2007 Prius 'hybrid battery failure'

Your decision to buy a Prius over the Civic Hybrid was a good one. Honda has had continuing problems with their HV batteries. You live in a hot climate which does reduce the expected life of our HV batteries so a failure at 100k+ miles and 8 years is ot an extreme case. You should try to get Toyota to help with the repair as your system is just barely out of warranty (they have helped others).

Your shop guy is correct, it is safe to drive for a few weeks, but it will degrade further over time and then you will not be able to drive it.

JeffD

 

1. Eventually the car will not be drivable. This could happen tomorrow, could happen in a few weeks, but it will happen. Until your car just literally won't turn on, it's safe to drive. It will just rely more heavily on the combustion engine as the electric engine fails to keep up.

2. If you're planning on replacing it at the dealer, I highly doubt they would charge you a diagnostic fee if you are going to be spending a few grand with them. Just make sure you clear that up with the service manager up front, and I'm sure they won't be charging you any extra for a diagnosis that leads to a repair. FYI, there are other options for battery replacement, if you want to save some coin.

3. Since you're so close to both limits (mileage and time), there's a possibility they might be able to help you out a little bit. I believe what you'll need to do is contact Toyota corporate to see what your options are. They may require a diagnosis verification from a Toyota dealership, but I can't say for certain. Either way, you would want to contact corporate for this issue, I believe.

4. Can't help here.

5. You're not unlucky, but you're also not lucky. You're the norm. The warranty on these batteries is 8 years and 100,000 miles for a reason (unless you're in a CARB state, but I don't think FL is CARB). That's right about when they are expected to fail.

 

It's still a good deal though. Remember that legally Toyota had 0% responsibility to pay that 50% after it's one day or one mile over the warranty limit.

Having a new battery is way better than having a rebuilt one, so you're unlikely to have any further problems with it.

BTW. Did the guys say they checked out the battery cooling fan and ducting when they fitted the new battery? If not then this is definitely a maintenance job to consider doing. A common cause of premature battery demise in warm climates is the battery cooling system getting clogged.

Take a look at this thread to see what you're looking at here: Fur and dirt causing major battery problems | Page 2 | PriusChat

 

With these out of warranty goodwill assistance, it would depend on the person working your claim. Some are nicer than others

 

since you bought the car used, it probably wouldn't have mattered. you learned some things here, but i don't think you realize how fortunate you are. you have a brand new battery for 1500 that will most likely last 100,000+ miles, where a lot have people have paid 1500 for a 'rebuilt' battery, with a 3 year warranty that probably won't last 20,000 miles and good luck with the warranty service.

yes, the battery is a consideration on any electric vehicle, and it behooves consumers to do some research before purchasing. that being said, it doesn't mean it's a bad deal, any car can need expensive repairs at 100,000 miles. but if you buy an ev thinking you're going to save money, and that's the only reason, it might be a mistake. all the best!

 

They might have done more if you had all your work done at the dealer but they might not. As already mentioned, you got a good deal. The alternative would have left you with a used pack.