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2001 Prius battery dies at 70K, Toyota won't pay for repair

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Otis, Jan 18, 2010.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Then there is "Re-InVolt" who make rebuilt battery packs.

    Bob Wilson
     
  2. Otis

    Otis New Member

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    Thanks for the tips, Willard. Unfortunately, the repair has already been completed so I'm wishing Toyota will reimburse me rather than hoping they can find reason to replace the battery under warranty. When I brought the vehicle in to the dealership, I thought the problem was with the computer (after about 20 minutes of driving the brake light would go on and the engine would start revving) and did not suspect the battery.

    Toyota told me $400 plus in labor would be required just to take out the battery for diagnostics, so I assume a substantial charge would be required to put it back in if I decided to take the car elsewhere. Plus I was only in town for a short time and didn't have time to research other options. Hopefully this thread will be helpful to others in the future who find themselves in my position.
     
  3. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Otis,

    You ignored my previous question. Was your Prius affected by SSC 40G?

    Toyota found an issue with the HV battery and offered a free service to fix it. If you did not do it, I don't see how this is Toyota's fault. The HV pack is even out of warranty period.
     
  4. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    Personally... If I get 8 years out of a battery... I think I got a damn good deal.


    I figure I'm going to buy another car before this battery dies off... maybe by then an American firm will have a reliable alternative, so far, they do not.


    I can understand complaining if you only got 4 years... maybe even 6... but you got your use out of the storage system, and from the looks of your post, it served you well.


    Good luck on your decision to get a replacement for your battery... $3000 is a cheap power supply.
     
  5. Otis

    Otis New Member

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    seawolf, sorry, I missed your earlier post. The attachment is interesting because in fact a leaking cell was the first symptom my dealer tech reported prior to just saying the whole battery was bad. But, this appears to be an advisory to dealers rather than a recall notice to owners.

    As an owner, how was I supposed to know about it? During this time (the notice is dated 2004) I was regularly taking my vehicle to the dealer for service. Wouldn't it be their responsibility to run the appropriate diagnostics, rahter than mine?
     
  6. Salsawonder

    Salsawonder New Member

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    Totally agree, the car is 9 years old, don't see how you can complain about the battery lasting so long. I am also with the mind set that we as owners (heck, as people in general) need to take on more responsibility for our products, our decisions and such. We live in such a blame society, sometimes no one is to blame.
     
  7. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    The PDF said owners would get a letter about it around Aug 2004. Have you confirmed that your car is in the affected VIN number? Maybe you did not get the letter because your VIN is not in there.
     
  8. PriusSport

    PriusSport senior member

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    That's the way to go for sure. There must be some used batteries out there in junkyards by now.

    If you've owned a German car before the Prius, the cost would not look so bad.
     
  9. F512M

    F512M Member

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    I guess $300/yr is not bad.
     
  10. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    If after 9 years the battery is dead, I don't think there is anything to complain about if it happened after the warranty - and I believe batteries do stop working reliably after x period of time - the miles driven don't count much - but I might be wrong.

    Regarding the length of the warranty: what should I say??? we get 5yrs warranty on the hybrid parts of the Prius 3 (battery included) in EU... Who should complain after 6 years if the battery broke??? you or me?
    Moreover, I had a VW Polo that required over the 7 years' lifetime, an average of 500€'s worth of repairs each year - stuff that simply broke before any reasonable mileage or time frame. 3500€ for "no reason", simply bad quality - well before the 9 year mark. I sold the car and promised me I would never buy VW ever again.

    If 3000$ is too much to change a battery on a 9 year's old car, you should check the overall costs of ownership (buy price, fuel, insurance, taxes, etc.) and see how much does this repair affect the overall cost of each mile ($/mi). It is likely marginal over the lifetime of the car. And any other car, after 9 years, would probably incur a similar expensive repair sooner or later.

    Maybe it would be interesting to know how much of the 3000$ is actually battery and how much labor cost - maybe then you could try to change it yourself, if not impossible.

    BTW: after 9 years, money permitting, it would maybe make more sense to get a new and more fuel efficient car (e.g. a Prius 3?), rather than make the repair - or maybe exactly invest 3000$ in the battery and continue another 9 years with the car.
     
