2012 Prius C give up on me after two week of purchase

YES and NO.
Or more accurately the answer to both is: maybe.

Given where you are located, you likely don't have a lot of options either.

 

Depending on the severity of the failure, a bad hybrid battery can prevent the engine from starting. It generally won't cause a running engine to quit, but it may not be able to get going again. Since a Prius wants to start and stop its engine frequently, this can mean it's done as transportation.

I hate to say it, but it sounds like the previous owner used up all the good miles and sold you his problems.

You can almost certainly get the battery replaced for less than $4,200.

The average Prius can be driven for a while after the computer flags the P0A80, but the behavior is all over the place- some can barely make it home, others can be limped around for weeks.

 

Given your description (it was on when it happened), age (2012) and location (hot year round), I would agree the traction battery is likely toast. It wouldn't hurt to verify the 12V under the rear seat is still good, but it usually throws multiple odd codes instead of only a battery one. Also check that the vent under the driver's side rear seat is clear and you can hear the fan running. Not sure what your options are of getting a reman traction battery in Guam. Shipping one from a US supplier would be steep. You might check junk yards for newer ones.

 

The dealer should have been able to give you the sub codes that specify which battery block or blocks went bad. But even then, living on an island, you have lots of salt in the air and that could easily have corroded the sensor wires in the battery. It may be that it needs a wiring harness. Or it could be the traction battery itself. Once you know the sub codes, you'll have a better idea where to look.

$4200 seems like an insane price to us here on the mainland, but not so surprising when you live on an island. (I lived on an island for nine years, so I know what it's like.)

 

When you live on Guam ??

 

I'd get a second opinion on the battery pack.
It's 'warm' in Guam 12 months a year but it rarely gets 'hot'....depending on what you call 'warm' and 'hot.'
High 80s and low 70's happen almost everywhere else in the US.........just not 12 months a year in most places.

As noted above It's ALWAYS moist and salty there....so you may indeed have a battery pack problem but it might not be a "cell" problem....but(!!) depending on when the in-service date is it might not be a "you" problem but rather it might be a "them" problem!

Bad news....Guam isn't a CARB state.
Actually? You're not a state at all, but don't get me and @fuzzy1 started on THAT.
The good news is that your car should still be covered by the standard US warranty.....and thus SHOULD be covered by an 8year,100,000 mile warranty again....depending on your vehicle's in-service date.
I'm just guessing here, but I doubt you're over 100,000 miles if all of the miles were driven in Guam.

Either way?
2021-2012 is gonna be CLOSE
Toyota may give you a discount or even cover it outright if you're over the warranty by just a few months under a Goodwill warranty claim.
Have your dealer reach out to them.
The answer is always NO if you do not ask.

Given the choice between a $4200 OEM battery and a DIY replacement, I'd start looking into the DIY option if Yota doesn't work with you on the price of the pack. You may be in Guam....but it's not like you don't have adequate mail service.
OK.....well since you have the USPS, I guess you're just as disadvantaged as we are on this side of the IDL....but there are STILL more reasonable options than letting Toyota shank you out of $4200 for a battery pack!!!

Good Luck!
Let us know how it goes!

 

do you get a lot of humidity? might just be corrosion as jerry said

 

Guam is an island and not a very big one. I haven't been there, but every island I've been to is humid. Not just humid; salty humid. My vehicles were in the body shop at least yearly to try to stay ahead of the rust.

 

we do see a number of c batteries go bad at 8 years, so who knows?

 

The sub-code gets out of the car the same way the main P0A80 code does: a technician plugs in the diagnostic computer. It's extra steps to record the results, but it's pretty much guaranteed that the data in question has already been read from your car, they just didn't preserve it to present it to you, so they have to do it all over again to answer your question.

Knowing that the current hybrid battery is only 5-6 years old changes things. If it was a genuine Toyota battery I really would have expected it to last longer, even in a warm climate. Genuine Toyota replacements usually have their own warranties, but it would have been short- maybe 1 year.

Check the battery cooling fan, make sure this newer battery wasn't sent to an early grave by chronic overheat.

 

I'm sorry that the Toyota dealership(s?) on Guam operate to the same standards as they do here on the mainland.
Are you able to install the battery yourself?
Please watch this before you decide and have some of the Priussy owners chime in.

$3000 seems a bit much for the install price!
ADDED to this you might be able to identify something under the rear seat that might have contributed to the seemingly early demise of this battery.
BTW....Yota just upped their battery warranty to 10 years.
Different battery chemistry maybe, but you might be able to jostle them with that little factoid.

ALSO the if the battery has already been replaced once before, there is obviously something esle going on with this car....or the dealership who installed the last battery didn't do such a....um....."hot" job.....or they installed a used pack from a junkyard instead of a new OEM pack.

SOMETHING is amiss here.
Priussys are SUPPOSED to be the MOST reliable Toyota......even on Guam.

DO NOT give up on an aftermarket solution.
It's not like Guam is on the other side of the Earth.
Waitaminute....maybe it IS....but if you know somebody here on this side of the IDL, maybe they can take delivery of an aftermarket battery and forward it to you.
As YOU already know.....Guam is serviced by the same third-world, corrupt, inefficient postal system that we have to put up with here....the USPS!
I haven't received mail in Guam in well over 30 years but the last time I checked shipping is the same domestic rate that you would pay for a package delivered to Mullberry Street, NYC!

Check some more before you hand over $3000 to people who may be out-and-out thieves.

 

You are correct, they are full of it. The subcodes are read via the Techstream software they use for all modern Toyotas. They don't have to touch the battery at all. I would also have them give you the voltages of ALL cells, which is also available from the same software. That will give a decent indication of the health of the battery. If it really is bad then at least 1 cell will be noticeable lower than the average.

Interesting that it isn't the original battery. You can verify service records by going to Owners section of Toyota.com and entering VIN. I guess you do get lemons every now and then, but maybe corrosion from salt water is a major issue there. I know both Prius I bought from Chicago area had some corrosion on connectors in the engine compartment from winter road salt. Since you say you are handy, I'd read on how to safely disassemble the battery and check all connectors everywhere in the circuit. Corrosion on even a single cell might cause enough voltage drop that it throws a code. It may turn out that cleaning every few years may be a maintenance item needed for your unique environment???

 

I wondered about that too.
It was $3500 .....but not sure if he meant an extra 3500 in labor OR that 3500 was the total......and 500 was the labor.
An additional 3500 just for labor is outrageous.

 

That third option is mighty intriguing... I think I'd do that one if I were in your shoes.

I would not even try a junkyard battery older than 2017, especially at those prices.

 

Trouble is @2k1Toaster has said that many Chinese batteries are lower capacity than advertised. It would be good if he could give an opinion.

 

Compare that to the alternatives- junkyard batteries are not going to provide full power either. The new unit from Toyota can be trusted to, but it's nearly 4x the price by OP's quotes. I think I could tolerate at least a little bit of nameplate cheating given those savings.

You're right though, it'll be great to hear from an expert.