Hello all. need advice desperately. 2005 Prius, 74,000 miles only. In houston, TX. today on dashboard: red triangle with exclamation, engine symbol, brake symbol. On the multi-function display i have the car symbol with vertical line through it. A mechanic (not Toyota delaer) says I need to repalce the main battery. The car is 9 years old but only 74,000 miles. The book says the warrantly is 96 months (8 years) and 100K miles, whichever come first I guess. I was told that the main battery should last the lifetime of the car. does any one have any other ideas of any other meaning or the symbols and also any advice on getting some help from Toyota considering that the battery died much sooner than its supposed to? thanks Ram
First thing: put in a new 12v battery. If the same problem exists, go get a second opinion from a dealer/Prius expert and get a full report with all the error codes and report them back here.
with an 05, do you really want to invest in a battery that might last another 75k? btw, toyota new replacement battery? one year warranty.
Is that the average mileage of a Toyota replacement battery, I was hoping for more as far as Gen 2 goes.
That's the million dollar question I have rebuilt Toyota batteries with as little as 80,000 miles and as high as 300,000 miles. It all boils down to how you drive your car and the conditions/environment that it is kept. The value of your '05 is probably close to the sticker price of a factory new battery, unfortunately. But the good news is that there are many great rebuilders in Texas (and also those who will ship you a battery from elsewhere). Just be careful of anyone who wants to change only a couple of cells out on your battery. This may be a cheaper service, but it is essentially putting a band-aid on a broken leg. Hope this helps, Jessica
Thanks all. Autozone found error codes P0A80A and P3022. Seems P3022 indicates one cell or cells is weak. Ram
I would go for a rebuilt battery if the source was local, as you have there. It is too soon to tell how these will fare into the future. I'm guessing it will be cost effective.
i don't believe anyone has nailed down an average. there are threads here on battery longevity. i think there is some consensus that warmer climes have the most detrimental affect. but even then, there is tremendous variation.
I don't think you can defend or condemn something based on the fact that it did not live up to the parameters of "Lasting For The Lifetime Of The Car". I honestly think that statement is invalid. Toyota provides the 8 year warranty...10 in some states. But what "is" the lifetime of the vehicle is always a moving target, based on so many variables. How much you drive per year. How attentive to maintenance. How much you are willing to invest in everything to keep it running. Look at collector vehicles and classics. Lifetime of the vehicle is subjective with a machine. You can keep a vehicle running basically forever, if you are willing to put the time and money into it. In this case, unfortunately I can't say the battery died much sooner than it was suppose to. The vehicle is 9 model years old. And the fact that the mileage is so low, might even be part of the problem. It's up to the OP. I'd ask Toyota if they are willing to assist in the replacement cost...nothing to be lost from asking. If not, I'd look for the best installer of rebuilts I could find. Even though your warranty for the battery will not reset...to an 8 year level, if it is a good rebuilt, installed properly, I think you could easily expect 5+ years continued service...and I think that is being conservative. With a vehicle with that few miles on it, on all other systems, I would seriously consider the investment into a new Hybrid Battery. But conversely, with a vehicle with that few miles on it, AND 8+ model years of use...I'm not surprised the battery has failed.
Hello. I have a 2005 Prius and had a similar experience to Ram this week. I have around 155,000 miles. Can anyone recommend someone to rebuild the main battery in the Houston area? We are in Manvel. I really can't afford to buy a new vehicle at the moment. Everything else seems to be working fine. The warning lights came on suddenly as I went over a bump. Took it to the Toyota dealer today and was told I needed a new battery pack. I would appreciate any advice. Thank you Judy
Hello everyone. Having started this thread I feel I should tel you the resolution. Star Toyota, League City, Houston, wanted $3229 to replace the main battery. I called Toyota (1-800-331-4331) and explained that the battery was less than $74K miles old, although the 8 year waranty had expired about 11 months ago. I pointed out that this was my 7th Toyota and asked for some help. They had Star Toyota reduce the price to $3009.70 and offered me $2000 credit. So I just paid the $1009.70 (it was the 70 cents that hurt most!) and now have my prius back with a new battery. The mileage is back up to 48 mpg or so. it had gone down to 26.4 mpg at one point. I want to thank member jessica who talked to me and offered inhome service for a rebuilt battery at a very reasonable price.She, and others here in the forum, advised me to pursue things with Toyota. Also want to thank the gentleman from madison Wisconsin who kindly talked to me on the phone. Couple of weird things when my battery had the dreaded red triangle and exclamation point of death: the cruise control would not come one, and the cooling fan on the right side at the back would not shut offf. both these problems are fixed. Thanks to everyone for all your help. This is a great bunch of people here!! Ram
I just had a similar problem with my 2005 Prius (98,700 miles). All Toyota would do for me is 750 off. Bringing my cost down to $3525 for my dealer in New Orleans area. I have already gave my dealer the approval to fix the car. Now, I am seriously considering if I will bye a Toyota again in the future. I purchased my Prius April 28,2005. My old 97 Saturn SL2 which I gave to my mother is still running - what does that say about Toyota?
