Prius battery life and replacement cost?

[Ogo]

Well, with 2001 Prius, you are basically one of Prius pioneers. And there was always a risk of unproven technology. Only time tells the truth.

Even proven things sometimes fail in premature fashion. So, I would say that battery failure after 8 years and 105,000 miles of operation is not so bad. Seen modern non hybrid cars suffering total system failure in quarter of that lifespan.

Hope you will resolve the problem though.

[jesse]

Originally Posted by DaveinOlyWA

because of automatic features and a dedicated computer designed to take care of and monitor the battery, expected failure rate for life of vehicle (they used 180,000 miles) was less than 1%

there has not been a traction battery replaced as of yet due to wear and tear. replacement costs will go down just like any new technology does as it becomes popular. current costs are at the $4,000 range give or take a grand plus install (since it wouldnt be much if not out of warantee)

one thing i did, (now dont know how well this translates as there is too much i dont know, casing, packaging, special circuitry for multi-battery setups, etc) but i went to batteries plus and priced 28 7.2 volt NiMH batteries and they were 28.72* 28 = $800 or the extended duty batteries 36.72*28=$1000....

so like i said, not really a comparison, but as you can see, its the technology that is the expensive part, not the materials. that tells me that the cost will go down.

i fully expect the price to be around $1500 in a few years after there is couple million on the road. when there is that much market, there will be competition and we will benefit.

I Have a 2008 whith 160,000 miles runs like new.
no problems at all.whith navigation system leather bluetooh,aux for the ipod.loaded...dont be afraid of the battery.

[richard schumacher]

Yep, early adopters do face such risks. OTOH this is about what you'd pay for a replacement transmission on a conventional car of similar mileage, so you're not really out much.

[Chipawa]

As another datapoint, I have a 2001 with 131,000 miles. Just today, the main battery failed. Really had no warning that it was about to fail. Gas mileage has been pretty consistent over the years: around 50 mpg in summer and 43 mpg in winter.

My local toyota dealer quoted a replacement cost of $4400.

I've loved my Prius and would buy another one. My question now is should I pay to have the battery replaced or should I go for a nice new Gen III. I commute 70 miles round trip with a carpool. I know my carpool buddies would appreciate a new larger pruis. On the other hand, it might make more economic sense to replace the battery to give my car some more years of life.

Any insights would be appreciated.

[Shawn Clark]

This is the GenII forum (Terry hijacked several), but you can get a battery installed a lot cheaper than that. The battery is something like $2500 retail and it is likely the dealer doesn't pay anywhere near that much for it. Markup is likely about 40% judging from other Toyota parts. Try some Toyota parts wholesalers and get quotes from other shops on the installation cost. I would target less than $2500 installed.

Alternatively you could get a salvage battery installed for much less, THEN sell the car and buy what you want. I would not go the salvage battery route on a car I was keeping long term.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by Chipawa

As another datapoint, I have a 2001 with 131,000 miles. Just today, the main battery failed... My local toyota dealer quoted a replacement cost of $4400.

I've loved my Prius and would buy another one. My question now is should I pay to have the battery replaced or should I go for a nice new Gen III...it might make more economic sense to replace the battery to give my car some more years of life.

I agree that you should call the various Toyota dealers in your area to see if you can get a better price. A Classic salvage battery is a questionable investment if you wish to keep the car long-term as those batteries will also be 7-9 years old and near their end-of-life. (Recently one Classic owner did a reasonable DIY repair by buying two 2G salvage batteries and swapping 38 modules into the Classic battery case, but I am assuming that goes beyond what you wish to do...)

If you are faced with spending >$4K on this repair, I'd recommend that you consider scrapping the car. kbb.com indicates that the trade-in value of a 2001 Prius in good condition and 131K miles is only $4K. What if the transaxle, inverter, or electric steering gear fails and you are looking at another four-digit repair bill.

You could buy a new 2010, but there's also the possibility of buying a used 2G with low miles, for a lower price - so you have a range of options open to you. Good luck.