Hey guys, So according to my Toyota dealer the traction battery went out on my 2005 Prius with 110,000 miles on it. The red triangle as well as a few other lights came on, cruise control was disabled, mileage dropped, battery fan runs nonstop and the acceleration quits on me after driving for just a few minutes. Obviously can't afford a new one, so I'm looking at rebuilt or salvaged ones. Is this something I could remove and install myself? I have not been able to find any instructions on it. I don't want to get in too deep with this but if I could find a manual or a video online I'd be willing to give it a shot. Has anyone successfully done this? What can I expect and would I need any particular tools? Are there any instructions available? Any help would be great, thanks!
If you are handy, you can follow the Prius Dismantling Guide and do it yourself. Do not remove the entire back seat, just the seat backs. The trim pieces around the doors do not need to be removed, just uncliped at the top. Pay attention to how the orange interlock plug comes out. When it goes back in, most people forget to push the handle all the way down, after making the 90 degree rotation. http://www.eaa-phev.org/images/d/df/Priusdisman.pdf
Hmm... you aren't too far past the 8 year/100K mile HV battery warranty for most people in the US. Did your dealer try to take it up w/Toyota to see if they'll cover some of the cost? Yours is one of the earlier HV battery failures I've heard of. Do you have pets that ride in the back and do you live in a hilly area? I'd think that your area qualifies as a hot climate which is likely contributed to failure...
Remanufactured Hybrid Vehicle Battery Packs prius battery | eBay As a DIY project, you will want a friend to help move the battery.
Thanks for all the help guys! We did have a 150lb great dane that would ride in the back sometimes. Yes, you heard right, he fit in the very back if he laid down. We only had that dog for a year though and didn't take him in the car too often. Would that really affect my HV battery? It's not really hilly here in Alabama but there are SOME hills. Our dealer was not able to work with Toyota on covering this under the warranty. Should I worry that either a rebuilt or a salvage battery won't hold much of a charge and I'll have to go through all of this all over again?
Best bet is to find a recent wreck from a 2007 or newer, if getting salvage. The NiMH cells are low self discharge and will go about a year before voltage is too low to start the car.
The reason why I ask about the dog is because of Luscious Garage | Blog | Prius battery cooling fan cleaning, P0A82.
As a dog owner, I took the back of the car apart, cleaned the cooling fan, took the battery cover off and cleaned the cells. When i put it back together, i also added the filter element to the ductwork. Recommend doing it!
Yesterday, I also took my 2005 Prius in with 130,000 miles, They said it needed hybrid battery and 2 computer cards for a price of $4700! I have had no problems with this car in the last 5.5 yrs except water pump recall. They said based on Toyota bulletins and codes from analyzing the cards need to be replaced. They offered me $1000 for trade in. Does anyone have any suggestions about repairing this car since it looks great and I hate to give it away?
Your do not need computer cards i.e. battery ECU and HV ECU. That is baloney!!! And your car is worth several thousand on the auction market even with the battery problem. Look around here for information. If you have to pay someone to do it, you may be looking at $1500-$2500 for the repair. If you are serious about selling the car, PM me.
Thanks for your comments. I live just outside Memphis Tn and I am going to check around and see if there is anyone besides the dealer who could help me on this. I have an outside shop who works on my 2000 Tundra but he only can do maintenance on Prius. I wouldn't mind spending 1500 tp 2500. This is my wife's car and she really has liked it. I have read the dismantling instructions on a previous post and feel I have the skills to do that, but what about "reprogramming the computer"? What about junk yard batteries? The parts dept at Toyota said a new battery was around $2600. Again thank you for your encouragement not to give up on my Prius. Rayster
Our 2006 Prius with 110K miles just lit up the dash last week with error codes of P0A80 & P3019. Dealer in Everett, WA wants $3700 + tax to swap in a new battery (which I have heard only has a 12 month warranty? still confirming that one). Toyota refused to help with the repair. Dealer eventually offered $750 off but my wife was so pissed when she was talking to him that that might not be on the table anymore either... Now I am looking for salvage batteries in my area (seem to be in the neighborhood of $750 - 1000). Just starting to look for non-Toyota service locations that might do the work too. One thing that I don't understand is how Toyota can have a different warranty plan for states that do not have the California emissions law in place (CARB? vs non CARB states). How does that law effect warranty of the battery? Is the battery good for 10 years/150K or not? I understand that all cars run the risk of having major problems, but we are feeling very let down by Toyota with this 6 year old vehicle and a repair that is almost half the cars worth (assuming the battery was working).
http://prius.wikia.com/wiki/Failed_traction_(HV)_battery,_what_to_do? might help. Yes, I'm pretty sure you're correct regarding the replacement only have a 12 month warranty. See http://priuschat.com/forums/generation-1-prius-discussion/74150-buying-new-battery.html#post1030797 (yeah, it's a Gen 1 thread, but Patrick Wong is one of our repair experts). As for different warranty for CARB emissions states, AFAIK, the 10 year/150K HV battery warranty and 15 year/150K mile warranty emissions warranty is related to/a condition of AT-PZEV certification. Non-hybrid (and thus non-AT) PZEV cars also have to have 15 year/150K mile emissions warranties.
Jake, $3700 is a little steep. A lot of times the dealership prices in the cost of a new battery ECU as well, since that has been updated a couple of times. Call around, places like Green Car Clinic might have a solution in place already.
Did you wind up changing your hybrid battery? I'm about to take on the task myself - just wondering what you ran into while doing it ... if you have any tips ... etc.
