I was out of town this week and couldn't start my car. I got a warning on the dash that the 12V battery wasn't charged. I'd just driven 60 miles so it should have been fully charged. My phone battery was also severely depleted but I called roadside assistance and while I was on the line, I started up the car. I went to the dealership and was told it would be $360 to install a new one. I said fine. Put one in. After waiting 2.5 hours, they came back to me and said yes, the battery needed replacement but they didn't have one in stock. They offered me a free rental car for a week until they could get one in. I did appreciate that. But I live so far away that I really wanted to get the problem resolved. I ended up going to Pep Boys and they got a battery from Auto Zone and got me out within an hour. They charged me $210. I guess the Prius battery is a weird size. I'm thinking about getting one of those little lithium ion jump start batteries that can also service my phone and tablet. But I have a question. I don't know exactly how the 12V battery works in the Prius. Since there was two bars on my big battery at the time, can a jump start really work? What if the car wants to run in electric only mode?
correct. the 12v fires up computers and relays only. the hybrid battery has nothing to do with it. get a jump pack, keep it charged properly, and you'll be good to go. the fact that your battery died in a week means it was defective, and should have been replaced under warranty, but idk the new car 12v warranty. replacements are 84 months, prorated after 24 months also, consider shutting off sks when leaving the car for extended periods
Jump paks do work. Any visible bars is enough to start. (there is a reserve below no bars) Gen 2 and 3, and v, 12 volt Batteries were the same weird size. Gen 1 and c were separate different weird sizes. Gen 4 is a new weird size. Sigh. The car will NOT run down the main battery to a dangerous level if it can help it, so it will not decide to be in all electric mode. 4 years is a short life for a Prius battery but not unheard of. The battery alone is about $140, so $70 in labor? Duralast Battery H4-DL Group Size H4 480 CCA
I live in a part of the country where there aren't a lot of Prius on the road. It was very hard to find a battery. I suppose Pep Boys had to mark up a bit from the Auto Zone price where they got it? I was just happy to have a long day shortened.
Thanks Bisco. I have ordered one of those little jump packs. I have one that I used to use on my old Chevy. But it is old. I need to be able to rely on my car. I live in an area with no cell service and I need to drive an hour to get to a city where I can get service. I bought the car in 2016 so, the battery was 3.5 years old if I count from my purchase date.
People with repeated dead battery's or very short battery life all have one thing in common. They do not arm there cars alarm everytime they leave the car. If they did it would prevent you from leaving a light on or a door ajar the car will not allow you to arm the car if it detects that. It works. I know because I have been doing this for almost 12 years on my 07 and have never had a dead battery. The other thing is to get acquainted with the front under hood jump points. Do not ever jump start the car directly attaching jump leads to the battery in the back. That is very dangerous hard to do properly and very easy to swap jumper cables polarity which can be very very hard on your wallet if done wrong. You reverse jump a Prius it will cost you alot of time and money. Some posters have damaged the inverter which is very $$$. Toyota gave you quick, safe & simple and easy on your back jump point. Get a jump pack with reverse jump lead warning. Since you live in a bad spot for help I would get a battery charger too and put it on the battery every few months to check the battery condition and give it a full charge.Very good for the battery as it will never ever see a full charge to 13.8 in the car and that 100% maintenance charge is very good for a battery. Really quick and easy to attach to the front jump point. I have this one. I put it on all my cars every few months. Its also has recondition mode that will help with sulphation. It will improve an older battery.
Btw, this is an internet site. Don't use your real name on internet sites. Its really not a good idea. I know your name I know what you look like where you live including street address know your age (64) and I know your phone number Starts with 209. Wouldn't take me long to get your social. Identity theft is horrible. It happened to my wife and it was terrible for us. They will file phony tax return with a direct deposit bank account. They did that to us. We now must get a pin every year to file our taxes and many other hardships. Be careful. Protect your personal info always.
Wow, that's a lot of money for an ordinary lead-acid battery for Gen4 (and Prime). I asked my dealer and they told me for Gen4 (and Prime) the 12v battery cost is $99 with installation, just like other cars. For Gen3 and earlier, the AGM battery is required and it costs more.
The auxiliary (12-volt) battery is covered for up to 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, subject to the warranty terms. It’s good to understand the procedure, but on fourth-generation Prius and Prius Prime cars, the auxiliary battery is under the hood, so there aren’t separate connection points for jump starting. See the Owner’s Manual (PDF), pages 711–716, and Toyota’s YouTube video.
Well, last time I was at my dealer, I asked at the service desk about the $99 Toyota battery deal they always have, and the service rep told me the Gen4 battery qualifies for the deal, even though they have a small print on the coupon saying "Hybrid vehicles extra." After all, Gen4 and PRIME 12V battery is a regular flooded battery that is smaller than most regular Toyota cars. I did not need a battery then, was just asking, so no quote in writing. Yeah, they can always say no when I really need a battery, but I will bring it up if and when I need a battery replacement.
I seem to recall a fair amount of chest-beating over the 4th gen 12 volt battery, that regardless of it being a regular (non-AGM) battery, it's shape was somewhat unusual, aftermarket options were near-nil, and it was quite expensive. @Elektroingenieur has researched it very thoroughly, maybe he can comment, regarding price, availability, battery specifics?
Did you read jimbo's comment #3? The aftermarket does exist priced around $140. Just checked TOYOTA OEM battery for 2017 PRIME. It is also available at around $140 sales price. So I am not surprised if my Toyota dealer honors the coupon for the $99 battery deal. Part Number: 00544H4052470 MSRP:$176.86 2017 Toyota Prius Prime Four HYBRID TrueStart Battery. Ask, Cranking, Lead - 00544H4052470 - Genuine Toyota Part
and as michelle pointed out, many dealers have been unable to find inventory, so they give you a loaner car for a week, and try to recoup the cost in a $360. battery
Yeah, not in stock can be an issue. But even that, OEM battery MSRP is $176. Making an owner wait 2.5 hours to let her know that they don't have the battery in stock and then asking $360 installed is a rip off any way you take it.
That situation has changed, and aftermarket alternatives (such as AutoZone’s Duralast H4-DL) are now readily available. See my previous posting for details on the size.
