Jun 5, 2010
  13. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    When is it moral to take advantage of another's ignorance or carelessness? One might rationalize that the dealer would do the same under other circumstances... besides, if the 12V battery is failing and the dealer doesn't test it properly, then the OP is gonna get stuck again somewhere.
     
    #13 richard schumacher, Jun 6, 2010
  14. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Richard,

    No need to lose sleep in this particular instance: before Toyota will approve traction battery replacement under warranty, the dealer tech has to review the specific situation with Toyota's corporate tech support. Therefore, no worries as it is reasonable to expect Toyota's tech support staff are more knowledgeable and competent than owners like us.
     
    #14 Patrick Wong, Jun 6, 2010
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  15. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    When you're dealing with a car dealer. If you are stupid enough to swap parts out at no cost to me, I'm stupid enough to let you. A "free" new traction battery is a good trade for a $200 12v battery down the road. I can hear Fred Sanford now, "You big dummy."
     
    #15 JimN, Jun 6, 2010
  16. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    :pound:
     
    #16 MJFrog, Jun 7, 2010
  17. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    Pat, Your replies are always just so perfect!
     
    #17 andyprius, Jun 10, 2010
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