Found out my hybrid battery is bad.

Yes, there are a few people who have posted threads. Search this site for them.

 

Yes Gen2 batts have been starting to fail we get lots and lots of posts. The first thing you can try is a good Toyota dealer and especially if you are orig owner you can ask for customer loyalty discount from Toyota on the repair. Full cost is going to be in the range of $3500-$4000 at Toyota. Then there are some refurbish battery options around $2000. We here tend to like the new Toyota battery best. If you could find non-Toyota mechanic to install a new batt for you, you could maybe get the cost down to $3000 for a new Batt.

 

Actually there are a LOT of threads about that.
Please search around for them .......so the people involved don't have to post the same information OVER AND OVER.

P.S. This is a major expense and getting a "second opinion" before replacing the battery might be a good idea.
Also it might be time to consider trading for a newer model.

 

You are ASSUMING that the onboard computer is infallible and that could be a BIG mistake.
Loose connections and corrosion, among other things, can cause false readings.

Then.......having had a car for NINE years and not having it paid off is a big mistake too.
(Slightly different if you got it used, I guess.)

You should start with a visit to a Toyota dealer for a proper diagnostic.
Then you will have a benchmark to work from when shopping for alternative battery providers.

Oh, and not having a vehicle paid off yet does not necessarily mean that your best route to go is to keep pouring additional money into it.

But what do I know ? I've only been driving and working on cars and electronics for about 50 years now.

 

first i've heard of it. you probably just need a rebalance or hydrofication.

 

OP first posted this thread last Wednesday where she indicated no knowledge of the root cause of her car's problems:
Problems with 2006 pruis. | PriusChat

Now in this thread she is sure that the traction battery has failed, and is also sure that the few people she discussed this problem with have the expertise to validate that opinion. Since the OP went to the trouble to post on PriusChat, I recommend that she should post the diagnostic trouble code which was logged by the car - because maybe the traction battery is not the issue at all, as suggested above.

 

Yes, I own a 2006 prius and got the "triangle of death" and over heat code. After doing extensive research, I removed, repaired and re-installed my battery pack at a fraction of the cost of new. Auto Zone, pep boys and Advance Discount Auto sell re-manufactured hybrid batteries for around 1400 including shipping. then to get them installed will run you about 250, still a lot better than 4000 going to Toyota dealership, hope this helps.

 

Hard to help someone constructively that isn't forthcoming with full disclosure.

Judging from the OTHER thread started by the OP, this vehicle has had additional issues recently.

So I'm just going to say, the answer is yes, people have had hybrid batteries fail, and they have had them replaced.

 

My 06 battery went out at about 140k. I rebuilt it myself for $100 in parts and $450 for 3 chargers to do the job. Now I'm rebuilding them for others. I just don't have one ready to ship yet. However, Dorman offers a rebuilt one with a 3 year replacement warranty for around $1200 or $1400. Not a bad choice in my honest opinion. They even have local installers listed for some areas. The website is dormanproducts.com.

 

before you give up on it go to craigslist and a search for Prius, Id be shocked if there isn't at least one ad from someone offering to rebuild the pack for around $500...I travel all over the country and there is always someone doing it, is it as good as a factory fresh pack, no but I have been running on a rebuilt for over a year with no problems, they came to my house and in under two hours I was good to go..

 

was it a black cat?

 

Hi Whit,

Sorry about that ... I remember looking at Easy's response in particular and thinking, gee, that seems a little unwelcoming.

I should be fair though...

... looking back over this thread and your earlier one, do you notice how this is the first time you've allowed any of us to have that information about what your code was? It does always put us in a hard position when a new poster comes on and says "I've got these big lights on the dash so I think the problem is ______" without mentioning any codes. Those lights on the dash are proxies for several dozen different codes that can indicate completely different problems, and sometimes it's hard for us to steer someone in the direction of finding out what the problem is before spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a guess.

So, in your case, you knew you had a p0a80 all along, but you went a long time without saying so even when it would have answered our questions, so you had us at a bit of a disadvantage there.

-Chap

 

Hey, a big part of Prius Chat, and benefit to participation is the wealth of possible knowledge.
So questions ARE a big part of it. Answers hopefully as well.

But if you are going to ask for evaluation you have to be willing to accept a wide range of opinions and possible answers. And it doesn't help if you don't give out a fuller disclosure of your vehicles total condition and history and current state, except in multiple threads and post by individual post.

You might be 100% correct in that your Prius may need a new hybrid battery. But suggestions that you offer codes or consider other possiblities aren't meant as critique of YOU personally, it's just that Hybrid Battery replacement is one of the more involved and expensive maintenance possibilities, so if it can be avoided? I think people tend to want to cover all the other bases before heading for home plate.

Especially since evidently given your other thread this Prius has been recently worked on in a body shop, had parts replaced and demonstrated other problems, I think at least questioning the total condition of the car is valid.

If you don't want evaluation, then yes the answer simply is Hybrid Battery replacement has happened...and can be made to happen. It just takes a "new" battery, time, labor and money.

 

You misunderstand.

It is not the questions we are having a problem with, it is the conclusions you are jumping to which might be wrong.

For instance, the computer is actually INSIDE the car. The thing you have attached is just kind of like a monitor and keyboard to read the information it has stored. Once a code is stored they usually don't go away.......even in the rare case where the actual problem DOES go away.

So, one more time:
While your conclusion probably is right, the possibility of a huge unnecessary expense, no matter how slim that chance might be, is well worth making ABSOLUTELY sure of what the problem IS. And that one code and your subsequent research does NOT constitute absolute proof.
No matter how much you want it to mean that, it just doesn't.
Better safe than sorry.

Oh, and finally, another "critique":
When asking for technical advice, you need to tell the WHOLE story, all up front.
So the question now is: How many other things are still wrong with the car that you know of ??
This might be a critical factor in deciding what to do next.
We ARE trying to give you the best help that we can here and sometimes that means questioning things that you are about to do...........based on a LOT of previous experience.