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Prius Battery Issues

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by frugaldriver, Feb 18, 2013.

  1. frugaldriver

    frugaldriver Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse - Cato

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    I know, its a bit of a misnomer that the Prius battery will fail at 150,000 miles, however, are there any sites where I could gather evidence against that statement? Mainly, this is for my concerned parent who doesn't feel that hybrids are worth buying based off of a needed battery replacement after 100-150k miles (compared to similarly priced but lower mpg vehicles). Are there any statements form Toyota saying how rare it is to replace the battery? Any help would be appreciated :). I for one am dead set on the c being my next vehicle (cant wait till I have saved up enough).
     
    #1 frugaldriver, Feb 18, 2013
  2. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    Whenver I ask my service dept at Piercey Toyota in Milpitas CA, they always say battery hybrid battery replacement is very rare. I got a careful price quote there and the cost, battery only with tax and with 'core' (them getting the original) is $2,800 (no labor).

    It bothers me a little bit how some here seem to point to aftermarket replacement batteries or even stooping to batteries from salvaged Prius, yuck.

    I don't know of statistics off top of my head like what % of Prius had replacement at 110k mi, 120k, ... 220k.

    Even though Prius Two is better equipped than a Corolla LE, it is about $7k more. You save 5 cents per mile driven, so just on purchase diff and gas savings, it's a lot of miles to catch up, 150k miles to earn back $7,500 on gas. Then if have to put out 2 to $3k on battery, then behind again. Prius not cheapest game in town, but very good on gas.
     
    #2 cycledrum, Feb 18, 2013
    frodoz737 likes this.
  3. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    First of all, Toyota guarantees the HV battery for 10 years or 150,000 miles so if it fails earlier he replacement is free. If it fails just after the warranty lapses, divide the battery cost:
    by the number of miles used (assume 200,000 miles) before failure. You will get 1.5 to 2 cents per mile which is easily comparable to the cost per mile of tires or brakes in a normal car.

    JeffD
     
    #3 jdenenberg, Feb 18, 2013
  4. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    In CA and other CARB (?) states, 8 yr, 100k miles for the rest.
     
    #4 cycledrum, Feb 18, 2013
  5. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

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    It is only covered for 10 years/150K miles in California and the states that follow the Calif Air Resource Board regs. The rest of the states, it's 8/100K. The OP doesn't indicate if he lives within the U.S., or which state. There are threads here dedicated to high mileage record holders. One member had something around 450K miles on the original battery when he traded it in. Search for 300,000 mile club. How many cars last 100 or 150 K without a major repair, such as a transmission or engine rebuild?
     
    #5 rogerv, Feb 18, 2013
  6. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    I think the OP should re-title the thread. It's misleading. It makes it sounds like he has an issue w/the Prius' battery already.

    There are plenty of Toyota hybrids that have gone well beyond (and sometimes well beyond) 150K miles on the original HV battery but there are some that failed before that (some were replaced under warranty). Usually those folks are in hot climates and/or have a hilly commute.

    The folks here are correct in stating that there is a 8 year/100K mile HV battery for most people in the US and certain models (e.g. liftback and IIRC, the v wagon and Camry Hybrid but NOT the c) get a 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty in CA and CARB states.

    Lifespan/Operating costs - Prius Wiki has examples of long running Priuses. The Priuses and other Toyota hybrids at Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity - Hybrid Electric Vehicles were taken to 160K+ miles on the original HV batteries. 2 fas 4 u had 465K miles (299,999+ Mile Club | Page 30 | PriusChat) on his 09 Prius before he traded it in for a Prius v wagon. 299,999+ Mile Club | Page 27 | PriusChat mentions the originals.

    That said, Toyota brochures do have statements that say "Hybrid vehicle battery expected life is 150,000 miles based on laboratory bench testing..." from http://www.toyota.com/content/ebrochure/2013/priusc_ebrochure.pdf.

    You can find more by Googling for toyota brochure prius site:toyota.com testing 150,000 miles.

    As for lower mpg vehicles, those folks need to compare the proper mileage numbers (e.g. don't go comparing highway EPA numbers of some car vs. the combined mileage of a Prius if the drives aren't all highway). Most of the so-called "up to 40 mpg" cars are in the low 30 mpg combined, at best vs. the 50 mpg combined Prius.
     
    #6 cwerdna, Feb 18, 2013
  7. frugaldriver

    frugaldriver Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse - Cato

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    Thank you everyone for your answers to my questions. I apologize if the thread title is a little misleading (I would change it as per suggestion if I knew how). I guess my parent (my Dad in this case) has a friend who had a bad experience with his Prius battery failing a couple miles out of warranty. Whether that was a first gen Prius or 2nd gen I do not know (I will assume first, and in that case I have heard about issues with their batteries), still I would like to prove to my Dad that the Prius, in its 3rd generation, has almost completely rid itself of battery issues. Though a comprehensive look at costs compared to other vehicles (even with battery replacement), would go a long way in convincing him. Once again, thank you all for your posts :).
     
    #7 frugaldriver, Feb 19, 2013
  8. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    I can only remember reading of around 5 members of this forum having to replace a traction battery. It IS pretty rare. I think at least three of them were on warranty.

    If you drive a lot (more than 10,000 mi per year) the Prius will pay for itself. The more you drive the better it gets.
    Pearl S is sleeping the garage for the winter with about 3500 km on the odometer. Since June 2012. So she won't pay for herself.

    Some of us just drive the Prius because we like not wasting resources and we think the technology is "cool".

    Everyone has to make their own decisions on what they want. If we decided on strictly logical reasons the cars we owned would be pretty boring!
     
    #8 David Beale, Feb 19, 2013
  9. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Can you go to your first post, click Edit, then More Options?
     
    #9 cwerdna, Feb 19, 2013
  10. frugaldriver

    frugaldriver Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse - Cato

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    Doesn't change the thread title. Oh well, if anything the thread title is only slightly misleading. Besides, the people who would be knowledgeable about Prius battery issues looking at this thread to help me, may also know of things pertaining to my questions (though I do apologize for that deceit).

    Unlike some people in the US, when I purchase a vehicle (especially new), I will drive it till it dies. In the case of Toyota's, they have a good reputation for longevity so I would expect to drive one past 250k miles. Of course it depends on how well one takes care of their vehicle to get such numbers, but the engine plays a large part in it (and my family's past Toyota's have done very well in that regard). To those people who drive 100-150k miles and buy another, the warranty on the Prius battery may look awesome. To me, it seems like Toyota put a limit to how long the vehicle is expected to last (once again, my expectations for a car are high, especially a Toyota). That is somewhat disconcerting to me, but if you take care of the vehicle (as with most vehicles), it will last the long haul IMO. Ultimately I would like to show to my Dad that that failure of his friend's Prius was a once in a blue moon occurrence.
     
    #10 frugaldriver, Feb 19, 2013
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