Hybrid battery lifespan

Actually having the HV battery fail within the warranty period is very lucky. You get a new one and a failure that early is very rare.

JeffD

 

Yes, that's true...but it's more likely to fail right at 101,000 miles in my case (and mine wasn't purchased in a CARB state).

 

Actually, this is the platoon sergeant of the infantry platoon assigned to my unit, training right now for OEF deployment with less than a month left... He was on the phone with his wife back home who took the Prius to their local Toyota dealership and got that diagnosis, and price quote. The SGT then talkef to the dealer who confirmed the price, and wouldn't honor the warranty (100,000 miles for that state), even though it was only 700 miles over. I told him to apprise the dealership of his situation, as a Soldier deploying to a war zone and his family left behind with their only car now in the shop... As a SGT especially, 4 grand is outrageous. So dealer knocked it down to half off.. I still believe he deserved a better price, or even Toyota offering to honor the warranty given his situation... BTW, his wife was the primary driver, and the car wasn't apparently used and abused, Gen 2 model.

 

At $2K, the dealer performed the repair at wholesale. $4K is not unusual all-in with the battery ECU quoted as part of the repair.

Vinnie, TX is not particularly kind to HV batteries. Keep you car cool, try not to park it at full charge in the heat of the summer, and keep your HV battery fan clean.

 

We are getting 350-400,000 km from the hv traction battery here in Cairns.
Cairns has a tropical climate and high humidity. Keep the cooling fan and ducting clean.

 

I agree at 700 miles over the warranted mileage I'd be contacting Toyota about covering/reimbursing the full cost. 700 miles in 100,000 is probably within the accuracy tolerance of the odometer considering that tire wear and other factors can affect the exact reading. I doubt the accuracy of the odometer can be proven to be better than 0.7% under all conditions.

 

No longer in TX but perhaps in an even hotter place now (definitely no cooler in the summer). Last summer, I didn't use the A/C unless traveling on the highway, so I suspect the fan was working overtime. I won't be doing the same this summer if I can't help it...might even dump the vehicle if I can't get a certain TSB implemented (knocking on startup).

 

Here in Oregon battery warranty on our 2010 Prius is 150,000 miles.

We now have 66,000 miles on our Prius. When I get anywhere near
that figure there will be several types of Hybrids available, Ford Focus, Kia and Hyandi Elantra etc., probably a Chev Cruz hybrid with
all getting a true 50 + mpg.

So, were not worried.....

al

 

Yes, OR is a CARB state.

when you get near what figure?
And why would it matter if a Focus hybrid out? the kia and Hyundai are already out. Doubtful on the cruz, they alreadywent the regular engine high efficiency route.

 

That's the truth of the matter. Heat build up is the bugaboo for batteries.

The software charge/discharge cycles is probably very robust. Ni-Mh batteries have been used on spacecraft and satellites for many years, and the algorithms are well known.

 

I live in CA. What is the Battery Warranty in my state ? I remember the salesman told me 10 yrs / 150k miles. Am I correct ??

 

Near that figure, 150,000 miles for the Oregon C.A.R.B. battery
warranty.

Kia and Hyundai only currently make the hybrid in the larger models.
I am sure they will eventually be available in the smaller vehicles, i.e. elantra etc.

I believe Ford did state they will have in the future a Ford Focus hybrid, currently the hybrid is only in the full size Ford Fusion which the 2013 will obtain EPA of 44 -45 avg. mpg, So the smaller Ford Focus should get at least EPA of 50+ mpg.

Chevy, (Gov't Motors), has not given up on hybrids, they will have a mild hybrid Malibu soon, and I would imagine the Cruz model is not too far away.

 

Yes, with the caveat that the warranty only applies if the car remains licensed in CA. It is still somewhat of a question of what happens if you move from one CARB statte to another. If you register the car in a non-CARB state, then the warranty reverts to 8/100

 

Yes for the big HV battery. You are on your own for the 12Volt battery and Fob batteries, both of which are more likely to fail. But cheaper!

 

Hi Shaneb,

We have similar weather here in the tropics, Kuala Lumpur like Cairns.Do you use the air conditioning frequently ? We leave the air conditioning on all the time while driving here.

Just curious how did you manage to run 350,000 km during this time? We are worried on premature wear on the traction battery.

 

Run the A/C all the time and keep the battery fan clean for maximum life. Heat is the number 1 enemy of the battery pack. Citybug, if you are a taxi, there is a service bulletin from Toyota USA that recommends fan cleaning every 40000 km.

 

There have been reports from taxis that the Gen3 reliability and HV battery lifetime isn't as good as Gen2.
eg 600,000km taxi report | PriusChat
Does anyone have any updated information?
cheers,
Dean

 

under the right conditions, these battery packs are good for a million miles. all the best!

 

What if the vehicle is again licensed back in a CARB state?

If a Prius began life in CA, went to a non-CARB state, and then moved to Oregon where I then purchased it, would the warranty remain at 150,000 miles?

 

It's mostly time and not miles (same with the 12V battery). The average life (assuming no abuse) is probably slightly higher than 10 years. Hence the 8-10 years warranty.