  11. Otis

    Otis New Member

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    I got my reply from Toyota CEC: no. They aren't willing to replace the battery nor to subsidize any part of my cost. They based this on two points that I disagree with. First, the age of the vehicle which is different than the time I owned it... apparently the warranty clock starts ticking as soon as it leaves the factory, not when the purchaser drives away from the dealership. This doesn't seem fair.

    Second, that they had not "seen me at the dealership all that often". Yes, I changed my own oil a couple times. But I was at the dealership just before the warranty expired and if there was some simple diagnostic that could have detected a battery problem they did not do it or did it wrong. So I will continue to "punch sand" in Willard's words for a bit longer.

    Also, FWIW, I want to mention that when your hybrid battery dies it is not like turning on a flashlight and finding a dim bulb. It can be a safety issue. In my case I was driving on the freeway when the vehicle started acting erratically. The engine revved and the brake warning light went on. The first time this happened it felt as if I actually had the brake on and I was losing power. I discovered that if I shut the car off and turned it back on the car would run normally for a few minutes then the erratic behavior would return. Of course I should have left the car immediately, called a towtruck etc but I was in a no-shoulder construction area on 101 where it was not safe to do this. And i wrongly assumed it was the vehicle's computer acting up rather than a mechanical cause.

    I have a 2006 Prius which is up for service soon. You can bet that I will insist on the full battery of diagnostic tests on the battery when I take it in.
     
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the update.

    Did the car have close to zero miles when you bought it?

    If you were the first owner of the car, then I would agree with your comment regarding when the warranty clock should start. If the car had been a demo or service loaner before you bought it, then the warranty should start when the car is first put into service.

    Regarding your second comment, essentially CEC is saying that since you didn't give your dealer a chance to make a healthy profit on scheduled maintenance over the last 9 years, why should Toyota give you a break on post-warranty support.

    Regarding the 2006 Prius, as long as you are willing to pay for those tests, I'm sure the service dept will be happy to perform them for you.

    Finally, who is Willard? :confused:
     
  13. adric22

    adric22 Ev and Hybrid Enthusiast

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    I'm unfamiliar with any tests that could have helped or prevented this situation. A battery can and will fail eventually. As long as the car is still operating normally while under warranty, you're going to have a hard time convincing a dealership to replace the battery even if some test shows premature failing on the thing. So after 10 years if the battery fails then you are going to be in the same boat you are in today.

    The good news is that so far, it appears the newer batteries are likely to hold up better than the ones used in the 1st gen prius.
     
  14. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    I hope you find a reasonable solution to the battery failure. It is good to know how this might manifest itself rather suddenly. I can understand how it feels that they weaseled their way out of any warranty coverage (I have personally come to realize that the warranty on my car is likely not worth much as coverage was similarly denied for me on a plastic shied for the HV wires).
     
  15. Solag

    Solag New Member

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  16. Otis

    Otis New Member

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    Sorry Patrick. I don't know how you morphed into a "Willard". :)

    We were the original owners of the car and had to wait for it to be delivered to the dealership, supposedly brand new with the odometer showing a handful of miles. It was not a demo or service loaner.

    adric22, thanks for your thoughts on battery diagnostics. There have been a number of technical comments above and I wondered what could have been done with the main computer hookup and what would require access to the battery. If there is really no easy way to profile the battery with a high level diagnostic, that doesn't improve my opinion of CEC and their answer.
     
  17. Otis

    Otis New Member

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  18. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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  19. Otis

    Otis New Member

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    Sorry, try this: Toyota
     
  20. Otis

    Otis New Member

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    Good news, for me anyway. After some followup by my dealer (San Francisco Toyota) and his factory rep, Toyota did reimburse me for the battery replacement. The check arrived last week.

    I say it's good news for me but actually it is for other older Prius owners because if this problem was endemic I don't think Toyota would be ready to pay for many past-warranty repairs. Of course their contact did not say anything about that, simply that they were enclosing a "goodwill check". Fine with me.
     
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