hybrid battery water damage

As everyone has already suggested I'd try a different dealership.

Also, from your original statement? If you are "sure" that there was no water in the back of the car when you pulled the plastic under the plants? Then I would of admitted to nothing. None of their business that you hauled some plants from home depot. If you are being honest? And there was no water damage from this incident..then sharing with them that this happened just gives them a convienent excuse to blame you. That horse might already be out of the barn...but I would of just let them tell YOU how the battery became water damaged, and not of voluntered a scenario, especially if you did the hauling and noticed no water.

I think I remember a thread where it was brought to everyone's attention that Toyota does recommend against hauling anything with the potential to spill. I think it was a "No Aquariums" in the back of a Prius warning....

But ultimately? If you are saying no water damage occured? Then leave it up to the dealership and Toyota to determine what happened...

Volunteering a "Maybe This Happened" scenario, simply becomes grounds for them to deny warranty coverage.

 

you said you have kids right?... water... vent... let's see what happens if water goes down this vent... (just sayin)

btw.. reason C is a real problem i feel. the car will not throw codes for it till 2 cylinders stop firing... then it shuts off and requires a restart.

if the connectors to the ignition coil(s) get unplugged, it throws codes and stops the engine.

if a spark plug fails to fire, it will throw codes and stop the engine.

just not the coil itself...

 

Thanks! A google search for siteriuschat.com No Aquariums water turned up http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/72562-buyers-remorse.html.

 

Just to clarify, you are saying reason "C" from list below

ICE common cause for hybrid battery failure
Causes for poor performance in the ICE are varied but the usual culprits are
a) MAF sensor
b) Spark plugs
c) ignition plug in coils
d) throttle body
e) air filter
f) oxygen sensor
g) engine oil and coolant
h) Clogged catalytic converters

 

Jaegerd- It seems a bit unlikely that hauling plants from Home Depot would be enough to cause water damage - even if they were wet the water would need to soak through the seats and/or carpeting - everything would likely be soaking wet.

However this does not mean that there could not be water damage, just that if there is, the cause is likely something else. If you rule out the obvious causes such as spills and open windows I would imagine that the likely cause is a bad seal - either around the windows and doors or perhaps the back hatch. I had a VW that had an issue with the sunroof - water would appear either in the floor of the back seat or also in the well behind the rear wheel so if water gets in it can travel to all sorts of funky spots.

 

Enough water to damage the hybrid battery would have to leave some sort of residual evidence whether it be stained carpet in the cargo area, or stained floor boards underneath the seats. Also I would go under the car and look for evidence of water staining/rusting on other components and the frame structure itself. It should really be easy to prove water damage.

If water really did do the damage, this may be a possible insurance claim. It's worth investigating.

Without more dealer information, I agree that something smells. Oh by the way, do you have any musty smells in the back cargo area?

 

Do you track your fuel mpg? If yes, see if you have a real drop in mpg lately because leaky batteries or failing ones will cause the engine to run more to try to keep the batteries charged and this results in poor fuel enconomy.

The fuel tracking could give you a good time line as to when something could of happened or when it started to go bad, if it was not the plants.
The plants could just be an easy excuse to point to.

2nd idea, do you have a sun roof. Any leaks or maybe left open over night?

Tell them you want pictures if they open it up or peal back the materials.

my2cents.

 

hmm, kids dumping a bottle of water down the cooling fan vent might not leave any evidence. i wonder if it is sloped so that the water would reach the batteries? not out of the realm of possibility.

 

I went back and read your original post. Did the dealer actually open the battery case up and find water inside the battery housing? Or is he basing this on DTC recorded ? Or based on seeing evidence of water in the back compartment ?

I did not see any mention of how the dealer determined there was water in the battery housing.

 

ICE here is short for Internal combustion engine. Water damage from plants in boot!! That's a tall one to spin. Hybrids are built tough. Always follow these procedures. 1) Make sure you have a good strong 12 volt battery. If in doubt connect another in parallel with battery Jump Leads. 2) If it still don't start then attention should turn to the main hybrid battery. Make sure this battery is charged up ie has enough voltage what the voltage is depends on the model and make. 3) You don't have to replace. reconditioning and a Power Jockey works well and is miles cheaper.

 

Of course in the end, you could just convert to PHV via a kit for the same cost...

But others are right - Toyota will pay - just go to a different dealer...

 

Welcome aboard NZ battery. This is the source of the "ICE" info I posted last nite.

 

thanks jaegerd. this is a wild tale! aluminum would be waterproof depending on the seals where it closes. but we're talking a LOT of water here!

 

i'm not saying C is your problem... just that it is a problem potentially at some time because it won't throw codes for it... off topic because i saw it on that list...

i still think it's kids...

 

oh... scratch kids... teens don't do that

 

i got it!... check your windshield washer fluid... the rear washer line runs just around the vent and fan on the right hand side of the car.. it's a clear tube with no protection (on my genII it is.. i assume the same for genII too)

if you put something heavy in or somehow pushed the right liner and somehow pinched the tube or something. if you're windshield washer fluid is low, it's because the reservoir is higher than that line.. so it all leaked out.

 

This is beyond belief.
Let us know what happens. Toyota should make good, unless they want another corporate black eye.

 

This is long shot so forget about it for now. But if we are talking doggy urine and ammonia this has consequences for any brass (if any exists in the car - I do not know). It can crack it.

{See Wikipedia "Brass" for photo of cracking}