Hi Guys, I have a 2006 prius with 203k miles on it. The original HV battery was dead and replaced 4 months ago. The 3rd party used HV battery also developed problem with the code P3011. I have OBDII scanner and checked the code myself which shows bad cells in the HV battery. Each time the red triangle pops up with all other lights on the dashboard while driving, I scan the system and clear the code and everything works great again. Sometimes I drive it for 30miles before it comes up again and other times it pops up only after 4-5miles of driving. Each time I clear the code, the HV battery fan goes off and everything comes back to normal. A mechanic is charging me for $600 to replace the bad cells. My problem is can I continue clearing the code whenever it comes up and drive it until I fix the bad cells? Can the clearing and driving cause some additional problem in the near future? Please I need your take on this. Thanks. Zollyzo
If your HV battery is not balanced and has a bad cell then the other modules can suffer. It sounds like you are heading toward the process deemed "wack a mole" in the hybrid/prius community. If this vehicle is to be used for a fair amount of miles/time then you may be better off buying either a Toyota HV battery from a dealer that sells for $1625. Or, buy the new replacment cells marketed elsewhere on PC. Are you mechanically inclined? Some of the cost can be saved by doing the battery rebuild/replace/swap yourself. I am new to the Prius myself so my answers are strictly from me doing a LOT of reading here recently. I defer to the experts here on this forum to elaborate and/or correct on my comments. Whatever you do... good luck and keep us posted! We all learn from each other as we continue to keep these aging marvels on the road. Paul.
1) yes, you may wind up doa somewhere, because clearing the code doesn't fix anything, it just tells the car everything is okay, then the car has to determine all over again that there is a problem. in the meantime, the battery is getting worse. 2) at $600. a whack a mole, wouldn't you be better off spending $2,400. for a brand spankin' new battery?
The harder you push your Prius in a weakened state, the more strain you are putting on the other modules. While in the short term it seems like it is fine, the longer term it will affect more of the modules. What would you get for $600? Would this same mechanic be willing to install a full pack of new modules and you could be on your way?
I am having the same problem in my 2005. The whack-a-mole has drained the accounts. At this point, I have about 8 modules sitting in the trunk that we "thought" were the culprit, only to have the triangle of death appear once again after about 25 miles of driving. I wonder if anybody on here has discussed repairing/rebuilding these? note: I have seen the discussions regarding rebuilding the batteries in general (by testing and replacing the individual modules) but I'm interested in reconditioning the modules themselves (the rectangular flat silver lead-like heavy things)
There are some threads you can search up on module rehydrating, where some people have reported some qualified successes, but it doesn't really seem to have taken off.
