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About to cry ... '05 Prius battery died ...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by hzyoung, Aug 18, 2010.

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  1. hzyoung

    hzyoung New Member

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    2005 Prius
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    I'm absolutely in shock and near tears! My 05 Prius battery has died on me! I drove it Monday morning and parked it for the day while at work ... when I returned that evening to go home ALL of the "danger" light on the dash were lit. The owner's manual stated to "bring immediately to your dealership" or something like that .. so I did.

    Yesterday, the service guy called saying that they did some diagnostics but could not identify the problem and more "searching" would need to be done.

    Today, the service manager called with the bad news. The battery (not the 12V but the other one - I'm "car illiterate") is done and will cost me $4K + to have replaced and installed, etc. :confused:
    :faint:
    Is this realistic??! 5 years and the battery is done?? I've got another car that's 12 years old, has over 150K miles and is still on its original battery (and only driven 1x per month!).

    I'm beside myself on what to do here! Can someone please help or provide any insight because I learned long ago that most dealerships (and their respective service reps) are only looking out for the company, not the car owners?

    Thanks in advance everyone!
     
    #1 hzyoung, Aug 18, 2010
  2. svllee

    svllee Junior Member

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    Hi there, i think you need to check with Toyota as here in the UK, all Prius have a 8 year (could be 10, not 100% certain) 100,000 guarantee on the Hybrid system. My dealer recently told me that even if a battery fails, there's a good chance Toyota will replace it free or reduced rate, simply for publicity and goodwill aspects.

    Sorry to hear.

    SL


     
    #2 svllee, Aug 18, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  3. eldiee

    eldiee Member

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    How many miles do you have? It is under warrenty up to 100000 miles and some states 150000 miles. Also, the price is to high from the dealor for replacement as if you search for more info you will find that it should be a lot less than they quoted you.
     
    #3 eldiee, Aug 18, 2010
  4. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Hmm...yes unless you've exceeded the mileage, you should still be under warranty. That's where I'd start. Even if you have exceeded the mileage, there have been threads where owners have succesfully negotiated a pro-rated discount from Toyota for replacement if the failure was deemed premature. I'd think you'd have a good case.

    I also agree with those saying 4k+ is ridiculous for replacement even at a dealership. You need to do a thread search, but even for brand new at a dealership it should be less.

    The other advice? I know it can be shocking and disturbing to suddenly have a major auto problem and be told you need a $4000+ repair, but you need to focus and calm down, the next step of the process is likely to be discovering other options and/or negotiating with Toyota and that dealership and/or different one.

    In your situation I would 1st investigate why this isn't being offered as being covered by your warranty. 2nd, I'd contact Toyota, and maybe 3rd...I'd investigate other dealerships inwhich I could take my automobile, 4k+ and NOT offering you any information about your warranty seems.....bad.

    Good Luck.
     
    #4 The Electric Me, Aug 18, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  5. hzyoung

    hzyoung New Member

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    I have just over 115K miles on the Prius. I *LOVE* my Prius and am absolutely in physical pain over this new development!

    2 questions for the "pros" out here ...

    1. Where can I find out what states have the 150K mile warranty
    2. WHO should I contact at Toyota to find out more about what to realistically do

    I'm in such a state right now that I'm having a hard time focusing on work, etc. ....

    thank you all!
     
    #5 hzyoung, Aug 18, 2010
  6. JimboK

    JimboK One owner, low mileage

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    The warranty in Virginia is 100K miles, so you're out of warranty.

    I strongly suggest you get all the diagnostic trouble codes the dealer pulled, post them here, and get advice from our resident experts. It's not unheard of for dealers to misdiagnose.

    If it is indeed the battery, you likely can find a used one from a salvage vehicle for substantially less money. It's less likely the dealer would install it, but hopefully you can find an indie shop somewhere in the DC area that could do it for you.
     
    #6 JimboK, Aug 18, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  7. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Yes, get the codes. I seriously doubt the traction battery has failed. I'll put my money on a bad 12v battery.
     
    #7 firepa63, Aug 18, 2010
  8. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Wait a sec. Are we talking about the 12V or the hybrid battery?
     
    #8 macmaster05, Aug 18, 2010
  9. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    The OP is talking about the traction (hybrid) battery. I find it difficult to believe it has failed.
     
    #9 firepa63, Aug 18, 2010
  10. hzyoung

    hzyoung New Member

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    Thanks so much everyone! I have contacted the dealership requesting a list of all codes from their diagnostics. I truly *hope* that it's not the hybrid battery, because 5 years is definitely too soon for failure!

    I'll post the codes when I get them, which will hopefully be later today or tomorrow morning (my husband is also working the issue)

    y'all ROCK! :rockon:
     
    #10 hzyoung, Aug 18, 2010
  11. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Could you please post some detail on the driveability etc of the car. Did you have to get it towed to the dealer or was it still driveable? If driveable did it lack power? What was the SOC (state of charge) looking like etc etc. Can you post any more details because it's unusual for the battery to go that suddenly without any warning (sure it's possible, but usually there is some warning of degradation first).
     
