Traction Battery Dies in 2009 Prius Pkg 4

[Gary Boyd]

I just bought a new Prius 2009 and driving it in the mountain in Colorado the Traction battery goes dead (even starting in the green) and then the engine just cycles fast then slow rpm over andover again and vehicle will not go over 45mph when the negine alone is powering the car. Toyota says " this is a known problem" and that they can therefore do nothing about it. even their customer relations group says the car is functioning "normally". Problem is I have ridden in other 2nd generation Prius and have talked to other dealers and none of them have this problem so how can it be "Normal". The dealer will do nothing even thought the wrranty states it can replace the: traction battery, battery control module, Hybrid control module, Inverter with converter. No where in the Toyota manuals does it warn the consumer that some hybrid vehicles might not function properly in mountaneous terrain like Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, etc... so what options do I have and can this problem be fixed?????

[PriusLewis]

I agree it shouldn't be a "known problem." Mine will exhaust the battery in the mountains running up to Blackhawk from Denver, but it will maintain speed on the ICE (it revs it's little heart out, but does a decent job). If you're climbing worse grades than here on the Front Range and at higher altitude I guess it could eventually be more than the ICE can handle. I'm definitely surprised at this.

[2009Prius]

Was there any warning light or error message? How do you know it is dead?

[Gary Boyd]

So what options do I have to resolve this issue - I see you are a Prius Scientist - I am a mechanical engineer working on the next generation ceramic regenerated gas turbine prime mover to replace the 4 cylinder engine. I know there is a solution - afterall it is only hardware and EPROM's......

[Gary Boyd]

There are no warning lights but the traction battery indication goes from blue bars to purple and then to no bars and that is when the engine begins a cyclic rev to high rpm and the car can only go about 45mph.

[a priori]

Is the issue one of battery failure or of exhausting the battery? You can't be going uphill all the time, so the ICE should be recharging the battery at some point, unless there is a problem with the system.

Are you driving in a high elevation area where the demand is so great that the HSD can't keep up? Do you think that is the problem, or do you believe the battery itself is bad?

Are you driving alone or with passengers? Are you carrying anything else in the car? Are you using regular gasoline? Do you drive just in short intervals or for long stretches at a time?

[Gary Boyd]

I can be the only onein the car - worse withmore weight. The battery does not die - it simply loses all charge and does assist the engine. It will recharge going downhill in Drive or Regenerative Braking. When battery gets completely discharged in only 6 miles on a 6 degree incline then the engine begins rev up and down in a cyle - that car will only go 45mph in these conditions

[Bob64]

how fast does it lose all the charge?

[Frayadjacent]

I'd think that you're driving the Prius in a very extreme environment. It's entirely feasible that with long uphill treks, the traction battery will discharge to it's lower threshold. There's a threshold of power output where a portion of that power comes from the battery. Keep the vehicle operating over that threshold, and you end up discharging the battery. At that point, only the ICE can power the vehicle.

Depending on what you're actually trying to do (i.e. long uphill climbs), you're probably putting demand that is over the threshold mentioned above, and the vehicle is doing what would normally happen.

[Gary Boyd]

If that is the case then why do no other Prius' perform in this way - it certainly is not "normal". I have driven a 2006 and 2007 and neither have this problem.