2005 Prius w bad hybrid cell

[efusco]

Originally Posted by Aryiana

Yes, Thanks Bob, I CAN do the math.... however, it has also been published that there is a .0003% failure rate in Gen. 2 Priuses (from 2004 - May 2008) with only 23 cars having a post-warranty hybrid battery failure. With this low of a rate, and with having only 3 years with the car, Toyota SHOULD stand behind their product. That is the point.

I hope this doesn't happen to you -- people may be just as sympathetic as you are.

B/C they make such a reliable car when that 1/3333 event occurs that means that Toyota should eat the cost? So if the battery failure rate was, say, 1:100 you'd be ok with paying it? You're really not being logical.

It is sad and bad luck that you had a failure. As I described I can totally feel your pain and I personally know how such expenses suck when they occur. But you're being completely unfair in expecting Toyota to cover beyond the warranty period...it was a contract you agreed to at the time of purchase..

[KTPhil]

I would also feel like I got a "lemon" of a Prius. But this is only in relation to the average and typical lifetime of the batteries. 150K is as long as many engines last, so if you can find a used battery that gives you another 50-100K miles for under $1K, you will have gotten a respectable 200K miles out of the combo of purchase price and this battery cost. That may well be a per-mile cost below the average "small midsize" sedan made by others.

I'd still feel I got a "bad one" but overall 150K miles without a hitch is pretty darn good for a modern complex car. Hearing abotu taxis going 2-300K without problems leads us to expect them to be bulletproof, but of course they are not.

Good luck with Toyota (maybe they will help you find a salvage car with a decent battery or make some other gesture). And good luck with your replacement unit.

[Aryiana]

Originally Posted by jayman

If its just a bad cell, I would look into salvage batteries. There is no freaking way I'd pay for a new pack over one cell

Let me guess: +$2,500, right?

Yup... $3000 including labor

[Aryiana]

Originally Posted by richard schumacher

Before spending a lot of money, get a second opinion from another dealer.

Did you buy it new, or used?

Patrick, is it reasonable to replace only the failed module? Or do they all have to be matched?

We bought it brand-spankin' new and have done all the recommended services, and oil changes every 3-5K miles. I was told they don't replace the individual cells and from what I have read in my researching is that they don't replace the individual cells for the same reason you always want to change all the batteries in any battery-operated thing.... so that you don't mix old and new.

[donee]

Hi Aryiana,

156K is 156K. Get on Ebay, or call AutobeYours.com and get a salvage battery if the transmission fluid and engine oil were maintained. Do you really get 156 K out of a automatic transmission? By buing a Prius you probably got 1 1/2 the lifetime before major repair expense.

[Aryiana]

Originally Posted by KTPhil

I would also feel like I got a "lemon" of a Prius. But this is only in relation to the average and typical lifetime of the batteries.

I'd still feel I got a "bad one" but overall 150K miles without a hitch is pretty darn good for a modern complex car. Hearing abotu taxis going 2-300K without problems leads us to expect them to be bulletproof, but of course they are not.

Good luck with Toyota (maybe they will help you find a salvage car with a decent battery or make some other gesture). And good luck with your replacement unit.

Thank you for finally articulating where I am coming from with this. Actually, I did get a call back from Toyota Corporate and they are going to send this to a case manager. In backing up my points with facts (such as the dealer we go to has sold thousands and this is the *only* G2 battery that has failed without MVA being the cause), I think they are willing to look at it a bit closer.

My husband had a 2002 Hyundai, and altho we only got 24 mpg with it, we gave it to a friend with 130K miles once we bought our Prius -- and he never had an issue with that car either. Bottom line, if we were going to get a "bic lighter" car (one that we would just give up/trade/whatever in 3 years) we would have gone alot less expensively than a Prius -- and broken even ... albiet paying more for gas in the long run.

[jayman]

Originally Posted by Aryiana

Yup... $3000 including labor

Salvage battery, they are available.

If I had kept my '04, and it threw a battery code, I'd just look for a salvage battery myself. BTW: a taxi operator bought my Prius, with close to 200,000 km on it. He didn't seem to afraid of lurking repair issues

Question: have you changed the transaxle fluid? Wouldn't be a bad idea to do so. One of our newer members, a mechanic, picked up a used Prius that ate the transaxle. He replaced all the parts himself with salvage parts, works fine

[fuzzy1]

Originally Posted by Aryiana

Yes, Thanks Bob, I CAN do the math.... however, it has also been published that there is a .0003% failure rate in Gen. 2 Priuses (from 2004 - May 2008) with only 23 cars having a post-warranty hybrid battery failure. ...

If 23 cars represents a .0003% failure rate, that means a population of about 7,000,000 Gen2 Priuses under consideration. Sorry, that exceeds worldwide production.

One of these forums (priuschat or cleanmpg) indicates that used (collision salvage) Gen2 battery packs are selling for $400.

But a dealership is likely to refuse to install anything that isn't factory new, so you may need to find a good independent shop to do it. I moved my Honda business to an independent Honda/Toyota shop to get a permanent fix for half the price that the dealership wanted for a temporary fix (factory replacement part having the same weakness as the original). Unfortunately the spouse couldn't reach me when her Acura had the same problem, so she paid full price for the temporary fix. In the decade since, both cars have had all their (infrequent) repairs done at the independent shop, with excellent customer satisfaction at lower prices.

The only difficulty with independent shops is finding the good ones.

[saechaka]

Here is what I would do if I was you. It sounds like you are covered to 150,000miles. Chances are good your car was reading 2mph faster than it really is going. I did a rough calculation that my odometer was reading 10% off for every 5 miles. I would use the speedometer check stations and for every 5 miles my odometer read 4.9 miles. So every 50 miles, my car reading was off by 1 mile. This was with stock tires inflated at 42/40. So it seems your car logged 3000 more miles than actually driven based on my figures. You will somehow need to prove that your odometer is off though. Just a thought. Good luck

[patsparks]

My brother just spent $5000 on repairs to his late model Nissan Patrol, way under 150,000 miles on it, then he had to spend another $6000 when it broke down a few months later. I asked him if there was a shortage of Toyotas when he bought the car? I have no idea why he bought a Nissan. $11,000 in repairs over 6 months would upset me but if it happens you wear it, that's how it is. You play the odds and as you say, your odds are excellent with a Toyota but unfortunately sometimes you still lose.
I'm sorry you had a battery cell failureAryiana, it isn't good no matter how rare it is. When it happens to you and you have only one Prius it equals 100% failure rate to you. I hope you find a good resolution.