    #11 uart, Aug 18, 2010
  12. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #12 JimboPalmer, Aug 18, 2010
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  13. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    My guess is at only 115k you can get Toyota to cover at least PART of this repair...if not all of it. I would start by calling them directly and explaining to them your position and see what you can do. Stay firm but calm.

    I have an independent mechanic who is a Toyota/Lexus master tech as well as a hybrid tech. He services our cars including the Prius. I will ask him if this is something he can do/would do and what kind of cost you would be looking at. He's located in Rockville, MD.

    What dealer is it at?
     
    #13 SW03ES, Aug 18, 2010
  14. wmcbrine

    wmcbrine Junior Member

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    I'd be interested to hear more about this guy. Do you find him cheaper/better than the dealers?
     
    #14 wmcbrine, Aug 18, 2010
  15. hzyoung

    hzyoung New Member

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    WOW ... THRILLED at all the helpful responses here and you all are definitely making me feel less of a "helpless female driver" as I was before :)

    OK ... to answer some of the questions and provide more info ...

    1. Our driving pattern is about 10 miles per day split between morn/eve. I usually check the battery recharge screens just to be sure all is good there before & after each trip.
    2. Car is garage kept overnight but "in the elements" during the day at the commuter lot. It's been insanely hot here in the DC area this summer ... not sure if this could have something to do with rapid battery depletion? Air conditioner has been working great!
    3. Weekend driving is primarily highway about 500 miles or more from VA to DE, although in the Northern VA area, this can sometimes be a 25MPH crawl for an hour or more at a time
    4. We were able to drive it the 8-10 miles to the dealership on Monday, but it was "hesitating" from stoplights and sluggish. The battery reading was at only 1 bar, and would not increase at all ... seems as though the hybrid battery pack would not "recharge" with use, coasting on downhills, etc., etc.

    I just talked to the Service Tech (different one from yesterday ... MUCH easier to talk to/get info. from) and he provided me the following diagnostic codes (ALL of which sound HORRIBLE!):

    P3000 BCS System Failure
    P0A80 Battery System Failure (?)
    P3012 Battery Block too Weak for Charge
    C1310 HV System Malfunction

    We have called an 1-800 number the Service Tech provided for Toyota, and they've provided us with a case number to follow and case worker. We've also been put in touch with the local dealership Service Manager and Customer Relations Manager. The Service Tech also stated that this is the first time he's had a Prius battery fail after only 5 years, even though we're just over the mileage limit (but well within the year limit - VA is 8 years/100K miles). He's hoping that if we *do* need to replace the battery that Toyota will work with us to provide some assistance, etc., etc.

    Other items of note:
    1. The first 3 years of ownership we had regular service (oil changes, etc.) through the dealership as this was included with our purchase. After which we brought the car to another location for such items. I bring the car in every 5K miles for the oil change, AC check, tire rotation (every 10K), etc., etc.
    2. My husband's key fob stopped working for the bluetooth starting and needed to put the fob into the little slot to start the car, etc. This started up for him about 2 months ago - we just thought (still think) it's just a fob battery issue and don't know how to change it. My fob still works just fine. Could this have been a pre-warning?
    3. About a month ago the Navigation System started acting up, giving me the message "Initializing DVD" or something to that extent. I checked all connections (under the driver's seat) and even tried to pop out the DVD with no success (see, I'm not a total automotive idiot!). Just chalked this up to us hitting the unit too hard with something that we were transporting but didn't put too much thought into it. Pre-warning item maybe?

    That's about all I can think of at the moment ... but will update if other items come up or more questions are asked, etc.!
     
    #15 hzyoung, Aug 18, 2010
  16. hzyoung

    hzyoung New Member

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    Steve,
    YES ... please give me his name!!! Guessing he works at the place by Montgomery Mall? I grew up in Bethesda ...
    Heather
     
    #16 hzyoung, Aug 18, 2010
  17. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    Most of those other items would make me suspect the 12V battery. Also be aware that there are many authorized Toyota parts dealers (ie dealerships that sell on line) that will sell you a new traction battery for around $2000 plus there is a $200 rebate from Toyota for any "dead" traction battery. Replacing the battery is not a long tough job either.
     
    #17 jelloslug, Aug 18, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  18. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    If you're still on the original 12V battery, replace it regardless of how well it tests. The standard test procedure for 12V batteries seems to pass ones that don't work in a Prius. Low voltage in the 12V system causes all sorts of strange reports from ECUs that are just starved for power.

    Put a new battery in the keyfob. Getting the sliding cover off a unit that has never been opened in 5 years is going to be the problem.

    There is a magic rain dance (tap dance?) for putting the display unit in test mode where you can read the 12V system voltage. It would be useful to know that the inverter is putting out about 13.8 volts when the car is running. (Can someone provide a pointer to the MFD test mode?)

    Another possibility is a bad wiring connection. Cleaning corrosion off things is a lot cheaper than $4000!

    Decent eBay batteries run about $700.
     
    #18 RobH, Aug 18, 2010
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  19. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    #19 firepa63, Aug 18, 2010
    2 people like this.
  20. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    Just go to the parts dept and they will change the fob battery.
     
    #20 andyprius, Aug 18, 2010
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