Is this traction battery failing?

welcome!

1) it's probably close to its last legs based on time and miles.

2) if his mpg's are okay, and nothing else out of the ordinary, he doesn't need one yet.

3) a new battery is good for another 10+ years, a rebuilt is iffy at best, and usually a horror story.

4) call @Texas Hybrid Batteries hybrids in houston, great guy!

 

Yes THB is in the DFW area (Weatherford) not Houston.

The behaviors ya'll have notice plus the PA080 code are a harbinger of things to come. The question now is how long do they want to keep the car?

Option 1) Since the battery is still "good" they should be able to make the road trip to Matt @ THB. Most dealers charge $3500+ for a new Toyota batt so driving 8 hours r/t to save $1,000+ sounds like a no brainer to me. BTDT as I have one from him in my '06.

Option 2) If you want to go the rebuilt route locally, there are some in the Houston area but I can't make any recommendations. What I can tell you is they are rebuilt with OLD modules since no one, not even Toyota, sells new modules on the open market. Those batts are only as good as their warranty which in turn is only as good as the company that stands behind it. You will most likely need to use the warranty within a 1-3 yr period. Some here have reported rebuilt failures in as little as 1-3 months. I think the worst was one poor guy who went thru 4 dormans in a little over a year! Keep in mind some warranties are only on the part and labor isn't included.

Option 3) Repair the original pack yourself for under $100. Plus, you'll know who to find when you need to utilize the warranty because just like option 2 you will if you're keeping it!

Option 4) Get and install a grid charger. They can revive an old pack and stave off the inevitable for a while.

GOOD LUCK!

Edit: one more thing. Check the battery cooling fan. If its clogged, the batt can't get adequate cooling. See Youtube vids.

 

@Hometown Hybrids

 

please keep us posted, all the best!

 

If you have a place to work on it and basic tools and skills, you could remove the battery and take it up there in another vehicle. It's not hard to replace and there are lots of videos showing the procedure. You'll just want to transport it in a way that it won't become an 80+ pound projectile in a traffic accident.

 

Bummer! OEM is probably best, imho, if the rest of the car is good and you want to keep it a while.

 

glad to hear this wasn't the case for you!

 

Right? Since the degradation is so slow over time, we just don't notice it. Even a conditioning with a grid charger makes a noticeable difference.

 

+1!!
I noticed a huge difference in my wife's '06 when I put in the battery with all 2015 cells in May. She's getting 49-50 mpg and doesn't even try to hypermile. Lots of short trips, too. She is pretty light footed, though, but I think it's a good 4 mpg jump and it just runs nicely. The other day, I also replaced her inverter coolant at 119,000 miles. It'll be interesting to see if that does anything.

 

It's 150,000 mile coolant. If it was changed at 95k, I'd leave it alone. It's so much easier to change with a vacuum pump to get the air out.

 

You can just dump the radiator and rinse out the overflow and then fill it back up with Toyota SLLC.
You will not invoke an airlock which is a major pia and it's super easy and pretty good bang for the buck.
Do that again in a few months and your good to go.

 

Agreed. Not hard at all. Only "special" tool needed is 2-3' of clear 1/4" tygon tubing to bleed it.