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2005 Toyota Prius - Dealer replaced battery goes bad after a year

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by trancey, Jan 9, 2014.

  1. trancey

    trancey New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2014
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    Location:
    Los Angeles, California
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I recently acquired my mom's 2005 Toyota Prius. She bought it in CA in 2005, moved to Oregon in 2007, and gave it to me last month after she had the dealer service it with 87k miles.

    I noticed on the Toyota Online Service History that she had the battery replaced last year in Oregon by a dealership there. I had AAA check my 12v battery after experiencing some odd electrical problems.

    1) fuel indicator wasn't showing the correct tank amount, 2) my digital speedometer/gas gauge would turn off (go dark) whenever I turned on my headlights, and 3) the device lights seemed to dim whenever I turned my headlights on.

    AAA told me that my battery should be replaced. I'm going into a Toyota dealership tomorrow (not the one where the new 12v was purchased from). Am I going to have to pay full price for a new one? Or, does toyota give any warranty on replaced 12v batteries? I couldn't find any warranty documentation.
     
    #1 trancey, Jan 9, 2014
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    The new batteries now have 84 month warranty on them, the old ones I believe said 24 month warranty. You can take a peak in the back where the battery is at to check. If you have a receipt, seems you wouldn't have a problem getting a replacement if under 24 months.
     
    #2 JC91006, Jan 9, 2014
  3. pjc

    pjc Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2012
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    Location:
    Bloomington, MN
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    trancey,

    Your symptoms don't sound like a 12V problem to me. #1 is a well-known issue with the Prius GenII, there is a way to reset the gas level sensors that usually helps (sorry no link, but it is on PriusChat). #2 sounds like a problem with the combination meter, not the battery, and #3 is a feature -- the panel lights dim for night driving. If you need the headlights during the day and want the panel lights bright, push the dimmer knob (left of the steering column) up and it will click into the top position which should give you full daytime brightness.

    FYI, there is a procedure for checking the health of your 12V (a poor-man's load test) using the touch screen. Do a search on "check accessory battery" or something like that on PriusChat.
     
    #3 pjc, Jan 9, 2014
    xpcman likes this.
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome to priuschat, all the best with your new (used) prius!(y)
     
    #4 bisco, Jan 9, 2014
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