Battery failure on '02 Prius

beantown1900 · 09-23-2006, 04:52 PM

Well, one night the indicator came on and I noticed and electrical smell in the car. Luckily I was in the driveway and shut the car down immediately. I had only driven the car about 10 miles that day. Had it towed to the dealer and they called me to say they were in contact with Toypta Technical Assistance. They called me the next day to say that this was the first case (!) of a battery failure in a Pruis!!! Now this is an '02 Prius, and I had purchased the extended warranty, but that would not have mattered - 87000+ miles on the car and it still would have been covered up to 100,000 miles, at least that is my understanding.

The dealer was great, in fact they lent me a brand new Prius, no questions asked or hassling or arguing at all, fully decked out with 6000+ miles on it to use while the boat comes from Japan with the new battery!!! They estimate a two week delivery time!

And, in a true case of serendipity, I had the Prius for sale when this happened and I have to tell you, the folks that have called have actually been HAPPY that the battery went out since that seems to be the most worrisome thing to them all!!! Funny! Now, here is what they told me about the replacement - the warranty on the replacement is only good for the balance of the 100,000 mile warranty. The warranty does not start over, which is understandable! (too bad they did not want to buy the car for analysis! LOL!)

Think a new battery increases the value of the car?

Anyway, a battery failure has happened and now I wait to see how the car acts when I get it back.

**efusco** · 09-23-2006, 05:03 PM

Maybe that was the first at that dealer, it's certainly not the first in the US...

We're aware of at least a handful of failures some for reasons that seem likely and some for unknown reasons. Any ideas what could have contributed to the failure on your car? What driving style do you have, what kind of commute (highway, city, etc?) Dealer say anything else about it such as corrosion on the terminals? Did you have the recall work for the sealant on the terminals?

And yea, like a car with a new transmission or a new ICE a new battery on a used Prius should increase its resale value.

beantown1900 · 09-23-2006, 08:15 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 23 2006, 05:03 PM) [snapback]324017[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Maybe that was the first at that dealer, it's certainly not the first in the US...

We're aware of at least a handful of failures some for reasons that seem likely and some for unknown reasons. Any ideas what could have contributed to the failure on your car? What driving style do you have, what kind of commute (highway, city, etc?) Dealer say anything else about it such as corrosion on the terminals? Did you have the recall work for the sealant on the terminals?

And yea, like a car with a new transmission or a new ICE a new battery on a used Prius should increase its resale value.
[/b]

The car was used for a lot of long trips, and then daily 40 miles per day for trips to work. They did not talk about corrosion at all, and yes, I did have the recall work done right away. My driving style is gentle, I am a "coast to a stop" and "gentle on acceleration" - really makes a difference in gas mileage! The car was regularly serviced.

**efusco** · 09-23-2006, 08:18 PM

Wow, then that's an odd one for a failure that early. Your trips sound ideal for battery preservation (ie no extreme discharge/recharge cycles like bumper-to-bumper driving or mountainous driving). And it seems they would've mentioned if you had corrosion when you went for the recall if that was the issue.

09-23-2006, 05:03 PM	#2
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 14,247 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 1 Time in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 24	Maybe that was the first at that dealer, it's certainly not the first in the US... We're aware of at least a handful of failures some for reasons that seem likely and some for unknown reasons. Any ideas what could have contributed to the failure on your car? What driving style do you have, what kind of commute (highway, city, etc?) Dealer say anything else about it such as corrosion on the terminals? Did you have the recall work for the sealant on the terminals? And yea, like a car with a new transmission or a new ICE a new battery on a used Prius should increase its resale value. __________________ Evan E. Fusco, MD Seaside 04BC9/OEM EVb/NAV & auto-BT/XM Radio, CAN-View, Shark Fin, BT Stiff. Plate, Skid Plate & Strut Support

LinkBacks (?) LinkBack to this Thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-technical-discussion/24052-battery-failure-02-prius.html
Posted By	For	Type	Date
Don't let gas prices scare you into a hybrid- Do The Math., page 1	This thread	Refback	05-11-2008 02:57 PM

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
2001 Prius transmission failure	Peter Gazzinia	Prius Main Forum	109	10-29-2008 10:21 PM
Brake failure 2005 Prius	lwinter	Prius Main Forum	91	08-10-2008 09:50 AM
Need advice on another possible 12V battery failure	Jack Kelly	Prius Technical Discussion	7	10-11-2007 01:05 AM
12 V Battery Failure Causes More Trouble than You'd expect	juliehoskin	Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting	10	11-03-2006 11:35 PM
Prius engine failure on the road	evgnat	Prius Main Forum	8	05-02-2004 10:43 AM

09-23-2006, 04:52 PM	#1
beantown1900 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 2 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Well, one night the indicator came on and I noticed and electrical smell in the car. Luckily I was in the driveway and shut the car down immediately. I had only driven the car about 10 miles that day. Had it towed to the dealer and they called me to say they were in contact with Toypta Technical Assistance. They called me the next day to say that this was the first case (!) of a battery failure in a Pruis!!! Now this is an '02 Prius, and I had purchased the extended warranty, but that would not have mattered - 87000+ miles on the car and it still would have been covered up to 100,000 miles, at least that is my understanding. The dealer was great, in fact they lent me a brand new Prius, no questions asked or hassling or arguing at all, fully decked out with 6000+ miles on it to use while the boat comes from Japan with the new battery!!! They estimate a two week delivery time! And, in a true case of serendipity, I had the Prius for sale when this happened and I have to tell you, the folks that have called have actually been HAPPY that the battery went out since that seems to be the most worrisome thing to them all!!! Funny! Now, here is what they told me about the replacement - the warranty on the replacement is only good for the balance of the 100,000 mile warranty. The warranty does not start over, which is understandable! (too bad they did not want to buy the car for analysis! LOL!) Think a new battery increases the value of the car? Anyway, a battery failure has happened and now I wait to see how the car acts when I get it back.

09-23-2006, 08:18 PM	#4
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 14,247 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 1 Time in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 24	Wow, then that's an odd one for a failure that early. Your trips sound ideal for battery preservation (ie no extreme discharge/recharge cycles like bumper-to-bumper driving or mountainous driving). And it seems they would've mentioned if you had corrosion when you went for the recall if that was the issue.