Anyone ever need to replace their hybrid battery?

I have a 2006 Prius with 145k miles. It has had not issue at all. Regular maintenance done.

The interior is a light color that is always dirty. The armrest in the front is worn thin. It is is possibly normal shape for the miles and year.

My car started flashing errors. I was expecting this to happen as I have the original v12 battery. Last I check it was still good but figured it was time. I replaced that battery. Then the errors continued. I took it a local dealership and confirmed cell 10 is dead in the hybrid battery. I also need a water pump. Total cost with labor around $3500.

My KBB value is maybe $5k.

What would you do?

I have another car, but this was my daily driver. The dealership also said there could be other issues but they don't know as I would need to replace the main hybrid battery first.

Should I pay for a new one?
I know some electricians and work with them to try and replace a cell?
Run the car into a tree?
Do nothing and just retire it/part it out for dollars?

 

Now that you mention it (warranty) I've got to check further. I asked and received a quick answer and I may have misunderstood how long the new warranty will be. Will revert.

On the cost and installation I sold the first Prius at this store in 2000 and was the resident source for the first 6 yrs of Prius sales. I believe that I got it done at cost or nearly so.

 

Think of it like this.

If you sell the car the way it is, you will be taking a big loss (cost to repair to get Prius back on the road) and you will be one car less and lose your daily driver.

If you run it into a tree, you might collect insurance if it is covered by collision. Chances are it would be totaled, you will again be one car less and lose your daily driver.

Do nothing/part it out - You might pick up a few dollars here and there but you still be one car less and lose your daily driver.

Or, obtain a replacement battery and get the car fixed. In the end you will have both cars and your daily driver that you are comfortable with.

It is generally cheaper to repair rather than replace your car. If your budget will allow the four digit expense, I would suggest you look into repairing your Prius. There are alternatives to a new battery from Toyota.

http://www.autoweek.com/car-shopping/articles/2012/11/replacing-a-hybrids-battery-may-not-cost-as-much-as-you-think.html

Ron

 

Frito - have you considered getting repair estimates from another shop?

I dont know where you live but throughout the US there are a few hybrid (read: Prius) specialty repair shops that can do the battery and water pump for much cheaper than the dealer!

You can also DIY. From what Ive read on here the hybrid battery isnt hard to replace, given you have the tools and take the safety precautions. The water pump is a slam dunk, could do that with my hands tied behind my back!

This is coming from the guy that grew up in his Fathers transmission shop I never let anybody touch my vehicles (boat, cars) except for myself....lol

 

My 2005 started having the same problems at 320,000 miles, and I had never changed the HV battery. What happened after you received the new battery?

 

Hey guys,

My 2006 Prius (originally left the dealer lot in Feb 2006) just did this yesterday and my dealer said one cell in the hybrid battery unit is done for and the whole hybrid battery needs to be replaced. I only have 76,xxx miles on this car. But my 8y/100K warranty expired 3 months ago -- 3 months! -- and my bill is $3100. Does anyone know if I can still somehow claim the warranty since my mileage is so low? Like maybe requesition Toyota HQ to consider my case? Or something else?

Thanks much!

 

You should ask the service manager to call Toyota HQ for you. Have them ask for a "Goodwill warranty" replacement because you are only 3 months out of your warranty. Good Luck.

 

You just gotta give us your state of car registration if we have Any chance to advise you about warranty gray areas. In any case some folks are getting some relief from Toyota as JC mentioned

 

Thanks wjtracy. My car is registered in the state of WA.

 

Thanks much JC. That is exactly what I did; dealer has contacted them and I'm waiting to hear back.

 

OK well WA is psuedo CARB without the battery warranty extension.
Check out this recent thread, MD 2006 almost exact same case as you got 50% off

So it's official, I need a new HV battery. Help with options, please... | PriusChat

My take on this is that your 2006 *might* be a CA-certified vehicle (Requirement #2) but you are not in a CARB extended battery warranty state (Requirement #1) so you are out of ammo unless you hypothetically re-register in a full CARB state. This is strictly hypothetical becuase I am not sure re-registering vehicle in a CARB state meets all of Toyota's criterion for CARB battery coverage. Bottom line is relief from Toyota is best bet.

Geez the 2006's are dropping like flies all of a sudden YIKES!

 

My dealer talked to HQ and got me a replacement battery subject to a $500 deductible. Fingers crossed. Thanks guys, this is very surprising to me, since nothing else really has been a problem on this vehicle.

 

$500 bucks.....wow. That's almost a full 100% replacement on the battery, you just have to cover the labor and shop charges. What a deal!!

 

My 2005 battery gave up at 189,000 miles. We take a lot of trips in the mountains to Lake Tahoe and I think I may have overheated it. We replaced it with a salvage battery and did some overdue maintenance. Timing chain, plugs, water pump and a few other items. The bill was around $3,000. This is the only money we've spent besides routine maintenance. The car rolled over 270,000 miles yesterday and still going strong.
Jim

 

List of CARB states, in case anyone is looking: The 2014 list of CARB States in the US | PriusChat.

Turns out WA is a CARB state as of Model Year 2009. Perhaps that had a role in Toyota offering me the deal, even though mine is a MY 2006 vehicle.

 

...I am thinking many 2006 Prii are CA-certified so if WA is full CARB, to me that meets the CARB warranty requirements (but Toyota may see it different). But the info we have at posted here says WA is not CARB for battery....I have to check that info. We had the same recent case in MD with a 2006 but of course we don't know all the facts. Hope it works well for you.

 

I believe this is a good example of how Toyota thinks of these CARB states battery replacements. Seems so far the original thinking is the correct thinking, the car has to be first registered in a CARB state (at the time of registration) and maintained registered in a CARB compliant state at the time of failure.

Only if those criteria's are met, will the battery coverage be in effect. Any other situation, will have to be a "goodwill warranty"

 

Not so fast JC you could be correct but we do not have the facts . In this WA case I believe the answer is that WA does NOT have AT PZEV (battery) extended warranty so it's like PA and DE no extension on batt.

 

Just saved $2,400 from reading this board, so thank you to all.

My hybrid battery failure on 2006 Toyota Prius with 120K miles. I purchased my Prius in Pa and it is now registered in Leesburg, Va. I just spoke with dealer in Pa and they told me the warranty is 8 years 100K. They have tried to do warranty claims on Gen II Prius in the past in Pa and have been denied. That seems to be similar to what others have heard. The dealer here in Leesburg quoted me $3600 for Toyota remanufactured battery that only has a 12 month warranty! I like the dealer here and they do good work, but that is a little too rich for my blood.

Todd from business called hybridbatterypros (804) 264 7171 has a mobile replacement business. He is mentioned in an earlier post by a different user on this board. Todd is driving up from Richmond in the morning and will have it replaced by 9am for ~$1,200 with the same 12 month warranty.

For what it's worth he said they have been seeing at least 5 year lives on most of the re-manufactured batteries.

Not as good as a warranty replacement and not without risk, but it seems like these guys have made a convenient after market business servicing this problem. I'll check back in after to report, but I'm hoping for the best.

I'm cautiously hopeful.

 

5 years out of re-manufactured batteries? and he's only giving you a 1 year warranty? what a joke.

So who pays when you need warranty? Surely he doesn't drive a few hundred miles for free to see you