Poor Fuel Milage

Many people have the problem reoccur within 6 months to a year, even with a longer warranty.

 

Please continue to update this forum on how the battery holds up. I'm rooting for successful stories about replacing a cell.

 

Stop using "B" in heavy traffic. It keeps the ICE on....

 

Using B ispins the engine to reduce the battery charge due to regenerative braking. In heavy traffic traffic that needlessly reduces your fuel economy.

 

BINGO!

That's yer problem right there if I'm correctly interpreting the rate that it gains and loses bars on the display. That and using B mode in traffic. But the battery SOC going up and down quickly is the battery's harbinger of doom. I can see it going to 2 bars from full if you're just sitting with the A/C going for about 5 straight minutes, but w/o the AC or in more stop and go traffic, it should last longer.

A Prolong grid charger will likely rejuvenate the battery quite a bit, but once you get a red triangle of death and a battery code, it's almost for sure too late. Someone with Prius experience should be able to evaluate its health.

 

Really good question.