High voltage battery $3500

First off, if you're on your original 12 volt battery, it's toast. I'd replace it, assuming you plan to keep the car. If you've changed it, I'd test its condition via http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/73400-weird-stuff-happening-mpgs-dropping-test-battery.html after the car has sat overnight. Don't trust the dealer's 12 volt battery "tests". We've found them to be useless (for some odd reason).

Hopefully a repair expert can chime in here about whether a bad 12 volt could cause false indications of a failing HV batttery.

As to what to ask, please ask them for all the error codes/DTCs your car is throwing. This is important. Without the codes, we're flying blind and basing everything on guesses.

Some dealers will refuse to install aftermarket parts or ones provided by the customer. I ran into that before. One dealer I used to visit used to allow it but changed their policy.

As for how long they're supposed to last, this is unknown. They're warranted for 10 years/150K miles in CA and CARB states, 8 years/100K miles everywhere else (like yours). I put some high mileage examples up at Lifespan/Operating costs - Prius Wiki.

 

Also consider the replacement's warranty. Toyota warrants replacement parts for 1 year unlimited miles.

Please do the easy & cheap diagnostics before making a decision.

IMO traction battery failures are rare. How many were reported on this site? How many are reported on TrueDelta? If your car was in NJ I'd bet the dealer wouldn't be pushing the swap.

 

For the benefit of the OP, NJ currently (not sure when it started) follows CARB emissions so they're one of the states where the HV battery warranty is 10 years/150K miles.

 

I bet, because of the cost and lack of alternatives, that we see a good fraction of out-of-warranty battery failure reports here.

As far as statistics, I have personally replaced batteries in two '05s and '07. Mileage was 135K - 155K. I talked to a guy with an '05 a few days ago that had his battery replaced a couple years ago, also at 150K. I talked to another guy a couple weeks ago, who is planning the DIY route, who has an '05 with 200K miles. I would classify any failure before 5 years, 150K miles, as early.

One thing that is not commonly known is that an ICE problem can put so much stress on the battery that the battery will fail first. Two of the 5 cases above had that problem, either a clogged exhaust, or a clogged intake, that caused ICE performance so poor that the cars were seeing 30% SoC on every big hill. One guy said the dealer advised him to park alongside the road and charge the battery (left foot brake, right foot gas) in order to make it to the top of the bigger hills.

 

Many (most?) of the used battery packs being bought these days are for G1 Prius rebuilding. We should keep in mind that TWO G2 packs are used for every G1 pack rebuild. That demand will drop in a few years when it becomes an uncommon choice to try and keep the G1 Prius on the road.

 

I remember running across a archive on LG about battery failure on the G2 Prius. It appears failure of the HV battery was usually because of the failure to clean the fan that cooled the HV battery pack. Since there is no filter, the fan acts as the filter while at the same time cools the battery but dust and other crap gets built up on it overtime making it not work as design cooling the HV battery.

Anyway, this is the cost of owning a Prius. Looks great when you saved money but as parts start to fail, it really makes you think about the so call money you saved on gas because most parts cost a arm & a leg.

 

Luscious Garage | Blog | Prius battery cooling fan cleaning, P0A82

 

I save money just fine, but I have had to learn the little quirks of Prius ownership that help the car live a long healthy life.

Cleaning out the battery fan if you have dogs or hairy passengers in the back a lot of the time is one such quirk.

 

It is a new battery, but in your shoes I would try to find out when it was manufactured.

 

When there are error lights on the dash, there are error codes. Often one alphabetic character then 3 numbers. There may be several codes.

With out those codes, we are making bad guesses, with them we will make better guesses.

Check your 12 volt battery, the dealer may replace it for about $200.

If the codes go away when you discover your 12 volt battery did not make 12 volts, great, if not we need those codes.

If the car is drivable, really needs a new HV Battery, and you do not like the dealers price:
Overbeck Auto

Is 'close' and should be cheaper.

 

The Prius HSD (acts in lieu of a transmission) is very reliable if maintained. Yes, a small number of failures have been reported and it is usually an insulation failure in on of the MG windings. Almost all of theses failures reported on discussion groups have been at 100k+ miles in Prii that were still using their original fill of ATF.

If you want to have confidence of a long HSD life, refresh your ATF at 30k, 90k, 150k, ... miles. It should be a $100 at your dealer and half that DIY. Use Toyota Type WS ATF.

JeffD

 

Thanks for some real world numbers. I'm a little disappointed with '07s failing.There are so few cars less than 7 years old, only time will tell.

Is this true for gen 3 or just gen 2? I have a gen 3, but often go into low battery conditions on hot days with ac and hills.

 

There's a difference between low battery and critically low SoC. A Gen II with a good engine will still drop to 40% SoC to try to give the maximum fuel economy on a hill. A Gen II with an engine problem will not have sufficient engine power to meet driver demand, and will draw down on SoC until it gets to 30%. Below that SoC, there is the risk of engine start failure. At that point, only the poorly performing engine can provide motive power, which is insufficient to maintain speed, resulting in a significant driveability problem. Would Gen III be the same? We'll have to wait and see.

The hills around Austin are not nearly tall enough to put the car to the test. Come out here and I can put you on roads that gain 3000' in 13 miles.

 

What mechanism connects old ATF to wire insulation failure ? This has been talked about before but I still am not understanding.

I am not questioning the post, I only want to understand it. And I wholeheartedly agree with changing ATF more frequently than Toyota recc as cheap insurance for HSD mechanical failure.

 

Thanks,

I'm sure my engine is still in good shape for now.
I know we have little hills here, but they are big enough to cause a mileage hit. I've driven around the bigger ones, and even trecked up some without roads. I'm sure the new mexico roads give the prius batteries a much better test.

 

As the ATF remains in service, it picks up ferrous metal particles from bearing wear. As the ATF metal content increases, presumably the electrical resistance of the fluid decreases.

With reduced electrical resistance, the ~500V high voltage in the stator winding may be able to leak to ground via a wiring insulation flaw and conductive ATF. That is the concept.

Whether or not changing ATF actually reduces the incidence of electrical failure is unclear. However at minimum the periodic ATF change should reduce mechanical wear.

 

I am have been waiting since February of this year I am only paying $3100 how many miles does your car have on it?

 

We test a lot of Hybrid Vehicles. We repair & service more than we replace the batteries on. We have found corrosion causing false codes stored in the ECU's. Highly recommend a second opinion and testing of the system from a qualified hybrid specialist. You could save a bundle. There are several options to choose from, used, remanufactured or new. You are the one to best answer that based upon a few conditions. 1-Your budget or funding. 2-How long do you plan on keeping the vehicle? The Reinvolt is by far the best unit we have seen. Several upgrades and the balancing are key factors. We see some of the others that are playing catch up at this time. Prius Chat members have varied opinions and you have to decide which best fits your situation, after all it is a significant investment. Hope this helps. "Mac"

 

I have an 05 Prius with 117,000 miles and the battery failed on Thursday. First the dealer tried to tell me it was $3900 to replace, then they claimed there's a 2 1/2 month backorder (yes, that says 2.5 months!). They were trying to push me into buying a new car rather than fixing it (and wanted me to take next to nothing for my Prius, since the battery had to be replaced). Did my research, called another Toyota dealer in town who will replace it for under $3K. I almost traded it in on a new Prius 2 weeks ago. Ugh.